The Spirit of Truth

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

(John 16:13, NLT)

Not only did Jesus promise the Holy Spirit would take up residence within us, empowering us to live the way we should, but He also promised that  He would guide us into all truth.  We live in a  world filled with very convincing falsehoods and deception. The culprit behind it all is Satan, the evil source and father of all lies. Jesus shot straight about exactly who and what Satan is:

“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

(John 8:44, NLT)

When the devil sets out to ruin your life, he begins with a lie. Behind every one of his temptations is a hidden hook. Satan’s traps are like the proverbial fisherman’s bait that always carries a hook, no matter how authentic it may look to the fish. The devil is skilled at what he does. His job is to make what is wrong look right, and he is a master at candy-coating sin. Behind every one of his temptations lurks a false promise. “This will help you,” he whispers. “If you do this, you will be happy.” “If you take this, drink this, hook up with this or that person, you will experience the fulfillment you deserve.” Once you’ve taken the bait, the hook takes hold, and you are caught!

How do we defeat the devil’s lies? God has given us two sources of non-negotiable, unassailable truth—the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. If not for these two indispensable gifts, we would eventually fall into deception.

Scripture recounts how, after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove (see Matthew 3:13–16). Then the same Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1). It was there where an epic battle between Christ and Satan went own. In the ensuing struggle, we see Jesus winning match after match as the Holy Spirit, and God’s Word worked together to give him victory. Now, two thousand year later, we win the same way!

Imagine for a moment that your mind is a file cabinet. It represents what is stored away on the “hard drive” of your brain. On the front of the file cabinet, we note the following words: “Bible verses for the day of battle.” One day you awaken to find yourself under attack by the adversary. Temptation is banging on the door. Unwelcome thoughts flood your mind. God seems to be a million miles away. You don’t know whom to call as you sense yourself weakening. This is where the Holy Spirit jumps into action! How so? He goes to the file cabinet, pulls the drawer open, and searches for a memory verse, such as:

 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

(1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

But what if, when the Holy Spirit opened the file drawer, there was nothing there? He can’t bring to your mind what you haven’t stored away. Right off the bat, you’re at a disadvantage. Like a boxer with no fists, you are a Christian in the ring with an adversary that fears nothing but God's word!

Here’s an important spiritual truth: The Word of God and the Holy Spirit work together to keep us from falling into sin. In fact, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit has a sword:

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

(Ephesians 6:17, NIV)

This powerful verse reveals the cooperative relationship that God’s word and the Holy Spirit have together. When tempted by one of Satan’s lies, the Holy Spirit immediately arises to help us. He accomplishes this by the same method Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness—by wielding the Word of God. Each of the three times Satan tempted  Jesus, the Lord always responded by quoting God’s Word, beginning with “It is written…”

To live a life of victory, the  Christian must learn to take advantage of the two sources of truth God has made available—the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of starting each day by spending quality time in God’s Word, meditating on it, memorizing it, internalizing it, and familiarizing yourself with it. Next, let’s explore another powerful advantage the Holy Spirit brings.