Where There Is Smoke, There’s Fire

When I walked up the stairs I could smell it.

It was powerful and carried a warning.

Smoke.

The night the sky above our house had unzipped. It rained. There was lightning. There was thunder and wind and if we had lived near the water there would have been waves. But alas, we live far from the water and in our part of the world lightning almost always brings fires.

It turns out there were 17 fires. Most were small but at least one was big enough to create smoke that wafted in through our windows and inundated our house.

The smell sent a message.

Warning. 
Fire.
Danger.
Be careful.
Pray.

Wouldn’t it be great if that happened in life? Wouldn’t it be so helpful if when you were about to make a bad choice or say something you shouldn’t, your nostrils would fill with that unmistakable smell and warn you?

Well, guess what? If you are paying attention you get something even better – the Holy Spirit.

During those really crazy and trying times, when you are faced with a choice, you can rest assured that the Holy Spirit will be there to guide you and lead you in the direction you should go.

Who doesn’t need an advocate, a counselor, or a helper once in a while? I know I do. While I may not smell smoke when I am about to make a bad decision or choice about something, I am still getting the message.

Warning.
Fire.
Danger.
Be careful.
Pray.

AND……

I will intercede for you. I will go before you. I will advocate for you to the Father. I will lead you to the best decision, one that is best for you and your future.

Jesus said God would send the Holy Spirit to believers to be all of these things.

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

John 14:15-18

The beautiful thing about this is God planned it all out ahead of time. This wasn’t a last-minute decision like, “Oh maybe I should help them out.” No, this was pre-ordained from the beginning. He wants us to have the answers. He wants us to know what to do. He has no intention of leaving us without direction, like orphans.

Quite the opposite actually. We are given peace of mind and heart and we don’t need to be afraid or worried. We’ve got help.

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 14:26-27

Where there is a choice to be made (smoke), regardless of size or consequence, there is a helper (fire), the Holy Spirit. He will help you if you ask.

How have you been guided by the Holy Spirit lately?

**If you would like to learn more about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, let me know.  If you’ve never accepted Jesus as your personal Savior I invite you to learn more.  Jesus loves you very much and wants a personal relationship with you.

Photo by Egor Vikhrev on Unsplash