No matter how long you’ve been saved, whether you’re a new believer or you’re a seasoned believer, it seems like there is some confusion about the Holy Spirit as far as who He is, what His role is, the benefit He provides to the life of a believer. How much do you know about this unseen guide and comforter, the Holy Spirit? Let’s get to know what role He plays in the life of a believer, how He offers wisdom and strength, and how He helps us to live out our faith and to grow in our walk with the Lord.
First, let’s talk about what the Holy Spirit is, or rather Who He is. The word “Trinity” is not found in Scripture; however, the concept of the Trinity is. There are many Bible verses that mention God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit all in the same passage, correlating them all together. One reference is found in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” John 15:26 also says, “But when the Helper comes, who I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”
There’s one God, there’s one Son, there’s one Holy Spirit, but they are all three connected and make up what is referred to as the Godhead. We see the presence of God and how He is active in the lives of His people all throughout the Old Testament. We see Jesus, the Son of God, all throughout the Gospels of the New Testament. Then, when Jesus ascends back to heaven (after the resurrection), He gives them the Holy Spirit – Who is still active right now for us in 2025. So, you have all three members of the Godhead. God is three in one.
God is the Father? Yes. God the Father is the one who created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1-2). We are told that God is a Father who deeply loves His children (John 16:27); that He is to be prayed to (Matthew 6:6); that He is the source of salvation for all who come through Jesus (John 14:6); and that He has a will to be sought after (John 6:38).
God is the Son? Yes. In John 10:30, Jesus states unequivocally, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus told the religious leaders who were resisting Him: “Very truly I tell you . . . before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). Jesus’ reference was to Exodus 3:14 when God revealed Himself as the “I AM.” In this statement, Jesus told them point blank that He is God. The response of His enemies proved His statement was heard loud and clear. As they held stones to throw at Him, they said, “We are not stoning You for any good work but for blasphemy, because You, a mere Man, claim to be God” (John 10:33).
God is the Holy Spirit? Yes. The Spirit of God was present at and involved in creation (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 33:6). The Holy Spirit moved the prophets of God with the words of God (2 Peter 1:21). The bodies of those in Christ are described as temples of God because the Holy Spirit is in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Jesus was clear that to be “born again,” to become a Christian, one must be born “of the Spirit” (John 3:5). One of the most convincing statements in the Bible about the Holy Spirit being God is found in Acts 5. When Ananias lied about the price of a piece of property, Peter said that Satan had filled Ananias’s heart to “lie to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3) and concluded by saying that Ananias had “lied to God” (verse 4). Peter reveals that the Holy Spirit is God. Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.
So now that we know Who the Holy Spirit is, let’s look at a verse given to us in the Bible that provides a great description of what the Holy Spirit does.
John 14:26, “The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
The amplified classic version of that verse lists several other names for the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. Let’s take a closer look at those seven different descriptors of the Holy Spirit.
- Comforter
We read in 2 Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” Did you catch that? He’s the God of all comfort. Scripture tells us He doesn’t comfort us to make us comfortable; He comforts us to make us able to comfort others. So, there’s a purpose to why He’s the Comforter. We so desperately need that comfort in this world. There are so many things that we go through, and they cause us to feel depressed and alone. And we get anxious because we don’t have Jesus. You know, Jesus was here on the earth for 33 years comforting people, and when He left, He knew that we would get discouraged by not having a physical presence of God here with us. And so, He tells us He’s leaving, but He’s not abandoning us. Jesus says in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans.” He left to go to heaven, but He left a part of Himself here: the Holy Spirit. Why? To comfort us because He knew we would still need it after He left.
The media headlines this year have reported record sales for Bibles across our nation. The reason is because people are searching for hope. They’re searching for peace. They want comfort, and you get comfort when you have peace – the peace of God, the peace of Christ, the peace that comes in Him. When you have salvation, you have peace with God, and you’re able to have that calm, unsettling in your soul. The world is searching for that! Because of the Holy Spirit, we can have that. Jesus isn’t here to give us a physical hug, but we have the Holy Spirit to comfort our souls. And in a sense, maybe that’s greater than physical comfort because emotional and spiritual comfort that we get from the Holy Spirit is everlasting.
2. Counselor
The verse that often comes to our mind when we think of the word “counselor” is Isaiah 9:26 which says, ” For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
What does a counselor do? They guide you, right? Jesus tells us in John 16:13, ” When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” The Holy Spirit is our guide. He is our Counselor directing us in the way that we should go. And you know what? There’s really no better Counselor than the Holy Spirit! We can go to other believers, godly men and women, to provide us godly counsel. And we’re told to do that in the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety”. People are not perfect, so thank the Lord, He has given us One Who will always faithfully provide godly counsel that’s in line with the Word of God, God’s will, and God’s heart, and that’s the Holy Spirit. He counsels us in a way that no earthly human could ever do. The Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance all that God’s Word says. That’s putting the Word of God on your heart. That’s convicting you as a believer when you’ve done wrong, to bring you back to God. He is the means of reconciliation between us and the Father when we get saved, and He restores our relationship with the Lord after we are saved when we do wrong. We still need Holy Spirit conviction. We still need to be brought back when we go astray.
3. Helper
We read in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper to be with you forever.” Notice how Jesus said, “another helper.” Who were the helpers who came before the Holy Spirit? God the Father was the helper in the Old Testament as He helped the Israelites go into the Promised Land and worked in and through His prophets and people. Who was another helper? Jesus was a helper. His whole life was about helping people. He helped His apostles. He helped numerous people. He didn’t just help people physically though, He helped them spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Think about the woman with the bleeding disorder. Think about the woman at the well. Think about the woman who was possessed by demons. Think about the man who was the demoniac that lived by the tombs and cut himself and was bound with chains.
Jesus told the Apostles He was leaving; He would no longer be present on the earth in the flesh and blood, visible to them as they stood and saw Him in that moment. Instead, there was coming a transition. Now, there would be another One and He’s going to help you. Oh goodness, we need help, don’t we?! If you’ve lived any length of time on this earth, you know that you cannot get along on your own. Help is not just something kids need. Help is something we need in our marriages. Help is something we need when we get sick and are too weak to do anything. We need help when we are grieving the loss of someone dear to us. We need all the help we can get, and God knows that!
Even though Jesus was departing physically, flesh and blood, leaving the earth, He wanted the Apostles to know He would still be with them, as would the Father, through the Spirit. It’s not a consolation prize. The Holy Spirit helps us. We are not left alone. We do not have to do it all on our own. And sometimes we get stuck in that rut of trying to do life on our own. What a mistake because that is when we get overwhelmed, we get stressed, we get burnt out, and we get frustrated because we’re trying to do everything in our own strength.
All of these descriptors of the Holy Spirit that we are looking at can all be bundled up in that word “help.” He helps in all these different ways: as our Comforter, Counselor, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. He helps us physically, but also spiritually. The Holy Spirit not only helps you to deal with things in life that happen, but also when you encounter conflicts from the enemy. When you’re in a spiritual battle, the Holy Spirit will help you to stand firm. We read about this in Ephesians 6 with the armor of God.
4. Intercessor
When the enemy is coming after us, accusing us and sending those fiery darts into our life, we need somebody to intercede on our behalf. Even when it’s not a spiritual attack specifically, maybe it’s just living in the sinful, fallen world and you have all these things going on and you begin to become overwhelmed, hopeless, and despair, you need someone to intercede. You don’t even know what to say; the words aren’t even coming to you because you’re so devastated. You’re so crushed. The Bible says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Romans 8:26-27 says, ” In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. ” Isn’t that beautiful!
Imagine going through the fires of life and needing someone to pray and intercede for you and the Holy Spirit steps up and covers your back. He’s on it! Just like God the Father and God the Son. God constantly interceded for His people. Jesus intercedes for us as well. If you’ve never read John 17, please take some time and read Jesus’ prayer. That chapter records Jesus interceding on our behalf to God. He went between us and God, and pleaded with God, and prayed. If you ever wondered, “What does Jesus pray? What does He pray for us? What are His prayers like?” Read John 17 to find out. That chapter provides a very intimate look into the prayers of Jesus. As you read that chapter, take note of the things that He mentioned when he interceded for us. All throughout Scripture, we read that Jesus prayed. He would go alone on a mountain and pray. He would get away from the crowd and the busyness of ministry and pray. And that’s what the Holy Spirit is doing. He intercedes for us.
Jesus tells His Apostles in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” If you keep reading, Jesus explains in the next two verses, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14-15). These verses are so important because they show us the Holy Spirit is in unity with the Father. When the Holy Spirit is interceding for us, He has the mind of God. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all interconnected. So, who better to intercede for you than God Himself through the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit comes between us and God.
5. Advocate
An advocate is somebody who pleads another’s cause. They defend them. That word “advocate” comes from the Greek word “parakletos,” which is describing the Holy spirit, which means helper, advisor, counselor.
We read in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” He knows we’re not perfect, even as believers in Christ. John is “writing these things to you” hoping that you don’t sin. But if you do, you don’t have to despair. When you sin as a believer it does not mean you lose your salvation. It also does not mean you’re going to hell. Once you’re saved, you’re always saved. You have eternal security. So your benefit is you have this advocate with God, Jesus Christ. When you sinned before salvation, you were being judged for that. Once you receive salvation, God gives you forgiveness for your sins – past, present, and future. By receiving salvation, you’re accepting Christ’s payment on the cross for your sins. Even though you receive forgiveness for your sins, you’re still responsible for the sins you commit as a saved person. We’re still called to repentance. So even though Christ died on the cross to forgive you of your sins, it doesn’t mean you just go on living in sin because you’ve received grace. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Amen to that, Apostle Paul! Lord, help us!
Thank God we have an Advocate! We are not perfect. He knows we’re not perfect. And so, we have that reminder: You’re gonna mess up, but there is hope for you because you have an Advocate. You have somebody to go to the Father on your behalf. And that was Jesus Christ. He is the One Who reconciled you to God. Your salvation is in Christ. The Holy Spirit reflects the same character of God and of Jesus. He is our Advocate. He comes to our aid. He’s pleading our case to the Judge, the ultimate Judge, God. Think of the court system. When you are being accused, you are brought before the judge, and you have an attorney to represent you. He is serving as your advocate. He goes between you and your accuser, and he takes your case straight to the judge’s bench. Satan is our accuser (Rev. 12:10). Praise God we have a Defender! We have an Advocate to plead our case before the Judge! When we were lost in our sin, God’s law said we were guilty. We violated God’s law, but Jesus stands as the Advocate between our repentant hearts and the law. When we have salvation in Him, He pleads our case with the Righteous Judge. The enemy shouts, “Guilty!” But Christ says, “It is finished!”
6. Strengthener
The Apostle Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus, in Ephesians 3:16, “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” The strengthening process in our lives is done by the Spirit. Where does that strengthening happen? Your inner being. Physical strength is only good for so much, but it won’t suffice the need we have for internal strengthening. The strengthening that happens internally affects our spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being. Oh, how we need that strength mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, so that we can endure our time on earth. You can be physically strong, but spiritually weak. You might be physically strong, but emotionally weak. We desperately need that inner strength because we’ll go through things in this life that will shake us to our core. We will endure things, or we will have loved ones endure things and experience situations where the number one thing we need is strength. There’s no way to get through it without strength. Strength inside of you. Strength in your heart and your mind to be determined to continue to trust in God, to stay faithful, to obey Him no matter what He calls you to, even in the midst of a storm you may be going through.
7. Standby
The word “standby” means one to be relied on, especially in emergencies; a reliable choice or resource; or one that is held and reserved ready for use, like a substitute. The Holy Spirit is our Standby. He is One to be relied on, especially in emergencies. He is a resource available to us ready 24 /7, 365 days a year. John 14:17 says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” Did you catch that? He is inside of you. When you receive salvation, The Holy Spirit is your Guide and He’s your conscience and He is with you. You don’t have to go looking for Him. You don’t have to go through some time period of working out, being filled with the spirit. When you get saved, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you – instantaneously. You do not have to wait. There is no waiting period. He’s ready. He is at the ready, already here, ready to go, cheering “Let’s do this. Let’s start living for the Lord.” He’s already working as your Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Strengthener. You don’t have to wait to get the Holy Spirit until later. No, it’s immediate. It goes hand in hand. When you receive salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit. It’s a package deal. You can’t separate it. When the Bible tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that word “filled” means “controlled by.” The Holy Spirit is to control everything you say and do. It should be the guiding force behind your words and actions. Being filled with the Spirit is not you getting more of the Spirit. It’s the Spirit getting more of you.
Do you see Him at work in your life?
As we’ve been talking about who the Holy Spirit is and going through these different descriptions, consider how you have seen the Holy Spirit at work in each of those seven ways.
- If you were to look at your life, has there been a time where you have experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit? Is there something that you’ve gone through in your life? Has there a moment when the Holy Spirit comforted you? What did that look like?
- Has there been a time when you needed the counsel of the Holy Spirit? When did He come through and counsel you and guide you, giving the exact instruction of what you should do and how to carry it out? Did you have peace with that?
- As a believer, where have you seen the Holy Spirit as a helper to you?
- When did you see Him as an intercessor for you?
- Where have you seen Him serve as your advocate?
- When did you experience the Holy Spirit strengthening you? How have you experienced that in your walk with the Lord?
- And then finally, how have you seen the Holy Spirit at work as your standby?
It does our hearts and minds good to take note of these things. Make a journal and go through and recount the ways that God has been good to you. Remind yourself how God has been faithful to you. Remember the many ways God has been working in your life. It’s extremely helpful, especially when you’re going through the fires, when you are going through a trial, when you are in the thick of it, and your mind is tempted to spiral downward. Make a list of those seven descriptors above and ask yourself where God has shown up in these ways. Ask yourself how the Holy Spirit has been ministering to your life.
We talked about it earlier, but the Holy Spirit has a huge role in our lives, and it begins in salvation. He convicts us of our sin. He’s the One generating repentance. He’s helping to make us holy. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is a guarantee of our salvation. He teaches us. The Holy Spirit has so many roles and functions in our life and it’s not something that we should just disregard. It’s also not something that we should place extreme emphasis on. We don’t worship the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s role is to glorify God. The Holy Spirit is not here to take all the fame, credit, and glory. The Holy Spirit is glorifying God. So be careful if you are involved in a church, ministry, or people group whose entire emphasis is on the Holy Ghost and exalting the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is not a separate God. It’s really dangerous to separate the Godhead in that way. It is as if to say that there is three separate Gods or that the Father and the Son are together but then the Spirit is separate. No! We don’t serve multiple gods. We only serve One. The Holy Spirit does not act on His own authority. He’s acting on the authority of God.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 525, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” When you walk with a friend, you keep up with each other. If one of you rushes ahead or lags behind, you’re not walking together anymore. And it’s the same when it comes to walking with God; you’re living by the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit. When we trust in Jesus as our Savior and we have that Holy Spirit inside of us, that Holy Spirit is leading us, guiding us and working in and through us. There will be times that we’re tempted to run ahead. It may feel like He’s just not moving as quickly as we’d like, and we are tempted to take control and go it alone, provide our own counsel, and be our own advocate. We might even question if He’s moving at all or if He even cares. Walking with the Spirit, living by the Spirit, requires patience. There may be other times where we want to lag behind. Maybe the Holy Spirit is guiding us somewhere that makes us a little uncomfortable and so it’s going to take effort, intentionality, and physical and emotional strength. We have to have courage to walk with the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit. We can do it by sticking close to Him, paying attention, talking to Him, reading His Word, being in community with those we love because when we’re committed to sticking close to Him, the Holy Spirit will guide us every step of the way. I like the way the NLT version of Galatians 5:25 reads. It says, “Since we’re living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
I’m so thankful that God has given us His Holy Spirit and I’m so thankful that He has made a way for us to live by His Spirit. He is so kind to bless us with the presence of the Holy Spirit. I don’t want any of us as believers to take that for granted. I pray today that God will teach us as believers how to live in step with His Holy Spirit. And I pray that He gives us confidence and boldness and discernment as we seek to follow Him.
Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Having the Holy Spirit is part of being a believer; you can’t be a Christian, you can’t be a believer, if you don’t have the Holy Spirit inside of you. And you don’t have the Spirit inside of you if you don’t have salvation. There are no Christians who don’t have the Holy Spirit. How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit? How do you know if you’re a Christian? How do you know if you’ve been born again? It’s so important to know the condition of our heart. We need to know who we are without Christ. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us that we were spiritually dead. 1 Corinthians 2 tells us that when we were lost, without salvation, we were unable to receive the things of the Spirit. We were in what the Apostle Paul says, “the mind of the flesh,” which is not able to submit to God or please God (Romans 8:7-8). We were bent entirely away from God. John 16:8 says about the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” How do you receive the Holy Spirit? By having salvation. Have you heard that call? Has the Holy Spirit been knocking on the door of your heart, calling you to salvation? Romans 10:9-10 tells us that if we confess with our mouths Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved. So, through Christ, God has given us that opportunity to confess that we are sinners. Do you believe Jesus is who He said He is? Do you believe that He died for you to forgive you of your sins? Do you believe that God raised Jesus to life and that He’s reigning in heaven today? Have you answered that call to make Jesus the Lord of your life? Have you accepted the gift of salvation? If not, it is our prayer that you would do so today.