But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].

John 16:13

If you had immediate and continuous access to the brightest mind in your field, would you use that resource? Would you call that person to ask for insights several times a day, or would you think, “No, I’d better just call once a week for about five minutes; that’s enough?”

The fact is that the brightest mind (and most loving heart) in the universe is on call 24/7 for every believer. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Truth” because He directed the writers of Scripture as they recorded God’s thoughts, and He promises to guide us so that we grasp and apply God’s truth in every situation. We can hardly imagine a better guidance counselor!

But do we value Him? Do we pursue Him? Do we ask Him questions and then patiently listen for His directions? Sadly, many of us would answer, “No, I’m too busy.” Too busy? If Warren Buffet offered to be available for a day to give us advice on investments, we’d spend a month carefully crafting questions and preparing for the conversations. In our appointment with him, we’d soak up every word like a sponge.

The Spirit of God has given us access to Him all day every day. We can take advantage of this monumental opportunity by preparing our hearts to value Him, crafting our questions to get at the root issues, and listening intently to Him as He reminds us of passages of Scripture we’ve read or as He whispers to us to give us direction.

Those who value Him and listen become wise, those who don’t……

Zig Ziglar

Be assured if you walk with Him, and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.

George Muller

One of my dad’s famous sayings was, “You can learn lessons the easy way or the hard way.” That meant you could listen to the advise and counsel of those who spoke from experience or you could choose to ignore them and learn through your own experiences. He also said that smart people learned from others rather than their experiences and mistakes. He said that learning on your own is expensive.

Every generation believes that it’s wiser than both the generation preceding and succeeding. If you listen to teenagers, they are sure that their parents are probably the most uninformed and unlearned people in the world. Sometimes older folks wag their head and wonder how the world will continue with the likes of the younger.

I’m sure all of us know that even the most wise have limited knowledge. They may know lots of things but not everything. Unfortunately there are those who believe that because they are successful in one area, they are also experts in everything else.

Here’s what I think. Wise people know they don’t know so they seek out those who can teach them. Fools believe that they need no advice or counsel. The Bible says a lot about the wise and the foolish. Here are a few:

“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand.

Matthew 7:24,26

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness…..

Ecclesiastes 2:14

Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge,But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].

Proverbs 13:6

Now if we are wise enough to consult those who are knowledge in their field shouldn’t we also be wise enough to consult the Holy Spirit who existed with the Father and the Son before time existed or any of creation. We can read the stories of those who listened to and followed the guiding of the Holy Spirit and who left behind a legacy of faith and accomplishment.

We read that Jesus constantly sought the counsel of His Father and listened to the directions of the Holy Spirit. We read that it was so with the apostles and the prophets. Wouldn’t we be wise to do the same? Most us, if we’re honest, have to admit the we’ve made poor, often foolish choices that we’d like to do over if somehow we could. Do you ever wonder how things might have turned out if we would have paused and consulted with God before we made those decisions.

Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit as a Counselor and we would be wise to make an appointment.

There are many voices in the world, Paul wrote, and I think that most of us see that they create more confusion than clearness. Every voice proclaims to speak truth but in time many of those voices are exposed as liars. There are many who twist truth while declaring it is truth. There are those who distort facts to suit themselves for their own benefit. After a while it’s hard in the natural to know what’s truth and whose actually speaking truth. When everyone proclaims that they have the truth, how can we know what is actually true? Even the church often presents multi versions of what is says is truth. No wonder there is so much confusion in our world today. Many declare something is true because they “feel that it is true.” But there is no such thing as subjective truth. Truth is based on solid fact and evidence that has stood the test of time. It is not negotiable and never compromises. It stands like a strong tower, a lighthouse in the darkest of nights and the stormiest weather and lights the way for the floundering traveler. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us, to give to us truth-God’s truth- in this day of confusion where people choose to be guided by their feelings about something rather than the truths of the Bible.

If you truly want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth then may I say that the only source is the Holy Spirit as He opens your mind to the mind of Christ.

My prayer is that we will have our minds renewed so that we no longer conform to the world but are transformed by the Holy Spirit so that our lives reflect the perfect will and wisdom of God. As Paul would say:

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”

Romans 12:1-2