Tap In With Your Holy Helper: It's Never Too Late
Similar to J. Cole’s iconic line, "every saint got a pass and every sinner has a future,” the Bible has convinced me that “every saint is a sinner, and every sinner is a saint.”
What I mean is, every “saint” has a sinful nature, just as every “sinner” has a “Holy helper” within them that is capable of guiding their lives to live as a “saint” and no longer live in sin. Our Holy Helper is the Holy Spirit, which Rick Warren explains, “fulfills in us what God desires to do within and through us.”
As we navigate life, and we see those that we may deem as “saints,” we need to understand they are capable of living a lifestyle of sin and being a dirtbag, as every single one of us is born with a sinful nature, and if we allow that nature to manifest within us, we will live ungodly and immoral lives. Because of that, we must navigate life with spiritual intelligence and humility that recognizes the need to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives.
On the other side of the coin, if we have surrendered ourselves to God and allowed the Holy Spirit to take over within us, we must never give up on those the world may label, or they even label themselves “sinners,” because they have access to the same “Holy Helper” that saved us, transformed us, and met us at the most sinful versions of ourselves. Instead of giving up on us, our Helper continually transforms us by producing the beautiful fruits of being led by the Holy Spirit!
In such instances, we must hold on tightly to Jude’s words in Jude 1. Jude states we must “build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and (cautiously) show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.” Another version states we should “Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith, and go after those who take the wrong way” along with “being tender with sinners.”
Two parting takeaways
1) If you are living in sin, know that you are not disqualified, and while you desire to live right, the reason you can’t is that you have tried to do it on your own, and you can’t. It must be done through the Holy Spirit.
Consider these three passages:
📖Galatians 5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses… 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control… 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
📖Zechariah 4:6 - “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
📖Romans 12:2 - New Living Translation 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
2) Never forget the lifestyle of sin that the Holy Spirit delivered you from. Knowing that the same power of the Holy Spirit that delivers a sinner like you will do the same for those around you.
