John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Let me tell you the story of how God revealed this truth to me…
For the longest of time, I had trouble with understanding a lot of the Holy Bible… That was back before I learned that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22), and that without the Holy Spirit, we cannot fully understand the scriptures; they seem foolish because they can only be discerned through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14)…
I used to feel guilty and frustrated and exasperated that I could not understand what others nodded their heads – so sagely at – when Pastors, or other Christians, quoted bible verses with such authority…
But if you have read the Founder’s Full Story & Vision, then you know that I promised God that I would read His Word, and I asked that He would give me understanding and the ability to articulate His Truths to others… Basically, I was asking that He not only get me out of the astronomical disaster I had made of my life, but that He teach me to not only be faithful, but to be able to Defend the Faith with accurate Spiritual Knowledge…
I have since learned a lot, including that I will never know but an infinitesimally small portion of God’s Wisdom and the hardest thing for me, even as a mature Christian, is to wait upon the Lord (Psalms 27:14; 37:7-9 Isaiah 40:31); even though I know beyond any doubt that His Timing is Perfect…
It is ofttimes hard and sometimes painful to await His Timing… But always I find Isaiah 40:31 to be God’s Own Truth:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
My confusion, when it came to the Holy Scriptures, was a bane to my spiritual desires and it caused me anxiety and guilt and shame, and it tried ever so persistently to make me give up on ever knowing the scriptures, or even coming close to understanding God…
But in this, as in all other problems in my life, the scriptural understanding came at just the right moment to provide a way out of my own dilemma, or to show someone else the way of escaping theirs…
The key is not in understanding the Bible, but in reading it; getting the scriptures into you. The very words of Jesus, Himself, in John 14:26 bear this out.
This scripture Promises believers (1) that the Father will send the Holy Ghost/Spirit to indwell believers and (2) that He will teach you all things and call to remembrance all that Jesus said… and why would He teach you and call these things to remembrance, if not to guide you in how to use them for the deliverance of yourself, or others???
I used to become very, very, frustrated when people would approach me with seeming contradictions in the bible, or with the intent of using the scriptures in an attempt to make me doubt my rock-solid belief in their unfailing truths…
It was through that frustration – and the prayers it birthed – that God gave me the answer…
“Do not worry over those things you do not understand; you are not yet ready for such knowledge, or I would give it to you… Just read My Word and in due course, I will give you the understanding you need to perfect my Will in your life, and the life of others…”
Not long after that, I was in church and the Pastor was preaching on another subject, but he read that passage in support of his sermon topic, and it hit me right between the eyes; in my heart, my mind, and my soul…
I was already reading the scriptures, from the beginning, and with the intent to read every word until the very end, (in response to my vow to God, at the very lowest point of my life), but I was getting hung up on this verse or that, and reading them over and over and over, trying to force understanding that just would not come…
But once John 14:26 was preached, after God had given me the reason for not allowing me better understanding, it all became crystal clear…
You don’t need to figure things out. You don’t need to understand everything. You don’t need to understand anything, except God’s Love For You, and His Desire to Spend Eternity WITH You…
Once I understood this scripture (and this is my advice for you, as well), I simply read the Bible… When I came to things I could not understand, I simply read on, without worry or anxiety…
When others approached me with well-meaning, or even ill-will, pointed questions concerning the scriptures, my answer was simply:
God has not revealed those things to me yet, but when He does, I will surely let you know… In the meantime, I will simply trust that God has not, and cannot lie to me…
When I began to do that, I had the peace that passeth all understanding (Philippians 4: 4-9) and God gave me more and more understanding, as well as the ability to explain it to others in a way they had not seen before… simple, straight, and practical…
It is my promise to you, but more importantly, it is the promise of God, Himself, that if you just get the scriptures inside you, if you just keep reading – whether you understand them or not – God will use them, through you, in His Perfect Timing!!!
Keep Reading and Drawing Near to God… James 4:8 promises that if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you… And I am , personally, living proof that this is true of anyone and everyone!!!
Thanks for reading God’s Word, and My Own Witness of His Truths…
John Dainwood
