Courage Under Fire
Some battles are harder than others, yet through the grit and fire, those who know their Commander in Chief stand out
In October 2019, our company had to lay off about 130 staff members. It was one of a series of nearly eight such actions that I had gone through since I joined about 20 years earlier.
That fateful October day, my team’s staff count was reduced from 13 to seven, all within the space of a few hours!
One of my affected colleagues was a Christian and a leader whom I respected very much for his wisdom. I was shocked to hear that he was leaving as he had always performed well. He was also a father of school-going children and finding a new job at his age would be difficult.
Not once did he show frustration or sadness.
Instead, he showed a lion’s heart, encouraged those who remained and told us that God had closed some doors but He would open some windows for him and he looked forward to the new opportunities that God was going to show him.
Through it all, he thanked God for His provision and left the company confident that God would continue to provide for him and his family.
“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14: 20–22, NIV).
In case you thought that Christians are immune to job disruptions or catastrophic changes, my colleague’s story should change that view.
But how we respond to these disruptions need not follow the emotional roller-coaster rides many non-Christians face.
In fact, Christians have access to the Holy Spirit as our great resource, our personal guide who comes alongside us when we put our trust in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
When we let the Holy Spirit dwell in and guide our lives fully, we live the Spirit-filled life, which is characterised by the following:
Guidance for life
Jesus made this clear when he said:
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14: 26, NIV).
Authority for life
The Holy Spirit speaks with God’s authority as He is the Spirit of truth, and discloses what He hears, which is just as if Christ were speaking to us directly.
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16: 13, NIV).
A friend through all things
The Holy Spirit is with us forever and abides with us and is in us, our true Best Friend Forever.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14: 16–17, NIV)
When the Holy Spirit dwells richly in us and is allowed to work His way in our lives, we will soon benefit from several aspects such as:
Wisdom
A Spirit-filled Christian will begin to develop Christ’s heartbeat for the world.
Instead of aiming for success in the workplace by means of promotions and advancements, he or she will see work as a means of worship and ministry.
“Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.’”(Ephesians: 5: 19–21, NIV).
Godly submission
A Spirit-filled life is also characterised by going beyond normal submission to authority but instead leading to a desire to live a life pleasing to our heavenly Commander in Chief!
Peace in uncertainty
My colleague’s story above exemplified this perfectly.
Quenching the Holy Spirit
But we can dismiss the Holy Spirit like we often do when we have access to useful resources that we do not use. Some reasons include the following:
Ego
This is similar to those of us who disregard manuals and proceed to assemble or set up devices on their own, only to refer to them when things turn messy.
Disobedience
Following the Holy Spirit is often contrary to our natural inclinations. So we “override” the guidance systems and reboot to our default sinful ways instead.
Fear
The Holy Spirit’s guidance will sometimes take us out of our comfort zones and fear may prompt us to settle for the familiar instead.
God loves us as we are but definitely has no plans to let us stay that way, so He will do all He can until He gets our attention, through the Holy Spirit!
Brothers and sisters, if you are feeling dry despite years of being Christians, please be encouraged that you need not stay that way.
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14: 26,27, NIV).
These uncertain times can lead to despair and a feeling that God is far away from us, and we from Him. But remember that His love and presence never wavers.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8, NIV).
So pray, turn to His Word in the Bible and take time to be quiet before God. Take heart that Jesus will hear your cries and send you the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to guide us. You will never walk alone or be left behind when in His loving embrace!
