“The Holy Spirit as Helper” The Holy Spirit vs. Infirmities Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 8 You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." NKJV

The Promise of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:39 For the Promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.

The Holy Spirit as Helper Romans 8:26-27 (NIV) 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 with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Romans 8:26-27 (KJV) 26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Our Spiritual Infirmities: We don’t know how to pray as we ought … Blinded by our own humanistic perspective Blinded by our attitudes Trapped by our actions Blinded to spiritual attacks Led astray by myths & wrong values Led astray by lust and unhealthy desires Blinded by physical infirmities Problem: Either lack of or improper prayer

The Spirit Helps us in our … He “takes hold” of our infirmities “Helps” is a combo of two Greek words: Greek – Helper is one who comes alongside of Greek – and takes hold He “prays” or ministers to correct our lack of spiritual awareness and perspective

What are Your Spiritual Infirmities? They are revealed through the Spirit’s revelation to our understanding Jesus: “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free” Father God searches your heart and knows your infirmities – and desires that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will have the freedom to set you free.

The Spirit of Truth John 14:16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth … NASU Here “Helper” is literally – someone who comes along side to assist - translated as “Counselor” in the NIV translation. He helps us according to the bottom line of our reality – the truth about our lack, the truth of the actual situation, and the truth concerning our deliverance.

The Spirit’s Intercession The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express … Ro 8:26 Groans – there is a spiritual depth that goes beyond our ability to comprehend spiritual reality The Holy Spirit intercedes according to our need – however there is a point where our spiritual awareness must mature if we are to be free and carry out the Lord’s will.

The Work of the Father & Holy Spirit Ro 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Father God searches our hearts – he knows all about us and compares that to what is true and good. He searches out our infirmities. The Holy Spirit intercedes deal with the infirmity according to Father’s will.

The “Prayer Lifeline” Releases God’s intervention Doesn’t counter a person’s will in a situation Defeats spiritual attacks On one hand, Prayer brings God’s intervention On the other hand, a type of prayer is released by the believer in the form of commands based on his or her authority in Christ to bring intervention

Praying “as we Ought” For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us … Lack of true spiritual perspective results in the fact that, due to an infirmity, we fail to respond as Jesus would. As we purposely endeavor to “partnership” with the Holy Spirit our prayers will progressively come into line with spiritual reality.

The Results of the Holy Spirit’s Intercession Depends on our relationship with the Holy Spirit Three levels of relationship with the Holy : 1) Being indwelt – good! 2) Personal relationship with – better!! 3) Fully immersed in His power – best!!!

Personal Response concerning our Infirmities and to the Holy Spirit as Our Helper Repenting Conforming Cooperating Participating He is God the Holy Spirit who interacts to accomplish the Father’s will in our lives