Day 16

“I will not leave you as orphans [helpless]…”

– John 14:18

No one really seems to know what the Bible means when it says a “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31), because the Bible also says that Jesus has forgiven our sins: past, present, and future (Romans 5:10 , Hebrews 9:26). So if that’s true, how is it possible for us to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit” and not be forgiven? Pastor Paul has speculated that this “blasphemy” is referring to people who constantly reject the Holy Spirit throughout their entire lifetime, up until they breathe their last. Based on how God forgives people in the Bible, that doesn’t seem far from the truth.

Speculation aside, what we do need to understand is this: blasphemy is as simple as sinning or failing over and over again. I know this because I have indeed failed Him over and over again, but He still pours out His love for me in so many ways. Through His Word, through other people, through soft, inaudible “whispers.” The Holy Spirit once spoke to me saying, “I’ll never give up on you or your family. So please, never give up on Me, for I haven’t given up on you.”

For whatever reason, some of us may need a little more time or assistance before we can really “get it” and move past old shortcomings. Meanwhile, the enemy will try to beat us down for taking so long to do so. So many times the Holy Spirit has come to bear me up under such harassment, encouraging me with the above quote, or sending someone my way with a word of knowledge, where the person had details about my situation which I had not shared with anyone. While I won’t glorify the specific issue I was having by sharing its name, I will say it took me years to mature to a point where I stopped beating myself up about it, and I mean years. But by the Holy Spirit’s constant strengthening, I was able to move forward out of the rut I was in.

We don’t always remember when or where a particular issue began in our lives, but I believe Jesus shared some insight into this through His parable in Matthew 13:25. There was a man who owned a wheat field. While the man was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the healthy wheat and went on his way, leaving no other evidence that he had been there. Verse 26 says that as the healthy wheat sprouted, the weeds cropped up too.

The enemy attempts to plant weeds in our lives, often while we’re young, hoping those weeds will choke out the Word as we get older. But like the man in the parable, the Holy Spirit possesses the wisdom to remove those weeds from our lives, which many times are simply patterns of thought that lead to spiritual regression. But the Holy Spirit hasn’t given up on us, so we must never give up! Jesus still loves you and the Holy Spirit will do everything necessary to sanctify your mind and heart through and through!

Pursue your purpose in Him,

Anthony B.