The Anything Always Answer

I love friendships that defy time. Most of us have at least one. This is the person we rarely get to talk to or see, but when we do, it’s as if we’ve been together all along. Nothing is lost in the in between.I heard from one of these friends the other day. We haven’t spent time together in years, but God kept bringing me to mind as she thought and prayed about a decision weighing heavily on her heart. She wondered if it was God’s way of saying she should reach out to me. She texted, and we set a phone date.She didn’t share any details, so I couldn’t prepare in the natural. But we can always be prepared for all things in the spiritual.God knows every detail of every situation in our and others’ lives. He not only has our answers, He IS our answer.To everything.Always.Period.You may find this declaration simplistic, and here’s the reason why: it is!The answer to every decision, every problem, every challenge, every stress, every heartache, every disappointment, every anxiety, every loss, every everything is Jesus.All the time.Every time.So when we need answers or someone needs help, if we simply turn to Jesus and His word, we’ll have all we need.Salvation? It’s found in Jesus.Healing? It’s found in Jesus.Deliverance? It’s found in Jesus.Hope? It’s found in Jesus.Wisdom? It’s found in Jesus.Discernment? That’ s right! Jesus.Look at what 2 Peter 1:2-4 proclaims for us in Christ:Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.Before even taking her call, I knew these three things, and you can too:

1. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say.

Jesus tells His disciples in Mark 13:11, "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."

When we continually preach Jesus as the answer to all needs, we are preaching the gospel. We don’t have to worry or premeditate beforehand what we will speak because we can ask and trust the Holy Spirit to give us the right words.

 2.

• We are to pray in the spirit and our understanding.

Paul writes in I Corinthians 14:14-15, "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. "

Romans 8:26-27 explains, "The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

When we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit does. We can trust Him to make intercession for us and others as we pray "always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

3. If we answer others’ needs with scripture, we are giving them answers for life.

In Jesus’ words, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). We are to live by the word, and the word is life.

Maybe, like my friend, you doubt your knowledge of scripture. Don’t let that stop you from finding your answers in the word. Go back to number two and trust that the Holy Spirit is interceding according to the will of God, and as your Helper, "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I (Jesus) said to you" (John 14:26).

And do your part. Make it a priority to know what the Bible teaches. We can’t stand on the promises of God if we don’t know what they are, and we won’t know what they are if we’re not reading our Bibles. The Holy Spirit can’t bring to remembrance that which was never put in our minds in the first place. It will take time and effort, but it is worth it.

After our call, I was overwhelmed by the reality that we do always have the answer: Jesus.It’s simple.It becomes hard when He asks us to do hard things we don’t want to do.That’s when we’re wise to remember, His hard is always our easy.Lord, thank You for being the answer. Thank You for supplying our every need and answer in Christ. Thank You that all Your promises in Christ are Yes, and in Him Amen, to Your glory through us (2 Corinthians 1:20) as we become more wholly Yours.