Our Internal Compass

My Knoxville church family lost a precious teenager in a car accident this week.  His name was Joseph Fugate and the family is one of the most “true North” families I know.  I had Joseph in a children’s ministry called Kids Inc.  He was goofy, full of life, always smiling, and at the same time had a gentle quietness to him.  Their focus has always been completely on God.  After the loss of their son, they not only were able to celebrate his life a couple days later, but actually lead others to Christ at the service.  The inner strength this family exhibited was supernatural.   Having 3 daughters, I can’t imagine how I would react.  All the years of love, invested time, sacrifice, celebration, and counsel in a human being seems to be gone in an instant.  If he was not a christian, that may be true, but the family knew, this was always a very temporary place.  When Joseph became saved, God made him a promise that could not be broken, “sealed” by the Holy Spirit.   “When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ Not to say the family was not crushed and heartbroken, but even after this extrordinary tragedy, they were able to praise and lead others to God. How?   The family used the Holy Spirit, a Helper/Counselor/Advocate in a time of need.  Not only does the Holy Spirit identify us as “God’s kid”, the Holy Spirit is also our Helper.  The Holy Spirit is not an “it”.  The Holy Spirit is literally the helper, God in spirit, given to us once we become a Christian.  Have you ever needed help?  Big or small? Have you felt that your world is crashing down on you or you are anxious before a test or a presentation? If you have surrendered your life to God, He gave you a Helper in your time of need.  How do we experience “peace that passes understanding”, (Phillipians 4:7), or emotional strength in overwhelming circumstances?  We call on our Helper.  The Holy Spirit will guide you, change you, change a situation or a circumstance, teach you, and lead you in the way in which you should go.  The Sprit is your true internal compass. God tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ He made that promise, and God keeps His promises.  you can trust Him!  Have you ever been in a sermon and felt that the preacher was speaking only to you?  Isn’t it weird that several people will feel the same way from the same sermon but going through different situations.  Have you ever read a verse that spoke to your heart in a specific way and years later spoke to you again but in a completely different situation?  That is the Holy Spirit teaching and guiding you.  

You have the one true compass literally inside of you.  God wants a relationship with you. Reach out to God.   Call out to God in your time of need or when you need guidance or help.  He knows everything.  He knows the beginning and the end of every story in every life.  He has all the details.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you and let others see Him in you today.   I love you Fugate family.  We are all praying for you at this time!  Know that we all see Him in your entire family.   Have a great week! Love you guys! Crystal Sent from my iPad