If you've ever heard me share my testimony of how I was abused by my father throughout my childhood, you know I've gone through some really difficult times. In fact, there were some things that were so painful, I wondered if I would survive them. And now one of my greatest desires is to help others know how to trust God and lean on Him so they can overcome their struggles too.

There's a huge difference between a Christian who just tries to make it on their own and one who really relies on the Holy Spirit to enable them to do whatever they need to do. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to take His place here in the earth. He can be everywhere, all the time, and because He lives in us as born-again believers, He is always with us.

In John 15:26 (AMP), Jesus told His disciples, "When the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes ... the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me."

It's so amazing to realize that the Holy Spirit is always with us and He's the Strengthener we need to get through every problem we have to face.

Victors or Grasshoppers?

In Numbers 13, the Israelites were facing a big problem. They were just outside the land of Canaan, which is the promised land God led them to after they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. Moses sent 12 spies to scout out the land, and when they returned, 10 of them had a bad report, and two had a good report.

The spies told Moses, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey.... But the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified (walled) and very large; moreover, we saw there the descendants of Anak [people of great stature and courage]" (Num. 13:27-28, AMP). But Caleb said, "Let us go up at once and take possession of it; for we will certainly conquer it" (Num. 13:30). In verses 32 and 33, the 10 spies "gave the Israelites a bad report about the land which they had spied out, saying, 'The land...is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. ...And we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.'"

For the Israelites to possess their promised land, they were going to have to dispossess the current occupants—the giants. God had not cleared out all of the problems because He wanted to teach them how to trust Him, to lean on Him for the strength they needed to overcome their enemies. Caleb acted in faith because he had his eyes on God, but the spies who brought the bad report couldn't see themselves as anything but grasshoppers facing giants, because they weren't trusting God.

You Can Face Your Giants

We all have giants—problems in life that we have to overcome. I don't like them any more than anybody else does, but I've discovered that we learn more about how to trust God when we go through difficulties than we do in other seasons of our lives. The truth is when we don't have anyone but God to get us through something, He can use it to make us stronger in Him, and then He can use us to do greater things than we ever imagined we could do.

God doesn't want us to live weak, wimpy, helpless, pathetic, barely-get-by lives. That's why He sent the Holy Spirit to be our "Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby)." Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth."

The Holy Spirit is with you all the time, and His power gives you the ability to be a witness for Christ. This means that in Christ, you have the power to be the kind of person in this world who represents Him as a light in a dark place ... who has peace in the midst of the storm ... who has the power not to worry when you have a huge problem and hope even when it looks like there is no hope at all.

I want to encourage you to take time to get to know God for yourself. Spend time with Him in prayer and through studying His Word. Wait on the Lord and receive the strength He has for you today (Isa. 40:31). Put your focus on Him and pray, "God, I trust You. Please strengthen me today to do whatever I need to do, through Christ. I give you my will and want to know what Your will is for me. I need Your strength, wisdom and guidance in every area of my life. I believe You will work out all things for my good (Rom. 8:28). You are my strength, and I won't give up!"

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.