I had a revelation about the Holy Spirit recently while observing my dogs. Now, how does that relate, you might ask? Well, God often shows me visual pictures of who He is in my day-to-day life through seemingly random stuff. In previous blogs, there have been overflowing coffee pots or big snowstorms…this time it’s my dog. I see something, and then a word will jump into my mind that leads me to verses I’ve read or heard that He highlights to me. I can’t explain it…God works in mysterious ways!
So, I have three dogs. Two of them are cow dogs bred specifically to herd and drive cattle. They’re sleek, fast, and energetic, to say the least, and they have very strong instincts to herd animals. Whenever they see cows, they automatically sink down and get into “stalker” mode, slowly creeping up closer to maneuver those cows somewhere. It’s impressive to watch them work.
My other dog is a mutt. He’s a rescue that my son brought home from college where he found him skulking alone, as a little puppy, in an alley behind his dorm. He was small and sickly when he showed up, but, with some love, care, and food, he grew into quite a large dog.
He has a very different set of skills than the talents of my cow dogs. He is a guardian. He has a big, booming bark that he sounds freely whenever someone pulls up to the house. He flies down the stairs and jumps up at the door until he determines they’re acceptable to enter.
His protection instincts really showed the first time we brought a newborn calf into the basement during a snowstorm. We have a pellet stove by the door, so we bring calves inside sometimes to lay them by the stove and warm them up. He was so intrigued by that calf! He paced around it, smelling it and licking it off. He growled and charged at the other two dogs to keep them away, and, finally, he laid down right next to it, and set his head on it, as if to claim it and say, “Stay away! It’s mine!” He could sense the calf was vulnerable, and he was determined to protect it from any outside threats. He does this with every calf we bring in. It’s his job, and he takes it seriously. It’s impressive to watch him work, too.
I was reading recently in 2 Timothy 1, where Paul is encouraging Timothy to be faithful to God and testify about Jesus to others, regardless of any backlash he might receive. I came to verse 14 which says, “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (NIV).
The word “guard” jumped out at me. What do we typically think of when we think of the word “guard?” Most people will envision a big, bulky guy who protects something or someone–it’s their job. And I immediately thought of my dog, standing guard over our baby calves. Guards are big and powerful, seemingly unbreakable and steadfast.
Paul was imploring Timothy to maintain the sound teaching he had received about Jesus, to guard it and keep it close to him, in his heart. The Greek word used for guard is phylaxon which means “to watch, be on guard; by implication, to preserve, obey, avoid.”
Guarding the good deposit is not something we do very well on our own though. It’s the reality of our flesh–our human nature is weak. I can honestly say that if left unchecked, my flesh will win every time. We are susceptible in our flesh, leaving us vulnerable to outside threats and influences.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41, NIV
So, Paul telling Timothy to guard the good deposit that was entrusted to him seems impossible. Like Timothy, I’m not capable either. On my own, I will fail at guard duty. I’m not big and powerful, unbreakable and steadfast. I need help!
But let’s get to the second half of 2 Timothy 1 verse 14: “…guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (emphasis added). And here is the answer!! The Holy Spirit lives inside of us, and He is entirely capable of helping us! We can achieve nothing on our own, but when we recognize that we have the Holy Spirit inside us, we can start accessing the power we have available to us through Him.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Galatians 5:16, NIV
This is one of my favorite verses. It’s comforting to think that the Holy Spirit can guard us from our sinful natures because I know I can’t do it on my own. I’ll always fall short. But we don’t need to worry that our flesh is weak because we are fortified by the Holy Spirit. We have help!
But, there’s a caveat…we need to surrender control of our lives to the Holy Spirit in order for Him to help us. We can get in the way of our own protection by refusing to allow Him to lead and guide us. This can be difficult to do in a world that focuses on self-promotion and independence, but it’s a key shift in our Christian walk that can really change how we’re living. And that change will result in an abundance of peace, joy and contentment, the kind we’ll never experience if we’re focused on what the world offers and trying to “do life” on our own.
I was talking with a friend recently about the Holy Spirit, and, like me, she’s a very visual person. She said she envisions the Holy Spirit as a big bodyguard who is always with her, walking next to her or standing just behind her. She told me about a time when she was in a difficult situation with another person, and she didn’t know what to say, so she looked over her shoulder (in her mind) to ask the Holy Spirit how she should respond. And it worked…He gave her the words to speak to diffuse the situation.
It’s reassuring to think of the Holy Spirit as a bodyguard–someone who protects us, leads us, encourages us, comforts us, and even gives us advice, when we’re willing to ask and listen. But the picture of the Holy Spirit in my mind just happens to resemble a big, white guardian dog laying his head over my shoulder, claiming me and saying to the world, “Stay away! She’s mine.” It makes me smile. What a blessing we have in the Holy Spirit!
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