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“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26 (ESV)

“All alarms off.” It’s my fave thing to see flashing across my phone.  Saturday mornings is one of those few days when I get the pleasure of no alarm.  I look forward to it every week.  Sleeping in, delish blueberry pancakes and a slow start to my day.  There’s something totally freeing about not hearing my alarm going off in the morning.

While I cherish “all alarms off” days, I have to admit the music on my phone telling me to get out of bed serves me well.  Without an alarm, I’d still be snoozing and late to work – not a good thing.  And on those days when I cut off the alarm and squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep….well let’s just say it doesn’t look pretty.  I’m running around attempting to get ready and my whole day is off.

Don’t know about you, but I actually need some alarms to keep me on track.  A warning on my phone alerts to me to the fact I’ve been sitting too long.  A glowing red light signals me to stop and not proceed through the intersection.  A loud squeal from my smoke alarm lets me know my battery needs to be replaced.

I think we get the picture – whether we like them or not alarms simply work. And the Holy Spirit living and breathing within us serves as a great alarm for when we veer off the right path.  Amazing how quickly we feel His nudge in our spirit when we are responding in a wrong way.  Interesting how we sense His presence strongly right in the midst of a poor decision.  Compelling how we instinctively hear His voice whispering to our soul in the face of temptation.

If we’re truly honest here, we’ve all probably experienced moments when we dismissed, ignored and rejected the Spirit’s alarm.  Why?  Because we desired our own way regardless of the visible consequences (James 1:14-15 ).  Our sowing and reaping was excused; all warning signals and alarms quieted while we squeezed in a little pleasure.

Sweet friends our loving, patient and ever faithful God knew exactly what He was doing when He sent us the Holy Spirit.  We so need His guidance (John 14:26), wisdom (I Corinthians 2:10-11), power (Acts 1:8) and deep conviction (John 16:8).  Without our internal alarm signaling us to pause and remember God’s truths, we would be forever entangled with the sins of our own choosing. The Holy Spirt is our welcomed alarm every moment of every day.

“Father, help us to heed the discernment and warnings Your Spirit gives us.  Align our desires with Yours and teach us to resist those things which never serve us well.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life