Relying on Heaven’s Divine Reminder
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Anyone who is getting older (or is simply overly scheduled), should realize the blessing of appointment alerts. In case you have no idea what that is, it’s a feature on your smartphone that allows you to set an alarm for a scheduled appointment, with a bit of delay for you to be able to get to the appointment on time. It’s like having a personal assistant to constantly remind you of things that you actually know, but are too busy or distracted in the moment to remember.
As I get older, I find myself forgetting a lot of little things. Like what I walked into the room for, the thought that I just had, or where I put my wallet. After searching frantically around the house for a half hour, and in the process, getting a 10-minute alert from my phone for an imminent appointment, I discover my wallet was in my pocket the whole time.
However, something I am really good at is writing things down so I don’t forget. When I need to do something, I whip out my smartphone, put it in my task app, and set a reminder to do it. And so even if I’m distracted and forgetful, I am more intentional about counteracting that forgetfulness with proven ways of remembering.
As lead pastor of a large staff, I find that this gives me a necessary edge to be able to follow up on hundreds of delegated tasks. Unfortunately, many people have deluded themselves into thinking that they will remember a task, and fail to write it down. But my experience has proven that as we get older, or get significantly more put on our plates, we are all in need of reminders.
The Holy Spirit Is Heaven’s Reminder
In much the same way as the smartphone app, the Holy Spirit acts as a personal assistant to remind us of what the Word of God says.
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 things that I said to you’” (John 16:23-26).
I think Jesus was saying, you guys are going to have a tendency to remember all sorts of random and unprofitable worldly stuff, and are going to forget what I’ve taught you. So I’m going to give you a Divine Reminder, an alert system on the inside of you, One who will bring to your remembrance what I’ve taught you at the exactly time that you need it, neither early nor late.
Or, said another way, one of the main jobs of the Holy Spirit is to help us remember the Word of God, which are our instructions for living a victorious and abundant Christian life.
I can’t tell you how many times in my life, and throughout my day, that Holy Spirit will give me a divine reminder:
- When I’m angry, I hear that Divine Reminder say be angry and sin not.
- When I’m overwhelmed by the burdens of life, I hear that Divine Reminder say take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
- When I’m feeling defeated and ready to quit, I hear that Divine Reminder say you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you.
- When the enemy has launched an attack against my life and I’m in shock, I hear the Divine Reminder say no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every lying tongue that rises up against you shall be condemned, this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.
- When I’m feeling tempted to succumb to temptation, I hear that Divine Reminder say greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world.
- When I’m knocked off my feet and feeling too weary to get up again, I hear that Divine Reminder say though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.
Thank God for the Holy Spirit who reminds us of what the Word of God says! Who reminds us of the promises of God, and the instructions we need to follow to prevail in any life circumstance.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments. I am afflicted very much; revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your judgments. My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts. Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end” (Psalm 119:105-112).
Do you see it? David was saying that life, stuff, circumstances and obstacles come constantly, to cause us to forget His instructions on how to deal with temptations, cope with fatigue, hope against hope and overcome every trial. They try to steal His word out of our hearts and minds so that we will stay stuck, lost and confused, fall into hopelessness and remain defeated.
Isn’t that what Jesus taught us happens in life? Recall the Parable of the Sower:
“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart” (Matthew 13:19).
The devil desires to steal our remembrance of the Word, and seeks to confuse it. He tries to get us to listen to the voice of the culture, and to adopt those views, instead of following the Word of God – the words of eternal life. So God sent the Holy Spirit to help us remember what’s truly important.
Types of Reminders
In life there are all sorts of reminders:
1. The Unnecessary Reminder: When your spouse reminds you to take out the garbage.
2. The Annoying Reminder: When your spouse reminds you for the third time in 10 minutes to take out the garbage.
3. The Helpful Reminder: When your secretary reminds you that tomorrow is your anniversary.
4. The Demonic Reminder: When the voice of the enemy whispers accusations. Remember when…
you did that?
you said that?
you watched that?
you did nothing about that?
you hid that?
Demonic reminders are designed to keep you bound by yesterday’s darkness, and blocked from the light of God’s Word today. In fact, it’s one of the primary tricks the enemy has in stealing God’s Word out of our hearts. But they are really nothing but blinders that prevent us from remembering and applying God’s word to our lives.
6. Divine Reminders
Thank God for the Holy Spirit Who, when the enemy says remember when, speaks to our spirits and says, remember what?
When the enemy prompts you to remember the times you sinned, listen to the Holy Spirit remind you of what God said about confession and forgiveness.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
When the enemy prompts you to remember your sketchy past, listen to the Holy Spirit who will remind you what God said about your future.
“He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).
When the enemy reminds you when you were lost, eternally separated from God, listen to the Holy Spirit remind you of what Jesus said about your standing with the Father now:
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When the enemy reminds you how broken you are, listen to the Holy Spirit remind you of what Jesus said about God’s provision:
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
When the enemy reminds you of how the odds are stacked against you, listen to the Holy Spirit remind you of what God said about God being on your side:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Thank God for the Holy Spirit who has a divine reminder for every demonic accusation!
The Holy Spirit also reminds us of our experiences in God that prove His faithfulness in the face of the enemy’s lies: how He’s answered prayer, healed a loved one, provided for our needs, and brought us back when we wandered off. He held us up when we were drowning in fear, blessed us even when we didn’t deserve it, granted us mercy when we should have been punished. And loved us, when we were still sinners.
Then when the enemy reminds us of that old sinful identity, the Holy Spirit reminds us of our new identity in Christ. . . our true identity! We are:
- Children of God (Romans 8:16)
- A new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- The righteousness of God in Christ 2 Corinthians 5:21)
- God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
- The apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8)
- Cherished (Zephaniah 3:17)
- Changed (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Holy (1 Peter 1:16)
- Set apart (Romans 12:2)
- Anointed (1 John 2:27)
- Different (1 Peter 2:9)
- Heirs, and a joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)
Never live in your old identity, believe what God says about your new identity, and walk in it, live it, and be it!
“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:9-10).
And finally, when the enemy reminds us of the pain we may be experiencing, the Holy Spirit reminds us of what God’s promise is despite everything:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
What does that mean? That means that God will even use the things that have caused pain in our lives, even things that should have taken us out, to bring about His purpose to push us over into victory.
And the precious Holy Spirit has been given to us by God to be the Heavenly Reminder, so that we will remember to stand in faith — knowing that what the enemy meant for evil, He intends to use for good. That includes those things that we may have brought on ourselves! Confess, and trust that God will work it out for your good and His glory!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Wong Yu Liang
