I was trying to imagine what my life would be like without the Holy Spirit. Would I desire to pursue God? Would I even try? Could I even try? Would I worship? Would I walk in holiness? Would I have the strength to resist my own fleshy inclinations to sin?

If I may speak honestly (and you’re allowed to have a different answer than me) I would have to admit that I don’t think I’d be very good at any of these things were it not for the tenacious presence of the Holy Spirit.

In my slow march through the gospel of John, I came across this brief passage that reminds us of the role of the Holy Spirit, and I paused to think about how much I need him in all the areas of my life I’ve never been able to manage.

John 16:5-11

“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

The passage is extremely rich and there are so many things I’d love to write about but the single point I want to pay attention to at the moment is the role of the Holy Spirit; “he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment.”

If there is one thing I’ve learned in the past month (which has been a month of sprinting through a busy life on my own strength) it is this: I do not have an ability to resist sin, pursue righteousness, and comprehend or appreciate the judgment of God. I need the Spirit. I need his presence. I need his conviction.

Unless I live in him, in awareness of him, in seeking him, in following him, then the overwhelming appetites of my flesh will lead me easily into sin. If I do not have his direction, his strength, or the memory of the scriptures he brings to my mind, then it’s unlikely that I’ll even think about living righteously.

I need the Spirit.