Have you ever faced a challenging situation where the Holy Spirit showed you what to do?

Living in Chad as a family so that we could shine for Jesus was full of challenges.  As a result, we relied heavily on the Holy Spirit to bring things to our remembrance.  As Jesus said in John 14:25-26 [MWNT],

I have spoken to you these words while I am still living among you. But this Holy Spirit, the Comforter, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach and show you everything, whatever things I will say to you.

God proved Himself faithful to His Word.  Our greatest successes in Chad came, not as a result of our “great intelligence or ability” (yuck!), but rather from the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Below are two examples of how the Holy Spirit led us, in very practical ways.

Holy Spirit led Water Purification

Eastern Chad, June 2011: I was just reading a book that said it is preferable not to do your own water test or purify your own water.  Instead the book suggests that we should trust the professionals with this important task.

However, in the Sahara Desert, the professionals are far, far away.  Each of us has to learn to rely on the Holy Spirit to face the challenges that come your way.

For those of you who need to test your drinking water, I have learned this: if you can see little creatures swimming around in your barrel of water like we did, the water needs purification!

Pour 1 cup of bleach into the barrel and watch the ones on the surface die instantly as they come into contact with the hazardous liquid. After a few hours, the water will be clear; you will be able to see to the bottom of the barrel, where what was once a jungle of life will lie dead for good.

After you Purify the water

Of course, too much bleach will make your water smell like a swimming pool.  You may hesitate to drink from that barrel for a while. But when you need water for washing the clothes or the dishes, you won’t have to add bleach; it’s already in there! And, boy! It sure gets those clothes clean!

The twirls and twists and acrobatic maneuvers of the dots and lines in the water impressed our girls. We have decided to add 1/4 cup of bleach to every barrel of water we receive! We may adjust the amount if the “life” continues to thrive, or if the water tastes too much like bleach.

The Father’s Day bicycle

For Father’s Day, my family made me apple pancakes, and the girls asked me to buy a bike! This will really help me when I need to run errands in town. I decided to buy one in the box… but the box had no instruction manual in it! So I was forced to do what fathers are known to do anyway: put an extremely complicated piece of equipment together without consulting the (non-existent) manual.

I think I really enjoyed putting the bike together last night and today as much as I enjoyed receiving it!

While I was putting it together, I had to rely on the Holy Spirit to show me what to do.  I’d ask questions like, “What do you do with all those ball bearings? How do you get the chain on the gears? How do you install the brakes?”

And each time, He showed me what to do!

You may need help sharing the Gospel with friends, or even to purify your water or put together a bike.  Whatever challenge you are facing, we have learned from experience that the Holy Spirit is there to help us.  He came to remind us of the words of Jesus, and to lead us into all truth. He can bring Bible verses and other wisdom to our remembrance when we are facing a challenge.

Has the Holy Spirit ever helped you to face a challenge by reminding you of something?  If so, please let us know about it in the comments below: