Accepting the Holy Spirit’s Help: What Pentecost Teaches Us About Self-Sufficiency
“I do it myself,” my two-year-old daughter proclaims multiple times a day. She echoes this self-sufficient refrain when I try to help her put on her shoes, buckle her in the car seat, or get her a snack. Sometimes I giggle and watch her struggle to open a granola bar on her own. Other times I’m annoyed when her independence impedes us getting out the door.
While I want to encourage my daughter to learn new things, I’m often frustrated by her stubborn attempts to accomplish tasks beyond her developmental level. I know she needs my help, but she often still foolishly denies my assistance. She tosses a shoe across the room and throws a tantrum because she can’t do it on her own and won’t let me show her how.
As I watch my daughter cry angrily because of her inability to do everything by herself, I see a picture of myself. In my own self-sufficiency, I often want to do everything alone. I, too, feel discouraged and exhausted when I pridefully turn down the help that I need.
Even in our spiritual lives, we sometimes deny the help Christ sent us, leaving us defeated, rather than empowered by him. So why do we keep trying to “do it myself” anyway?
“Jesus hasn’t asked us to strive in our own efforts; he’s invited us to be empowered by his Spirit. ”
Trying to Do It Ourselves
Humanity’s pursuit of self-sufficiency began in the garden of Eden. God gave Adam and Eve every good thing to eat, fruitful work to do, and unmediated relationship with him. Yet Eve desired more. She didn’t want to be dependent on God; she wanted to be like God (Gen. 3:5). So Eve bit the fruit, believing that if she could make decisions for herself, she would be truly happy. Instead, her self-sufficiency left her in shame and suffering.
This stubborn strain of self-sufficiency continues throughout Scripture. The people of the earth tried to build a tower to reach heaven to prove their independence (Gen. 11). The Israelites sought to conquer the Promised Land without God’s help—and were soundly defeated (Num. 14). Isaiah indicted God’s people for making plans and alliances without regard to their God (Is. 30:1). God’s people repeatedly rejected his help and tried to do things on their own.
We’re no different in our modern context. Our culture praises those who do it all, do it perfectly, and do it themselves. Even within the church, we can use our obedience to God’s good commands to prove our own self-sufficiency. We study the Bible, serve our local church, and memorize Scripture as a way to demonstrate our own prideful competency rather than to practice dependence on God.
When we refuse the help Jesus promised us, we become exhausted by our feeble attempts to prove ourselves or ashamed because we could never do enough. However, Jesus hasn’t asked us to strive in our own efforts; he’s invited us to be empowered by his Spirit.
Being Empowered by the Helper
On the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, he tried to prepare his followers for a life without him physically present. “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Again, in his final moments before he ascended to heaven, Jesus promised he would send his Holy Spirit to empower them to fulfill his commands (Acts 1:8). I’m sure his followers were confused by Jesus’ promise. What could be better than Jesus walking side-by-side with them? How would the Holy Spirit help them more than Jesus could? Still, in faith, they waited in Jerusalem for this promised Helper.
On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus first promised to send a Helper, Jesus’ followers “were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1–4). Immediately, they began spreading the gospel to all who could hear them. The Holy Spirit took fearful and uneducated men and women and turned them into powerful and courageous preachers, missionaries, and church planters. In the early church, the Holy Spirit empowered radical generosity (Acts 2:44–45), racial reconciliation (Acts 10), and even sacrificial death (Acts 7).
We can so clearly see the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these early believers, yet many of us are slow to wait for the Spirit’s work in our own lives. We rush ahead of him and get burnt out. We labor in our own efforts and get discouraged. We spend so much time trying to do good work for God, that we ignore the good work the Holy Spirit desires to do in us.
We forget that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead—the same one who empowered these early believers at Pentecost—is dwelling in us today (Rom. 8:11). Instead of relying on our own finite energy and wisdom to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, we can humbly turn to the Spirit and ask for his help. We can surrender our self-sufficient strivings and depend on the Spirit of Christ in us (Col. 1:29).
“The more mature we grow in our Christian life, the more we will see our need to rely on the Holy Spirit. A sign of spiritual growth is not more independence, but more dependence on God.”
Learning to Walk by the Spirit
How do we rely on the Holy Spirit’s help—or as Scripture describes it, walk by the Spirit (Rom. 8:4–5)? How can we accept the Spirit’s aid when we can’t see him? How do we know for sure that the good work we are doing is empowered by him and not our own efforts?
While we can’t control how the Holy Spirit works in us, we can utilize spiritual disciplines to make ourselves more available to the Spirit’s help. These rhythms of grace—Bible study, the local church, prayer, etc.—are tools God has given us to let the Spirit empower us. Prayer is not about flowery language to impress God. It’s how we cry out and ask for help. Scripture reading is not about accumulating knowledge, but about allowing the Spirit to guide us by God’s Word. Meditation is not a method to calm your body, but a way to set your mind on the Spirit. Every time we practice one of these spiritual disciplines—fasting, corporate worship, silence, solitude, and so many others—we are asking the Spirit to move in our lives.
We are confessing that we can’t do it on our own. We need the Spirit’s help.
Growing in Dependence
My two-year-old daughter will eventually learn to tie her shoes, buckle herself in the car, and pour a bowl of cereal. One day, Lord willing, she will outgrow her immediate need for my help. She will mature into an adult who can make wise decisions, earn a living, and (for the most part) take care of herself.
In contrast, we will never outgrow our need for the Spirit’s help. We can never be “do it myself” Christians. If anything, the more mature we grow in our Christian life, the more we will see our need to rely on the Holy Spirit. A sign of spiritual growth is not more independence, but more dependence on God.
If you feel like you are stranded in stagnant water today—floating aimlessly in your Christian life—consider whether you are trying to live for Christ on your own. Confess your self-sufficiency, ask for the Spirit’s help, and allow him to lead you and strengthen you.
The same Spirit that filled the believers at Pentecost is ready to help you today.
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