Comforter

“Walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit” — Acts 9:31 NKJV

When we talk about the Paraclete, “Another Helper,” many people are more familiar with the King James Version, which is translated, “Another Comforter.” One of the manifestations of the Helper is that He brings comfort.  

He reminds us of the words of Jesus, He guides us into all truth, He counsels us, and He also comforts us. The word “comfort” in Acts 9:31 is “paraklesis,” which is obviously related to the word we already learned, “paraklete.” The word “paraklesis,” the comfort of the Holy Spirit, means “personal encouragement.” So Acts 9:31 could be translated “walking in the fear of the Lord and the personal encouragement of the Holy Spirit.”  

What is the Holy Spirit like? He is personal. And He has personal encouragement for you today in whatever situation you find yourself in.  Why would you forego that comfort?  Why would you run about in a frenzy, letting every trial you are in occupy the space in your heart that could be occupied by the personal encouragement of the Holy Spirit?

Now, how do we receive this encouragement? Look again at Acts 9:31.  It says, “walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”  

In Isaiah 11:2, there was a prophecy about Jesus that said the Holy Spirit would rest upon Him in seven manifestations. One of those manifestations of the Spirit is that He is “the Spirit of the fear of the LORD.” Jesus lived His life filled with the Spirit, and coincidentally He lived in the fear of the Lord.  What does it mean to fear the Lord? It doesn’t mean being afraid of God — it actually means being afraid of being without Him.  It means having such an honor for His person and presence that every moment is lived with the awareness that this holy God is watching.  That is when we are able to receive His personal encouragement — when we walk in personal holiness.