By Charles Christmas

It has been my experience, for 65 years, that many sincere unbelievers have an honest problem about becoming a Christian.

It is expressed like this: “I would become a Christian, but I am afraid that I could not live the life, and I don’t want to be a hypocrite.” Right! Exactly! This unbeliever really has a two-fold problem. First, he cannot become a Christian by his own ability. (This was dealt with in last week’s article, “Without God it is Impossible.”) Second, it is true, he cannot live the Christian life in his own ability. That is what this article is all about.

Jesus Christ was well aware of our inability. He assures his followers of an unfailing helper who is both beside us and within us. We can count on it. We can take it to the bank. We possess that “ability beyond our own.”

Whatever our Lord commands us to do, or calls us to do, or instructs us in his word to do, we have the help to do it. In the New Testament, this help is called the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Christ. He is a person and our personal helper.

Jesus promised in John 7:39 and John 14:16-18, that no true believing follower of his would be without the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Beyond the four gospels, the Bible confirms this fact in Romans 8:9 and 1 Corinthians 6:19.

One of the last promises Jesus gave to his followers was, “I will not leave you without a helper; I will come to you” (in the person of the Holy Spirit.)

Many of you know that my darling, sweet wife took her trip to be with the Lord Jesus on July 19. For 68 years, from the time we fell in love with each other, I saw a person, at close range, who lived beyond her ability. One week after her departure, I somewhat miraculously found her daily “Prayer and Desire,” in her own handwriting. I saw this prayer and desire lived out in and through her year after year. Her family, colleagues, students, friends, acquaintances and fellow church members observed this same kind of living.

I had copies made of her “Prayer and Desire” and have shared it with scores of persons and will continue to do so. One of her fellow volunteers for eight years, after reading this prayer, wrote me a note saying, “Thank you so much for Louise’s Holy Spirit prayer. It was so perfectly Louise.” Her handwritten prayer and her example illustrates what this article and today’s Simple Truth is all about. I now share with you her prayer:

Touch through me, Holy Spirit, touch through me,

Let my hands reach out to others, touch through me;

There’s a lonely soul somewhere needing just one friend to care,

Touch through me, Holy Spirit, touch through me.

Love through me, Holy Spirit, love through me,

I will be my brother’s keeper, love through me;

Hearts are bleeding deep inside, love can dry the weeping eye,

Love through me, Holy Spirit, love through me.

Flow through me, Holy Spirit, flow through me,

Like a river in the desert, flow through me;

Springing power and healing strength, living water pure and clean,

Flow through me, Holy Spirit, flow through me.

My hands will be your hands reaching out to others,

My lips will not be slothful, Lord, to speak;

I will be that good Samaritan to someone else in need,

I will be your house to dwell in, live through me.

Flow through me, Holy Spirit, flow through me,

Holy Spirit, touch through me,

Holy Spirit, touch through me.

Please, may your response not be, I repeat, not be, “That is a beautiful prayer.” No! May our response be, “I desire that it be my very own personal prayer and desire, and that it may be fulfilled in my life today and the tomorrows of my life.”

Next week: Beyond Our Ability in Temptations

—Charles Christmas is a religion columnist for The Clanton Advertiser. His column appears each Thursday.