3. I am Your Bestfriend

"...that He may abide with you forever..." John 14:16 KJV


I could still recall the words Kathryn Kuhlman told the congregation, including the then new convert, Benny Hinn: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit; He's all I've got." The first statement was not new to me, but the second one was completely strange. Is the Holy Spirit the only Person you'll ever need here on earth? It was not a rhetorical question at that time. I wanted to know the reason.


I put down Benny Hinn's book to attend to my daily chores. One day I received an SMS from an old college friend, inviting me for a weekend getaway. Of course, my instant answer is "no," because I have more serious priorities than going somewhere else. God has entrusted me with His ministry, and He has enlarged my territory more than what I had imagined. serving Him could be "restless" in worldly terms, but deep within me is peace and comfort which surpasses all understanding.


So I did not respond to my friend's message. Though the decision was quick, I was not vulnerable to reminiscing my younger days. I could go wherever I wish, I could be with anyone I want. I had friends that stuck with me, and I thought they are the truest friends I could ever have. But since God has set me apart, He completely separated me from other things, even things inside my heart. He taught me how to live and stand up for His standards. He gave me strength to resist temptations and other forms of compromise. Little by little, He changed me. He changed my heart.


"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ..." Philippians 3:8 NIV


Setting aside other desires was an understatement. He took it all away, and put His Kingdom my one and only goal. Yes, I have lost friends along the way, but I could not help but say that I have not lost anything at all, because above everything else, I have gained Christ, and with Him, I could not ask for more.


So after allowing myself to look back on those times and how my life has changed, I heard God's Spirit whispered to me:


I am your Bestfriend.


Indeed, He is all I could ever have. He is the way to my Saviour. He is my guide in this narrow way. He is my assurance that one day, I am going to face my Maker, and I could finally see His face and all of His glory. He assures me that even if I lose all my friends, He will remain, because that is my Saviour's promise, and my Saviour is forever faithful. And now that I am truly in Christ, I know that the Holy Spirit will abide in me forever.