Solving Problems

 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. 

John 16:12-15

If you give someone the answer to the first problem, you'll have to give them the answer to the next problem. 

Solving a problem for someone else takes them out of the equation. Letting someone wrestle through the problem is difficult both for the person wrestling and the person watching. While God has all the solutions to the problems of life, he allows us to go through the process of working through those problems so we can handle the next and greater problems. You will only learn how to trust God with the next problem you face if you learn how to trust Him with the problem you are currently facing.

If you help others figure out how to solve the first problem for themselves, they might be able to figure out how to solve the next problem.

By involving others in the process of solving problems, you stimulate their creativity so they can come up with their own solutions to the current and future problems. God enjoys creativity and desires for you to use your creativity to shape the world with Him. Many of the problems in life can only be solved by involving God in the solution. The process of solving problems in life become the process of returning to God in dependence and letting Him help you work out a solution.

The only way you can overcome sin is with God. 

God doesn’t solve the problems of temptation by taking all the temptations away from you. He allows you to experience temptation so you learn to draw near to Him for strength. In the garden Adam and Eve chose to hide from God after temptation, supposing God to be distant from their shame. Yet shame, troubles, nakedness or even death cannot separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). Every created thing has no power to separate you from an omnipresent God when you choose to draw near to Him.

The Holy Spirit guides you but He doesn’t do the work for you.

The Holy Spirit guides you into all truth, but He does not forcefully push you into the truth. God gives you the authority and responsibility to activate your decision making capabilities and walk in the truth that He guide you toward. The Holy Spirit is the only force powerful enough to help you overcome sin, but you have to lean into the Spirit and follow your leaning up with obedience. The Holy Spirit helps you figure out how to behave and directs you into those behaviors. Instead of you becoming mechanical by God solving all your problems for you, God teaches you how to solve problems in your life.