Propped On Your Leaning Side (Part 3)

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17

Winston Churchill would not have been the famous, historical hero that we all know today had he not been “propped up” by his friend, General Hastings Ismay. It was said of Churchill that he was not an easy man to get along with. He could be charming but at times temperamental. He had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Books about him say that he was not a very likable person at times. For example, the story is told that Churchill was seated beside a prominent woman named Lady Astor at a banquet. At one point during the night she looked at him with disgust and said, “Mr. Churchill, I perceive that you are drunk” to which he replied, “Well, I perceive that you are ugly. But I will be sober tomorrow.” 

But the general believed in Churchill. He saw brilliance, courage, and boldness in him. World War II was taking place and England was in desperate need of a strong leader to come against Adolf Hitler. Ismay believed that Churchill was the only man in the world that could win the war. He saw how he could inspire people with his words in a powerful way. And so when Churchill would do something in public that could hurt his image, Ismay would go behind him and try to fix it. He would come to the offended person with gifts that he claimed were from Churchill and say that Churchill had sent him to apologize. Ismay was constantly working behind the scenes on Churchill’s behalf.

When Churchill and the allies of England won the war, he gave a tribute to the man who propped him up on his leaning side. Churchill said, “I owe more to Ismay than anybody in the entire execution of the war. I couldn’t have done it without him.” And then he gave him the title of Lord, and made him the first commander of NATO. 

Jesus said, “If I go away, I will send another comforter.”

The Holy Spirit will prop you up on your weak side. He will buffer your words and keep you from doing and saying things that will hurt your future. You do not have to fight the war of sin on your own. God knows that there is greatness in you, but there is also weakness. So He has given us His Spirit to lead, guide, and direct our lives so we can be successful in everything we do. Yield to His gentle leading. He has your back.

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