When the Spirit Speaks


Matthew 10:18-20

¹⁸ "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

 Luke 12:11, 12

¹¹ "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 The Holy Spirit does not simply prepare us for the trials and difficulties in our lives – He is that preparation. The Bible consistently teaches us the necessity of preparedness, and we do not always have time to get ourselves ready, but we must already (and always) be prepared. In other words, preparedness is a state of being for the Christian. It is a mistake to think God is using today just to prepare us for tomorrow, for Jesus says in Matthew 6:25-33,

²⁵ "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

 Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised to any of us, so today is of paramount importance, and we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit right now! God is most pleased when we are ready to hear and speak God’s Word today, and the Holy Spirit will speak through in the moment of trial and glorify the Lord no matter the circumstance. As God’s children, we can rightly judge our maturity by the immediacy of our witness and how seamlessly the Lord is glorified by our words when we are under duress. Therefore, we do not worry about tomorrow and its troubles, nor do we wonder if we will stand or falter. Our walk is a moment by moment adventure, and we can be sure the God who is with us today will be with tomorrow! Remember Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Blessings and peace,

Pastor Eric