Mark 13:11
But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
There are some exceptional things to consider about this passage. Chief among them is that it speaks specifically of those under the duress of persecution. It would not be appropriate to apply this—at least in any specific sense—to preaching.
There are recorded occasions that seem to clearly fulfill this text:
• The trial of Polycarp
• The trial of John Bunyan
• The flogging of Obadiah Holmes
come swiftly to mind.
Preaching, however, is an entirely different matter. Luke 1:1-4 (KJV) seems to apply better:
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
Having said all this, I wonder if God fulfills this passage in our lives more than we realize—but we don’t trust Him in it.
Most Christians, when we attempt to witness at all, find ourselves in situations where we have time to think through our responses. Yet, so often I’ve been there, and whatever I said, I sure wish I had said something different.
• The response was not a profession of faith.
• The other party became very upset.
• The other party thought my answer was foolish.
During the Scopes Monkey Trial, Clarence Darrow mocked the faith of William Jennings Bryan so forcefully that some observers felt Bryan was unprepared. While Bryan won the court case, history records that public secular opinion shifted, and people began to view the Christian perspective as unscientific and ill-equipped to answer life’s real questions. Some even believe the stress of the trial contributed to Bryan’s death just days later.
• What if this entire event was orchestrated by the Holy Ghost?
• What if the Holy Spirit never intended Christianity to play on the field of academics?
• What if the results of the trial were exactly what God wanted—to make the secular world more secular and the Christian world more dependent on faith?
• What if we trusted that, in those moments of intense pressure, our "performance"—whether we felt we did well or not—was exactly what the Holy Ghost intended?
Perhaps if we are not permitted to premeditate what we speak in those moments, we should also spend less time brooding over what we said once it’s done.
#TrustTheHolySpirit #FaithUnderFire #PersecutionAndProvidence #GodsPlanPrevails #BoldInChrist
When Words Fail: Speaking Under Pressure
What if the Holy Spirit is working through you more than you realize? Share a time in the comments when you felt unprepared but God used your words anyway.
This week, witness to someone without overthinking your response—just trust God to guide your words.
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