Defending the Faith 4: How Will I Know What to Say?

Ah yes, the age old question. "I want to talk to people about my faith, but I don't know what to say! They'll ask me questions that I won't know how to answer. How will I know what to say?" There's a few aspects to touch on regarding this topic.

First off, I want to point out God's response to this. In Exodus 4 when Moses is begging God not to send him back to Egypt to free God's people, one of his many excuses is that he doesn't speak well. God replies that He made Moses' mouth and "I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (verse 12). I don't know about you, but that's a pretty amazing thought. God Himself will teach me what to say.

Secondly, Philippians 4:19 teaches that God will give us what we need to do what He asks of us. He knows that we need the words to speak, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Once again, God is telling us that He will take care of it.

Another case where God confirms He will handle this need comes from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." The context to this is Paul explaining that He has asked God to remove some sort of "thorn" from his flesh. The Bible isn't clear whether this was a physical ailment, person causing him trouble, or something else entirely, but regardless, this "thorn" is something burdensome to Paul. Instead of removing it, God says that He will use this weakness to make His power even greater in Paul, ". . . For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 2:10). In our weakness, God reveals His strength. When you are uncomfortable speaking to people about your faith, that's when God will shine through all the more.

My personal favorite passage that directly relates to the worry of what to speak is recorded in three of the gospels. Each place is slightly different and adds even deeper meaning, so I'll share all three here:
Matthew 10:19 "When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour."
So far, we gather that when we are in situations where we have to defend our faith, we don't need to worry about how to do it, because at the time we need it, God will tell us what to say.
Luke 12:11-12 "And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Now we know that even when we are being brought before rulers, we still don't have to be concerned about defending ourselves or what to say because the Holy Spirit in us will teach us. We might not know what to say even sixty seconds before we have to speak, but when we open our mouths, He will provide.
Mark 13:11 "And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."
Finally, we gather that in addition to what we've learned above, it's not even us who are really speaking! It is the Holy Spirit doing the talking for us, and all we have to do is be the messenger and listen for what to say.
  
This is such a comforting thought to me. I really don't have to worry about what to say, because when I need to speak, the Holy Spirit will put the words in my mouth. These verses are what I'm holding to this weekend when I will be speaking with unbelievers.

Does this mean we will always have all the answers? Not at all. However, even when we don't have the right responses for someone, God has still given us what we need. He simply decided that we didn't need that answer at that time.

However, I see another side to this whole topic as well. Someone could interpret these verses to mean that they don't need to do any preparation, because God will just tell them what to say. I don't believe this is what the Bible is teaching at all. If my Dad never prepared a sermon and said "Oh, God will just tell me what to say when I get to the pulpit, I don't need to worry about preparation," . . . I think he would be very embarrassed when he stands up front without a clue of what to say and has to admit that he doesn't have anything because he failed to prepare. That being said, there have been times when he prepares all week but something about his planned sermon doesn't feel right, so he walks to the pulpit unprepared, but God always shows up and gives him the perfect words for that day. God honors his attentiveness and efforts. First Corinthians instructs us: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Do your best to prepare, but don't worry. Make an effort, but rely on God in your hour of need. Study the Bible so you have verses that God can bring to your mind. Remain attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, so you hear His quiet whispers. Do all to the glory of God. Be on the lookout for "God moments" and trust Him to give you the words to speak.

Looking Into Psalms: Psalm 1

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! Allow me to offer my most sincere apologies, and send out a hearty "thank you" to all you faithful who stick around. I wish you a very late Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! :)

This morning, in reading over Psalm 1, which I've read and studied more times than I can count, something new jumped out at me. That's one of my favorite things about the Bible; God always reveals new things to us, even in passages we know by heart. If you read nothing else from this post, please make sure you read the key points in bold below. Throughout the post, all Bible verse references are links to the verse/passage, where you can read them yourself. Don't trust my interpretation; read the texts and do it yourself! The text of Psalm 1 is as follows in the ESV.

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

My interpretation of verses one and two is: "God will bless those who avoid wrongdoing and keep their minds focused on God and His Word at all times—in all circumstances." [NOTE: meditate in the Bible means simply to focus on God, His Word, and things pure as commanded in Philippians 4:8. New Spirituality (aka New Age) has stolen the word from Biblical context and given it a poor connotation, but in a Biblical sense it is not the same type of "meditation" as New Spiritualists promote.] Lately, I've been attempting to meditate more on God, His promises, and His Word, like verse two instructs. Thus I found myself rereading Psalm 1 today as I've been doing the past few days. How do we meditate on God's law? Read the Bible, reread passages, pray about it, and ask God to reveal new things to you. He will.

The following verse is what stood out to me this morning. Isn't the metaphor beautiful? Who wouldn't want to be like a strong, thriving tree provided with everything it needs? Who brings glory to God and prospers? But how do we achieve this? Look back at verse two for the key. We must meditate on God's Word. Now that we have that knowledge, let's look at the third line of verse 3: "that yields its fruit in its season" This is the part where I found some new insight which inspired me to write this post.

Key Point 1: I looked over the passage, half reading, half reciting from memory, and almost instantly, "in its season" jumped off the page at me. Oftentimes as Christians, we look around but fail to recognize any fruit of our faithfulness to God. First, make sure you are being "righteous" as we learn in verses one and two. If you realize you are obeying the commands in the first verses, then take a look at "in its season." We aren't always privileged to witness the fruit of our labors. When we are, it isn't usually right away. God decides the "season" for each person to yield their fruit. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) It might be the next day, the next month, or not even in our lifetime. But Psalm 1 promises there will be fruit for those who fulfill the part of the righteous man depicted in the passage. Galatians 6:9 affirms this: "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Key Point 2: My second revelation came from my new Study Bible's commentary. (Thanks, Dad and Mom!) Also from the third line of verse three, my commentary pointed out, "As a tree bears fruit not for itself but for others, so also, when the faithful person prospers, he brings benefit to others." As I considered this, I realized its truth. A tree doesn't eat its own fruit! Instead, others are blessed by it. This is the purpose of being a righteous man, to bring glory to God through our works. (See the post I wrote on bringing glory to God: God's Billboard.)

Moving on to verses four and five. In the end of time when Jesus returns or we die and meet our maker, God will segregate the wicked from the righteous. He, and He alone, knows who are the righteous, and who are not. No one can fool God. He will divide the goats from the sheep, the sinners from the saved, the wicked from the righteous. To the unrighteous, no matter how they plead and grovel, He will speak the dreaded words: "I never knew you; depart from me." (Matthew 7:22-23) For the righteous, however, he will welcome them with open arms into His kingdom, as His children come home.

Finally, verse six ends the Psalm on a happier note for the righteous. God looks with pleasure and joy upon the way of the righteous. He rewards them, if not here on earth, then in heaven.

I'm praying that some of this may have blessed you as it did me. Have a marvelous weekend, friends!