9TH JULY
Mark 13:9-11
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 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.”
When you develop a ministry mindset about your life, you recognise that even very difficult circumstances are opportunities to be a witness for Jesus!
In this passage, Jesus is preparing us for what the last days will be like, and we can see these days drawing closer as Christianity is more and more ostracised in the West. Jesus tells us that even when you are beaten and put on trial for your faith in him, the reason you find yourself in that situation is “to bear witness before them.”
And in those moments when God puts you in a situation where you can be a witness, and you have no idea what to say, don’t stress about it beforehand. Rest in the knowledge that God is the one who wants to speak through you. Just open your mouth and start talking—God will give you the words. “Say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
MAKE IT PERSONAL:
Has there been a time when you spoke but you knew that the Holy Spirit was guiding your words? How did that experience encourage you? Did it teach you to rely more on the Holy Spirit?