Fri/Sat/Sun—December 22–24•The Guidance of the Holy Spirit “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13:9–11) Today’s passage encourages faithfulness in the face of persecution. But it also offers a principle that is universally true. You can trust the Holy Spirit to tell you what to say at the time that your witness is needed. I engaged in a simple conversation with an acquaintance at the gym. Suddenly he asked me, “How many times does the Bible say I should forgive someone?” I wondered what precipitated that question, but I just answered, “The Bible says seventy times seven, but that’s hyperbole for as many times as you’re offended.” He told me that day was the second anniversary of his having major heart surgery. “I’ve been on the exercise bike, and I got my heart rate up to 100 beats per minute today.” That was a big deal to him. “There was a 50/50 chance I would die in the first two years,” he explained. “There’s still a 70 percent chance that I’ll die within the first five years, so I know I’m living on borrowed time.” I would have loved to offer him a Christian book. I would have asked him to read it and then meet me to talk about any questions that arose. But I had just cleaned out my car and removed all those resources. As I left, I prayed, “Holy Spirit, what is this all about?” I realized the Holy Spirit had restrained me from offering the right thing at the wrong time. You can trust Him to guide you. He’ll put words in your mouth when needed, and He’ll remove them when words would get in the way of movement toward faith. WEEK Week 10 How can you stay alert to the Holy Spirit’s leading, so you’ll know when to speak and when to be silent? Daily Reading: Zechariah 2:1–7:14, Revelation 13:1–15:8, Psalm 141:1–143:12, Proverbs 30:18–28 FOR YOUR SMALL GROUP December 18–24 Describe a time when you were given a job but denied the resources to be successful. ■ How did that make you feel? ■ How does that experience prepare you to embrace the Holy Spirit as your external power source for witnessing to and discipling others? 54
20514 Man in Mirror
To see the actual publication please follow the link above