for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:20 NIV
A few days ago I was speaking with a friend about struggles he was facing in his life. An idea popped into my mind of a question to ask. As we talked about the issue I brought to the front of the discussion, we entered into a much deeper level. He and I were dealing with the core issues of some of the problems. We would have never gotten to that level, if I had not asked that question. Where did this idea for our dialogue come from?
The context of our verse today is referencing a future time when the disciples will be taken into court to give a defense of their faith in Jesus. He tells them not to worry for the Holy Spirit will direct them in what to say.
The idea that the Holy Spirit will direct conversations is a key component in presenting the gospel to another person. Here are a few suggestions to remember in flowing with the Holy Spirit.
- The Spirit will prompt you with ideas from the place of His still small voice. This is the reason that you should take time to discern how God speaks to you personally. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice and they follow Him. Learn to separate your thoughts from those of the Spirit.
- There is One Holy Spirit. This is important because He has the ability to be talking with you and the person that you are sharing with, at the same time. He leads the conversation because He knows the images and words that unlock the doors in the other person. Jesus asked about the marital status of the woman at the well which impacted her so much that she freely invited others to come and see the Man who had told her all about herself.
- Faith is always involved in spiritual conversations. There will be a level of trust in following the promptings that you are receiving. You don’t know how the person will respond. You don’t know if they will think you are crazy or not. You don’t know if the question you are about to ask will “really” relate to their life. There are far more ideas that “you don’t know the answer to” than they ones that you are sure of. So it is with boldness and humility that you address the person in the conversation. You are exemplifying faith to add the question into the conversation.
- Questions have as much inspiration as facts about a person. The Spirit can reveal detailed information about the person, but He primarily uses questions to deepen the conversation. Sometimes when the conversation seems to plateau the right question can bring it back into a pinpointed focus. The Spirit will often prompt you to ask a good question.
- The Spirit will lead you in your conversation, but not every word that you speak is from the Holy Spirit. You will not be in a trance or channeling His thoughts. You don’t have to wait for an overwhelming feeling of being controlled by the Spirit. Instead, the Spirit’s voice leads, usually about 1 step ahead. It is inviting such as, “Let the cashier know that they have a nice smile”, or “Ask your coworker about their relationship with their mother,” or “Have you heard the good news?…Jesus loves you.” Most of these statements or questions will be conversation starters.
- The Spirit is life and light and He engages in helping people walk out of darkness.
Remember the Holy Spirit is always working in people’s lives and hearts. Your step of faith in dialoguing with them can be the revelation they need to step into eternity. May we walk in step with the leading of the Holy Spirit today.
Blessings Love y’all