Settle It In Your Hearts

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/u7AFS)

“And it shall turn to you for a testimony.  Settle it, therefore, in your hearts, not to meditate before what you shall answer—for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.”

Luke 21:13-14

The same One Who made the mouth and the mind is the same One Who’ll give us the words to say when we need them.

Some folks are loud and boisterous; others are quiet and reserved.  Yet, today’s Manna reminds us of the importance of bearing witness to His Presence in our lives when given the opportunity.



For the loud and boisterous, the key is learning when to speak and when to keep silent—for there’s a time and a place for everything (Eccl. 3:1, 7b)—and it takes God’s Wisdom to know which is right (Prov. 26:4-5).  Thus, this person’s danger is talking too much with an unbridled tongue and hindering/hurting the Spirit’s moving instead of helping Him.



The introspective introvert’s challenge in this is courage, not constraint or restraint.  Like Moses, they’re quite conscious of their verbal inabilities (Ex. 4:10) or fearful of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Yet, to them the One Who made us says “Who has made man’s mouth?  Or Who makes the dumb or deaf or the seeing or the blind?  Have not I, the Lord?  Now, therefore, go and I will be with Your mouth and teach you what you shall say” (Ex. 4:11-12).



Therefore, again, today’s Manna is a reminder of the importance of “speaking God’s Word in season and out of season” (II Tim. 4:2b)—for there’s no season when it’s not needed; it’s simply knowing when and out to apply it (II Tim. 4:2c; Prov. 25:11; Is. 50:4; James 3:1-12).



Yet, even then we should always remember that God will use every situation in our lives as an opportunity to give a “testimony (Grk. ‘maturion’—‘something evidential, to bear witness to something, etc.’).”  Thus, it’s the picture of a witness on a witness stand in a trial who’s giving a firsthand account of that which he’s seen and heard.  And, we should not be surprised that the root word used here is “martus,” from which we get the word “witness” in Acts 1:8 in spreading the Gospel.  And, interestingly, it’s also the same root word for “martyr,” which shows the connection between Godly courage and our confession of faith in Christ.



That’s why Jesus said “Settle it, therefore, in your hearts, not to meditate before what you shall answer.”  Or, another way of putting it is “Don’t spend a lot of time contemplating or reflecting on what you’ll say in such situations.  Strike while the iron’s hot, knowing the Holy Spirit will give you the words you need when you need them.”



Such was the case with the three Hebrew children (Dan. 3:16).  Such was the case with Peter on the Day of Pentecost and before the Sanhedrin (Acts 2:14-40; 4:7-12).  And, such will also be the case with us—especially in these last days when “men’s hearts are failing them for fear” (Lk. 22:26a).  So, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to everyone that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (I Pet. 3:16); otherwise they may never get another opportunity to hear of Jesus’ Love.

By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated July 14, 2010