Matthew 10:16-20
"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
Christians on earth are like sheep among wolves. May the Lord help us not be afraid, because He is with us. When God sent Livingstone to preach the gospel in Africa, one time his team was going to cross a river to enter into cannibal tribe territory in the Dark Continent. Everyone was afraid because they didn't know what's going to happen to them. Livingstone prayed to God, and God revealed Matthew 28:20 to them: "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." After receiving this word, Livingstone was filled with faith, and the day after they cross the river to enter into a cannibal tribe. The gospel then spread over the entire continent.
Besides being courageous, we also need to be smart, as the Lord said to us in verse 16: "shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." 1 Peter 5:8 says: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." We need to look upon God, because the Lord's Spirit will make way for us and guide us in any kind of difficulty. We saw how the Lord always received wisdom from God when He was in hardship caused by the enemy's ploy. Once time, the Pharisees tried to get Jesus into trouble, so they asked Him whether it's ok to pay tax to Caesar. If Jesus said yes, then He wasn't loyal to the Jews; if He said no, then they could accuse Jesus of not following Roman laws. Confronting such a dilemma, Jesus immediately had wisdom from God, and asked them whose face is on the coins. When the Pharisees said Caesar, Jesus said "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
No matter what circumstance or hardship you are in, just focus on God, and His wisdom will guide you from inside. That's why it says here that "when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it." The Spirit of the Lord is inside you, and He will give you the appropriate words. May the Lord help us, no matter what circumstance we are in, let us not be afraid, but to guard our heart and look upon God, because He will provide us with all we need!
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