11. What are we counselled not to do, when we are placed in testing situations? Luke 12:11-12; Matthew 10:18-20.
NOTE: ‘The servants of Christ are to prepare no set speech to present when brought to trial for their faith. Their preparation is to be made day by day, in treasuring up in their hearts the precious truths of God’s Word, in feeding upon the teaching of Christ, and through prayer strengthening their faith; then, when brought into trial, the Holy Spirit will bring to their remembrance the very truths that will reach the hearts of those who shall come to hear. God will flash the knowledge obtained by diligent searching of the Scriptures, into their memory at the very time when it is needed.’ Maranatha, page 255. [Maranatha - An Aramaic word meaning - The Lord is at hand; the Lord is coming.]
12. Where do we store up the Words of God so that, in times of emergency, the Holy Spirit can take and organise them into arguments against which opponents can give no answer? Psalm 119:11; Jeremiah 15:16; John 6:53, and Jesus gave the explanation in verse 63.
NOTE: ‘We are to be one with Christ, as He is one with the Father, and the Father will love us as He loves His Son. We may have the same help that Christ had, we may have strength for every emergency; for God will be our front guard and our rearward. He will shut us in on every side, and when we are brought before rulers, before the authorities of the earth, we need not meditate beforehand of what we shall say. God will teach us in the day of our need. Now may God help us to come to the feet of Jesus and learn of Him, before we seek to become teachers of others’ Review & Herald, February 18, 1890.
LESSON INSIGHT: Christ will organise what we know into strong arguments, whenever we need to teach others of the Word of God. But we have to study and learn our Bibles quietly and faithfully day by day first, so the verses and concepts are clear in our minds now. If we leave ideas floating in our minds as just an interesting thought, with no definite shape or substance, they will evaporate and fade. Hold on to these thoughts, check them out against other scriptures and work on the subject until you could explain it clearly to someone else. It is then that the foundations of our faith become firm and sure. We must do our part, before the Holy Spirit can use us as heaven requires.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit not only understands the things of the mind, but He searches the heart and has a full understanding of our life, our emotions, our feelings and our spiritual responses. He ‘helpeth our infirmities’. He knows our heart prayers in those times of deep emotion. He knows when we do not know how to pray or how to put it into words before God, so He Himself makes intercession for us, with groanings that cannot be uttered. His prayers on our behalf are according to the will of God for us. Romans 8:26-27. He knows it all. He even inspires us to pray. He prompts us when we need to pray but do not feel like it. This is part of His spiritual comfort. The Holy Spirit has been presented to us as another Comforter, just as Christ came to the world as a Comforter. He brings scriptural words back to our memory as we need them, for it was He Himself who inspired the writers of the Bible. He is with us when we meet with others who need spiritual help and sympathy and understanding and can prompt us of the right words to use.