My husband was sitting in a chapel service at seminary when the speaker said, “The Holy Spirit has a strange affinity for the trained mind.” I love that God used a donkey to speak to the prophet Balaam in Numbers 22. I’ve often said if God can use a donkey, he can surely use any one of us to share his word.

But, I also think the seminary speaker was correct. Many Scriptures point to the importance of God’s children being educated in God’s word, remaining faithful to God’s voice, and staying obedient to all we know God commands.

Peter taught the first-century Christians to “honor Christ the Lord as holy” and to “be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks” about the faith we have, the hope that is in us because of Christ.

I’ve often taught that when the Holy Spirit is calling us to speak, it often feels like a silent pounding in our hearts. We know God is calling us to speak up; we need only to yield our thoughts and our voice to his. If we provide the answers the Holy Spirit authors, we will speak words someone needs to hear.

But, we don’t just speak those words; we must speak them with “gentleness and respect.” The words will fall on deaf ears if our words are used as weapons instead of as the grace-filled truth of our Lord.

We can defend the faith if we don’t make it a war of words and instead make our words a road of welcome.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing God with others. Speaking the truth in love when the Holy Spirit inspires our words is wise. It isn’t that we are right and non-believers are wrong. Rather, we have been taught the truth and we are now paying it forward. You know what to say and how to say it. Whom will you share the gospel message with tomorrow?