Allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us

Mark 13:11  " 'Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say.  Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.' "

Many people shy away from having a discussion with someone about their faith.  One of the most common fears I have heard people express is the fear of not knowing enough.  They fear that the other person will ask a question they can't answer and it will somehow expose their faith as being shallow and not well-founded.  They believe that pastors and those who have spent a lifetime studying the Gospels are more "qualified" to have these types of discussions.

To have this mindset is not only wrong, but also somewhat arrogant.  Worrying about having adequate knowledge and knowing your "sales pitch" implies that it is up to us to convince people to believe in the Gospel.  It is, in fact, the job of the Holy Spirit, not us.  Jesus confirms this by telling us it is not us who is speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 

Chances are we will never know the answer to every question a seeker might ask of us.  Luckily, belief and faith are not intelletual exercises that rise and fall based on the quality and strength of our arguments.  Simply tell someone your testimony- no one can argue with that (and you can probably answer all of those questions!)