“I believe in the Holy Spirit” —Spurgeon

Tuesday is for Preaching

It is so tempting, consciously and unconsciously, to trust in our education, our training, our experience, our personality, our mentors, our past successes, and the smiles and good favor of the people in front of us, rather than the Spirit of the Living God. Don’t let it happen brother.

“Spurgeon used to walk up the stairs to his pulpit, and every step he would say ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’…Now why was this? Is this because Spurgeon had butterflies? Why is Saint Paul after many years in ministry asking believers of his day to pray for boldness so that he could preach the Word? Why is he praying for boldness? It is not because Paul struggled with stage fright. That’s not why. He knew what happened when he preached the Word.”

—Douglas Wilson, From his talk, The Sacred Script in the Theater of God, given at the 2009 Desiring God National Conference. (sited at Passion for Preaching)

Applications:

Be bold in Christ, not in yourself.
Be dependent upon the Holy Spirit, not yourself.
Cultivate dependence in your study and in your proclamation.
Pray for boldness in all opportunities to preach the word.
Remember that power is in the word and the Spirit, not in you and your personality.