The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to be silent and a time to speak.” As evangelical Christians, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize when it is time to keep silent. We know that God wants to bring His Kingdom on Earth, and that part of that comes through us sharing the Gospel with others. However, it is sometimes more effective for us to represent our Heavenly society by holding our tongue, rather than speaking up.

     It is easy for us as believers to look around the world and see so much wrong with it that we feel driven to answer with some kind of response. However, if we are not Spirit-led our actions could result in more offense than fruitfulness. We should not be afraid to confront the errors of our culture, yet we must do so in the Lord's timing and with graciousness.

     There have been several times lately when I have felt compelled to evangelize, protest, and even prophesy against the evils of our day. I had a clear sense from the Lord though that I was to just be at peace and trust Him to take care of things. Looking back, I can see how God was in control, and how He even prepared me to minister more effectively to others after waiting for some time. If I would have given into the emotional urge to do something quickly it would have only caused damage.

     In some situations I believe that we glorify Christ better not by defending Him, but by not addressing His opposition at all. In doing so we can show a deep measure of confidence in His lordship. It tells the Enemy that we are not intimidated by his attacks, and that they have no effect on us at all.

     When the time comes where we must confront wickedness and offer people the truth, the Holy Spirit will give us a boldness to do so. Yet we cannot be too proactive. It is our flesh that compels us to act without restraint, not the Spirit of God. He gives us patience, gentleness, and self-control, according to Galatians 5:22-23. These are the characteristics we must walk in.

     Our logical minds tend to get so worked up because we know that we have a perfect message to share with others. We can fail to perceive though whether or not their hearts are ready to receive our words. This is why we need the Father's guidance. He sees things about people that we might not be able to understand. We must be in tune with Him by our spirits to discern how to approach certain issues. A mental understanding of applicable Scriptures is simply not enough.

     Proverbs 9:8 warns, “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” We need Jesus to show us when it will be effective to rebuke someone, even in the most passive way. Just offering to pray with someone in a friendly manner could stir up animosity with a person who is hard-hearted. There are times when we must stand for what is right no matter how people react, but in many cases, God may lead us to just be quite. By doing nothing in such circumstances we are not compromising, but walking in faith. And we will see our reward in due time.