In Luke chapter 1, Zechariah was the first to hear that God was setting in motion His redemptive plan on earth for the New Covenant and the salvation of mankind, and for the destruction of sin, death, and hell. After hearing the plan, God silenced Zechariah, and his silence was not broken until the first part of the plan was fulfilled in John’s birth.
Hearing and understanding God’s plan is not a license to speak it out. We are to guard God’s plans in our hearts, to let them spiritually “germinate” … to pray over them … to commit them to God … to meditate on them …to seek understanding … until we are certain it is time to speak it out.
A great man of God who personally mentored me, Floyd McClung, once told me, “Do not speak too quickly.” This is why.
I have seen God delay His plans because we do not give God time to plant things in our souls and deal with our hearts, to prepare us for the fulfillment of what He has spoken to us … for His plans to be fulfilled in His ways and in His time.
Think about this:
- God shared His redemptive plan with Zechariah and then silenced him until John was born.
- God shared His plans with Mary. She didn’t go to the synagogue or the town square to shout, “God spoke to me!” She shared it with her parents and her fiancé.
- God spoke to Joseph. He shared it with only Mary.
We must treasure God’s words to us. They are for direction, to share His love and compassion, to reveal His heart. We must not speak these things too quickly.
We must also remember that God is a jealous God. Some things are meant to be between Him and us! We must learn to guard in our hearts our intimate conversations with Abba, speaking them out only to our inner circle, allowing the Holy Spirit time to nurture and settle God’s words in our hearts.
And we must gladly accept that God may never have us speak out the words and plans He shares with us. His plans will speak for themselves when He puts them into motion.
The plans of God must be settled and nurtured in our hearts. Do not speak them out too quickly. Speak them only to those closest to you and those who provide spiritual cover. If God leads you to speak them out, do so in the fear of the Lord with words saturated with love. Let God’s plans speak for themselves as God puts them in to motion.
Developing this discipline will bring about a powerful result in your life: Greater maturity in your walk with Jesus Christ.
Watch the short video devotional on this topic click here.
