I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers.  But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!  Luke 21: 12-15 NLT 

Sometimes people get discouraged when they are trying to defend their faith, and the Holy Spirit does not give them the right words to say. What we have to remember is, our faith is something we share, not something we defend. In other words, sharing God’s love will do more good to win people to Jesus than just trying to prove we are right all the time. Also, just because we are not given words to say does not mean the Holy Spirit is not with us. The Holy Spirit was with Jesus but sometimes He remained silent.

Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle.  He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer.  Luke 23:8-9 NLT

Even though He was accused, Jesus was not in a position where He needed to defend Himself. If Herod’s questions had been more sincere I believe the Holy Spirit would have given Jesus something to say. The Holy Spirit is not going to give us words to say, if those words are just going to be “pearls cast before swine.” Jesus lived a life that did not need to be defended. Remember, sometimes when you defend yourself against accusations, all you are doing is giving merit to the accusations. If the accusation has no merit, sometimes silence is the best answer. It was for Jesus.