You see, my dear, one of the things I've learned in my journey of faith is that you can't do for someone something that only God can do. You see, this thing called conviction—only God can do it. The Bible says that faith is a gift of God unto salvation; it is not something a man can give to a man. You can't give faith to yourself, nor can you give it to somebody else.

Only God can create faith inside of a person. All you can do is to be a channel of His word and be a channel of His actions, right? Because God ministers through us, through our words and our actions. But you see that thing called conviction; only the Holy Spirit can do it.

Even you who are here, is it just from reading the Bible that you have faith in God? I doubt it. I'm sure there are one or two experiences that you have that give you some kind of confidence in this person called Jesus Christ. And if that is so, how then can you expect someone to just see things as you see them? You know, just because you said a few words? Not really.

Our job is to witness; it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict. And it's very important that we're careful because sometimes arrogance can set in, and we'll be like, "Ah, what after all I've already said? After all, I've already explained." No, it's not by our power or our might; it's by the grace of God. You understand?

So as people, we can become very adept, very skilled in being able to talk about God, right? Like I'm doing now. But the best you can do is give a person an approximation of this God that you have experienced. You can't make them see God. Jesus Christ never told anyone what the kingdom of God is; He will always say, "The kingdom of God is like...The kingdom of God is like a merchant, is like a farmer, is like..." he never says what it is because you cannot know what it is until you experience it. All you can do is know what it's like.

So the best thing you can do for anyone is to bring them very close to the river, but they will have to drink from the water themselves. So I'll tell you: spend time studying and meditating to, you know, increase your vocabulary. And also beyond that, actually manifest godly character, all right? And through your manifestation, they will experience God through you, and nobody can deny when the light of God comes out of a person. And let that be the very thing that convicts them.

Oh, how are you so patient? Oh wow, how are you so diligent in your ways? How do you operate in the spirit of excellence? My God, how are you so steadfast? And these things naturally convince people. Oh, I want to come and know who inspired you to become like this. But ultimately, each person must encounter God for themselves. That's not something you can do. You can facilitate; you can be a catalyst. But this thing called conviction is in the hands of God.

So it's good to, you know, become skilled, you know, learn about the world so you can quote-unquote defend lies and things like that. But don't expect people to be convinced just by your words; it's only the Holy Spirit that does it. And if in that moment maybe He doesn't or their hearts are not open, it's okay. You've done your part. And you'll be surprised; what you have done in that moment is sowing a seed. Another person can come five weeks later and water that seed and it can grow as faith in their heart. And God used you as a link on the chain to a person's salvation.

So leave the convicting work to God; do your part, and let God do His part. Paul plants, Apollos waters, but it's God that gives the increase. It is well with you, my friend.