THIS MOMENT: Ask Yourself...

"The prophetic stance" is Glenn Tinder's challenging phrase for how every Christian ought to hesitate before speaking or otherwise acting. Prophets wait to listen to God so that they say what God wants them to say. Wise Christians wait for the Holy Spirit's prompting so that they do what Jesus wants them to do.

Here is a checklist of questions for considering how to act as God's agent. Positively What does Jesus want here?

How can I team up with the Holy Spirit to advance God's Kingdom in this moment?

How am I equipped and positioned to bless? What gift can I give?

What can I absorb on behalf of another? In sum: How can I improve this situation? Negatively

What dangers must be avoided here?

What looks like opportunity and is in fact temptation? What are the sins that beckon—or lurk? In sum: How am I likely to mess up here? Realistically

What am I lacking for which I should ask the Spirit? What are realistic expectations for this situation?

What does success look like here? What should count as a win? What must be endured as not yet ready for excellence?

In sum: What is today's task, and what should be left for tomorrow? (For more on the prophetic stance, see Glenn Tinder, The Political Meaning of Christianity: An Interpretation [Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1989].)