Wisdom and Tact

"These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke."
Acts 6:9b&10

I must admit that I sometimes fail at the very thing Stephen excelled at. First, I don't like to argue with people. My personality is one that would rather avoid confrontation than participate in it. Then there is the issue of speaking within the dimension of the Holy Spirit. When forced into an argument, I sometimes default to the flesh.This usually ends up in anger. Over the years I have discovered that this is no way to have a discussion or argument. So I have learned something from what I see in the life of Stephen. Now I must put it into practice.
    Stephen spoke with wisdom. I don't believe Stephen was an old man, he still had some of the characteristics that follow those who are young. Ordinarily, wisdom is not associated with young people. It is often thought of an attribute of those who are older. But it is not age that defines wisdom, it is wisdom that defines age. I have seen young people with incredible wisdom that can only come from God, and I have seen older people with little wisdom. So how do we live, walk, and speak with wisdom? How do we learn to handle arguments with the same wisdom and tact that Stephen did?
    The key to Stephen's wisdom was this: He spoke by the Holy Spirit. It was not wisdom alone. It was not a kind of wisdom that was received through worldly experiences. It was a wisdom that came directly from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he had Godly wisdom. Even in the face of incredible opposition from people who hated him and what he stood for, he still handled himself with Godly speech and tact. In just a few hours from this confrontation, Stephen would be martyred for his faith. But even in the last moments of life, he still spoke with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. His last words were ones of grace. He did not allow himself to be consumed with anger or hate.
    I believe that we all need to learn the kind of wisdom that Stephen had. Sometimes, we have confrontations with people who only want to discredit us. Rather than become defensive or angry, what if we spoke with wisdom and tact with the help of the Holy Spirit? I think it would change the outcome. I believe people would recognize and acknowledge that God is with us. You see, people are used to seeing the fleshly responses of anger and hatred. If we respond in a completely new way, they will know that God is with us and maybe they would want to know about him. The result of this kind of confrontation could be the new birth of a human soul instead of another bad outcome. We are the key. If we will walk in the Holy Spirit, we will begin to experience the kind of wisdom that can only come from him. Let's try it. Let's be known as people who speak with wisdom and tact with the help of the Holy Spirit.