Revelation 10:11

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

There is something inevitable here.

John is told, Thou must prophesy again. Not just that he should. Not merely that it would be a nice idea. No, this is what happens when a man really takes in the Word. Once it gets down inside of you, it does not just sit there quietly. It starts moving. It starts pressing. It starts finding a way back out.

That is how you know you have really heard from the Lord.

Not because you filled up a notebook.
Not because you picked up a few new facts.
Not because you can talk Bible better than the next guy.

You know the Word has really landed when it gives you compassion for the sinner and conviction about your own sin. It softens you in one direction and sobers you in another. It makes you care more deeply about people around you, and at the same time it makes you deal more honestly with what is wrong in you.

That is why the Word is both sweet and bitter.

And if we are honest, a lot of us would prefer to keep it sweet. We like the comforting verses. We like the promises. We like the reassurance. But when the Word starts dealing with our pride, our attitude, our coldness, our cynicism, our compromise, suddenly we are not quite as eager to keep reading.

I know how that works.

You are sitting there watching television, and one of those commercials comes on showing hungry children somewhere in the world. Immediately, something inside you feels the weight of it. And what do you do? You reach for the remote. Click. Gone. The commercial is gone, the kids are gone, and for the moment the ache is gone too.

That is exactly what people do spiritually.

The Lord starts pressing on a bitter attitude. Click.
A Bible study starts exposing a sinful pattern. Click.
A sermon starts dealing with unforgiveness or lust or pride. Click.
A time of worship starts thawing out a hard heart. Click.

We do not say it out loud, but what we mean is this: Just give me the sweet stuff. I do not want the belly ache. I do not want to be disturbed right now.

But here is the problem. When people keep clicking away from the searching work of the Word, their lives begin to come apart. Not always all at once. Sometimes slowly. Quietly. But surely. Because the Word is not only what comforts us. It is what centers us.

That is why Joshua 1:8 says:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Notice that. Prosperity and success are not tied to avoiding the Word, but to staying in it. Not just the sweet parts, but all of it. The parts that expose you. The parts that correct you. The parts that trouble you before they strengthen you.

And they will strengthen you.

Yes, the Word may upset you for a while. No doubt about that. It may put its finger right on the very thing you were hoping no one would mention. But over time, you begin to realize that while the Word may make your belly hurt, it also makes your life steady. It grounds you. It keeps you from drifting. It keeps you fruitful. It keeps you sane in a world that is losing its mind.

I like that because it reminds me that God never troubles us without purpose. He is not trying to crush us. He is trying to form us. He is not trying to shame us. He is trying to save us from going sideways.

And once that happens, once the Word is really digested, you will speak.

Maybe not to crowds.
Maybe not to kings.
Maybe not from a pulpit.

But you will speak to somebody.

You will speak to a friend.
You will speak to a son or daughter.
You will speak to a coworker.
You will speak to a neighbor.
You will speak because the Word of God, once it gets deep enough, refuses to stay hidden.

That is the point.

John ate the book, and then John spoke. Ezekiel ate the scroll, and then Ezekiel spoke. The pattern is the same. When the Word gets in you, it comes out of you. It may come out through preaching. It may come out through weeping. It may come out through a quiet conversation over coffee. But it will come out.

So maybe the question is not whether we enjoy the Bible. Maybe the real question is whether we are willing to let it do its full work in us.

Beloved, do not keep reaching for the remote every time the Lord starts dealing with you. Stay in the Word. Stay there when it comforts you, and stay there when it convicts you. Stay there when it lifts you, and stay there when it searches you. Because the very part of the Word that makes your belly ache today may be the very thing God uses to make your life fruitful tomorrow.

And when that happens, you will not have to force a witness. It will come naturally. Because when the Word gets in you, it comes out of you.