I have always laughed at the “playing possum” or “playing dead” concept where opossums enter a terrified state and simply don’t move, thinking their predators will move on! That’s exactly what this moment felt like. I took a good, up-close look at this feathered friend and then continued on my way, walking along the beach. I stopped and looked back. I thought to myself I too have played possum before. I have not moved and remained silent out of fear when I know the Holy Spirit has prompted me to share His love and the Gospel with others. Instead, I played possum. “So that’s what it looks like,” I thought.
I prayed in that moment that the Lord would help me not play possum or stand still when He is calling me to witness to those that happen to be up close to me. Have you played possum before? There is a choice and split-second decision to make with no time to deliberate, or we will talk ourselves out of it and stay silent in a playing possum posture.
I thought of the moment in the Bible where God spoke to Philip, and Philip didn’t play possum, Philip started out on his way and then ran.
I had to read the Scripture. Acts 8:26-40 says, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘Queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’ The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the Good News about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.” (NIV)
Philip met the man where he was at and answered the very question he was asking. He stayed in the Scripture and shared the Good News of Jesus. The Ethiopian learned about Jesus Christ and chose to get baptized at the first sign of water! That’s transformation! After, he went on his way rejoicing. This man had a life changing encounter with the Lord, because someone shared the Good News!
What if Philip would have paused and played possum? I asked myself, “Melissa, when God prompts, are you preaching passages or playing possum?” That’s my next question for you too! Are you preaching passages and sharing the Gospel or playing possum, sitting dead in your tracks? Life changing, eternal decisions can be on the other side of our obedience to God. Surely there is someone waiting to hear the Good News today! Don’t overthink it. Run and share the Good News of Jesus!
How can you make Monumental Moments and live to multiply His movement today?
