When the Holy Spirit Speaks
Preparing Like the Bride Means Learning the Voice of the Bridegroom
By Nicole Charles
Part of The Abundant Faith Team
Have you ever noticed how much time we spend preparing for conversations that never actually happen?
I know I have.
I’ll think through every possible scenario. What if they ask me this? What if I don’t know the answer? What if I say the wrong thing? Before I know it, I’ve played the conversation over in my head half a dozen times. Maybe you’ve done the same thing. We want so badly to represent Jesus well that we put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to have all the answers.
But recently, while reading Luke 12, I realized Jesus never placed that pressure on His disciples.
In fact, He did just the opposite.
He was preparing them for some of the hardest moments of their lives. They would stand before religious leaders, government officials, and people who would question everything they believed. Naturally, I would think His next words would be something like, “Study harder. Memorize more Scripture. Make sure you’ve got an answer for every question they’ll ask.”
Instead, Jesus says something that completely changes the way I read this passage.
“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:12)
I don’t know about you, but that verse feels like a deep breath. A truly refreshing drink of water when you are super thirsty.
Because if I’m honest, I’ve often lived as though it all depended on me. If I just studied enough, prepared enough, or thought through enough scenarios, then maybe I’d finally be ready for whatever God placed in front of me.
Yet Jesus reminds His disciples—and us—that our confidence was never supposed to be in our own preparation. It was always supposed to be in the Holy Spirit.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t study Scripture or grow in our knowledge of God’s Word. We absolutely should. But there is a difference between preparing our minds and trying to carry a responsibility that belongs to the Holy Spirit. He never asked us to script every conversation. He simply asked us to stay close enough to hear His voice.
As I’ve been writing my Prepare Like the Bride devotional series, I’ve found myself coming back to that thought over and over again. When we hear the word prepare, most of us immediately think of doing more. We make another checklist. We read another book. We listen to another podcast. We convince ourselves that if we can just learn one more thing, we’ll finally be ready.
But when Jesus talks about His Bride, the emphasis is never on frantic activity. It’s on faithful relationship.
Think about the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. The difference between the wise and the foolish wasn’t intelligence or talent. It wasn’t that one group loved the Bridegroom more than the other. The difference was that the wise had oil. Throughout Scripture, oil points us to the Holy Spirit. Their lamps stayed lit because they had remained prepared, not by striving, but by staying filled.
I don’t believe Jesus was simply teaching us to prepare for a future event. I think He was teaching us how to live every single day.
A bride doesn’t spend her engagement memorizing speeches for her wedding day. She spends that season getting to know the man she’s about to marry. Every conversation deepens the relationship. Every moment together builds trust. By the time she walks down the aisle, she recognizes his voice because she’s spent time with him.
Isn’t that what Jesus wants for us?
Not believers who simply know about Him, but a Bride who knows Him so well that His voice becomes familiar. A people who have spent enough time in His presence that when life suddenly places them in an unexpected conversation, they don’t panic. They don’t scramble for the perfect words. They’ve learned to trust the Holy Spirit who has been faithfully speaking to them all along.
I wonder if that’s why so many of us feel spiritually exhausted.
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We’ve been trying to prepare speeches when Jesus has been inviting us into relationship.
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We’ve been striving to become impressive when He’s been calling us to become intimate.
Those are two very different things.
The beautiful thing about intimacy is that it changes us without us even realizing it. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we begin to sound like Him. His compassion shapes ours. His patience becomes our patience. His truth settles so deeply within us that when someone asks us about our faith, we’re no longer speaking from rehearsed answers—we’re speaking from a life that has been transformed by His presence.
That’s why Luke 12:12 gives me so much peace. Jesus isn’t telling me to figure everything out before tomorrow arrives. He’s reminding me that when tomorrow comes, the Holy Spirit will already be there.
And isn’t that exactly how a Bride waits?
Not anxiously, or fearfully. Not wondering if she’s done enough. But she waits with joyful expectation because she knows the One she’s waiting for.
Jesus is coming back for His Bride. Until that day, may we spend less time trying to perfect our performance and more time cultivating His presence.
Because I have a feeling that the greatest preparation we can make for whatever lies ahead isn’t another perfectly rehearsed answer.
It’s becoming so familiar with the voice of the Bridegroom that when the moment comes, we simply echo what He’s already been whispering to our hearts.
Written by: Nicole Charles, a Daughter of the King
Nicole Charles is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and ministry leader based in San Antonio, Texas. She is the founder of Fortress 29 Ministries and the creator of the Voices from the Fortress book series, a faith-centered collection of stories and teachings focused on identity, healing, spiritual awakening, and encountering the presence of God.
With a background in leadership, business operations, and creative media, Nicole combines bold faith with visionary storytelling to encourage people to walk fully in who God created them to be. Through writing, speaking, podcasts, worship gatherings, and community outreach, her mission is to awaken hearts to Jesus Christ and create spaces where truth, hope, and the Holy Spirit are welcomed.
Nicole is also involved in business development and community impact initiatives, helping build faith-driven projects that bring people together through creativity, discipleship, and purpose. Her work is marked by authenticity, encouragement, and a passion to see lives transformed through the love and power of God.
