Prov 21:28 says, “the man that heareth speaketh constantly.” Constantly doesn’t mean that he speaks incessantly. It means that he speaks firmly, steadily and invariably. That is, he speaks with assurance because he knows that the thing he is saying is what God told him to say. He speaks the exact same thing that he hears.
When the prophets spoke, they said, “Thus saith the Lord…”. This proclamation was evidence that they were saying exactly what the Lord said. While prophets were to speak God’s words, that’s not always what they did.
For instance, the Lord told Moses what to say to Pharaoh in Ex 4:22-23. He didn’t say this the first time he spoke to Pharaoh, Ex 5:1-3. Evidently, his motive for changing the words was fear.
The Lord told Balaam what to say to Balak and he said it, Num 22:35; 23:5-10; 23:16-24; 24:2-9; 24:15-24. But he also told Balak some things that God didn’t tell him to say, Num 25:1-3; Num 31:16; Rev 2:14. His motive was money, 2 Pet 2:15.
The Lord told Samuel what he was going to do to Eli, 1 Sam 3:11-14. When Eli asked him what God said, Samuel said exactly what God said, 1 Sam 3:15-18. He spoke constantly. He didn’t let fear change what he said or the way he said it. He just said what he heard God say to him.
That’s the way we are supposed to preach the gospel and answer others when we are asked. When you speak, you are to “speak as the oracles of God,” 1 Pet 4:11. Tell them what God said, just the way he said it, Prov 22:20-21.
That’s the way Jesus spoke on earth. He heard what his Father told him to say and he repeated the words exactly. Jesus said, “as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things,” Jn 8:28. In Jn 7:16, he said, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.”
Jesus was never tripped up by the attempts of the Pharisees to catch him in his words. His ability to answer their questions so adroitly wasn’t due to Jesus’ cleverness. He was skillful in his answers because he repeated what he heard his Father say. Jesus said, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak,” Jn 12:49. In Jn 14:24 he said, “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.”
That’s the way the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Jesus said, “when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come,” Jn 16:13. In the Tribulation, the disciples will answer their accusers in just this way, Matt 10:19-20.
Therefore, when you speak, speak constantly. That is, speak firmly, steadily, and invariably. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to the true answer of God in the scripture. You have nothing to fear in your answers to men if you tell them what God said. You can say, without reservation or apology, “Thus saith the Lord.”