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Guest Article: Five Secrets for Speaking Success
By Rebekah Montgomery
When you stand before an audience to teach the Word, know that a fierce spiritual battle rages for hearts and minds.
On one side, the Holy Spirit wants to communicate God’s power and truth, and uses our unreliable mouths to do this. On the other side, Satan will try ANYTHING to disrupt, blind, or deafen.
For these reasons, although I have over 35 years of speaking experience, I have learned that when presenting the Gospel, strategies are required!
1. Write out your messages. I don’t mean READ them to your audience, but I strongly recommend writing them out for these reasons:
If you are speaking to 300 people for 40 minutes, you are responsible before God for 12,000 minutes. While most of us can “shoot from the lip,” because we are representing Christ and presenting spiritual concepts that can effect the audience’s eternity, we want communication to be crystal clear and unambiguous. Writing out your messages prepares you to use those minutes to their best advantage.
There is also another reason. As I said, Satan will do anything to disrupt and the unexpected happens. While speaking, I have had firemen burst into the banquet hall with axes drawn (false alarm), the sprinkler system come on (also a false alarm), a tornado siren sound (not a false alarm), and a deer wander through, in addition to the more typical interruptions of babies crying, cell phones ringing, etc. If your message is written out, you will more easily pick up the threads and not lose the opportunity.
2. Loan the Holy Spirit your mouth. Invite and allow Him to speak through you.
Recently, while speaking to a group, I began to add a few unscripted comments. As far as I was concerned, the comments were just flourishes. How little I understood what the Holy Spirit was doing! When I finished speaking, they gave me a standing ovation. Later, one of the leaders told me that their church had just split that week and that my comments were exactly what they needed to hear. I couldn’t even remember what I added. But the Holy Spirit knew.
3. Don’t commit God to do things He hasn’t promised to do.
I frequently hear speakers using religious catch phrases and promoting popular concepts that are not Biblical.
4. Speak to the brokenhearted, giving them truth they can use.
Some come to hear the Word of God shared because they feel obligated. Some come because they want something to do. But when you speak, speak to the needy. They are the ones who have come seeking a touch from Jesus.
5. Base your messages on the Word.
You might think that this goes without saying, but there is so much popular mumbo-jumbo being taught as truth. There may be truth in it, but it is not THE Truth.
When servants of Christ speak, their message should be based firmly on the Word of God.
The "truth," insofar as popular philosophy goes, changes, so leave it to Satan to wrap a lie in truth.
Base what you say on the truth that never changes. Nor needs to.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2007
reprinted by permission
Rebekah Montgomery, author/speaker/teacher, is a gifted, dynamic communicator. She is the author of more than five books and has penned 1,100 articles. She shares tough real-life topics and biblical application in a simple easy to grasp manner. To book Rebekah for your next event visit www.rebekahmontgomery.com.
Rebekah is also the editor of Right to the Heart of Women and a publisher at Jubilant Press.
righttotheheart@aol.com
To Do:
Rebekah's thoughts are a great reminder that we have a desperate need to bathe our speaking in prayer. Ask some prayer warriors to partner with you. The battle is the Lord's!
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Proverbs 25:11
A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold
in settings of silver.
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http://sallyswords.braveblog.com
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Sally Ferguson
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Jamestown NY 14701
sallyswords@windstream.net
(716)488-1254
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