It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
— John 6:63
If you wish to speak for the Lord, you must not only pay attention to your person, but also to your spirit. If you wish to be someone who speaks for the Lord, you should also be someone who knows the Spirit, for it is the Spirit who gives life. Therefore the words you speak must be spirit (John 6:63). When you speak, your words must become spirit; your spirit must be able to touch the spirits of your listeners and cause a spiritual response.
If your spirit is weak, if your spirit cannot be released, or if you are short of the Spirit when you speak for the Lord, your speaking will not be effective. In other words, if your words do not become spirit and life, they will effectively be meaningless. Therefore you must pay attention to your spirit, as well as to your person.
How can your word become spirit? Every time, before you minister, you must pray and spend time with the Lord. Years ago, it used to be our practice that a brother would lock himself in a room and kneel in prayer for at least a half an hour to an hour before ministering. During that time the brother would pray, sing, and confess. In those early days the brothers took their ministering very seriously before the Lord.
Adapted from Being One with the Ministry, Volume One, pages 16-17.
Tomorrow: “Being Spiritual to Minister”