My mind was whirling, and I sensed that the Holy Spirit was stirring up “creative restlessness.” I had learned earlier to pay attention when that happened by studying God’s Word, praying for wisdom and discernment, listening to the wise counsel of godly people, and then moving forward by making a plan of action to move in the right direction.
My years of teaching a Bible Study Fellowship class were coming to a close. I had formed close relationships with my discussion leaders and participants. Many had a story to tell, but they didn’t know how to write or speak about their journey in a concise way. Others had a love for God’s Word, but they didn’t know how to formulate an aim, an outline, or a challenge for their target audience that would produce follow through action.
Then it hit me—could God be asking me to begin training people to speak or write for His glory?
Prayer permeated the process as I asked God for guidance and I began to put the plan on paper.
I needed to:
- Identify “Speak Up” as a training to equip Christians to communicate God’s truth effectively
- Solve a problem for people who felt “stuck” when it came to concisely sharing their personal testimony or teaching biblical principles in an organized way
- Develop an organized three-day training that would include opportunities for participants to practice what they were learning with a trained facilitator
- Investigate other leaders/programs that were doing something similar and decide on what would be unique about the Speak Up training
- Decide on a price that would be fair to the participants and allow me to work in full time ministry without taking on a job outside of ministry
- Implement the plan
Someone once said, “One of the greatest hindrances to doing God’s will is the lack of planning.”
I believe we honor God when we take the time to prayerfully plan our days, using the best techniques, tools, and resources that are available.
“Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind” (Proverbs 21:5 MSG).