Day 14 -- Open Your Mouth To Flow

Often you'll hear God speak through your own mouth, but you have to take the initiative to open your mouth and speak.

Here's the key: start telling the truth about Jesus, and at some point Christ in you will begin to speak through you and you'll realize that you are learning as you hear your own words.

I've done this in prayer many times. "Lord, I'll start with what I know about the situation. Your word says%u2026" and I start quoting and expounding scripture. And though I don't verbalize the invitation for God to speak through me, suddenly He does. I realize I'm praying things I knew nothing about, and I'm moved with compassion towards those I was praying for. God is speaking through me; my first step was to speak to Him.

It also happens in worship if we're in churches that make room for free worship. Often as we sing about who God is and what He has done for us, we get new insights in the scripture. It can happen just as easily if we devote one of our prayer times to thanksgiving; as we speak of the beauties of Jesus and thank Him for the many things He has done for us, our words to Him can suddenly be transformed into His words through us.

When I was a pastor, I often prayed daily for the people in the church who had the most daunting needs. God didn't necessarily speak through me every time I prayed, but as I kept coming back to Him day after day I would stumble into a flow of His words. The insights I gleaned in prayer often showed me how to minister to the people in my church.

As I began to cultivate the habit of praying aloud, God challenged me: "If you will open your mouth and speak to Me, I will open My mouth to speak to you." It was an aspect of what Jesus taught in Luke 6, that if we give to God, He gives to us.

It also happens when we preach to a crowd or speak to individuals one-on-one. It may feel to us that we've gone off the subject, but after a while we'll learn to relax and let God speak through us. He knows the person or the people better than we do. If we allow Him to do so, He will speak through us to touch needs that we know nothing about.

Give God permission to speak through you any time you open your mouth. Galatians 2:20 says you died when Jesus died and now He is risen from the dead to live in you. With that in mind, it's a small thing to ask Him to speak through you.

With that in mind, don't just pray silently; pray aloud. List the five biggest challenges you are facing right now. Speak to God about all five every day this week. Expect Him to pour His words through you as you speak to Him. When you become aware that He is speaking through you, look for ways to act on what you have heard from God.