Speak up

When I was just 19, one Wednesday night I was invited to speak at my home church. When I got up to speak, everything I had planned to say just escaped me, and I blurted out, “I’ve got nothing to say tonight that comes from God.” And I’ll never forget what happened next. As I was trying to get away quickly, a precious woman caught up to me and said, “You did the right thing tonight. Don’t ever speak unless you have a word from God.” It changed my life – and my ministry. That’s a picture of exhortation.

It takes place when we have a chance to speak a life word to someone, a word of challenge or comfort God enables us to give to someone in the body of Christ. God has spoken a word of forgiveness to us, so that we can give a word of exhortation to others.