29/09/2026
🙏 PRAY FOR YOURSELF FIRST
It is easy to preach to others while forgetting that we also need God to work in us. We can give advice, share Bible verses, encourage the broken, and speak about holiness—but before we point others toward Christ, we must continually allow Christ to examine and transform our own hearts.
The message is simple but powerful: Don't only preach the sermon—live the sermon.
Before correcting someone else, ask God to correct you.
Before judging someone else, ask God to search your heart.
Before telling someone to forgive, make sure you are willing to forgive.
Before teaching others about prayer, make sure you are seeking God in prayer.
Before calling others to holiness, make sure you are surrendering your own life to God.
The nails in the image can remind us of something important: the Word of God should first pierce our own hearts before we use it to speak into the lives of others.
A preacher needs prayer.
A teacher needs prayer.
A pastor needs prayer.
A ministry leader needs prayer.
A parent needs prayer.
A church worker needs prayer.
And every believer needs prayer.
We are not called to be perfect before helping others, but we are called to be humble, repentant, teachable, and willing to let God change us.
Never allow ministry to become a substitute for intimacy with God. Never become so busy preaching to people that you forget to kneel before the One you are preaching about.
Let God work in you before He works through you.
📖 Psalm 139:23–24
> “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
And Jesus gave us this powerful reminder:
📖 Matthew 7:3–5
> “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
The goal is not to stop preaching.
The goal is to preach from a life that is continually being transformed by God.
Pray first. Examine yourself first. Surrender first. Then serve.
Because the strongest message we can give others is not merely what comes from our mouth—it is what people can see God doing in our life.
Taiyeao.
