Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here…

I typically post on the last Thursday of each month on building a speaking platform. Please forgive me for being AWOL now and then. I’ve had had an insane travel schedule this spring but we are so thankful to God for His faithfulness in our midst.

I want to connect with you today about a number of “Speaker Must Do’s” that I think will help you as you work to build a speaking platform.

1.) Assemble a Prayer Team: No matter if you speak on deep theological issues or on closet organization, if you are a believer, you need prayer covering. Currently, I have about 85 online intercessors who cover me before, during, and after events. During seasons like this one, they receive emails from me weekly. My intercessors know that my fruit is their fruit; my victories are their victories.

• Send an email that includes specifics about your upcoming engagement (size of the event, special travel details, concerns you may have, what you’re hoping God will do in your midst).
• During your event, take note of special ‘God-glimpses’ and write them in the back of your speaking notes (that works for me, anyway). Notice the ways God is moving in your midst, things you’ll want to report back to your intercessors. Also, write down some of the tough stuff so they’ll know better how to cover you next time.
• Send your follow up email within a day or two after returning home.
• Be consistent with your prayer requests and follow up emails. As you know, out of sight=out of mind. When you are specific and consistent, your intercessors will know that you are serious about your need for prayer support. Also, we’ll never step up to the ‘out of our reach’ calling without a major prayer covering.

2.) Spend Consistent Time With God: Cultivate a consistent devotional life not just to get something from God for your upcoming engagement, but because He is the Source of Life! Time with the Lord makes us a vessel prepared for His service.

• Dare to pray from Psalm 139 ~ Search me oh, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there is an offensive way in me and lead me in Your everlasting way. Keep short accounts with sin and bad attitudes. Cherish your oneness with God more than your desire to hang on to things that are bad for you.
• Let God deal with you. First John 3:21-22 tells us that if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask. Anything! Do you see what we have here? If we take seriously the call of God on our lives, God will take seriously the prayers that come out of our mouths! Live REAL before God, and then ask BIG things from Him. You can change your world!

3.) When the pre-event attacks flare up from all sides, fix your gaze straight ahead and keep walking. Don’t whine, complain, or be bullied by your fears. Trust that if God leads you to it He’ll lead you through it. Keep your shield of faith raised high and your sword drawn. Don’t get sidetracked. With God, every battle is a winnable one.

4.) When the during-event attacks come at you, look up and trust God. It’s like walking a tight rope – don’t look down! Don’t look too deeply at yourself or your insufficiencies. This is NOT the time for introspection. Entrust yourself wholly to God and He will take your offering and make something of it.

5.) Tenaciously guard your thoughts on the Monday and Tuesday after the event. Use that time to thank God for what He did in your midst, and to ponder that even though you are back at home, God is still working in the lives of those you spoke to. Don’t look back and wish you would have said this or that, or hadn’t done this or that. Save those assessments for the end of the week – once you’ve had a chance to recover, and can look objectively at the whole event.

Give yourself a break and some grace for being human. God loves that you’re willing to step out and be used by Him.

Thanks for joining me today! And I’d love to hear your insights as well. What ‘must do’s’ have helped you navigate through your speaking journey?

God bless you!

Until next month~