-Mandate 1-
Know the Premise and Purpose of Your Message –
Your Book, Talk, Teaching, Blog, Video, Course, Business, Ministry, Vocation, Season, Life!
To everything, there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven.
(Eccl. 3:1)
All communication published through every venue of media in sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell must be purposeful. If your message is to be instructive, inspiring, and impactful, it must have a focus, a premise, and a purpose. The Hebrew word for purpose is chephets. This is the same word that’s also translated desire which in its etymology is: de in Latin is from; sire in Latin is superior, sir, Father. Desire connotes “from the Father.”
When the Psalmist declares that God will give us the desires of our heart, we understand that the pure and holy thoughts within us arising from the Mind of Christ are birthed by the Father, the progenitor of all good thoughts, feelings, and actions.
When an author, writer, speaker, or leader has a message, a book, speech, or curriculum in mind, I always ask, “What is the premise [precipitating purpose]? Who is the market? When is the right time [Kairos] to present it? Where will it go in being distributed, marketed, and sold?” If an author cannot summarize the answers to these Who, What, When, Where, and Why questions in 500 words or less, then he/she must pause, pray, get into His presence, so that God can breathe power, passion, plans, process, and productivity into the author’s soul.
To paraphrase Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For every message that is to be published, it must arise out of the desire/purpose of God at the right time and season, for the right reason, to communicate the right message in the right way, to give right answers and meet the real needs of others. Your message isn’t about you; it must help others. Others do not care about your story unless it communicates Truth (divine wisdom, knowledge, and understanding) to their story.
Ask yourself about your message…
- Who is my market?
- What questions will be answered and needs met that others have?
- When is the right time and timeline to construct and communicate the message given to me by God?
- Where do I have favor to go, finance, publicize, market, and sell this message?
- Why must I do this? To glorify and obey God? To encourage, equip, and educate others? To inform, inspire, and impact readers, viewers, and listeners whose lives will be changed?
Heavenly Father, have mercy on me. May my tongue be the pen in the Hand of Thee, the skilled Write. I ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
© 2020 Dr. Larry Keefauver, permission to use must be granted by the author. drlarrykeefauver@gmail.com
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