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My new friend Father Hanh (rhymes with “line”) told about the preacher, who, when asked the secret of his sermon preparation, replied:

• I read myself full
• I think myself clear
• I pray myself hot
• I let myself go!

Hanh applied the principles to Paul on his first missionary journey in Acts 13 and his first sermon, beginning in verse 16. It ends:

So listen, friends! Through this Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is offered to you. Everyone who believes in him is set free from sin and guilt—something the law of Moses had no power to do. So be very careful that what the prophets warned about does not happen to you: “Be amazed and in agony, you scoffers! For in your day I will do something so wonderful that when I perform mighty deeds among you, you won’t even believe that it was I who did it!” Acts 13.38 – 41 (Passion Translation)

Paul spoke boldly and confidently because he had read himself full, thought himself clear, and prayed himself hot!

When I talk about daily time with God, I talk about the 4 Rs: read, reflect, respond, record. The first three are exactly what the preacher did. 

• Read, not for knowledge only, but to be full of what God has to say to us
• Reflect, thinking clearly about the text and how it applies to us!
• Respond in prayer, praying ourselves hot with the presence of the Holy Spirit
• Record in a journal. But this shouldn’t be the last step! It’s the last step while we’re on Holy Ground, as I wrote yesterday.
• But the next step is GO! Do it! Share it! With confidence!

These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards. (Matthew 7.24 – 27, MSG, emphasis mine)

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13.1, 2, ESV)