Partnering with Heaven Every Time You Teach

I’ve been teaching for 20+ years now and increasingly, I feel the weight of responsibility that comes with teaching. When people enter your "classroom," they're trusting you to provide nourishing, truth-filled lessons derived from extensive research, experience, and time spent with God. They expect you to have done your homework, ensuring your message is accurate, relevant, edible and equipping. I don’t mention this to scare us out of teaching, quite the opposite in fact. My hope is that it causes you to run to the feet of Jesus, each time you prepare to teach or share a message. Why? Because the “natural you” can only take people so far. 

One of the reasons I left home and country, bound for Bethel was to learn how to teach in partnership with my Heavenly Father. I had all the bells and whistles in my posession to know how to make an audience laugh, cry, critically evaluate and get inspired, but I was done with teaching mere information. 

There was a restlessness in me as I wondered what the state of my learners might look like, five years down the road, in a different environment outside of the one I had cultivated. Would my audience be able to stand on their own two feet when real life hit them? Would they be resilient? Equipped to continue taking ground? It was in one of these reflective moments that the Lord captured my attention.

“Nicola, you are not the world’s Savior. You don’t need to have all the answers”

Do you know how freeing this is? I don’t have to know all the answers, nor obtain all the information to adequately equip and teach according to the needs in front of me. But I know the One who does! My question to you is, are you making space for Him when you prepare and teach? 

A quick warning! It is possible to be a charismatic speaker, convincing people that what you are saying is truth and life and yet, unknowingly be teaching from a purely natural, personal place. I've trained many speakers who had this “aha” moment, realizing they’d neglected to make space for the Holy Spirit. Instead of listening to the nudge they felt led to step into, they favored teaching methods and content they felt more familiar with. 

I'm humbled when I reflect on how many audiences I might have robbed in the past due to my reluctance to step out in faith and follow Jesus into uncharted teaching waters. It’s an electrifying experience when both teacher and learner dig into learning at the same time. And the fruit, undeniable! So how can we partner with heaven every time we teach? Here are a few practical suggestions: 

During the preparation and planning stage: 

• Ask the Lord to reveal insights to you about your audience before you speak.
  You might have an idea of what your audience needs to learn, but the Holy Spirit knows what they actually need. In fact, the Holy Spirit understands their needs better than they do themselves (keep this in mind with feedback you receive!)

• Prepare thoroughly, but remain flexible with your message and structure.
  Be open to the Holy Spirit's guidance, allowing Him to adjust the message as needed on the day of teaching. Remember,  the “natural you” can only take people so far. 

While You Teaching:

• Intentionally create space while you teach.
  Silence is a powerful tool in your hand. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but it's not fatal. It gives time for people to ponder a question or concept, while giving you the opportunity to check in with the Lord to make sure you’re on track!

• Let your relationship with God be seen.
  (assuming they are believers of course!) Don’t hesitate to check in with Father God while you teach—out loud! This invites your audience into the dynamic of a personal relationship with God and shows your posture as someone constantly learning. Here are a couple of examples I use: “Father, how can I explain this concept more clearly? Which of these points should we focus on right now?”

• Pray in tongues, constantly.
  Praying in tongues helps align our hearts with God’s purpose for our learners. During moments when learners are reading, discussing, or grappling with new ideas, quietly praying to the Father under your breath can keep you attuned to His guidance. It’s a subtle way to stay spiritually focused while teaching. I remember walking around a chaos filled classroom a few years ago with the nudge to begin silently praying in tongues, instead of addressing the lack of learner focus. The room instantly settled, without me needing to say a word. 

• Worship Him while you teach.
  Cultivate a heart posture of thanksgiving to God for trusting you to teach His sheep. Thank Him for that difficult learner who asks challenging questions. It shows they’re really trying to engage with your teaching. Thank Him for the size of the audience, whether it be 1 or 1,000. Remember Jesus began with only 12, and look how that turned out! Success is not the numbers of people who entered the room, it’s the number who left equipped. 

• Surrender to His leading while you teach.
  Focus on causing your audience to learn, not just getting through your content. Be adaptable, flexible, and willing to take risks. If you sense God leading you to pivot, be ready to throw your plans out the window. Trust His innovative guidance; He understands your audience better and knows how to use you to guide them effectively. A prayer I often find myself praying is:

“Father, I surrender to your leading today. Be my hands, feet and mouth today as I teach. Let everything that is not full of life, fall away in favor of the message and applications you want to guide us through. We open up our hearts to hear your voice as we learn together. Amen”

What about you? How do you partner with the Holy Spirit when you teach?
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