The NIV 365 Day Devotional
Communication: Zephaniah Spoke with Divine Authority
Zephaniah spoke for God, just as other Old Testament prophets had done. This divine message required Zephaniah to possess unique qualifications, for God called him to deliver a message his audience didn’t want to hear. The message wasn’t fun to preach and contained difficult and even disgusting metaphors.
Nevertheless, Zephaniah communicated judgment upon the house of Judah with great authority. How could he stand strong and deliver his message with passion in the face of entrenched opposition? Make sure you follow the pattern Zephaniah did:
1.Believe in your God. Zephaniah had to trust in God to protect and empower him to communicate the message.
2.Believe in your message. Zephaniah had to be convinced that this hard word was exactly what the people needed to hear.
- Believe in your cause. Zephaniah had to embrace his ultimate cause.
- Believe in your people. Zephaniah had to have hope that the people would change and buy into his message.
- Believe in yourself. Zephaniah had to be convinced that he was the man to deliver this message.
How can we follow Zephaniah’s example?
Taken from The NIV Maxwell Leadership Bible.