When preparing for a sermon or teaching, preachers often pray that the message they give will come from the very heart of God. Preaching a message that's not from the Lord is preaching that is made in vain: There are already multitudes of motivational and inspirational messages out there. What the world needs now is a message that will change the lives of people – a message that comes from the very heart of God Himself.

So how do we prepare for a life-changing sermon? Here are some suggested steps.

1. Seek the Lord

The best thing to do is to seek the Lord Himself. Many of us can attest that it's a genuine encounter with God that changes our lives. In the same way, we should seek the Lord for a message that is from His heart, and realise that we will never be able to preach a powerful message unless it's from Him, about Him and for Him.

Fast for a message. Pray for it always. Read the Bible whenever you can, and be ready and open for God's message to come at any time. Habakkuk prayed and waited on God before he could receive a reply. We should, too (see Habakkuk 2).

2. Focus on the Word of God

"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." (Hebrews 4:12)

The Word of God alone is enough to give us a message we can share; thus we don't actually need to quote other sources. Peter in Acts 2 gave a powerful message that cut to the heart of the masses, but it was taken from the events recorded in the Old Testament and his time with the Word made flesh. The Lord Jesus Himself kept quoting Old Testament Scripture. We should use the Word of God like they did.

3. Have a Gospel-centred message

Nothing changes lives better than the gospel. Paul reminds us of this truth in Colossians 1:6, saying:

"This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace."

A sermon that is founded on the finished work of Christ is sure to change lives. Christ's work shows the great love, mercy and grace of God for all of us people who don't even deserve mercy. Focus on the gospel of Christ.