I was at a book signing event the other day. As people came by my table and checked out my novel, “Kill The Preacher Man,” without fail, a discussion would begin. I found it intriguing how many of those conversations turned to writing. Some of those who stopped by would say, “I should write a book.” Or “I feel as if God wants me to write a book.”
No matter how they revealed what the Holy Spirit was stirring in their hearts, I encouraged them to pursue it and rise to the challenge. There can be several hurdles to overcome when considering going on the journey of being a writer. For me, it was the fear of criticism. I used to wonder, “What will others think of my writing skills? What if it’s not good enough? Who am I that anyone should want to read what I write?” There were probably several other hurdles, but those were the main ones.
A hurdle is nothing more than “fear.” Fear; a four-letter word that is so small, yet it can stop people from trusting God to join him in doing the impossible. What if David had told God his aim was not perfected yet, and there was no way he could defeat Goliath? Moses tried to convince God that he was not an elegant speaker, so God gave him a spokesperson but still expected him to confront Pharoh and lead the children of Isreal out of bondage. Why? Because Moses had the faith needed to believe the impossible could be done. So did David and countless others in the Bible.
Hope and faith are the only things greater than fear. They can even help a kid from Oklahoma, whom no one has ever heard of, to write a novel and a weekly blog that has now been read by someone in 122 different countries worldwide. Have I done it in my own strength and power? No way! Only by using a measure of faith and having hope have I written what I have felt the Holy Spirit lead me to write.
So if God is leading you to write a story, perhaps your story then go for it with hope and faith and without fear. Only be concerned about what God thinks of your writing. Simply do your best. Focus on God and then write what is on his heart. That is how to overcome any hurdle and be a successful writer. I assure you, someone who needs to read what you write is out there. I am convinced that my first book was for only one reader, my son. If that turns out to be the case, all that work was worth it.
He said to them, “There are a great many people to harvest. But there are only a few workers to harvest them. God owns the harvest. Pray to God that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest. Luk. 10:2 (ICB)
The above scripture could be written as:
He said to them, “There are a great many readers to reach. But there are only a few faithful writers, who will listen to me lead them as to what to write. God owns the readers. Pray to God that he will lay it on people’s hearts to write to help reach the readers. Luke 10:2 (The Writer’s Bible)
I asked God one time, “Why do you ask me to write when you already have the Bible?” God spoke to my spirit, “I love my people so much. They won’t pick up and read my word, but they might pick up your book and if it has my word in it then they will still learn of my love for them.”
If you need help getting started, you can reach out to Experience Writing. A company dedicated to helping new or frustrated writers. Email them at: admin@expwriting.com. Or go to their website, expwriting.com.
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
brady, mark a. 