Using Our Gifts for His Glory: Fanning the Flame

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Growing up, my mom would constantly pray that God would stir up the gifts and talents within my sisters and me. 

He has definitely answered that prayer. Not only has the desire to use our gifts increased, but the desire to use our gifts for His glory has increased as well.

If writing is your ministry platform, it is important to allow God to stir up the gifts within you. Because let's face it: Writing can become exhausting. There are times when we are tempted to procrastinate, tempted to write for our own pride, and even tempted to give up all together.

Keep in mind that if God has called you to write for Him, Satan is going to do everything he can to keep you from writing. This is why it is so important that we continue allowing God to fan the flame inside of us. 

If you feel a stirring inside of you that your writing desire is bigger than a hobby, it might be because God has called for you to write for Him rather than for pleasure. (Now, this doesn't necessarily mean you have to write Christian fiction. It is possible to write for God while writing books for the secular market.)

When I write, I can literally feel God’s presence. And that’s what enables me to type faster, to envision the scene that I am writing. It comes very fast for me, and it is such an exhilarating feeling. No, not just because I love to write--but because I have allowed God to use my gift for His glory.

For me, writing isn’t just work. It’s not only a hobby, either—it’s a moment that I get to share with God as He infuses His creativity through me and into my stories. It is not about me. I am only a vessel, an instrument used for God’s glory.

2 Timothy 1:6 says,

“This is why I remind you to keep using the gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. Now let it grow, as a small flame grows into a fire.”

I believe that is what God wants us to do with the gifts He has entrusted us with. But how can we allow Him to fan our flame?

    ➙ Take time to be still in His presence. 

No distractions. No noise, other than worship music, if you would like. You could do this in the mornings, in the evenings, or just before you write. However, keep in mind that your time with God shouldn't just be about your writing. It should be about Him: surrendering all of yourself to Him, including your talents.

    ➙ Ask God to stir up the gifts and talents within you. 

As I mentioned above, God has answered this prayer tremendously for my family. Ask God to anoint your writing and let the flame grow, as mentioned in 2 Tim. 1:6.

    ➙ Allow God to direct you as you write.

Give Him control of the pen (or keyboard =) ). Don't try to write when you are anxious, not in the best mood, or are trying to rush. Also, keep in mind that your plan for the story might not be the same as God's. So be open to His Spirit and don't be afraid if He takes the story on a completely different route than the one you had in mind. You might just become surprised at the outcome, almost as if you were reading your story rather than writing it. =) 

    ➙ Continue to learn about the writing craft and write as much as possible. 

Don't do this just so you can complete a book ASAP, but because failing to use your gifts is a sin. 1 Corin. 4:2 states, "Now in this way those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust." If you want God to use your writing to minister to others, then you must prove to Him that you are faithful.

♡  ♡  ♡

The flame of writing might begin as just a small desire. For me, the flame began when I was three-years-old and had the desire to create things, write stories, and learn to read. That flame continued to grow throughout my childhood. Now that it has increased in size, it has spread and reached

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several people who have read Purple Moon.  

This is what happens when we give God our time, talents, and desires. This is what happens when we allow Him to work within us. The flame becomes a fire. And because of God’s anointing, it will spread, reaching the hearts of many.

I know that this is only the beginning of my writing career. Not because I believe that I am just so talented that I will continue to get book deals.

But because—once God has begun a fire, there is nothing, or no one, that can put it out.

"Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time."
~1 Peter 4:10 (MSG) 

    ✎ Do you hope to use your writing as a ministry, or simply for entertainment? Has God ever taken your story on a different route than the one you had expected?

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