In Writing, His Flashlight is more important than a Laptop!

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth… “ John 16:13

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5

“The Lord will guide you always… “Isaiah 58:11

I’m in a battle in my writing right now. It’s a good thing, challenging me and causing me to think through priorities and motivations. My number one need is discernment.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, discernment means to comprehend the obscure, or that which is hidden in darkness. Discernment isn’t easy. I asked God to guide me, but when I didn’t get the answer quickly, I asked other writers. Their opinions, all given with great intentions, were varied. Concerning my writing and my novel, I’ve heard:

Write for the Christian Market.
Write for the Secular Market.
Cut out the first 40 pages of your novel.
Write in third person instead of first.
Write in first person present, I love it!
Make your lead character more sympathetic.
I love your lead character, she is so real.
Self publish.
Wait for one of the main publishing houses.
You could be the next Christian Fanny Flagg.
Don’t quit your day job, Robbie. (Well, no one actually said this one.)

Now what I’m supposed to do with my writing seems more obscure than ever.

The answer, as always, is to get back to the basics with Christ.

1) Pray – “God, guide me,” is an excellent prayer.
2) Listen – We live in a noisy world. Get some place quiet, not quiet like the TV is still on in the background, but really quiet and just listen.
3) Believe that He will speak to you. If you don’t know if what you are sensing is God or not, test it against the Scriptures.
4) Wait. Don’t be in a hurry.
5) Walk into His blessings! When He shines His flashlight of discernment and you see the cobblestone path in front of you, don’t over think it. Just go.

What if we choose the “wrong” path? One of the really cool things about God is His grace and mercy which covers us. The choice I make may look wrong because it doesn’t live up to my expectations or someone else’s. We are told to walk by faith, not sight. It won’t always “look” right. But God is sovereign and His grace covers us no matter what road we walk down.

Are you going through a time where you need to make a choice and you just aren’t sure what to do? Getting advice from others is wise, but using discernment by listening to our Lord will bring you to the right choice for YOU. He loves you and me so much. No matter what I write, God is with me, drawing me to Him.

The journey is full of joy.