March 28, 2026

I am familiar with the fear of putting my thoughts, revelations, and my heart on paper! Sometimes it flies out of me. But other times, times with projects I feel convicted to do, I all but tremble in fear. My go-to escape is busy work. Writing something for someone else. I once saw or dreamed I saw Jesus juggling lots and lots of books. He looked at me and said, “These are the books you could have written if you had been more faithful.” It still hurts my soul.

Fear of success and fear of failure are dreadful competing emotions. And the results they produce are oddly similar: a loss or dilution of your talent. Creatives struggle with vulnerability. I’ve done a lot of writing classes for people of all ages. Children are easier because they have immature filters and they usually write what they’re feeling. Painting, sculpting, writing or any form of creativity requires brutal honesty. We expose all our beliefs and we have no idea how readers will react. It’s dangerous if we say something in direct opposition to what the reader believes. Whether we write political pieces, Christian pieces, or any other genre, we will face criticism. It’s the same with every gift and talent. If God created you as an evangelist, you probably don’t get invited to a lot of parties. Its okay. Overcome your fear and use the gift you were given. Never allow other people’s opinions to steal your heritage, your faith, your patriotism or your salvation. I’d much rather obey God and face some pushback than to please people and face hell.

Dear God, please forgive me if I have refused to operate in the gifts you gave me. I am sorry I have worried about what other people think and what other people say I should do. Help meignore the pressure to talk, think, act, move, obey, disobey, and behave like everyone I admire, so I can be accepted. You accept me and that is enough. Let my courage grow as I stay in Your Word and let me never again refuse to do what You ask. Amen

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice[b]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.[c] 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[d] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. Romans 12 7-11