Every creative contribution you make to the body of faithful creative work you will ultimately leave behind contains the potential to sprout and flourish – now and for generations to come. You may not know which seed will find its footing, but the odds increase with every bold move you make.

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Leads to growing. That’s what we’re going to talk about today as we continue to follow Isaac in his entrepreneurial journey. In Genesis, chapter 26:12 and 13 of that wonderful chapter says, then, Isaac sowed and grew. And what I want to emphasise today for you as a Kingdom creative, a Christian creative, as a faithful pruner, as I like to call them, growing is a result of sewing. Without sewing, there’s going to be no growing going on. There’s not even an opportunity for growth. We’re, of course, not the ones who determine the increase God is, but we do determine the potential for increase. Oftentimes when we read the parable of the stewards, you got these three stewards. The dude who just dug a hole and buried his talent didn’t see any increase. We got to be careful not to bury our talent. We want to be planting seeds, not burying talents. Let’s face it. 1 Corinthians Chapter 3:6 and 7 says, Neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that gives the increase. Let me emphasise for you. God gives increase. If we so much, we can potentially reap much.

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The math isn’t difficult. You don’t have to be a genius to understand that. The more you sow, the more opportunity you have to reap. But the problem I think with many faithful, that many faithfulpreneurs face is that gestation period. Let’s face it. Between the seed being sown and the sprouting of success, it’s all too easy to give up when things don’t change within the time frame that we consider reasonable. I found this. I don’t know about you. God is not in a rush. He’s working something far deeper than just the outward successes that oftentimes we dream of seeing in our businesses and our lives and ministries, whatever that picture may look like for you. Sometimes, as I say, the gestation period between the seed sown and sprouting of success can seem like, oh, painfully long. At times, even the Bible doesn’t shy away from this truth. I love this verse, Psalm 126, verse five. They that so in tears shall reap enjoy. Sewing is oftentimes lubricated with sorrow. Think of Abraham. He waited decades for the child of promise to be born. Joseph took a lengthy journey from that first dream through to his destiny as the leader and the saviour of his family and his nation.

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Even Jesus. His own journey, if you think about it, was one of virtual obscurity for most of his adult life. In Genesis 26, however, we read of Isaac sowing in the land of famine, and his harvest was remarkably quick. I think he sowed in the land of famine, and in the same year, it says he reaped 100 fold. And sometimes that can be the case. We can have the most unexpected suddenly. As much as the Bible talks about these long periods of faithful, waiting and believing, there are also plenty of suddenly unexpected breakthroughs and we can expect both. We can expect times where God will give us the privilege of our faith being tested. And we can also anticipate times and belief at times of sudden, unexpected, wonderful, life changing breakthroughs that happen. And all of this is there in the scriptures for us. But the thing is, oftentimes those unexpected, if you like, or what we consider unexpected. Those breakthroughs cannot happen if the sowing hasn’t been done. At the same time, there are other times where seeds may fall in the soil and we’re left looking at the dirt, wondering if we’re just wasting our time.

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How many creatives today are scratching their head, wondering if sometimes the strenuous process of sewing their best out to the world is really worth the pain? I’m a sewer as well. I’m like you. I’m here out in the field, and all I can do is offer my opinion. Absolutely. Yes, it is worth it. Every creative contribution you make to the body of faithful, creative work that you will ultimately leave behind contains the potential to sprout and to flourish. We live in a very wooded area of Britain, and some of the trees are glorious. I mean, they really are ancient Oaks. And to think that they began with such a small seed, such a tiny Acorn, and have grown to spread their branches and provide shade and nourishment and security for so many for so many years, sometimes for many centuries. And every seed that we sow is like that, it contains that potential for life giving, life changing potential both now and for generations to come. And we don’t necessarily know which seed is going to find its footing and put its roots down in the ground. But certainly the odds increase with every bold move that we make.

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I love the picture painted in One Kings 19:30. It says, they took root downward, and they bear fruit upward. Roots grow in the unseen. We don’t even see them going down into the Earth, but they are absolutely essential to ensure that the fruit upward can be sustained. So whatever stage you are at, keep digging in. And even if your branches are going up and you are spreading and flourishing, keep those roots going down into your relationship with God. Don’t come away from your dependence upon Him on the other side of that. And I’ve been here. I’ve been on both sides. If one book fails, write another. If one idea flounders, find a different way to present it. If you constantly come and consistently come with an open heart and work as to the Lord alone, really work as to the Lord as if just to Him alone. It won’t be long until it’s not just the Lord alone who’s appreciating what you have to offer. I believe the pathway of the creative entrepreneur is not always an easy one to walk, but it’s far less painful than the frustration of a creative call that is unrecognised and unrealized, where we just back off and just kind of resign ourselves to a life of mediocrity, where we never exercise our gifts and never take the risks of putting our work out to the world.

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That is far more painful than the pain of giving it a go. Having a go. My pastor always used to say, Son, have a go. You never know you might win. And I think that has stuck with me. I’m just going to have a go because you never know I might win. Let’s consider these words from the famous hall of faith that we find in Hebrews chapter eleven. We’re told these all died in faith. This like litany of wonderful examples of faithful living and greatness in God’s eyes. It says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and they were persuaded of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the Earth. Sometimes we can falsely label ourselves as a failure because we’ve not seen the full manifestation of the promise yet. But from God’s perspective, these failures, whom the world ridiculed and lampooned for their foolish faith, were actually, in God’s eyes, heroes worthy of mention in his eternal word. So let’s not judge things before the day. Let’s not say, hey, that book was a failure, because who knows who will read it in years to come and be impacted by it?

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Who knows that the idea that didn’t work yesterday, maybe its day will come a year from now. You really don’t know. And of course, like Isaac, it says he sold in this field really against the odds and bore this wonderful 100 fold harvest. We can believe for that 100 fold return in the year that we sell. And of course we’re hoping and praying and looking for remarkable breakthroughs, those sudden leaves that I spoke of, those notable miracles of God’s hand up on something that is so evident and so clear, but at the same time, as we’ve seen here in Hebrews, it’s the Mark of faith. The Mark of greatness in God’s eyes is not always the same outward manifestations that we are impressed by. If some of these things don’t come on our timetable, let’s not be too quick to berate ourselves. The men and women mentioned in Hebrews were not reprimanded for a lack of faith, even though they never saw the promises fulfilled, the promises that they carried in their heart, they didn’t see them fully realised even in their lifetime. But no, they were commended, celebrated, and now stand unashamed in the presence, not just of the promise that they’re watching play out and be fulfilled before their eyes, but in the very presence of the promise giver himself.

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And then, when the breakthrough does come, when the ground bursts forth and brings its abundant harvest into your lap with explosive growth, or whatever divinely orchestrated blessing may come your way, let’s not forget whose hand it has come from. Let’s keep our eyes on the one who makes it all possible.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you if it was do please consider leaving a rating in a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book faithful creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo Code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price.

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Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first.

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Everything else follows you.