David Lee Martin

I would say that I’m a productive person, although some might not agree.

Certain people may even consider me lazy because productivity, to me, does not mean filling every second with carefully orchestrated activity.

In fact, some days my productive activity may be sitting for several hours praying in tongues, or even watching a movie with my kids.

I’ve discovered that the key to continued production is not:

• Busyness
• Time management
• Discipline
• Organisation
• Goal setting
• Time blocking
• Calendarising
• 5-minute rules
• 20-minute sprints
• GTD, PDCA, 4D’s, 5P’s or ABCDE

It's far simpler and tied to your core.

The number one productivity key for long-haul creative fruitfulness is joy!

As the Scriptures so beautifully state:

“The joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 KJV)

Strength and the sense of forward motion flow from the capacity for joy God has planted in your heart. This factory of energetic hope and unfailing production resides in your spirit.

Strength carries you forward, keeps you enthusiastic through the trials, provides resilience when you fail or falter, and gets your bum back in the seat and your ear open again to hear God’s next instruction.

Paul prayed:

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13 KJV)

“That ye may abound”

Literally, perisseuo; to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous; also (transitively) to cause to superabound or excel: — (make, more) abound, (have, have more) abundance (be more) abundant, be the better, enough and to spare, exceed, excel, increase, be left, redound, remain (over and above).

So next time your productivity and enthusiasm wane, perhaps instead of beating yourself up and deriding your lack of discipline or looking at your overburdened schedule as your saviour, look instead at your joy level.

Is your joy tank empty?

How can you refill and find delight in what you do?

As creators, I think that enjoyment is underrated as a key component of productivity, and one we need to come back to, especially in this dreary driven culture the devil has designed.

It’s time for God’s creators to shine, and joy will be evident in all that we do!

Hard work is overrated.

Don’t misunderstand me. I know the value of earnest application. After all, it’s the hand of the diligent that maketh rich (Proverbs 10:4).

Attaching diligent hands to your heartfelt desires is essential.

But “work well”, not “work hard”, is a much better way to describe today’s steering principle.

Working well speaks of the convergence of calling and career.

The overlap of vocation and occupation.

Of the curse, the Bible says:

“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:17–19 KJV)

But thank God,

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13)

“Sweat and sorrow” is no longer part of our job description!

The transformative power of grace plants us back in a garden of creative possibility.

If you want to get “busy” follow this directive…

“For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.” (Ecclesiastes 5:20 NKJV)

And if you choose to strive:

“Let us therefore strive to enter rest” (Hebrews 4:11 ESV)

Easy said I hear you say.

Absolutely.

But setting your destination begins the journey toward that end.

As the Lord instructed me at the beginning of this year, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life” (1 Thessalonians 4:11)

Punch into your spirit the end result. That’s how faith works.

“God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17 NIV)

🧭 “Quiet life”

🧭 “Rest”

🧭 “Busy with joy”

From this place of joy, peace, and unhurried pace you will produce abundant fruit.

So today’s steering principle is simply, “Work well, not hard”.

Next time, the forgotten key to multiplied productivity.

Today’s steering principle is works.

At some point, words have to put on overalls. These are the active decisions you make in the direction you want to go, prioritising actions that lean toward your dream.

Many SAY they want to be a writer but never put their butt in the chair to write. Would-be singer songwriters never pick up their instruments. Closet creatives hide behind good intentions.

Remember this:

It’s only in doing that you develop.

Developing mastery in any pursuit requires habit-muscles that are well built.

Here’s what Paul said to his disciple, Timothy:

“Exercise thyself rather unto godliness…” (1 Timothy 4:7 KJV)

Let's presume that "godliness" means living in a way that aligns with God's calling for your life. I think that's a fair definition.

So you need to exercise yourself "unto", move toward, that.

Interestingly, the word “exercise” here literally means “to practise naked.”

That’s why many talk but don’t do.

The practice part is exposing. Embarrassing even.

It draws attention to our most unseemly parts and leaves us running back to hide again in the mediocre crowd.

Let’s face it. It’s far easier to stand on the sidelines judging what others are doing, rather than climbing into the ring yourself.

That’s one reason I choose to cheer you on. To champion your cause and creativity. It is not easy, and we need supporters. Life on the line is not the easy option.

In the ​Creative Highway​ (a self-paced online experience I developed for Christian creatives) one of the exercises is to create a “fearless declaration.”

Recently, David C shared his heartfelt words with the group. Here are a few sentences from his declaration that resonated so deeply with me:

“Knowing deep down that I'm loved and accepted for who I am changes everything about how I approach life and the things I create. God's unconditional love gives me peace. It means I can try new things, make mistakes, learn, and create without being afraid of failure. I was made to do good things! Things that were planned out way before I even existed. I'm meant to create!” — David C

What’s not to love about this rooted word!

Recognising your identity in Christ as a creator, and then allowing Him to lead you to take fearless action is what the Creator’s Highway is all about. (check it out and join at ​https://christiancreative.academy/​)

Without exception, every great writer once put their first word on a page.

Every painter brushed their primary stroke.

Every dancer took their initial step.

Sure, it may feel risky. It may feel exposing.

But the exhilaration of transforming ideas into actions is one of the most magnificent muscles you can exercise. It gets stronger with every step you take and every creative rep you make.

Selah

Left to the waves, your boat will wind up on the rocks. The sirens of the world will seduce you to chase their deadly call.

The currents of the world are strong and very insistent.

To move with God requires contrarian intention.

You cannot let your direction in life be determined by default.

If you exert no energy steering your ship, the currents will carry you anywhere. They will dumb you down to the common denominators, sweep you into a swirl of self-doubt, and leave you marooned in a life you never wanted.

Scripture urges:

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:14–15 KJV)

Note this carefully.

How do we henceforth (from this moment on) be no more tossed back and forth at the mercy of the waves?

– Speak the truth!

The rudder right below your nose is the answer to your problems. Your spirit is the pilot.

“Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member” (James 3:4–5 KJV)

So here is the steering principle number 2:

You will have what you say.

The words that you speak matter.

The thoughts and beliefs that fill your heart and mouth affect your direction in life.

Speak ONLY those things that align with God’s word and refuse to amplify your doubts. Don’t lie, but be very selective in your agreements. Don’t agree with the devil’s assessments, cut him down to size with “it is written”.

Your mouth produces. Your words bring things forth (they make things happen):

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good… for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45 KJV)

Selah.

For an in depth teaching on this subject check out my book, Choose Your Words Change Your World.

The Bible is not just a book to be READ – it is a book to be SAID!

If I could hand you a key that is guaranteed to change your life and circumstances; a principle that places the supernatural power of God on tap for every situation in your life and ministry, would you want to know what it is?

Thankfully the Scriptures make plain how we are to engage with God and receive and release His transforming power consistently in our everyday lives.

In this practical Spirit-filled book pastor and Bible teacher, David Lee Martin unpacks the amazing truth concerning the power of the words that you speak and shows clearly how you can apply this truth to change your world and the world of those around you.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” Proverbs 18:21

This edition includes a comprehensive teaching on the power of words and three complete volumes of powerful personalized Biblical confessions drawn from Paul’s letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians

Read on Amazon

There are a few steering principles I apply to my author/creator business.

One:

Your business should work for me, not the other way around.

Work hard, of course, or better described, “work well”.

Don’t become your own glorified (and often underpaid) employee.

Build something that works for you on several levels:

• It works for you because it dovetails with your personality and passions.
• It works for you because the energy cost is less than the return on investment. Earning a ton of cash that costs you your health and sanity is a poor trade.
• It works for you because you can extricate yourself, through delegation and automation, from the parts and processes that you don’t enjoy.
• It works for you because you can honestly say, “I work to live, not I live to work”.

And since your business is custom fitting, it will not look like everyone else’s. The way you build will be different, and that’s ok.

My accountant cannot comprehend why I don’t hire offices, take on staff, and thrash this horse.

He can’t quite grasp that my ambitions are harnessed to the Holy Ghost in a way that refuses to reach beyond His leading.

So first, build a business that works for you.

It may take time and trial to discover what that looks like for you. Allow God to lead and apply yourself diligently to the process of discovery.

Next week, I’ll share some other steering principles for peaceful prosperous living.

My favourite ones have “joy” as a key ingredient. I think you’ll like them.