David Lee Martin

Courage.

I love that word. Just hearing it stirs fresh resolve in my spirit.

Perhaps more than most, it is the sensitive, creative soul that is bombarded by doubt. As creatives, we need to hear the voice of our Father speak in our spirit.

I remember well times when discouragement has hounded my every thought, seeking to pull me into despair, desperately needing words that would chain me again to hope. The Word of God is an anchor that refuses to be shifted by the storms of life. It is a staff that you can tie yourself to driven deep into the soil of Papa’s love for you.

I know that I am not alone in sometimes feeling that two very different people are living on the inside. One is ready to conquer the world, the other is cowering in a cave somewhere, trembling at the thought of being found out.

I’m sure you have heard of the story of the black dog and the white dog; the dastardly and the divine wrestling in the arena of our thoughts and emotions.

Here they are in the ring, tearing at one another for supremacy. Will confidence or insecurity win the day? Will generosity or jealously have the final say?

The world, with its judgements and criticisms, sniggers and snides, so often baying for the untamed black dog to win, seems relentless in its mission to shut you down, shut you off and shut you up.

Ultimately, though, it is not the crowd who will determine the outcome. The battle is within your own being.

Which dog will come out the victor?

The one that you feed!

Starve your doubts and feed your faith. Believe that you have something valuable to share with the world.

Feed your creativity by refusing to shun your most audacious thoughts. Don’t dampen your dreams with reality (so called). Instead, let them blossom.

The world does not belong to the pragmatist, but to the dreamer. Child like faith is underrated, but in Heaven’s eyes, all things are possible to the one who believes.

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Mark 9:23 KJV

If you are going to be a writer, believe that you can reach far beyond any audience you have dared yet imagine.

If you plan to be a moviemaker or public speaker, know on the inside you can change the world for the better, not just in the present, but for generations to come.

As a coach or encourager, preacher or pastor, author or artist, your potential is fueled by faith in the God who specializes  in impossible!

Whatever your discipline, immerse and soak it in the dream of what could be possible if the limits were lifted. Then go for it.

Act on your ideas, and believe in your best self. That’s who the Father is cheering for. The real you is breaking out unashamedly, ditching the fig leaves that have hidden you in fears of what others might think or say.

Sure, it takes courage. But what’s the alternative?

Live fully and bring your whole self to the table, brother!

Kick the devil’s butt, sister, and don’t listen to his lies.

God is raising an army of strong creative voices, and you are one of them!

The first chapters of Genesis are a richly sown garden of revelation. Digging in with desire to discover more of God’s grace and character underneath the surface soils reveals endless delights.

Here are five more thoughts on slowing down and discovering your gold…

1. Beautiful and Useful

“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food” (Genesis 2:9 KJV)

Creative life is all about bringing beauty and utility to the world. God made the natural world both beautiful (pleasant to the sight) and good for food (useful). As artists and entrepreneurs, we do the same. We’re in the business of bringing beauty and utility to the table, often both together.

Utility becomes even more useful when coupled with beauty. Marie Kondo speaks of objects “sparking joy” and that joy is the determining factor in what is ultimately truly useful in our lives and environments. I think this is a masterful key to creating an atmosphere is the delight we enjoy when we occupy the space. When we design our surroundings to minister joy to our soul creativity flourishes.

Beauty is purpose in itself, and the idea that something must be useful aswell as beautiful forgets that man was made for joy.

The worlds were created to bring pleasure to their Maker.

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 KJV)

Ecclesiastes, in a verse that speaks of the God shaped hole that only relationship with the Creator can satisfy, says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 AMP)

Everything beautiful and for His pleasure. Pleasures He longs to share with His friends.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11 KJV)

2. Atmospheres That Promote Artistry

“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Genesis 2:8 KJV)

The environment we cultivate is the garden in which we grow. Atmospheres are important. They influence how we feel, think, and operate.

The wonderful thing is we often have control over what our environment is like.

I operate best in a clean and tidy atmosphere, but I’m not really a very tidy person. The way I have tackled this is through a minimalist approach, ridding myself of unnecessary clutter. That way there’s simply less stuff to be untidy with.

It’s amazing how accumulation can junk up the atmosphere and leave you feeling out of control.

God told Adam and Eve, “replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28 KJV)

In the first instance, your immediate environment is a place you can exercise this creation mandate. In taking hold of the outside arena it will also help you do the same inwardly.

I find that if my internal world is disordered, and I feel unable to really address this directly, putting my hand to subdue my outer environment, tidying, organizing, uncluttering, seeps through, and brings peace to my internal world.

This is one very practical avenue to restore and replenish creative flow!

3. Unashamed

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25 KJV)

Naked and unashamed. This is the natural state of mankind. No need to hide or run. No compulsion to be something we are not in order to please.

The creative life thrives on authentic connection to the real self on the inside. The sanctified self stripped of fear and worthy to be heard. Stepping out creatively still takes courage because the fallen world seeks to keep wild souls in check through conformity to explicit and implicit rules designed to dumb down originality.

Because your authentic self is dangerous!

Dangerous to the devil, and a pure, loud declaration that God is alive!

The terrible shame that Jesus endured on the cross, naked and exposed to ridicule, means we can now be clothed with confidence.

The exchange that happened 2000 years ago on Golgotha brings us back to the garden.

No shame. Nothing to hide. Ready to freely express your inner heart without fear what others will say.

4. Thankful for what God doesn’t give

“Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:” (Genesis 2:16–17 KJV)

I’m learning an important lesson; to be thankful for the things that the Lord does NOT give me, even when I think I want them.

Speaking of a life of peace, I have found that the “desire for … things” can be a diversion from the delight God wants us to walk in.

“… and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19 NKJV)

Paul was able to prosper whatever his external circumstances. Contentment was his prize.

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:” (Philippians 4:11 NKJV)

The following proverb is an interesting one in a culture hell bent on accumulation:

“Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches … ” (Proverbs 30:8 NKJV)

The one tree our Father ring-fenced has become many! It has spawned a forest of lying branches seeking to entangle your heart and cause your peace to be upset.

Learning to be thankful for what the Father gives is great.

Learning to be thankful for what He does not is something we need to practice.

5. Gold!

“The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone” (Genesis 2:11–12 KJV)

God sees the gold and isn’t shy to share it.

The Scriptures are not down on prosperity. Again and again we see God’s blessing exalting His people, and abundant provision and influence being carried by His followers.

The idea that poverty is a blessing is a lie. Poverty was never part of God’s original design and remains a painful testament to our selfishness as human beings.

Prosperity also cannot be defined by the world’s standards. When one man has three flat-screen TVs and another does not even have a bowl of rice to feed his family, something is amiss.

But the gold I want to highlight today, the river of gold I want to point you to consider, is the river of living water that flows from your heart.

You have something on the inside that the Father wants to point out to you and then to the world. He stands with His arm proudly around you saying, “See here, in this heart and life is worth and wonder!”

Discovering your own gold so you can share it is one of the first and most important steps in the Christian creative life. Sometimes it gets lost in the flow and grit on the river bed. Sifting takes time and attention, some heart-searching, and boldness to bring to the surface.

But, as Papa said, “… the gold of that land is good!”

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him … And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” (Genesis 2:18–22 KJV)

Although the allegory may be stretched a little I think there’s a lot I can pull from these verses regarding working from rest and the creative Christian life. Stick with me and I think you’ll find some nourishment for your soul.

1. Our Stewardship is Not Solitary

“It is not good that the man should be alone …”

Life and light are meant to be shared. Your walk in Christ is connected to others, giving and receiving, so everyone benefits from the blessing that you are called to become. There’s strength in creative unity, not conformity. We are different, and that’s what makes us strong. Each has their own voice to bring to the choir, and the symphony we sing is only complete when we learn to work together. This brings me to my next point…

2. God will connect you with your tribe

“I will make him an help meet for him…”

Ok, it’s a leap from a wife to a band of warriors, but the principle remains. Unity in diversity works in theory, but in everyday practice, there will be those you resonate and connect with on a deeper level than others. That’s absolutely fine and to be expected. Don’t be fearful to be yourself and don’t try to please everyone, because you are guaranteed to fail. Finding your voice makes you magnetic, but be aware that the same magnet attracts and repels at the same time. God has “your people” out there ready to connect, a tribe of like-minded and like-hearted believers who shoulder a similar call and will be a help “meet” for the season you are in.

3. Your best work will come from faithful rest

“The LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept…”

Sometimes God does His greatest work when we get out of the way! Producing your best work comes from a place of faithful rest in the provision of God, and trusting yourself entirely to His wisdom. Hebrews speaks of “enter(ing) into his rest, [and] cease(ing) from [our] own works” (Hebrews 4:10). What a powerful picture of the life of trust and ultimate creation we see here in the slumbering Adam.

4. The crowning creations of your life will come from those things that are close to your heart

“… God took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman.”

The raw material for God’s best creation was taken from what was closest to Adam’s heart. From it He made something remarkably beautiful later named Eve, meaning “life giver”. What are the things that you carry close to your heart? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What stirs your passion, makes you angry, causes your inner man or woman to rise and take a stand? What are the drivers that make you the person that you are, distinct, different from others, yet connected to a bigger purpose that others also connect with? These are indicators of the areas you might tap your life-giving flow.

5. It’s not a chase or a race!

“… and[God] brought her unto the man.”

God brought His best to the man. Adam did not have to chase Eve down, or endlessly seek, earn, or deserve God’s ultimate gift.

Consider the following scripture slowly and carefully:

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” (Ephesians 2:10 AMP)

God is bringing you into His prearranged plan, and bringing to you all you need to walk successfully in it. The life of faith may be one of pursuit, but the pursuit is of God Himself, seeking deeper and knowing His ways and His will better. Chasing the world and your tail will only lead to frustration. Seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteous way of being and doing will bring you face to face with your destiny!

The Christian creative life is one of growing trust and deeper connection with Heaven’s storehouse of treasures. Let the world do the chasing, you concentrate on the trusting. God is bringing to you exactly what you need.

“… for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, therefore!” (Matthew 6:8–9)

In the place of prayer, your life and message will be perfected to hit the mark!

Limitless creative potential exists in the human heart filled with the Holy Ghost. His infinite indwelling lifts the lid on our little lives and makes them expansive in ways that defy natural reason.

Creative life in Christ is one that brings peace and production together, flowing freely from a foundation of faithful rest in God’s ability to work in and through His yielded people.

1. Endlessly Creative

The recklessly creative imagination of the Godhead is mind-boggling. Everything from beautiful to bizarre found its Genesis in His infinite mind. The invisible and the visible worlds are the work of His genius.

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:20–21 KJV)

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind:” (Genesis 1:24–25 KJV)

The sheer abundance and diversity of the natural world are beyond our comprehension. Science discovers new wonders every day, and still just scratch the surface of the infinite mind behind their inception.

Modern education and society often crush the juice out of kids and seek to conform their (super)naturally creative nature into a safe box that can be channeled into useful servitude to a system designed to limit individual expression.

In the coming years a deluge of divinely inspired ideas and inventions will flood the world, each one of them pointing to the great Mind who conceived the universe and placed it’s irrefutable laws in motion.

Is it not bedazzling to remember,

“… who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV)

May the people of God be open and willing to act as conduits for this creative renaissance!

May the Church become the magnificent hub for Heaven’s solutions to a broken world!

May wonder come again to and from the House of God!

2. Fruitful Multiplication

“Be fruitful, and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28 KJV)

God is a multiplier.

There’s a synergy that occurs when man and his Maker connect that blows the lid on expected metrics. Add infinity to any equation and all things become possible!

While we may scratch around trying to add to our lives, God awaits our devoted attention so He can accomplish something far more remarkable.

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23 KJV)

A deep abiding connection to God is the Source of all we make. He is the Inspirer, breathing brilliance into the hearts and minds of His people.

Like Isaac we can receive supernatural abundance even in times of drought and famine:

“And there was a famine in the land … And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of … Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.” (Genesis 26:1-2;12 KJV)

Dwell and serve and sow in the place God has planted you, and allow Him to bring the increase you seek. This is not always easy, and it sometimes will take all of your faith and inner resource to resist running down to Egypt and doing things the world’s way.

Servitude to a system that’s designed to create slaves is not a great strategy.

“… in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15 KJV)

God wants to do something far beyond anything we can do in our own power. Supernatural gifts, insights, and direction are the norm in the streets of heaven, and we are Kingdom people bringing that Kingdom to the earth.

3. Dust and Dignity

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

Our weak frame is dignified by the life and breath of God working in us.

The Christian creative life is one of deep humility on one hand, and boundless brilliance on the other.

We know that we are dust, dignified by the humility of God’s Spirit choosing to dwell within us. This outer frame is a temporary residence, but one that has been sanctified for magnificence by the King of Universe.

It’s a mystery and a balance only God can bring to being.

You are the temple of the Holy Ghost!

The members of your body are the creative weapons He wields to bring His brilliance to the world, and show forth His good, perfect and acceptable will in the realms of humanity.

There is so much we could say about the wonder of the human body, but for now let’s just focus on its proper use as an instrument of worship:

“I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs]” (Romans 12:1–2 AMP)

“use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:13 NLT)

Here’s a great place to start your worship service.

A good healthy breakfast after adequate sleep washed down with water. Self care is not a sacrifice or selfishness – it is your reasonable service to ensure that your body will serve the purposes of God for many years to come.

4. God-Breathed Brilliance

“God … breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

A lifeless husk became a vibrant living being when filled with the breath of Heaven.

Soul dry living is the desert norm for many today, traipsing heavy-footed seeking rest in the parched valleys of a world that has forsaken the living waters.

God has a better way. A way infused with His breath. It is not the way of the world:

“Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive.” (Habakkuk 2:4 MESSAGE)

The creative life of Christ is one of utter dependence on the inbreathing of the Holy Ghost, and as such is one of yielding not striving. Learning the rested ways of faith is counterintuitive and countercultural, but cannot be beaten.

Loyal and steady believing is the way of the Master and the pathway to becoming fully alive!

5. Flourish Where You Are Planted

“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Genesis 2:8 KJV)

God plants us where we will flourish.

For some, this may be the cities, for others some backwater village or even a hidden life dedicated to the purposes of prayer.

The idea that the grass is greener on the other side is a lie that prevails in many lives.

Flourish where you are planted. Put down your roots to recognize God in your own garden of influence rather than pining for what others have or where they have been planted.

I am planted to encourage Christian creatives to take hold of God in prayer and production, bring their best to the world.

What is your sphere of influence? What garden has he planted you in?

Knowing what you are formed for will kill the FOMO (fear of missing out) and allow you to flourish in the call of God – the garden of God’s making!

There’s a tendency to think that everything depends on us. That the production and fruitfulness of our lives lean entirely on our efforts. I believe that there is a better way, a more peaceful way, to live and contribute to others.

The way of Jesus is not burdensome. His creative nature is not something we have to grasp for, earn, or deserve.

Here are 5 more thoughts from the creation about creativity and rest:

1. Seedtime and harvest

“… the seed was in itself” (Genesis 1:12 KJV)

God placed seeds inside everything living capable of production. The created world was not searching for something outside itself to fulfil its nature and destiny.

Nor are you!

You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works He has already prepared for you to walk in. The seed of your greatness and contribution to the world, your fruit, is already in you.

The beauty of the creative life is in the discovery of who you already are, and the beauty God has planted within you. It may be a small seed in the first instance, but tended and nourished it will grow and reach out branches.

In a push-button world, the idea of patiently tending a seed until it is grown and flourishing may seem unpopular, but the way of faith is not about speed.

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15 KJV)

2. Behold, I have given

“And God said, Behold, I have given … ” (Genesis 1:29 KJV)

God gives first. He is the first instance in every endeavour. The beauty is that this releases us from the need to be original. Nothing we make is not already thought of. Jesus has been there first and we follow.

What do I mean by this? The creative life is one where we tap the genius of heaven. He is for you, with you, and wants to create through you. There is joy in discovery. What you bring to the world will be as much a delight and surprise to you as to others.

I like to think of the creative life as the gradual unveiling of God’s glory, His outshining, in a person’s life.

God has given abundantly.

Because of that we can now give generously!

3. Rest Upon Completion

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” (Genesis 2:1–2 KJV)

There’s great delight in completion. You are a finisher, just like your Father!

And when you finish, stop to appreciate!

There’s a crowning of your work with thanksgiving and gratitude that adds a whole new dimension to the creative process. The creative cycle is one of flow from and to God in constant communion. Celebration and appreciation complete the cycle and allow the clouds to form again ready to rain new ideas and blessings on the world through your hand.

It is easy to run from one thing to the next, but instead of a hasty sprint take time to slow.

Pause to appreciate and recognise the Source of your power and production. Don’t be in such a hurry to run to the next thing on the list. Look how far you have come. Enjoy what you have made!

4. Rest Is Blessed

“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:3 KJV)

Two things are specifically blessed in these early chapters of Genesis.

People and a day.

God blessed a day; a day of rest.

Rest is blessed, and the people whom He blessed stepped directly into the blessing. There is a pace of grace that we are invited to enjoy. It is the starting point of every endeavour.

If we hear God and move according to His direction there will be rest and peace even in activity.

Mankind’s first experience of life with God was restful rejoicing in His rich provision!

There still remains a rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9 KJV) if only we will choose to believe him and step into it. From this blessed place of rest we then work.

5. Formation

“… the LORD God formed man” (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

Formation by the hand of God. God still forms men and women!

You are not a cookie-cutter copy of the next person in line. You are uniquely formed for purpose by a personal Hand. God is carefully shaping your life and preparing you for eternity.

The formation of our hearts begins when we stop fighting against God and recognise that He knows best what will make us into the people we need to be to walk fully in His grace.

Even the hard circumstances and testing can act as tools to cut away pride and self-reliance so we throw ourselves more fully upon the Provider.

There is a rest when we cease from our own works and trust God for the outcomes in life.

“For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works…” (Hebrews 4:10 KJV)

This is not a passive thing, it is an active striving to enter the mystery of faith. God and man work together in close communion, one in which God does the heavy lifting!

“Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest …” (Hebrews 4:11 KJV)

Strive to enter, and once you are inside, don’t be in a hurry to return to the frantic pace of a self-obsessed world. There’s a greater, richer, contribution you will bring when you relinquish control and allow God to fill and flow through your willing frame.

It’s not easy to discover in a culture bent on speed and consumption, but it is possible.

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9 KJV)

It’s ready and waiting!