David Lee Martin

I knew I couldn’t live without it.

Once I had this I would not need anything else, this was the thing I had been waiting for. To own one would make me complete.

What was the thing I hear you ask?

Mmmm, I can’t remember.

Because once I had this thing I realised that it was not actually the thing, that it was the next thing that my soul really craved and that would make me…

• Important.
• Significant.
• Attractive.
• Rich.
• Desirable.
• Spiritual.
• Creative.
• Disciplined.
• Intelligent.
• Successful.
• Etc etc
• Yada yada yada

Ad infinitum. With emphasis on the ad.

The skies are already darkening

Get ready for the storm that’s brewing to blow through your pockets.

I can already smell the early offers on the gathering breeze.

It’s coming with gusts of forceful persuasion, ready to whip your credit card into a frenzied dance of delusion.

Dusky skies are swirling overhead in preparation. It’s gonna be dark, black even.

The “whirlwind of want” is about to break on the shores of your soul. 

Is Jesus against this frenzy of consumption?

Is our life meant to languish in want and need, enjoying little more than necessities.

Not so. 

God “gives us all things richly to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17)

You are told to pray for, “Whatsoever thing ye desire” (Mark 11:24)

Great verses for the consumer.

But the richest man on earth is not the one with most stuff.

Our lives do not consist in the abundance of objects we own.

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

Luke 12:15 KJV

The Recipe of Rich Contentment

Here is the best prosperity verse you will ever confess:

Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty.”

Philippians 4:11–12 MESSAGE

Paul discovered the recipe of rich contentment.

Oh, how I long to sit at that table!

So long as our measure of success is rooted in the world we will always come up wanting.

Another recipe feeds the emaciated needs of the desperate.

Welcome to the Cauldron of inadequacy

The cauldron of inadequacy bubbles away every day, spewing its aroma on every billboard, infusing every online interaction.

• Two pounds of envy.
• A pinch of doubt.
• Three slices of keeping-up-with-the-Jones’s.
• A quart of wannabe, spiced with the promise of tomorrow. 
• All topped off with a cherry of wilful ignorance.

Are you really measured by the breadth of your 95-inch television? 

The length of your credit rating?

Is your worth determined by the depth of your pocket?

Let me remind you of the only measure that counts your worth.

Paul prayed it well:

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:14–19 NKJV

Maybe this is the secret recipe?

To know God’s love.

To be filled with a knowledge of his affections.

To live with a perspective painted by eternal values not passing trends?

Even in the blackness of the darkest Friday God’s light shines through brightly. He holds in His hand the greatest offer of all – eternal life for all those who believe.

Friends, it does not get better than that!

What have you been up to? Do you feel that you have made progress on your most important projects? And by that, I don’t necessarily mean ‘work’.

Work and production are important for sure, but people are more!

Connections

What key relationships have you sown into this week?

More and more as I go forward I realise that connection is paramount in everything that we do.

Connection with God through prayer, Word, worship, and fellowship.

Connection with our loved ones and circle of influence through intentional interactions into which we generously sow ourselves, our time, and our money.

Connection with ourselves and our work by prioritizing projects that align with who we are as people.

Directions

It is easy to keep the wheels moving in directions we didn’t even want to go in the first place. Sometimes life defaults us into practices and projects that pay the bills but leave our soul dry.

Whatever you do, if you have not already done so, be sure to bump your heart projects up the priority scale.

Again, I’m not ignorant to the fact that bills need to be paid, or that passion projects can sometimes seem so frivolous because they don’t come with a promise of remuneration tied to them.

What they are pregnant with however is possibility.

Your productivity in the direction of your passion and areas of genuine interest feed something deeper than your bank account, and for sure if priority is never placed on them they will never see the light of day and open the door for miracles to take place.

Providence

So many success stories begin by providential ‘accident’. Someone sows toward an idea or dream and suddenly new vistas open for their own growth and delight.

They then share that delight with the world and discover that there are other people who share their challenges and passions.

This junction is were possibilities open up that you never anticipated.

All of the convoluted promises we have pushed on us every day through adverts and promotions can leave us numb to the real value of stepping out.

When we step out and ‘try’ new things, we become bigger people, and as such we are able to help and lift others through our successes and mistakes. We become a guide.

Sowing For Eternity

It is my firm belief that each one of us is called to disciple others. To take what we have and generously share it with others.

That belief goes further and tells me that for every seed sown there is an inevitable return.

Keep sowing friends.

And begin by sowing to yourself. Acknowledging that there is inherent value in what you write, sing, play, make or paint.

Your worship it is not measured by bottom lines and net incomes, it is measured by obedience to a heavenly call.

This life is a journey of discovery shaping you for eternity, and whether our seeds sown bear fruit here and now, or in generations to come, you can be certain of one thing – they will bear fruit in eternity!

Life here is fleeting, like the grass it’s here today and gone tomorrow.

Lift your eyes to see your Father’s smile.

He is cheering you on.

Jesus is Lord!

The Author and Finisher of your faith.

And like Him, you too are an author (a creator) and a finisher – someone who sees things through despite the obstacles and diversions that present themselves.

It’s Monday and another week swings into flow. Or maybe crawls into motion. 

We all face emotional ups and downs as part of our walk in this world. But, thank God, our Savior never changes. He is not fickle. He does not blow hot and cold with regard to His commitment to your prosperity.

In some ways, each week begins a fresh cycle that gives us the opportunity to recalibrate and recommit, whatever has gone before.

The creative entrepreneurial life doesn’t promise an easy ride, but it does promise magnificent rewards.

The impact that you can have as you keep producing and making moves toward your creative goals is yet to be written. Your Father knows where He is leading you, and His everlasting arms are right there undergirding everything you do.

Dear friend, be aware that the devil is also prowling around with a mouth full of sharpened teeth – they have names – discouragement, disillusionment, insecurity, lies, envy, fear – as many teeth as fit in the gaping mouth of the beast there’ll be a corresponding ‘strategy’ to pierce your resolve.

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Ephesians 6:11 NIV

The word schemes or wiles as rendered in some translations speaks of carefully planned strategies to undermine and confuse you.

He wants to throw you off course, send your thoughts in a thousand directions, get you all caught up in comparisons.

But you are unique!

You have things to bring that no one else can.

Keep moving forward, keep your commitments to yourself and create.

Whatever teeth the devil bares at you today, just show him your own teeth back with a big smile and tell Him you have your armour on and will be sending blessing to the world regardless of his dumb plans to try and stop you!

“He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and is without understanding. The wicked desire the booty of evil men, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous yields [richer fruitage].”

Proverbs 12:11–12 AMPLIFIED

Way too many marketers are offering “booty” for your investment. Promises of effortless push-button profits and the like abound, and every word is designed not to encourage or empower, but to stir envy and a sense of inadequacy.

Call me cynical, but I’ve been in the online space long enough to have developed a bit of thick skin around promises that are thrown around like cheap perfume, leading unsuspecting sincere searchers in a thousand directions.

I love the Biblical admonition to till our land, build and plough our field of value, put down roots in order to plant a genuine business, not just scoot after every trend and latest-greatest opportunity.

The promise for a rooted and righteous approach to building our businesses and sharing our worth? Rich fruitage!

But fruit results from abundant sowing of seed.

Your content, your grace, your expertise, your words and stories, your willingness to help and lift others – all of this is seed that you sow in the online field.

Every social post is a seed.

Every blog article is a seed.

Every book you publish is a seed.

Every piece of content you place in public for free or for sale is a seed.

And in all your sowing remember to believe for a harvest of rich fruitage. The cycle ends if you don’t prosper.

Let’s set our hearts to give and receive in all we do, knowing that it is God’s nature to give the increase.

There is so much talk today is about the immediate.

And it’s understandable. There are needs that must be met, bills that require payment, and obligations that are non-negotiable. Whether you like it or not, we live in a demanding world and a demanding time.

All of these are valid and relevant reasons to exercise creativity with financial flow as a desired outcome.

I’m 100% for rich rewards resulting from your expertise and effort.

Call me what you will, money is important in our culture and there’s no way around the fact that we all want more of it.

Money does not answer everything, but it does give us options.

So YES! Let’s seek God for wisdom how to step into our wealthy place.

BUT THERE’S AN EVEN MORE PRESSING REASON TO PUSH THROUGH AND SHARE WHAT GOD HAS PLACED IN YOUR HEART…

LEGACY!

Are you building a creative legacy that will outlive your days on earth.

Are you taking the important step to recognise and crystallise the wealth you carry in your heart, and make it available for others to benefit from.

It could be in the form of a book, an image, a blog, a newsletter, videos or full-blown online courses.

The point is, what’s invisible needs to be made visible.

You are the only one who can leave what only you can bring for the generations to come.

The urgency of this is all the more real as the clock ticks another day where ideas are relegated to tomorrow.

Jesus has called you. Filled you. Anointed you with a unique personality and set of skills.

All of this can be shaped by wisdom into products, publications, and online platforms that minister grace to the world.

I want to encourage you to value YOU so much that it’s paramount in your priorities to seek ways to bring your magnificence to the table for others to enjoy.

Amazingly, it is easier than ever to publish a book.

Sharing your knowledge online is no longer expensive or technical.

And any fears about whether people will read, or buy, or benefit now, can be laid aside for a moment.

You write and paint and sing not just for dinner today, but to store up riches that generations will thank you for.

I believe this.

How about you?

What legacy of work do you want to leave? And are you exercising your energies and expertise to ensure that happens.