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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.

So easy.

So, so tempting.

To run after things outside ourselves, thinking they will satisfy.

And sure, I won’t pretend that outside trappings don’t deliver for an instant. They do.

“Things” have their proper place, for “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” (Matthew 6:32 KJV). He has “given unto us all things that pertain unto life” (2 Peter 1:3 KJV) and that includes much that we pursue.

But their power is as fleeting as the morning dew.

This sad, temporary creation can never fulfil the cry of the heart.

Never.

Do a 180.

Turn around and run with all your might inwardly.

Stop your ears to the noise and set your sights on things unseen.

Your Father awaits with open arms, ready to run and meet you.

The secret place is where your soul finds rest. It is here, in the caverns of the inner man, that you find out who you are. And here, with wide-eyed wonder, you discover that nothing compares to the sweet real fellowship of God.

How to run inward?

Close the door, turn your heart, and let your spirit lead.

“Daddy, I’m tired of running away. Weary of dashing in every direction. I want You and no other. Show me how to come to You. Take my hand and lead me in.”

Do it often enough for the layers to fall away, and you’ll never turn back.

Prayer is the passionate path to unspeakable pleasures.

Selah.

Oh, the beauty of prayer.

To know the Father fully and fellowship with Him freely.

To shed the garb of insecurity and seek refuge in the One who loves you without limit.

As the world hurtles toward inevitable destruction, there remains a refuge for the people of God.

God Himself invites you to steal away with Him to deserted places, far from the maddening crowd, to find rest for your soul.

I see you coming in from the desert, riding free, the dew of the morning dripping from your garments. Holy awe clings to your clothes, clean, full, and free from fear.

Heaven’s perspective restored.

In times of drought, dig deep. Go far outside the camp and make passionate progress on your knees.

Know that the highest place to be found is with your face to the floor.

We are promised “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;” (Acts 3:19 KJV), and even scorching heat cannot prevent you tucking into the shadow of the almighty, finding cool shade where He will shower your soul with peace.

The world is fast and furious, friends, but your Father walks in gardens in the cool of the day.

Slow the pace.

Set hours aside, not minutes.

Unhurried fellowship is sweet and real.

Prayer is a precious jewel that no one can steal.

Selah.

It has always fascinated me that certain people derive incredible joy from digging dry places to discover what occurred tens of hundreds of years ago.

But I do get it.

Although the idea of a desert and a miniature pickaxe does not float my boat, I still like to excavate.

My dig in the book of Micah revealed a gem that I couldn’t resist sharing.

It’s a delightful insight into the nature of the prophetic.

Dripping Truth and Dropping Words of Life

The Hebrew word for prophesy is nataph, and it literally means to ooze, i.e. distil gradually; by implication, to fall in drops; figuratively, to speak by inspiration:—to drip or drop(-ping), prophesy(-et).

Prophetic utterance is a distillation of truth, a dripping of reality, a refreshing rain on the dry ground of life.

I find myself dripping Jesus most days, and I’d love it to become a deluge!

The word prophet could rightly be rendered, “a word dropper”.

So I thought I would drop this word in your inbox.

Not that I’m a prophet, but simply to encourage you.

Keep drip, drip, dripping truth and life wherever you go.

No need to grandstand.

Just distil your experience of God into words and actions that will bless others.

And let it ooze!

Learn to lean.

Instead of relying on yourself alone, leverage those who’ve learned before you.

This may be through coaching, courses, books, or other training resources.

Excellent choices.

I’m presently educating myself in a number of new disciplines and immersing myself in products and publications around the subjects I’m interested in, created by people who’ve pioneered the way before me. That way I don’t have to carve my way through the jungle – someone has already done that groundwork and I follow their footsteps.

But learning must lead to leaping.

You’ll never truly learn something until you apply your new knowledge in real world scenarios. Don’t be afraid to step out on limited knowledge. Just enough is more than enough to get started.

And once your knowhow is being refined in the fire of actual projects capable of failing or flying, your learning takes on a whole new nature. You know exactly the right questions to ask because they are no longer philosophical.

And thirdly, the other key to quick progress is to connect with others walking the same road.

Nothing is more inspiring or helpful than sharing the journey and trading your trip ups and triumphs with others following the same trajectory.

As the proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”

It's tough being both an artist and an entrepreneur; there's a lot to juggle. Leaning on each other makes all the difference.

I’ve found small and intimate connections with a handful of invested individuals, centered on specific outcomes and arenas of interest, is the most efficient and exciting way to grow quickly, and to go far!