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The creative life is one of adventure. It seeks to cross the boundaries and discover fresh ways to communicate. The Christian creative connects with something (purpose) and someone (the Creator) bigger than themselves. And just in case you have not yet realised, God is not boring!

He invites His children into a life of adventurous faith.

The idea that God consigns His people to perpetual pewdom is foreign to the Scriptures. He is the commissioner of every great artistic work, and YOU are one of them.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT-SE)

God’s works of grace are made to be displayed.

That word “masterpiece” is the Greek word “poiema” from which we get our word poem.

His word is creative and you, a unique and still-being-written poem on the pages of time, are an expression of God’s heart. Not some dusty mind-numbing tome or replica – a divine and winsome expression of Papa’s joy.

As C S Lewis said “We are a divine work of art.”

He has taken his finger and inscribed your life on the pages of history in the most beautiful, majestic manner. Your story is still being written, your path unfolding in ever increasing glory.

As a work of art you live out and display your new nature in Christ – a vibrantly creative, adventurous nature, unshackled from mundanity. Even if stuck in a room there are realms you explore unseen by naked eye or darkened heart.

God’s work in Christ has taken what was an unchiselled lump of cold stone and turned it in to a heart of flesh, beating with the rhythms of heaven. You are set free for freedom, not for the sad and dutiful run of religion.

I pray that your artistic adventure, the poem that you express through fearless living, will be boldly displayed in this coming year.

The desire to be happy is universal. The avenues to happiness are multiplicious. Yet the people who actually arrive at contentment station are few.

Is happiness something we should strive for, or is there a deeper vein to drill? Perhaps the idea that happiness is just one purchase or holiday away is false? Maybe the lie that more will make us marvelous is part of our problem?

Drowning under the deluge of deals shimmied out in the Friday and festive sales leaves one wondering if there could be more to life than a new spin dryer or an air fryer?

Can I contend with an itchy thought? Maybe these soothers we reach are tranquillizers we take to keep our hearts numb to reality.

The world is not what it claims to be. It is burning to the ground, friends.

The life you desire, however opulent, will never scratch the relentless discontent that scrapes your insides.

Where?

Peter in his first letter spoke to “those who have settled down alongside a pagan population, sown as seed” (1 Peter 1:1 Wuest NT)

We live in Babylon. In the world. But we cannot be of the world if we want to make a real difference.

I’m so aware of my own immersion in the smash and grab culture that seeks only its own pleasures. Covenant breaking, constantly-on culture that craves only the next thing, never satisfied with the present.

Settled alongside, camped toward Sodom (Genesis 13:12), it’s way too easy to become Lottish in our love for this world’s accolades and trinkets.

Before we know it we’re inside the gates handing over our sons and daughters.

Be careful my creative brothers and sisters. Culture is pervasive. It creeps up on you, then into your thinking.

We are urged as armed-and-dangerous representatives of another Kingdom to guard our hearts and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds.

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23 KJV)

The very essence of our thinking must be different. Uncoupled from the feed of liberal modernity and plugged firmly into eternal truth.

The media is the sluice gate for a million doctrines, shovelled into the atmospheres of our homes. Even with the faucet switched low the drip-drip of false doctrine eventually seeps through into everyday conversation and values.

When?

Peter not only spoke of where we live. He also spoke of ‘When’ we live.

We live in a time in which we are:

“guarded by the power of God though faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in a last season which is epochal and strategic in its significance.” (1 Peter 1:5, Wuest)

The last seasons are upon us, beloved.

Being so placed we need to be vigilant. Like a soldier on guard watching the walls we must be clear on this one thing. The enemy prowls and plots relentlessly how he might breach our boundaries and cause our downfall.

In times of war, there’s no room to double down on comforts. Epochal moments are marked by epochal people.

Pursuit of pleasure may be the culture, but the pursuit of God and His righteousness is the order of the day. The devil’s first and most successful play is not to resist God’s people, but rather invite them. Come inside he says. You’ve pitched your tent near the gate, why not take a few more compromised steps and put a little less distance between yourself and the world in which you live?

How?

Knowing the season we are in girds our mind and informs our actions. Thus equipped, “in this last season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses itself in a triumphant exuberance.”

How do we overcome and stay true to our Lord?

Constant rejoicing.

Joy that overflows in triumphant exuberance.

This may be a day of devils running rampant, but is also the day of the Churches greatest triumph!

The dark backdrop Papa is allowing to be staged will make the glaring light of the gospel all the more bright when it shines.

Worship is your weapon. Joy is the strength you harness!

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!