I’m welcoming back Denise to continue sharing her heart with other writers. She is an editor, writer and speaker. And a great encourager.
If the “write” motivation is to glorify God, how does that relate to the message we communicate?
Jesus said, “When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative; but whatever He hears, He will speak. . . . He will glorify Me” (John 16:13-14 NASB).
“Whatever He hears, He will speak.” To whom does the Holy Spirit listen? God the Father and God the Son. To communicate the “write” message, we first have to receive the right information. So many voices vie for our attention—family, media, mentors, friends. Daily, we need to ask ourselves, “To whom am I listening?”
What indicates that we’re listening to God and communicating His message? Consider how people respond to it.
Do they exalt the writer?
- “What an amazing story she has!”
- “What a great communicator he is!”
- “Wow! She’s so strong, brave, wise, funny . . .”
Or has their attention been directed toward God?
- “What an amazing God we have! He proved Himself faithful in your life.”
- “God really spoke to me through your words.”
- “God is so wise, loving, patient . . .”
I enjoy receiving a compliment as much as anyone. But the words I write only have power—eternal value—if they’re God’s words. As we soak ourselves in Bible study and prayer, the Holy Spirit impresses God’s message on our hearts. Then, when the opportunity arises, we allow God to speak His truth through us to others
If we immerse ourselves in His Word, His message will flow into our writing. Most of my published writing has come from the journal entries I make each morning during my personal Bible study time. Our job is to accurately communicate His message as recorded in the Bible and to avoid presenting our interpretations as His truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Consider questions like these:
- Does my writing paint an accurate portrait of God?
- Does it focus on issues that are important to God?
- Have I allowed human ideologies or current trends to obscure or undermine biblical truth?
- Is my presentation of good and evil, the human condition, the purpose of life, and the nature of the afterlife consistent with what the Bible teaches?
When I interviewed novelist Ann Tatlock in July 2014, she noted that “truth is never fabricated; it is only revealed.” Therefore, her goal in everything she writes is “to tell the truth as the Bible reveals it.”
Her words reminded me of something I’d read in a collection of C. S. Lewis’s essays: “An author should never conceive himself as bringing into existence beauty or wisdom which did not exist before, but simply and solely as trying to embody in terms of his own art some reflection of eternal Beauty and Wisdom.”[1]
Reflecting revealed truth as clearly and accurately as we can—isn’t that what each of us aspires to do? If so, then what guidelines have you established for crafting a God-glorifying, truth-reflecting message?
Looking for more encouragement from Denise. Check out her books: Dig Deeper Devotion, Open Your Hymnal, Open Your Hymnal, Again.
Denise Loock is an editor, writer, and speaker. Through speaking engagements, books, and her website, Digdeeperdevotions.com, she shares with others the joy of studying God’s Word. As a nonfiction book editor, she uses her twenty-nine years of experience as an English teacher to help Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas produce high quality, engaging inspirational books. As the editor for The Journey Christian Newspaper, she coordinates, edits, and proofreads articles for four print editions and the online edition. She also accepts freelance editing projects. Visit lightningeditingservices.com for details. Contact her at denise@lightningeditingservices.com or denise@journeychristiannews.com.
Any questions or comments? I love to hear from my readers.
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[1] “Christianity and Literature.” Christian Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967) p.7.
Thanks again, Cindy, for allowing me to share my perspective on writing with your readers. May God bless you as continue to write for His glory.
Your good word were inspired. Thank you for your willingness to be a part of my humble blog. I am confident your words struck vital chords. Let me know when you have new books coming out and I’ll pass it along. Maybe we can do an interview.:)