Take Your Post: Write What You’ve Been Given

 

By Blythe Daniel

 

 “In the last days,” God says,

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your young men will see visions,

    your old men will dream dreams.”
Acts 2:17 (NIV)

 

 We live in a military community where the discussions of assignments and posts comes up frequently in conversations. Some of our family has been part of the military. Of the military  families I know, I’m always amazed at how they move about when they are given a new post.

I see a command for all of us, not just military families. Our command is to go and make disciples of all nations. Not just the one we grew up in, not just the one where we live, but all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). How is that possible if we don’t get to travel to every nation and have the chance to share the gospel?

Books. Articles. Web-based content. These are all results of God’s Spirit on His people that move people toward a relationship with Him. God says in Acts 2:17 that we will see visions and dream dreams in the last days. I believe God has put a message in each person who nods their head toward an acceptance of the call to write or create faith-based messages. A friend and author I work with has called it “literary evangelism,” the topic of her new book.

I want to inspire you not to lose the words that you feel compelled to write. Maybe they will reach people through an online article. Maybe they will be compiled in a book that will reach missionaries overseas. Or maybe you will write words that will help your family come to a place where they experience Christ’s redemptive power in their lives and it sets them free. It can also not just impact them, but future family members and friends who see that their lives have been altered in unexplainable ways.

The tendency to set things aside like writing is there for all of us. Busy lives, families, jobs, wanting some down time. I want to encourage you to think of writing as a job that God has given you to fulfill. You don’t want to put off God if He gives you something to share, do you?

I want to give you something that might sound odd coming from a literary agent. Don’t look for affirmation from those of us in the publishing community. We will often see a book topic or a writer with some gifts, but we aren’t able to take on all that we read. Sometimes it’s a workload issue, and we can’t always answer your query. Sometimes it’s that we know what our publishing contacts have said they have enough of, and we aren’t taking on something that perhaps you have sent. Other times we just don’t know that a lot of people will purchase a book on the topic you’re writing about, and so we have to look for books that a larger pool of readers will gravitate to.

But this doesn’t mean for you to stop pursuing your idea. It just means to take your post and don’t back down from it just because someone doesn’t affirm you. We know God desires to bring stories, inspirational messages, teaching, and steps of growth for His followers. And our culture needs the light of God to counteract the darkness invading our world.

As you are faithful to look for creative ways to share your words, don’t forget that it’s not in your own effort. The Spirit intercedes for you so you can carry out the mission God has given you. As you write what you’ve been given, you are a scribe, like those who made history in the Bible for sharing what God impressed upon their hearts. It changed the lives of many, and so can your words.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash and Kateryna Hliznitsova.

Blythe Daniel is a literary agent, author, and marketer. Her agency markets books through podcasts, blogs, launch teams and traditional media, and represents adult non-fiction and select fiction along with some children's fiction and non-fiction. Blythe has been the publicity director and marketing director for Nelson Books, now Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and has spent the last 17 years as a literary agent. Blythe and her mother, Dr. Helen McIntosh, co-authored Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters (Harvest House) and I Love You Mom: Cherished Word Gifts from My Heart to Yours (Tyndale). Blythe and her daughter Calyn co-authored Let’s Be Friends: A Tween Devotional on Finding and Keeping Strong Friendships (Harvest House, 2023). Blythe is married and lives in Colorado with her family.