Dear Writer, I hope you had a good week and took some time consider how God might be calling you to grow your patience in your marketing journey! This week, we’re going to look at the marketing mindset that undergirds all others. That is the mindset of faith.
You see, writer, unless we expect God is actually going to help us and make our work fruitful, our self doubts can undermine our efforts. A mindset of faith, on the other hand, anchors us. It gives us strength to be patient and to persevere. It gives us courage to experiment and take risks. It gives us confidence when we face tough decisions. And so much more besides!
But before we dive in, let’s look at some others whose faith—whose confident expectation—fueled their life and story…
Faith in History
Joan of Arc is a great example of faith. She confidently expected that what God told her would come to pass. She believed wholeheartedly His purposes in calling her to rally the timid French to stand strong against oppression would actually be accomplished. Joan’s faith gave her courage and drive, even as a seventeen year old girl, to step far beyond the social norms of her day.
Joan lead armies and faced kings without fear. She endured imprisonment and eventual execution without wavering in her convictions.Though she was martyred for her faith and bravery, God indeed used her life to galvanize the faith and fighting spirit of the French people.
You see, writer, developing a mindset of faith is about trusting that God’s purposes will be accomplished no matter how bad the results look to us along the way.
Faith in the Bible
Mary is another great example of faith. When the angel Gabriel announced Mary would carry the Messiah, Mary humbly accepted God’s divine choice. She willingly carried God’s Son in a culture where pregnancy out of wedlock could lead to death. Though Mary had no idea how these details would unfold, she trusted God’s promise to her would be fulfilled. She would indeed give birth the Christ child.
God faithfully guided Mary through her challenging pregnancy, and today we are all grateful beneficiaries of her faith-filled obedience.
You see, writer, a mindset o faith trusts God to guide us through the unknowns of the messy and, at times, frightening growth process.
Faith in Life
I exercised faith when I headed to college to study acting. Though I was terribly shy and knew nothing about the industry, I jumped in trusting God would equip me to make a difference through the art of films. By the end of my first year, I’d discovered I hated acting. I ended up switching to a multimedia production major as I more fully understood God’s call for me to create rather than simply act in stories. I have been working in some form of visual and written storytelling ever since.
Faith in Your Life
You see, writer, part of developing a mindset of faith is realizing that our vision of God’s call may not yet be fully clear or complete. It’s about recognizing the difficulties and even the “non starts” aren’t indicators we were wrong but are simply opportunities to grow, lean into, and understand more deeply God’s call for your life. And it’s also about recognizing that God’s uses the challenges in your journey to strengthen and shape you along the way. Let me show you…
- Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. – Hebrew 11:1-3
- In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 1:6-7
- For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:6-7
You see, writer, a mindset of faith recognizes life’s challenges are often a critical component in our growth process, as God uses failures and resistance to mature and refine us, our stories, and our ability to reach our readers.
Where to Start with Faith
So are you ready to develop your faith muscle? Here are some ideas to get you started…
- Know Your God. Our faith is only as strong as its object, so one of the best places to begin developing a faith mindset is by developing your relationship with God. Spend time studying God’s character and attributes. Get to know not just what He does but who He is. Start to engage and lean on Him in your everyday life. This will help both to grow the substance of your faith and also to make that faith come alive.
- Know His Voice. Another key to growing your faith is developing confidence in hearing God’s voice. God is speaking all the time and in so many ways. Training ourselves to recognize His voice sharpens our discernment and grows our confidence when we face challenges. One of the best ways to practice hearing God’s voice is to study His Word and character and to spend time in daily listening prayer. Make space as you pray to pause and listen for His response. Write down the thoughts that come to mind. Later, compare those thoughts with scripture. This practice will help you to begin to differentiate between your thoughts and His.
- Know Your Call. If you are a writer, you have a call from God to use your gift and talent for Him. I encourage you to write down what you know about your gift and calling at this current point in time. Then, regularly ask God to help you understand and work out that call in your everyday life.
- Stir Up Your Faith. Faith is also active. One critical step in developing a faith mindset lies in identifying, using, and putting into practice what you do know about your call. As you take the first step and grow and learn from it, it strengthens your for the next step and the next. And here’s the thing…
Developing a faith mindset is inextricably anchored to the person and purposes of God. Developing a faith mindset is really about learning to link your person, identity, and purposes into His. It’s about knowing He is the one who will take your efforts and multiply them or your failures and grow you from them. He alone will cause His purpose to come to pass far beyond what your own efforts could ever do.
Just like Joan’s work outlived her and set France on a trajectory for freedom. Just like God used Mary’s obedient faith to form the lynch pin of world history. Just like He used my confident expectation to lead me from what I knew about myself to what He knew about me and into His plans to mobilize countless others through my life. And here’s the final thought…
Developing a faith mindset is ultimately about allowing God to shape our identity as His writers. It’s about allowing Him to define our goals and expectations based upon who He is and what He’s said rather than on our qualifications or understanding. It’s about resolving to believe the truth that His purposes for us cannot fail as long as we do not give up.
So I encourage you today, if you’ve been tempted to doubt your call or the fruitfulness of your work, lean into the Lord! Stir up your faith in Him, His call for you, and His ability to see it through. As you center that call to write back on Him, you will find Him supplying the strength to do in and through you more that you ever thought you could do.
#faith #mindset #growth #impact #EveryWriterWriting
