Write His Answer

This spring I had the joy of keynoting at the Stay Focused Writers’ Retreat in New Jersey. The theme of the retreat was “Think Big” based on Dr. Ben Carson’s book, Think Big, written with my good friend, Cec Murphey. I highly recommend this book and Gifted Hands, also written with Cec, and the movie, Gifted Hands.

I began my message with this powerful promise:

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. – Ephesians 3:20 TLB

In my keynote I identified a baker’s dozen of attitudes and actions that hinder or help us to think big.

1. Failing to cut old tapes. – “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 TLB).

2. Listening to the wrong voices. – “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:4 NASB)

3. Self-centered rather than God-and-other-centered focus! – “Look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own. The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had” (Phil. 2:4-5 TEV).

4. Lack of vision. – “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18 KJV).

5. Failure to set specific and measurable goals. – “We should make plans – counting on God to help us” (Prov. 16:9 TLB).

6. Allowing disappointments to derail us. – “No one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed” (Rom. 10:11 TLB).

7. Sinking in the sea of doubts. – “But I’m not the person for a job like that” (Ex. 3:11 TLB).

8. Falling victim to discouragement. – “He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you with great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you” (Zeph. 3:17 TLB).

9. Procrastinating instead of persisting. – “Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is ruin in a flood of empty words” (Eccl. 5:7 TLB)

Instead we need to:

10. Draw near to the Promise Giver and Keeper. – “When you draw close to God, God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and let your hearts be filled with God alone to make them pure and true to him” (James 4:8 TLB).

11. Stay in the Word. – The whole Bible “is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone” (2 Tim. 3:17 TLB).

12. Get to work. – “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Do not be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly” (1 Chron. 28:20 TLB).

13. Put on the armor and commit to what He is calling you to do – NOW! – “So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around” (1 Cor. 9:26 TLB).

Now you have every grace and blessing;
every spiritual gift and power
for doing his will are yours 
during this time of waiting
for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:7 TLB

It’s not too late to register for the July 29 – August 1 Greater Philliy Christian Writers Conference. A $15 late fee will automatically be added to your online registration on Thursday, July 23, so do it now. That’s a great motto for writers!

It’s also not too late to request free one-on-one appointments with our facuty of 53 authors, editors, agents, and publicists, but after July 22 you’ll need to schedule your appointments when you arrive. Appointments are 15 minutes long and give you the opportunity to pitch your idea to editors and agents and/or get helpful suggestions from professional authors.

I hope to see you there!