The Words I Write

Go now, and I will be there to give you the words to speak; I will tell you what to say. (Exodus 4:12 VOICE) 

Being a writer isn’t good enough anymore. Crafting stories to entertain readers isn’t as fulfilling as I it once was. There are thousands upon thousands of writers out there way better at fiction than me. Many writers more successful with more eager, adoring fans. And glowing reviews. And a higher position on the charts.

Pick up any book, romance or not, and honestly, they don’t interest me a great deal. Anyone can craft a story, given enough study and research and the goal to do it. I can come up with a plot and characters in two breaths.

So what.

I got into this career with a nonfiction book I published through my mother’s ministry. I wanted to help someone like me, someone searching for peace. My writing efforts turned into fiction after that through the encouragement of others. It seemed natural. I was a reader. I have a ton of books under my belt. How perfect to take what I like to do and turn it into something profitable.

But I forgot an important element of it. I am not like every other writer. I can never be simply someone who writes fiction. I am not just a romance author. I am a child of God. I am a born again, Spirit-filled woman, a Christian, and even in writing … especially in writing … that comes first.

The disciple John penned, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Jn 1:13)

My salvation is of the will of God. The rebirth of my heart from darkness to light didn’t come from anything I did, but from God’s grace. So, everything I am today – a daughter, a wife, a mother, a writer – belongs to God.

My books come from God. Any devotionals, any writing advice, any stories are God’s. Every word I speak, every word I write belongs to God.

Balaam (to Balak): Well, I’m here now. But do you think I can say whatever I please? I can only say what God tells me to say. God puts the words in my mouth. (Num 22:38 VOICE)

I have learned God’s voice through daily prayer and the reading of His Word. I hear the Good Shepherd speaking through the Holy Ghost in me, and I write what He says, or I don’t write at all. Anything. This is not to say I haven’t gotten into my head on occasion and scratched out stories. I have. I’ve also grown in my faith and that has changed how I write and what I write.

David: The Spirit of the Eternal speaks through me; His voice emerges from my mouth. (2Sam 23:2 VOICE)

Psalm 19:4 says, “May the words that come out of my mouth and the musings of my heart meet with Your gracious approval, O Eternal, my Rock, O Eternal, my Redeemer.” (VOICE)

This is my prayer. May that character, that couple, that storyline, that crazy-outlandish idea always come from God, always meet with His approval, always carry with it His power of salvation.

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There are no idle words anymore. (Mt 12:36) I can’t just spout out anything, carelessly, and hope it finds success. Because I’m not like everyone else. What I pen reflects Him.

His Words are spirit and they are life. (Jn 6:63) My words must do the same.

I feel the weight of this every single day, every time I sit down and place my fingers on the keys, there it is again, God urging me to hear. To obey. To walk circumspectly. (Eph 5:15)

Guard my mouth, O Eternal One; control what I say. Keep a careful watch on every word I speak. (Ps 141:3 VOICE)

It’s more than having a message, more than sharing my ideals. More than, “She goes to church,” or “That’s how she was raised.” Christ is in me. The Anointed One and the power that raised Him from the dead. The Word that was in the beginning. The faith that created the earth and all that exists. (Gal 2:20; Jn 1:1; Col 1:16)

His power that forgives and heals and mends and soothes. With my words I can bless. With my words I can condemn. (Mt 12:37) Help me never do that to anyone. Because people around me need Him, and I am responsible to that. I am called for these words He has prepared me to write. Whether it’s romance or not. Especially if it’s romance.

Even then, God was preparing my mouth to speak like a sharp sword. He kept my purpose quiet, kept me safe in the shadow of His hand, He crafted me into a sharp-tipped arrow and tucked me away in His quiver. (Is 49:2 VOICE)

David said in the psalms that God knew him from his mother’s womb. (Ps 139:13, 18) He knew the boy guarding the sheep. He saw his heart and anointed him to be king of Israel. (1Sa 16:7) He chose him as the lineage of Joseph, the father-figure of Jesus, His Son, and protected that ancestry over thousands of years.

How magnificent that thought is.

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What did God see in me that He trusted me with His message? What did the girl reading books about faraway places, the young woman crying out for Him in the darkest night, have that He planned to use? Even when she didn’t know it. Wasn’t dedicated to it. Was far from Him.

And please pray for me. Pray that truth will be with me before I even open my mouth. Ask the Spirit to guide me while I boldly defend the mystery that is the good news. (Eph 6:19 VOICE)

Holy Spirit guide me. Take what’s in my heart, the precious things of God, and give me the words to share them. I ask that one person be changed because they see You in me. Because what I speak, what I write, is Yours. Forever.

If you’re called upon to talk, speak as though God put the words in your mouth; if you’re called upon to serve others, serve as though you had the strength of God behind you. In these ways, God may be glorified in all you do through Jesus the Anointed, to whom belongs glory and power, now and forever. Amen. (1Pe 4:11 VOICE)

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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.feelgoodromance.com
https://sdwauthor.blogspot.com/