When under spiritual attack, Ephesians 6 reminds me to put on the entire armor of God. Why? To prepare me for battle so I’m still standing afterward. It took me a while to realize that attacks are just as real for writers. When I ask Christian writers why they are writing the response is usually one of the following: “God called me to write” or “God gave me the words to write.”
If this is true, then as writers, we must prepare for spiritual battle. Our words are powerful. Spoken words will last only if someone remembers what’s said. Written words can last forever. The story you penned today can impact generations to come. That’s a huge responsibility. No wonder we’re under attack.
I believe it’s important to put on your Writer’s Armor.
1. Stand your ground—whether fiction or non-fiction—and hold to God’s truth. We can’t compromise our beliefs. I worked with someone with questionable scenes in her manuscript. She believed the descriptions would help her sell books. I encouraged her to take them out. We can’t allow the world to define success. Compromising our beliefs will hurt our witness.
2. Hold firmly to your foundation as a writer. Learning how to write is just as important as writing. It is foundational. If you want your words to be represented well, develop your skills. Read books on writing. The Chicago Manual of Style is one book every writer should own and use. Are you in a critique group or around other writers who can sharpen your skills? What about writers’ conferences? Many are offering virtual classes. Here are a few to check out:
· Florida Christian Writers Conference: https://word-weavers.com/floridaevents
· Publishing in Color: https://publishingincolor.com/
· Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference: https://www.blueridgeconference.co
· Lancaster Christian Writers: www.lancasterchristianwriters.com
· West Coast Christian Writers: https://westcoastchristianwriters.com/
There are many more conferences to consider. With a little research, you’ll be able to find others.
3. The next piece of a writer’s armor is the shield of prayer. We need people praying for us and we need to pray for other writers. Did you know a shield is not a weapon but is used to cover and protect? If we’re not covered in prayers, we are not protected, and open ourselves to attacks. Try finding at least three people to pray for you and commit to praying for them as well.
If you’re not a part of a writer’s group, here’s one place you can search for critique groups: https://word-weavers.com/
4. Develop rhino skin. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the helmet of Salvation. The role of the helmet is to protect, and salvation is to save from danger, loss, or harm. As writers, we must develop rhino skin because we will face rejection of our manuscripts, unwarranted criticism, rejection, brutal editing, rejection, and roadblocks. Did I mention rejection? All writers face rejection multiple times, not just once or twice. Some will see it as a reason to quit and others a challenge not to give up. If you develop rhino skin—one of the toughest mammal skins in the world—be aware you will still bleed. The purpose of this armor is to protect you from words that would crush your spirit and kill the call God has on your writing.
5. Your words are your sword. God has given us a weapon that can give hope, crush wrong thinking, guide, direct, encourage, and allow others to realize they’re not alone in their situations. If we don’t
a. stand our ground
b. hold to God’s truth
c. hold firmly to our foundation
d. use the shield of prayer
e. develop rhino skin,
we may give up, lay down our sword, and silence the words God has given us.
If God has called us to be writers, then we must fight. Put on your Writer’s Armor to help get your words out and get them read.
You have the potential to change the world…one word at a time.
I know as a writer I’ve faced many difficulties in writing. Time limitations, other responsibilities, stress, fatigue, and depression, just to name a few. I’ve often asked God to give me the right circumstances to write. Most times what I’m dealing with multiples or I’m handling several issues at once.
When I’m under a spiritual attack I’m reminded in Ephesians 6 to put on the entire armor of God. Why? To prepare me for battle so after the battle, I’m still standing. It took me a while to realize that the attacks are just as real for writers. Almost always when I ask a Christian writer why they are writing the response is usually one of the following: God called me to write or God gave me the words to write.”
If this is true then, as writers, we must prepare to do spiritual battle. Our words are powerful. The spoken word will last only if someone remembers what’s said. The written word can last forever. The same stories you penned today can impact generations to come. That’s a huge responsibility. No wonder we’re under attack.
I believe it’s important to put on a Writer’s Armor.
We are to stand our ground—whether fiction or non-fiction—and hold to God’s truth. We can’t compromise our beliefs. I worked with someone who had questionable scenes in her manuscript. When I asked why she believed the descriptions would help better sell her book. I encouraged her to take them out. We can’t allow the world to dictate success. Compromising our beliefs will hurt our witness.
Take hold of the knowledge and foundation of being a writer. Learning how to write is just as important as writing. It is foundational. If you want your words to be represented well, then develop your skills. Read books on writing. The Chicago Manual of Style is one book every writer should own and use. Are you in a critique group or around other writers who can sharpen your skills? What about writers’ conferences? Many are offering virtual classes. Here are a few to check out:
· Florida Christian Writers Conference: https://word-weavers.com/floridaevents
· Publishing in Color: https://publishingincolor.com/
· Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference: https://www.blueridgeconference.co
· Lancaster Christian Writers: www.lancasterchristianwriters.com
· West Coast Christian Writers: https://westcoastchristianwriters.com/
There are many more conferences to consider. With a little research, you’ll be able to find others.
The next piece of a writer’s armor is the shield of prayer. We need people praying for us as well as we need to pray for other writers. Did you know a shield is not a weapon, but is used to cover and protect? If we’re not covered in prayers, we are not protected, and open ourselves to attacks. Try finding at least three people who can pray for you and commit to praying for other writers as well.
If you’re not a part of a writer’s group, here’s one place you can search for critique groups: https://word-weavers.com/
Develop rhino skin. The Bible passage tells us to put on the helmet of Salvation. The role of the helmet is to protect, and salvation is to save from danger, loss, or harm. As writers, we must develop rhino skin because we will face rejection of our manuscripts, unwarranted criticism, rejection, brutal editing, rejection, and roadblocks. Did I mention rejection? All writers face rejection multiple times, not just one or two. Some will see it as a reason to quit and others a challenge not to give up. If you develop rhino skin—one of the toughest mammal skins in the world—be aware you will still bleed. The purpose of this armor is to protect you from words that would crush your spirit and kill the call God has on your writing.
Lastly, your words are your sword. God has given us a weapon that can give hope, crush wrong thinking, guide, direct, encourage, and allow others to realize they’re not alone in their situations. If we don’t stand our ground and hold to God’s truth, embrace the knowledge and foundation of being a writer, use the shield of prayer, and develop rhino skin, then we may give up, lay down our sword, and silence the words God has given us.
If God has called us to be writers, then we must fight. Put on your Writer’s Armor to help get your words out and get them read.
You have the potential of changes the world…one word at a time.
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