When God called me to write, I knew if I wanted to be effective for Him, I had to write out of my relationship with Christ. And what could be better than marrying my passion for words with my passion for Jesus?

Sadly, after a few years in ministry, my love for Christ was overshadowed by building a bigger platform. After all, I had repeatedly heard that’s what successful Christian authors and speakers do. They write a lot of books, build their e-mail lists, and make money so they can fund their ministries to reach more people for Christ.

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing bad about wanting to reach people for Christ; there is something wrong with loving your mission more than you love the Messiah. There is something wrong with being led by your own goals instead of being led by the Spirit. Because, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

If goals or outcomes become our idols, we are out of God’s will. If our dreams are more important to us than the One who gave us the dreams, we are serving out of the wrong motives.

As a result of pushing my agenda more than listening to God, I experienced burn out. During this difficult time, He reminded me He isn’t interested in me doing good things for Him more than He is interested in knowing me. He wants me for me, not for what I can do for Him.

In quiet moments with Him, He kept whispering to my spirit “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). I had come full circle. I remembered He is the very life in my words. Producing words cannot be my goal. Building a platform cannot be my goal. Knowing Him intimately must be my goal–and if I abide in Him, He will give me the right words to share. And, He will expand my ministry if it is His will. What a refreshing reminder!

I recently read an interview titled, It’s Not About the Dream with Phil Vischer, founder and former CEO of VeggieTales. Before his multi-million dollar company went bankrupt, Phil also made the mistake of making his dream more important than knowing Christ. On the backside of this difficulty, Phil has a new perspective.

“We’re drinking a cocktail that’s a mix of the Protestant work ethic, the American dream, and the gospel. And we’ve intertwined them so completely that we can’t tell them apart anymore. Our gospel has become a gospel of following your dreams and being good so God will make all your dreams come true. So I had to peel that apart. I realized I’m not supposed to be pursuing impact, I’m supposed to be pursuing God. And when I pursue God I will have exactly as much impact as He wants me to have.”

This doesn’t mean we sit around and do nothing. We are co-laborers with Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9). But He must be our greatest love, and when He is, we will be led by Him, we will keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) and He will use us according to His will.

Do you believe if Christ is your greatest love, He will make sure you fulfill His plans for your life? I encourage you to make Him your priority today. He is all you need to be all He has called you to be.

Additional Resources

You were made by God and for God.  It is only in God we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. The Blueprint for Life eight week study is designed to help you determine what God’s will is for your life. It features weekly Bible study lessons and has 10 audio messages from Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Tony Evans, John Maxwell and others.  CLICK HERE to check it out!