Creatively Speaking…

This is a short excerpt from my book Christian Creativity to give you a boost for your dreams and goals in 2025.

What Quenches the Creative Fire?

Um … everything? Seriously, if you live on planet earth and have been here for more than a day, you have realized that it seems like nearly everything is designed to get in your way rather than help you along. Don’t forget that we face an enemy who wants to stop us at every turn. Why? Because every time a child of God wins, the devil takes a loss, and your job is to make sure that you cause him to lose a lot on a daily basis! But if you aren’t strong and equipped, it will be MUCH harder to resist him.

This is why it says in Ephesians 6:11 to:

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles [wicked schemes] of the devil.”

And James 4:7 says to:

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

The second verse is exceptionally powerful because it first tells us to RESIST the devil. This requires action on our part. The action is to resist. This term means to stand against. We stand against the devil as he tries to bring his lies and deceit into our daily lives. When he tells us we can’t, we say, “We can!” When he tells us we shouldn’t, we tell him, “We should!” When he tells us, "It’s no use,” we tell him, “You’re wrong! It is useful.” We must absolutely resist all words, deeds, and actions that come against us to try and quench the creative fire within us.

The LAST THING ON EARTH the devil wants is for you to be able to use your creativity and succeed. Why? Because GOD is creative, and whenever we show off our creativity, the devil is reminded that we are God’s children and not his. The devil cannot create ANYTHING, and he cannot stand anyone who can. He will do anything he can to stop you from being creative because achieving your desired goal means that he’s lost more market share in the human world. How great is it to know that your achievements not only give you an opportunity to advance into enemy territory, but also to put the enemy on his toes and cause him to freak out!

The creative fire is a fire that is controlled completely and totally by YOU. It will burn as brightly as you desire. It simply depends on what type of fuel you use and how often you feed it. If you fuel it with nothing—meaning you never work on your dream and hope that it will fuel itself—you will quickly realize that you are producing nothing. You’ll become like millions of others who WANTED to do something—something they’ve always dreamed of doing—but produced nothing simply because no effort was put into it. But if you are constantly fueling your fire, then it’s simply a matter of time until you see the results.

The fire of desire is a strong thing. It’s powerful. And it can be used to make great headway, provided you have the courage and strength to use it.

We fuel this fire in many different ways: observing others, taking classes, testing out different variations, practicing, listening to podcasts about the subject. You get the idea. Desire is a strong thing, but to keep yourself “fired up,” you’re going to have to make an effort to keep yourself connected to your dream.

Today is the day! Rekindle that fire and re-ignite the desire. It’s waiting for you. The Bible says that we reap what we sow (see Galatians 6:7). If all you sow are excuses, then that’s all you’re going to get in return.

Let 2025 be the year you fuel the fire of your creative dreams. Make a commitment to take one step toward igniting your passion and sowing into your God-given talent. 

Christian Creativity could be just what you need to take that step.

Art gives you power…use it wisely.

Butch Hartman

PS. Get some Danny Phantom or Fairly Oddparents merch while supplies last! Limited number of hoodies, bucket hats and t-shirts available.