I must be rested, fresh, and alert to do creative work. Sleep, exercise, and diet all play a part. So does Bible study and prayer.

But even when I’m physically ready to work, the creative task would intimidate me if I let it.  Writing involves uncertainty and self-doubt. Even after all these songs, books, and articles, I never feel confident that I can do it again. Never!

Writing involves making tough decisions, one after another. Who enjoys making difficult decisions? No one! Certainly not me!

Because writing is intimidating, it would be easy to fall prey to procrastination. There’s always the temptation to fill your time with something less demanding just this once. Excuses and self-deceit are far easier than writing.

But every writing time is a God-given opportunity, and I avoid wasting them by taking three simple steps:

1.       Plan. Establish a reasonable schedule and stick to it. I love routine, and I’ve read that many creative people do. Other obligations sometimes intrude on my writing time. On rare occasions I even schedule a little time off. But I never skip writing on a whim. Never! I keep to my routine.

2.       Pray. As I approach time to write, I tell the Lord honestly that I can only do what He enables me to do. I lean on Him. I make myself available to Him.

3.       Begin. When it’s time to write, I sit down and start. I don’t wait for inspiration, and I don’t wait to feel like it. I’ve found that if I begin, God will be faithful to help me. But He can’t work through me until I begin working. Starting is that step of faith that I have to take, trusting that He’ll be there to help me.