7 GUIDELINES FOR FAITH AND INSPIRATIONAL WRITING (What to Avoid)

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Edith Ohaja

Introduction

Faith and inspirational writing requires the greatest care and prayer. Being the kind of writing that should stir people at the most fundamental level- spiritually- it should never be handled in a fleshly fashion. It is not only what you say that matters but how and when you say it.

In this post, therefore, I present 7 guidelines for faith and inspirational writing, which may actually be all or most of the writing Christians do. Whether you are a blogger, a pastor or professional writer composing Bible studies, short stories, novels, poems, whatever, these guides will come in handy. They specifically show what to avoid in the kind of writing that you do- writing that is meant to uplift and energise people.

I actually learnt these guides from God as I tried to speak on His behalf in my own writing- offering comfort, encouragement and strength to my readers (1 Corinthians 14:3).

The learning process continues though and I am constantly reminded when sometimes I work by my feelings or intellect to adhere to these guidelines.

I will use the second person direct address below but bear in mind that I’m also talking to myself.

7 Guidelines on What to Avoid in Faith and Inspirational Writing

1. Focus on self

Do not make yourself the centre of your writing always. There may be good examples from your life, your sermons, books and lectures concerning your subject, but avoid the temptation of always quoting yourself and using yourself to validate your message.

Rather, refer to the Bible, other people (especially Christians). Remember that it is not all about you but about the Lord Jesus and bringing His voice, His power to a needy world. As John the Baptist declared in John 3:30 (KJV), “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Otherwise, you may dim or distract the focus from Jesus when you plaster your pictures all over your writings, quote yourself at every turn and tell endless stories of your encounters and exploits. As gifted and anointed as you may be, only Jesus can save. If you stand in the way, He will be unable to reach your readers maximally through you.

2. A simplistic presentation

Life is often complicated and messy. Problems can be caused by multiple factors and some solutions can touch part, not the whole, of those problems. You need to reflect that in your writing and constantly qualify your assertions.

Some people magnify whatever they are addressing at the moment as either the greatest of problems or the antidote to every trouble. Today, they say that faith is all you need; tomorrow, they switch to grace, and so on. Each of these is important, but none is exclusively the THING that will change anyone’s entire situation.

Sometimes, people also offer a cheap gospel that promises the end to all of one’s troubles once they confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. That is not the true gospel.

Temptations and trials will come but we are to carry our cross and follow Christ. In fact, some Christians will tell you that things were a lot easier for them before they got saved or began serving God actively. That is when the devil fights the most in order to discourage believers and get them to fall out of faith. This is why the Lord Jesus told us this:

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (KJV)

3. A superior, patronising tone or attitude

Do not place yourself above your readers. Whether you are addressing the saved or unsaved, remember that you are nothing without the grace of God. Look at how Paul, one of the foremost apostles described himself far into his ministry:

“15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” – 1 Timothy 1: 15-16 (NIV)[emphasis, mine]

This is why it is often advisable to confess your own failings and sometimes use the first person plural “we” in admonishing better conduct:

“We should set a good example …

“We should avoid dishonest pursuit of money …”

Do not present yourself as a sinless and perfect being, looking down from the heavenlies on corrupt humanity. Here is a guide from Paul again:

“12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Phillipians 3:12-14 (NLT)

4. Caustic or condemning language and flippancy

You have no right to flay anyone in particular or your readers in general, except the Lord specifically gives you those words to call out dastardly and unconscionable acts.

But some inspirational or motivational writers habitually excoriate their readers for all manner of wrongdoing or mistakes, including petty ones. For example, a writer called readers looking for the wrong qualities in a spouse (such as wealth, rather than character) goats/animals. She actually did so in different languages!

Unless you’re seeking notoriety and you want the public to heap abuses on you, do not use insulting or condemning language on them.

That does not mean you should gloss over evil, but speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Fill your writing with grace and kindness (Colossians 4:6).

Related to the foregoing is flippancy- not being empathetic enough or sounding dismissive of people’s concerns and troubles. It is easy to casually hurt people in your writing when you are ignorant of their experiences.

This is why you should not address anything you have not laboured in prayer about. It is in the place of prayer that God gives you wisdom and insight into people’s situations even though you may never have personally been in their shoes.

The empathy borne out of such prayer and research helps you to acknowledge their struggles and speak to their needs.

If you invite Him, the Holy Spirit will inspire you to speak understanding and strike a chord with your readers. Say, for instance, you’re writing about drug addiction but have never been an addict or cared for one, don’t say stuff like: “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Stay away from drugs and alcohol or ruin your life. Simple as that!”

Not everyone became an addict through recreational use of drugs, some were compelled to use drugs to relieve mind-numbing pain from accidents or terminal illnesses. Even if they made the mistake of experimenting with drugs, it does not diminish their struggles or the enormity of the beasts they’re fighting.

5. Vulgar or indecent language

Your writing should generally be wholesome and elevate, rather than, debase your readers. Avoid curses, oaths, blasphemy and other language that is in poor taste in your writing.

However, since we’re living in a fallen world where vulgar language seems to be getting ubiquitous, you can include some of it in your writing to demonstrate the reality we are constantly faced with in the world. For instance, not all characters in your stories will be saved and their language holy. You may need to have a sleazy person/s converse in your story, but you don’t swim in that filth and corrupt your readers with it by overwhelming your work with it.

6. Ill-timed admonitions and analyses

The Bible states in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that there is a time for everything. So it is for that message you want to share. There is a time for it. Pray before you launch into it and ask yourself, “Is this the time for this message?” It may be an important message quite alright, but it also needs to be delivered at the proper time.

On Sunday, June 6, 2021, Nigerians and the rest of the world woke up to the news that the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and Emmanuel TV Network, TB Joshua, was dead!

The news devastated many of his followers in different countries as it was most unexpected (he had preached in a service on the evening of Saturday, June 5, and died in the night). Whatever doctrinal differences we may have with TB Joshua, this is not the time to x-ray them and pass judgment on whether he was a true or false prophet.

This is the time to speak comfort and strength to his followers, friends and family. The kind of disconsolate weeping I saw on video, the devastation and incredulity on the faces of the teeming numbers that gathered before SCOAN in Lagos is what we should be ministering to now.

I think The Record newspaper hit the right note in its story about his death (cited at the end of this post).

Similarly, when Dunamis International Gospel Centre opened its 100,000-seater auditorium in Abuja in 2018, said to be the largest church auditorium in the world then, people began to talk about the church not being the building and how ministers should take care of their members, rather than building mighty cathedrals! They pointed to Turkey where after over a thousand years of Christianity, many of the cathedrals are empty and abandoned because Islam has overtaken the country. Wonderful message, but in my view, wrong timing!

The Bible said we should rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. There will be more auspicious moments to talk about whether TB Joshua preached the true gospel or a watered down, humanitarian version that is not peculiar to Christianity, just as I argued in the case of Dunamis that there will be times to stress the need for caring for the flock and doing more in that regard.

7. Precluding hope and redemption

As a faith and inspirational writer, one should not portray evil without bringing in the possibility that the transformative power of God can work in many situations where the individuals involved choose to allow it. The presentation of evil as inexorable and inescapable and tragedy as always looming and overtaking people is doing the devil’s work, if you ask me, because it browbeats readers and makes them see life as hopeless and meaningless.

This reminds me of an incident that happened some years ago when my niece, Blessing, was about six years old. We were watching a movie (something from the Orient, very fatalistic). At some point, she started crying and said she wasn’t watching anymore. She began to mention some of the characters and lamented that they were all dead. She was so distraught and she asked, “Is everyone going to die?” I think we agreed with her that the picture was too bleak.

Acknowledge God in your writings and demonstrate the difference that His power and a personal relationship with Him can make, not by promoting the fantasy notion of a life without trouble or good always triumphing over evil, but by showing that beyond immediate outcomes, God is often behind the scenes orchestrating affairs in the lives of His children for ultimate good (Romans 8:28). And that He does show up sometimes to prove His sovereignty and put the devil in his place.

Conclusion

Faith and inspirational writing is sorely needed in the world today. As bloggers, pastors, essayists, novelists and whatever other class of Christian writers we are, we can affect humanity for God and His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, when we let His Spirit work through us so that our writing avoids the pitfalls identified above.

May God multiply grace upon you as you do this in Jesus’ name.

Mass Mourning As Popular Prophet, TB Joshua, Dies At 57
https://therecordunn.com/mass-mourning-as-popular-prophet-tb-joshua-dies-at-57-277