The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
Why Your Response Determines Your Results
Facing life's challenges with humility can transform not just our circumstances, but also the very fabric of our hearts. Join me as I recount how difficult seasons in my life uncovered deep-rooted fears and hangups, leading to profound growth and maturity. By embracing humility over pride or self-pity, and drawing on biblical wisdom from James 4, we align with God's grace and unlock a path toward personal healing. We’ll discuss the pitfalls of victimhood and explore how faith, trust, and a mindset of gratitude can guide us through trials. Through scriptures like Psalm 37 and Romans 8:28, discover the assurance of God's ever-present guidance and the strength to overcome obstacles.
Artists, this one’s for you. Finding your footing in the creative world requires more than just talent; it requires community and connection. With encouragement as our foundation, we delve into the importance of building supportive networks and nurturing your creative spirit. As you embark on your artistic journey, remember you are chosen and supported by God to thrive. Let’s connect through social platforms and my website so we can continue to inspire and uplift each other. Share this message with fellow creatives who might need a boost, and together, let's walk this path of faith and creativity.
Join us inside the Created to Thrive Foundations Course and Community for just $27/mo at http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/foundations
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tama, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friend, it's Matt, so glad that you're with me on the podcast today. You know I am an artist just like you, living my life every day, working and selling my art and mentoring artists and all that sort of thing, and I know that in my life and in so many of the lives of artists that I have the privilege of walking with every day, I know that we all go through situations in our life, even seasons in our life, that are uncomfortable and trying, and sometimes just downright difficult, Like we don't like it, we don't know what to do with it, and I've learned, though, that how we respond in these seasons often reveals the true condition of what's really going on in our heart, in other words, our deepest fears, our deepest biggest hangups, and often to the things that we kind of instinctively turn to for comfort in times when we're uncomfortable and when we're in seasons that we don't like what's going on. But here's what I found If we will allow the Lord to use these moments of revelation when he's like, hey, I'm putting my finger on this thing, on your heart, I'm using this season of difficulty If we'll let him use those moments of revelation to expose in a good way areas of our lives where he wants to bring us into deeper places of healing and wholeness and maturity, that is a wonderful, wonderful thing. That's how growth happens in the kingdom. But here's what I know. I know it from my life and I know it from the artists that I work with.
Speaker 1:Our flesh doesn't like that, right. Our flesh naturally gravitates toward the extremes of either what I would call pride or pity right. We either end up defending ourselves to sort of try to prove our worth based on our own merits and all the things we've done and all this sort of thing, or, on the other hand, we just kind of collapse into an emotional puddle of of self-pity, and sometimes we even do both. I've been in both camps simultaneously sometimes. And, uh, I think we all know we can relate probably to that and and realize that neither one of those responses is a healthy response, right, and neither one of those responses actually leads to maturity and transformation, which is what we're all in the process of as we're walking with the Lord here on this earth.
Speaker 1:But here's the thing, and I want you to really get this today the older I get and the longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize that my response determines my results. I'm going to say that again my response in these situations determines the results that I see in my life. See, if I end up responding in pride and entitlement, then I got to end up defending that right and I got to provide for my own self and sustain my own self in my own strength. That was the curse of Adam and Eve and Cain and all of that right Any person in God's word who ended up separating themselves from the Lord because they thought they could do it. But what does James 4 say? James 4 says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. So I don't want to be walking proud. I don't want to be responding in pride and entitlement. I want to walk in humility, right.
Speaker 1:And what about if I respond in victimhood right, just in this puddle of self-pity? Well, when I do that, I also forfeit the good plans that God's got for me and you kind of resign yourself to this life of defeat. Things will always be like this. I'll never get over this. I'll never have another success. This was the big one, this was the one that pushed it over the edge and you just want to give up.
Speaker 1:But I want to remind you, you know, just like Job said, the thing that I feared has come upon me right. Just like it says in Proverbs 27, three or 23, seven. It says for as he thinks in his heart, so is he right. In other words, the thoughts that we dwell on create the world that we dwell in. If you are constantly focusing on and thinking about and declaring out of your mouth victimhood and and weakness and and fear and all this stuff, guess what ends up showing up in your life? That right, and we don't want that to take the place of the good plans that God has for us. We don't want to resign our life to defeat. We want to stand up and be able to walk in faith toward the things God has for us. But you know, I've learned that walking in faith doesn't always mean that you're like going out guns blazing, totally confident, like we're all, we're going to get it.
Speaker 1:I really believe it's more about humble maturity, right, and humble maturity responds to these kinds of situations differently. I believe humble maturity pauses, it breathes deeply. It's like, okay, lord, I'm going through this. I mean, I like it, but I'm going through it, jesus, right, and I'm choosing to trust you intentionally and during that sort of process, this kind of response. I think that the things that I'm trying to do are remind myself of some several things, right? Number one I want to remind myself that, hey, I'm here right now in this situation, not by accident, but by divine design, right?
Speaker 1:God's word says in Psalm 37, the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way. God knows right where I am, he's got his finger on the pulse of what is going on. Number two God's with me, he's within me and he's promised that he'll never leave me or forsake me. Right, he said that in Hebrews 13. So that's so important to realize that, where you are now, you're not alone. You're not there by mistake. You're not there, you know, because you know you're, you're weak or you didn't do something right or whatever it is. You're there because God is allowing you and allowing me to walk through both the good times and the bad in life. It rains on the just and on the unjust. Right Jesus said in this world you're going to have trouble. This is a normal part of living life. God knows right where you are. He's using all those things right Romans 8, 28. He's working all those things together for good. Why? Because he loves us and he's called us according to his purpose. He's got good plans for us, right, jeremiah 29, 11. I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord to prosper you, not to harm me, to give you a hope in a future.
Speaker 1:And you got to remember too in that that you can walk through anything that comes your way. Why? Not because of your resume, not because of the results you've had in your life, not because you're so desperate that only God can save you. No, you're walking through anything that comes in your way in your life because you are here, because of his permission, because of his power, because of his purpose in your life. Remember, philippians 4.13 says I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Speaker 1:Listen, I don't know about you, but that stuff didn't come just naturally out of me. I've got to stir myself up in the Lord, I got to remind myself. Now, listen, the more you walk with the Lord, the more you put his word in your heart. The promise is true, right. His word does not return void. His word goes in and, with the Holy Spirit, is transforming you and I from the inside out.
Speaker 1:But I'm just telling you, these are intentional things that you got to turn your heart toward, to, and when you're going through these situations of life that are difficult, even these seasons of life that you don't like, it's so easy just to melt into a puddle or to give up or just to yield to whatever's happening. But I'm telling you, like David, you got to pull yourself up by the scruff of your neck and say why so downcast? Oh my soul, put your hope in God. I'm not here on accident. I'm here by divine appointment. God's with me. He's not going to leave me or forsake me. I could walk through anything that comes my way because he is on my side and no matter what happens good, bad or ugly he is working all things together for my good because he loves me. He's called me to his purposes. He's got good plans for me.
Speaker 1:Listen, I love the verse in John 15, 16, that says you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. You know how you bear fruit Not by your own works. You produce fruit in your life by staying connected to the vine. When you're connected to the vine, when you cultivate connection with the Lord and you keep that flow of his voice and his presence open in your life, fruit is the natural result. And so, listen, with a yes on my lip and a thank you in my heart, right Every day, you got to get up and you got to keep walking, not because you're qualified, not because you're doing it all right, not because you're this or that, you're talented or you're whatever is.
Speaker 1:Because you're his child, you're his son, you're his daughter. He's chosen you and he's promised to walk with you through whatever you're going through and to use it for your good, to mature you and to bring you into every good thing that he has for you. My friend, I pray that you would rub this in. Listen to this over and over and over, share it with a friend, because, listen, if you don't get this, you will not mature in the Lord, I promise you. But if you'll start getting this just day by day, and start turning your heart toward the Lord, checking your responses so that you can get the results that you want in your life.
Speaker 1:I promise you, god's word doesn't return void. He's faithful when you turn to him. When you respond to the Lord in the way that the Lord has outlined in his word through faith, through focus on him, through declaring his goodness, through remembering that he's with you, I promise you you will see change. You will see faith grow, you'll see maturity grow. You'll see results and a difference in your life because you chose to align your heart and mind with the truth of God's word and with how the kingdom of God is designed to work in your life.
Speaker 1:I love you, my friend. I hope this is an encouragement to you. If it is, make sure that you're subscribed, make sure that you share it with a friend and remember until next time. You were created to thrive. Bye, hey. Thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast Listen. I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember you were created to thrive. Bye-bye.