Have you felt like you missed your chance with your writing? Or do you feel behind?
In this episode of our Breakthrough series, CJ and I are going to help you as Kingdom Writers overcome this obstacle of regret. What makes this series different than most training for writers is that we integrate the powerful combination of Scripture and prayer to help you breakthrough the obstacles holding you back.
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Notes from this episode:
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11
- Nothing is ever wasted in the kingdom of God.
- God can do more in one moment than we can achieve in a lifetime.
- Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
- We mentioned in the last episode that the enemy hates beginnings and works hard to nip a beginning in the bud. He actually loves pasts and takes every opportunity to remind us of our failures or regrets.
- Philippians 3:13 – “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,”
- Athletes are taught to have short memories and move on to the next play. They can’t erase a previous mistake but they can learn from it for future plays
- 1 John 1:9 – “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
- Talk about Psalm 32:1-5 (don’t need to read it). Refer to vs. 4 in TPT and how it can relate to our writing life drying up when we live in regret. “The pain never let up, for your hand of conviction was heavy on my heart. My strength was sapped, my inner life dried up like a spiritual drought within my soul.”
- Regret implies an uneasiness about something in the past. We’re not proud of something in our past. But repentance is turning from that thing we’re not proud of and turning to a forgiving Father.
- Peter regretted (“wept bitterly”) denying Jesus but repented and moved forward.
- Judas also regretted (“filled with remorse”) betraying Jesus but instead of repenting, he killed himself.
- When we choose to stay in the uneasiness of regret, we are choosing the way of Judas and harming ourselves. In a way, we are killing our writing by staying in regret.
- “Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.” – Fulton Oursler
- Jesus is in the restoration business as evidenced with Peter
- The Forgiveness Cross: asking God’s forgiveness, forgiving others and forgiving ourselves (fully receiving God’s forgiveness)
- Zechariah 4:10 “Do not despise small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”
- There are no regrets in the kingdom. Just hope.
Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
The truth:
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Prayer for Letting Go of Writing Regrets
Transcript of the prayer:
The tenth area that we want to look at and see a breakthrough in is that whole area of regret. In other words, I missed my chance. I feel behind.
What’s the use?
CJ: I have to admit and I’ll share my own testimony that this has been me. I hadn’t published a book since 2016 which was my book Smoothies for Runners 2.0. Went through a period where I got really busy with a running coach business and I was also putting lots of time into my own training as a competitive runner.
I enjoyed it. It was a great season. But I kept feeling like there’s something else that I know God wants to write through me.
Yet when I set about to begin on the next book on prayer (which is about ready to be published) I sat there and I said to Shelley, “You know what? I think I missed my chance. There was a window there that I probably let pass. I’m probably not going to write anything very significant.”
It was almost like I was putting myself out to pasture. And I’m only 46 but thinking I’m done. I have nothing more to give. Nothing more to contribute.
Yeah. Kind of crazy. But now I’m feeling like the Lord has opened up more flow in my life. And also helped me dismiss this regret of wasted time that I could have been practicing the writing process.
There are no regrets in Christ. Philippians 3:13 says, “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.” And also 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
“Lord, I pray for anyone out there dealing with this whole thing of regret. They’ve been in the quicksand of regret, they just can’t move. Stuck and they find themselves sinking deeper. Lord, I pray that they would reach up and grab your hand and allow you to pull them up out of that regret.
I even picture a city. You’re going through the city of regret. Don’t stay there. Keep moving forward. You don’t want to stay in that city too long because it’s just a paralyzing city.
Lord, I pray that you would allow people to walk in freedom to rest in the truth that we can forget the past and we can actually move forward in the calling that you have for our lives. And that again, as we’ve said previously, you can redeem the time. You can restore what the locusts have eaten.
Lord, I pray regarding the previous one, the writer’s block. I connect it to First John. If there’s anything that’s between us, Lord, if there’s anything we need to confess, if there’s anything that’s just not allowing a smooth flow of your Holy Spirit between us and you, that connection. If there’s a disconnect in any way, I pray that you’d reveal it to each of us and that we would be able to confess it, get it out, but then move on in the cleansing that we have in Christ.
I pray for each and every one of these writers that have been in that city of regret. I pray that you’d allow them to move out of there and move into their calling and the excitement that brings. And we ask this in Jesus’ name.
The picture that I got is for some people who are listening. They received an envelope and they know there’s a coupon inside. But it’s been years and years and years. They are 100% sure that the coupon has expired. It’s done. They can’t use it anymore. So, they don’t even open the envelope to see.
But what they don’t know is there is no expiration date on the coupon. It is time to use that coupon. It’s never too late. Now is the time and there is no expiration date on what God has for you. He can do more in one moment than we can do in a lifetime. God took Joseph from the prison to the palace in one day. And He can do more in one day than you can ever imagine.
Just because it may have been months or years that have passed and you haven’t been marketing your book or writing your book or doing anything, there is something there still for you. Take that envelope right now and open it and claim that coupon. Claim what God has for you and move forward today in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Free Download: 15 Prayers for Christian Writers
Download the PDF transcript of all 15 Prayers for Christian Writers, here:
https://www.trainingauthors.com/breakthrough/
Share Your Breakthroughs
Share what impacted you from this post and any breakthroughs God gave you as a result in the comments below.
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