The Pursuit of Creativity - Jemima Varughese

I often get asked, “how do I be more creative?” or “how do I inspire myself creatively?” These questions are not bad, but reveal how we think about creativity, that it is some kind of special talent that we have to strive to obtain. The reality is we are all creative because we take after our Creator, the master of creativity. Genesis 5:1 talks about how we are made in the image of God, and if that is the case, we have the ability to be creative as He is! Have you seen the way God puts colour schemes together on birds, how He shapes the beautiful fluffy clouds, or how He made sand and water come together to create a calming peaceful beach? He is CREATIVE and He made us creative! 

So, whether you’re a mother working out how you can use creativity to get your kids to eat vegetables, or a production assistant seeking ideas on how to hide the cables on a set, or an executive manager trying to come up with creative ways to inspire your team... no matter what role we play, we all need creative ideas to assist us! 

So then, how do we get more creative? 

I recently had a conversation with our media team and we discussed this very issue. 

"So now, beloved ones, stand firm and secure. Live your lives with unshakable confidence. We know that we prosper and excel in every season by serving the Lord because we are assured that our union with the Lord makes our labour productive with fruit that endures."  1 Corinthians 15:58 (TPT) 

In this letter, Paul is telling us about the secret to being successful. In the context of creativity, it’s the secret ingredient to boundary-breaking ideas, concepts, designs that have only been seen in heaven. This verse is like a roadmap to prospering and exceling in every season.  It starts with a union with the Lord, which gives us the ability to produce work, which then has an outcome that lasts – “fruit that endures”.   

Union with the Lord creates a funnel in which creative ideas can be downloaded to us from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the key to creativity is union with the Lord, it’s intimacy with the Holy Spirit.  It’s about letting go of control and allowing God to take control. It’s about allowing Him to be the loudest voice in our ears. It’s being so tight with God that He can just breath on us ideas for colours, notes, designs, angles, fonts, titles, technology and so much more.   

 I remember I was praying one morning, and I asked the Lord if there was anything we could do better to close the distance between our physical locations for our online conference. I asked that if there was, would He reveal it to us. That afternoon, after a long day in the studio, someone from our team was playing around with our video switcher and we discovered we could have our conference hosts from 2 different nations on the same screen looking like they were in the same room. This may not sound like a big deal, but for us, it was just that step closer to closing the gap of distance in a season of lockdown where we could not be together physically. Through this small discovery with technology, it brought us all closer together. After getting over the excitement, I was packing up to go home and I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit remind me of my prayer that morning. I immediately thanked him for letting us discover this. Nothing beats Holy Spirit-breathed ideas. 

 So, our number 1 goal is to not be prosperous or excellent, but to have a strong union with the Lord. Union is intimacy, a tightness with God, then the fruit of our labour endures which means producing creative projects that changes people’s lives forever.   

Here are 3 ways to strengthen our intimacy with God. 

1. Spend quality time with God  

Intimacy with God is more than just checking a box of things we need to do. It's about spending time with the Creator of the universe that yearns to know us. The more we just sit in His presence, the more we discover who our God is and how He is interested in every aspect of our lives. It is such a delight to share ideas and projects with Him and listen to His small voice drop thoughts and ideas back. By inviting the Lord’s presence to fill our imagination, we are opening ourselves up to keys of creativity that have only been seen in heaven. 

2. Read your Bible  

The Bible is made of the greatest poetry, wisdom, and epics that were ever written! The Bible is a living library and the only literature that invites us to meet the Author and in return, transforms us. The Creator of the universe, the one that hung the stars in the sky invites you and me to converse with Him through His Word every day.  

3. Partner with the Holy Spirit  

Something happens when we begin to speak the language of heaven – our faith rises, while doubt and sluggishness take a backseat. We can download the mind of Christ into our spirit, giving us the ability to see and hear the way the Holy Spirit does. From working with the sound desk to creating room for others to experience God, we need to make sure that we submerge ourselves with prayer and invite the Holy Spirit to lead us.  

If we collectively start accessing the creativity that is stored up in heaven, the world may stop and take note. Perhaps the church of Jesus could then take the lead, where the creatives come to us for ideas rather than the other way round. 

Let me pray this over you, receive this blessing over your life and for your next creative endeavour.  

“Lord, thank You that You are the ultimate creative. I thank You for Your love and I pray that You place a hunger in us to meet with You daily. I ask that Your steady hand would be over everything we create to impact the world for You. Help us to encounter You in every day and every moment. We submit our mind to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”  

Devotional by Jemima Varughese 

Jemima is married to Mark and leads Kingdomcity Communications Ltd. They have two sons, Zeke and Caleb.