5 Prayers For Christian Writersናሙና

Overcoming the Comparison Trap as a Christian Writer

The second area we want to break through is the obstacle of comparison. And what we mean by this is that “it's already been done.” How is what I'm writing any different than what's already been written before?

We look at bestsellers and see their stuff as the standard that our book is supposed to be. It's this whole thing of comparison and looking at others. And of course, we even see this dynamic multiplied with our social media. Can we get an amen?

Our Prayer…

“Father, we're coming to you with Galatians 6:4-5 (NLT) which says, “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

Father, we ask that this would be us as well, that we wouldn't need to compare ourselves to anyone else, but we would always look to you as our standard and also to you as the giver of any content that we write. And as verse five says, we are each responsible for our own conduct. And so, Father, we ask that each of us would truly be able to rest in the fact that we are responsible for our own conduct.

Help us not look to the left or to the right at other people and what they’re doing. May we not find ourselves comparing or slinking backward because we don't measure up to this author or that bestseller. Father, we pray against the whole spirit of comparison. And in the spirit of Hebrews 12:2 which is keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith. 

Father, we ask that each of us would fix our eyes on Jesus to such a degree that we don't even sense a need to compare. We just have our eyes fixed on you and we are coming to you for all of the inspiration that you want to give us in terms of what you want us to write. Whatever it may be, we come to you as our Source and we don't look to human beings as our source. You alone. 

We take authority right now over the spirit of comparison. We break it off each person reading this right now in Jesus’ name.

And we pray, Father, that you would flood each person right now with a joy and an excitement of what you have called them to specifically do in their writing. The picture that God gave me is that we are each a different flower. We're each a different plant. We are each a different color, a different variety. 

There's a quote that says, “A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.” I saw each one of you, each one of us blooming in the gifts, in the abilities, in what God is doing through us with his Spirit, blooming in joy, having joy and enjoying the process. 

Father, we thank you that we can bloom and that we don't have to compete. There's no competition in the Kingdom of God. It’s about collaboration. We're all on the same team. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”