August 26, 2025 • 31 mins
Ready to transform your creative process? Discover the counterintuitive truth that boundaries—far from stifling your artistry—actually amplify and accelerate your creative anointing. As artists, we often resist structure, clinging to the romantic notion that true creativity requires absolute freedom. Yet this episode reveals how sacred guardrails around your creative practice can channel your artistic energy into its most powerful expression.
Matt Tommey draws from 30+ years of artistic experience and scriptural wisdom to explain how boundaries concentrate rather than constrain your creative potential. "If your creative calling was important enough for God to give it to you," he explains, "it's important enough for you to set boundaries around it." This perspective shifts boundaries from burdens to blessings—protecting spaces where your creative anointing can thrive.
You'll learn practical strategies for establishing three essential types of boundaries: time boundaries that protect dedicated creative hours, energy boundaries that recognize when your creative potential peaks, and content boundaries that prevent "creative dabbling" and develop artistic mastery. These aren't arbitrary restrictions but intentional decisions that honor the creative calling God has placed on your life.
The most fulfilled and effective seasons in your creative journey will come when you understand that, like a river needs banks to channel its power, your creativity needs boundaries to focus its impact. As Psalm 16:6 reminds us, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." Stop being an "every now and then" artist and start establishing the sacred guardrails that will amplify your creative anointing.
Ready to transform your creative practice? Purchase you Core4 Focus Planner at https://www.matttommeymentoring.com/core4 and join our global community of thriving Christian artists who are discovering the freedom that comes through focused, intentional creativity.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So what if I told you that the secret to unlocking
your best creative flow isactually not more freedom, it's
actually boundaries.
You know, as a believer, weunderstand that our freedom
comes in Christ, but it has tobe stewarded well in our life.
And that stewardship comes withboundaries and boundaries.
For a lot of us artists, theycan seem like shackles.
(00:22):
They're actually what allows usto have safeguards in our life,
to amplify the creativeanointing on our life.
We're going to dive into all ofthat and give you some
practical steps on how you canstart co-laboring with the Lord
to amplify the creativeanointing on your life.
Today, on the Thriving ChristianArtist.
All over the world, artists areawakening Painters and potters,
(00:50):
writers and weavers, poets anddancers not chasing followers or
fame, but sons and daughterscalled for such a time as this,
transformed from the inside out,creating with purpose,
releasing the glory of God andliving in the power of the
kingdom.
Right now, this is the ThrivingChristian Artist.
Well, hey, my friends, superglad that you're back with me
here on the channel, whether itis your first time, first time
in a long time, or whetheryou're a regular listener or
(01:11):
viewer, I'm really, really gladyou're here.
Make sure you hit the subscribebutton so you never miss any of
the great content that I'mputting out every week all about
helping artists thrive ineverything that God's called
them to do.
Now, listen, I know today'ssubject may be something that
you're like, matt.
This does not seem like what wedo as artists.
You know, we're kind of taughtas artists to go with the wind
(01:33):
and go where inspiration takesus and live this life of freedom
and everything.
But I really want you tochallenge this idea that maybe
you've had in your life thatsomehow that boundaries are
negative and that freedom justmeans that you're kind of
flowing with the wind.
A lot of times people think, ascreatives we think that
boundaries equal creative death.
(01:55):
It's, you know, this idea ofdon't fence me in.
I got to be who I am and dowhat I'm called to do, and I
just want to flow with what theHoly Spirit's, you know, telling
me to do.
Listen, there's nothing wrongwith that.
But I want you to understandthe other side of that, that
true freedom is not the absenceof limits or the absence of any
boundaries in your life.
It is actually the presence ofthe right ones.
(02:17):
And when you learn what healthyboundaries are in your life and
how to begin to steward thecreative calling of God on your
life.
It actually amplifies andaccelerate what God wants to do
in and through your life.
As an artist, you know I alwayslove to go back to scripture and
everything that we talk about,and today I want to jump into 1
(02:38):
Corinthians, 10, 23,.
And it says this everything ispermissible, but not everything
is beneficial.
Everything is permissible butnot everything builds up.
Listen, one of the things thatwe know in Christ is that we
have freedom.
Right when the spirit of theLord is there is there's liberty
, there's freedom.
(02:59):
But as children of God, as sonsand daughters, we get a choice.
God doesn't come down and justsay, no, you have to do it this
way and you have to do it thatway, and here's the rules, and
and follow the rules.
No, he says, hey, here's a roadover here, and here's a road
over here.
You can.
You can take all of this, thisincredible anointing that I've
given you, creatively andartistically, and you can.
(03:20):
You can steward it well, or youcan just kind of do what you
want to willy nilly, and both ofthose right, both of those have
results in their life.
Now you may be saying, well, Idon't want to be not stewarding
what God has in my life, I wantto, you know, be stewarding it
well.
Well, the only way that youknow if you're stewarding it
(03:42):
well or not is to actually lookat the fruit of your life.
Right and so if you took aminute right now, just you and
the Lord, and you looked at yourlife and you looked at the
creative gifting that he's givenyou, that he's invested in you
since the day that you were born, if you were honest, would you
say that you've been stewardingthat well, or that you've just
(04:04):
kind of been treating it hit andmiss.
You've just been what I call anENT artist.
Right, every now and thenartist, you've just been kind of
doing it when you felt like it.
You've been letting it, youknow, get pushed to the bottom
of the pile of priorities.
You've heard me say many timeson the podcast, on videos and
books.
I love to say that if yourcreative calling was important
(04:26):
enough for God to give it to you, it's important enough for you
to focus on.
And I'll take that one stepfurther today.
I'll say if your creativecalling was important enough for
God to give it to you.
It's important enough for youto set boundaries around it so
that you can give the focus andthe attention and the resources
and the energies that itdeserves.
(04:47):
See boundaries the way Goddesigns boundaries, the way God
offers us to include boundariesin our life.
They're for our good, right.
They're designed to keep ourcreative focus and our creative
passion and energy and resourcespure and powerful and on
purpose and working in a greatway.
Right.
They're designed to keep ussafe and not allow everything
(05:11):
else to come in and water downand distract from the very
things that God has given us tofocus on in our life.
Listen, I don't know about you,but I realize my art and my
creativity is a gift from God.
You, but I realized my art andmy creativity is a gift from God
.
When I do the creative thingsthat God's created me to do, man
, I'm a better person, I'm abetter dad, I'm a better husband
(05:32):
, I'm more able to sense hispresence, I'm more able to see
God move both in and through mylife.
And I can just tell you when Ilook back at my life, when my
art was in a place of second,third, fourth place, when it
always got pushed down to thebottom.
Guess what also was true in mylife?
I wasn't as happy, I wasn't asfulfilled, I wasn't operating at
(05:55):
the level that I know that Godhas for me in fulfillment and in
focus and influence in my life.
And why was that?
Well, it's because I wasletting everything else take
front seat.
I was letting everything elsetake center stage except for the
thing that God gave me as myprimary calling in life, which,
(06:15):
for me and maybe for you, isyour art.
Listen, art is a gift, and so,if it's a gift from God, it's so
important for you to realizethat you got to give that the
time and energy and focus thatit needs.
You know, I like to think ofour life, really, in our, you
(06:36):
know, what we hold as people iskind of a container, right?
God invests things in us.
The Bible often talks about usas being jars of clay, right,
ceramic pots, and that's a goodthing, right?
I've often thought about thecreative flow of God coming into
our life, coming into ourcontainer, almost like a river
(06:57):
analogy.
Right, I love thinking about ariver, because a river carries
life, it carries energy, itcarries power, right, just like
our creative anointing does.
But listen, a river withoutbanks.
Guess what it is?
It's just a flood.
And what happens with a flood?
Well, a lot of times a flood isfull of destruction.
(07:17):
A lot of times a flood gets outof hand and a lot of times a
flood just kind of seeps outeverywhere.
But when a river has banks, ithas a focus, it has directions.
Life can be there.
You can harness that power.
And the same thing is true inour spiritual life.
When we bring again with thewisdom of the Holy Spirit, when
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we bring boundaries to our lifeand we say these are the things
I'm going to do, these are thethings I'm not going to do, this
is the way that I believe God'sdirecting me to direct my
creative anointing, my creativecalling in my life.
When we do that, listen, itamplifies the impact and the
influence.
When we don't, what does it do?
It waters down, it spreads thin, it loses the impact and
(08:03):
influence that God designed forthat to have in our life.
I love that scripture inProverbs 25, 28.
It says like a city whose wallsare broken, broken through, is
a person who lacks self-control.
In other words, if you don'thave self-control in your life,
if you're not discerning whatyou're going to give focus to
(08:26):
what you're not going to allowto.
You know, focus to go on whatyou're going to say yes to, what
you're going to say no to.
What happens is it's like aperson whose walls, like a city
whose walls have been brokendown.
What happens in that situation?
Any old thing in the world canjust come in there and ravage
the city.
And you know, I don't know ifyou ever thought about your life
(08:47):
like that, but your life, youknow, you're like a city and
God's wanting your city to beteeming with life and with
abundance and with joy andimpact and influence.
But if there are no walls, thatis, if you've not taken time to
actually create walls aroundyour city and say these are the
things that are important thatGod's doing to me and I'm going
(09:09):
to, I'm going to protect thosethings.
I'm going to.
I'm going to protect thosethings from from everybody else
saying this is important andthat's not important.
I'm going to quit allowingeverybody else's emergency to be
my emergency.
I'm going to quit doingeverything that everybody else
says is important in my life andI'm going to actually focus on
the things that God says areimportant in my life and the age
(09:32):
I'm in and the season that I'min in my life, I'm going to
protect the creative anointing.
And guess what happens when youdo that?
It's like again, bring it,bring it, bringing banks to that
river.
All of a sudden, your riverbegins to flow, the anointing in
your life begins to be focusedand begins to be effective.
And listen, I just believethat's the way God has designed
(09:54):
for us to live.
But that's again, just likeeverything in the kingdom You've
heard me say this a milliontimes this is one of those
processes that God doesn't do toyou, those processes that God
doesn't do to you.
This is something that God doeswith you.
That is, as you make a decision, as you take a step of faith
(10:14):
toward God and toward hispurposes and plans, respecting
the creative anointing that's onyour life.
Guess what?
God releases grace.
God releases favor.
God releases divineappointments in order to come
and amplify the thing that he'salready put in you.
Now you may be thinking well,what kind of boundaries do I
need to put in my life?
Maybe you're somebody listen, Iwas like this for a long time,
so I get it.
Maybe you're not somebodythat's naturally leaning toward
(10:38):
boundaries in your life.
Maybe you're just a really freespirit, or maybe you let
everybody else set boundaries inyour life.
Everybody else set theirpriorities in your life, so I
want to talk about some of those.
Give you some practical thingsand one of the first boundaries
I think that is really importantfor every creative person who's
(10:59):
focusing on honoring thiscreative call in our life.
It's about your time right,protecting the specific hours
that you have in your day forcreating, for resting, for
connecting with God, for beingwith family, for doing things
that bring you life.
You know, the Bible says inEcclesiastes 3.1,.
It says for everything there'sa season and a time for every
(11:24):
matter under heaven.
Then let me ask you this Areyou scheduling a time in your
life every day to be creative?
You may say, well, I don't havetime, I can do all this other
stuff.
Well, again, if your creativegifting is important enough for
God to give it to you, is it notimportant enough for you to
actually schedule some time Now?
(11:45):
What does that mean?
It absolutely means that ifyou're saying yes to your
creativity, more than likelythat's going to mean that you're
going to be able to say no tosome other things in your life
You're not going to be able tojust, oh, I can keep the
grandkids anytime they come over, or I can volunteer at the
church anytime they ask, or Ican drop everything and go do
this or go do that.
(12:06):
No, you're going to focusintentionally on saying yes to
the creative gifting that God'sput in your heart.
Now listen, I can already tell,and maybe put this in the
comments if this is you, some ofyou are already saying well,
that sounds really selfish.
I thought we were supposed tolay ourselves down for others
and I thought we were supposedto put everybody else first.
(12:26):
Listen, I really believe thatas you do the thing that God's
called you to do, he's going togive you plenty of opportunities
to lay your life down, toimpact and influence others, to
let your life be a glowingexample of his love and his
kindness and his glory in theearth.
But if you're allowing yourlife to just respond to
(12:49):
everybody else's emergencies andyou're ignoring the very thing
that God's given you as a giftand as a calling and as a
creative anointing in your life,you're missing, I believe, the
vehicle that God's given you asa gift and as a calling and as a
creative anointing in your life.
You're missing, I believe, thevehicle that God's given you to
experience and to transmit theabundant life that Jesus
promised in John 10.10.
And so scheduling your creativetime on your calendar is, I
(13:14):
believe, just one of thefundamental, basic things that
every person who's creativeneeds to do.
Because it's a marker, right,it's a marker in your schedule,
it's a demonstration toeverybody else that, hey, this
thing that God's called me to do, it's important and it's
important enough to find itselfjust like a meeting, just like
(13:35):
lunch with a friend, just like ameeting at the church, just
like a business meeting.
Your creative time is importantenough and you need to
prioritize it on your calendar,all right.
Number two I would say is thisidea of energy boundaries.
I'm 51.
I'll be 52 later on, just acouple of months this year, and
(13:55):
I don't know about you.
But energy levels change, right, as you get older.
I've realized over the yearsthat I'm most energetic
creatively in the mornings.
Right, I get up 536 in themorning, I do 30 minutes of
drinking my coffee and thenusually I'm out the door on my
walk, my prayer time with theLord.
(14:16):
I take some time journaling allthat and usually, about eight
o'clock I end up in the studiofrom about eight o'clock to
about one o'clock in theafternoon.
That's when I usually, you know, kind of stop for lunch or
whatever.
That's my most creative time.
And I've just learned for memaybe different for you, but for
me that's when my energy is thehighest, when I'm able to most
(14:38):
focus, when I'm able to mostgive my best to my art.
So I've just kind of learned inmy life as an artist if I'm
going to do creative things, bein the studio, whether I'm
writing, whether I'm creatingart I've got a show coming up or
whatever it is I'm going to doit in those times.
So I guard that time.
I don't schedule meetingsduring those times, so I guard
(14:58):
that time.
I don't schedule meetingsduring those times.
I don't let anybody just walkin during those times.
I don't take phone calls duringthose times.
I'm not answering a lot ofemails or being on social media
during those times.
Why?
Because I'm protecting thisplace of creativity and creative
energy that I have.
I'm protecting it like atreasure.
Why?
Because I know that for me, inthe season of life I'm in,
(15:19):
that's the place that I'm mostfocused and I'm most available
to be most effective in my life.
Now think about that for you.
Maybe put that in the commentsIf you're watching over on
YouTube.
What is that time for you thatyou're most effective?
All right, also, think aboutwhat's the time that maybe you
(15:40):
need to be on in other areas ofyour life.
You know, maybe you're a mom,maybe you're a dad, you're,
you're at work, maybe you'reworking a full-time job.
You come home all day.
When you get home, I meanyou're on with the kids or
you're on with the family, butlater at night, or maybe on the
weekends or in other times,maybe you've got pockets that
you say, hey, these are thetimes I can be creative, but
these other times are stillgreat times.
(16:03):
Right, it's great to be a momand dad, it's great to be, you
know, doing things at church andwith friends and all that.
So, respecting your energeticboundaries, respecting and
really delineating hey, mycreativity is important, can't
be everything in my life, but itneeds its own place, just like
family needs its place, justlike my business needs its place
(16:23):
or whatever.
You learn to make a place foreverything that you're doing in
your life, and I've just learnedagain back to this idea of
creative energy.
I just have learned to guard itlike a treasure, because that,
to me, that's where all theideas are flowing out of my
heart, that's where I can seeeasier, where, artistically,
(16:46):
that's where I can hear the Lordartistically is in that place
where my heart is really engaged.
You know, I love it in Proverbs4.23.
It says, above all else, guardyour what your heart.
Why?
Because out of it flows theissues of life.
Or you may hear other versionsthat say everything you do flows
from your heart.
And so, from a creative energystandpoint, I think you got to
(17:09):
be really on purpose about that.
When is the creative flow fromyour heart happening, and how
can you make that a priority inyour life?
And so I would encourage you tomaybe just sit down for a
second, even as, after you'rewatching this today, you're
listening to this today.
Sit down and just say you knowwhen am I as I look over my life
(17:32):
, I look over my, you know myseason of life right now.
When is the time that I've gotthe most creative energy?
And put that on a schedule.
Give yourself permission to dothat thing.
Other thing I would say is thisalso look at, are there things
that I'm allowing in my creativeenergy, time in my creative, my
best creative time that areactually draining me.
(17:54):
All right, and start to setsome limits around that.
Maybe there are things that youstill got to do, but maybe you
put them at a time of the weekor a time of the day that
doesn't interfere with your bestcreative time.
And then a third kind ofboundary I would say are content
boundaries.
Listen, as artists, as creativepeople, most of us are talented
(18:18):
enough that we could probablydo just about anything we put
our mind to right.
And just because you can dosomething, or just because
something strikes your fancy orgets you interested, doesn't
necessarily mean that it's God'sassignment for you creatively
in this season of life.
And so I think it's really,really important that, as
creatives, we keep an ear to theLord and we keep an ear toward
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recognizing what it is thatwe're supposed to be focusing on
right now in our artisticpursuit and don't be allowing
don't allow yourself to just goin a bunch of different
directions.
What I mean is this I talkabout this so many times in the
mentoring program maturing as anartist, I believe, is about
(19:05):
finding creative focus.
That is a lot of times.
We want to be creative dabblers, right, we want to just do this
and do that.
In fact, if you're a dabbler,put it in the comments I'm a
dabbler or I'm a recoveringdabbler.
But when you let yourself justcreatively dabble all the time,
you get a mile wide and an inchdeep, right.
You never allow yourself toreally develop the artistic
(19:29):
mastery that it takes for uniquevoice and your uniqueness as an
art to come forth.
And so I think part of settingboundaries in your life is
learning to say you know what?
I could do a bunch of thingscreatively, but this is what I
really love, this is where I'vereally got the most opportunity,
this is where I feel you knowthe presence of God.
(19:49):
On.
This is what I see resonatingin the marketplace, if you're
selling your work and givingyourself the permission to
really focus on those things andnot allowing yourself to just
be going here and yon all thetime and again allowing yourself
to be a mile wide in an inchdeep.
I love Philippians 4, 8.
It says finally brothers,whatever is true, whatever is
(20:11):
noble, whatever is right,whatever is pure, think on these
things Again, what Think on thethings that keep you aligned
with God's very best for yourlife, and so I think one of the
things you could do practicallyin this, in your time, as you're
thinking about, you know,boundaries today.
Think about creative boundaries.
(20:32):
What is it in this season thatGod's got his hand on right?
What is it that you feel?
The whoosh of the right?
What is it that you feel thewhoosh of the spirit?
What is it that you're feelingled in creatively?
And I want to, I want toencourage you don't be afraid to
say no to some good things inorder to be able to say yes to
the best things that God iswanting to bring into your life.
(20:53):
Well, listen, when you begin todo this with your time and your
space and your creative focusand with your relationships, all
of a sudden you start realizingthat boundaries don't cage you
in.
They actually concentrate you.
Boundaries are there to protectyou.
Boundaries are there to keepall the distractions that are
trying to derail you out, sothat what you can give your best
(21:17):
focus, your best energy, yourbest creativity to the things
that actually matter in yourlife.
Listen, I've been mentoringartists for a lot of years now
and I mentor them in the areaslike this, and I do it not only
from God's word, but also fromreal experience in my life, and
I can just tell you in my lifeof being an artist for over 30
(21:40):
years, the moments that, and theseasons of life that I will
create boundaries and cultivatethose boundaries as habits in my
life, those are the seasonsthat I'm most fulfilled, that
I'm most effective, that Goduses me in the most influence
and impact.
And the seasons that I don't dothat, the seasons where I just
(22:00):
kind of let everything go to thewind, those are the seasons
where I'm most frustrated, whereI'm most ineffective and where
I feel most frustrated in mylife.
And so protective seasons,protecting your creative space,
protecting your creative mindset, your creative energy all of
that it leads to a deeperintimacy with the Lord, it leads
(22:21):
to deeper clarity and flow inyour life and I believe it gives
you deeper opportunity toengage with the Holy Spirit
really is saying in your lifeagain, as opposed to just being
being drifted around and floataround um by every, every
passing wind and every passingwhimsy that comes along.
So listen, I want you to reallystart getting into this today
(22:43):
and just really receive thisidea that your mindset about
boundaries has got to shift.
All right, remember we changein our life, not because you
know, we just make ourself do it.
Everything that changesexternally in your life happens
because your internal selfchanges right, and so your
(23:04):
external actions only changewhen there's a mindset change
right, when you renew your mindto a different truth.
I want you to just begin to askthe Lord about this today.
And so I want you to just beginto ask the Lord about this
today.
Lord, begin to change my heart,to realize that boundaries are
a blessing, not a burden.
Right, in fact, you can beginto just say that, lord, thank
you today.
(23:25):
That, as Matt's teaching this, Ijust I realize now, I realize
from your word, I realize fromwhat Matt's saying today, that
boundaries that you're callingme to put in my life, they're
not a barrier to me, they're nota burden, they're not something
that's trying to hold me back,they're a blessing, they're
actually what wants to bring mein to the fullness of what you
(23:47):
got for me as an artist.
And again, psalm 16, six.
You know what it says theboundary lines, the boundary
lines have fallen for me inpleasant places.
Surely I have a delightfulinheritance, in other words,
what your inheritance, that Godhas for you.
It comes when you understandhow to stay within the
boundaries that you set with theLord the boundaries of your
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calling, the boundaries of yourseason, the boundaries of what
you're willing to give your time, energy and focus and resources
to in your life.
So three things you can do today.
Number one, I would say prayfor clarity about the boundaries
that God's inviting you toestablish.
Number two pick one area.
If you know you can't do all ofeverything at once, but pick
(24:29):
one area the time boundaries,energy boundaries, content
boundaries right, the thingsthat that you're focused on
artistically and just set oneclear boundary in your life this
week.
Maybe it's just, maybe it'sjust starting with putting some
some creative time on on yourschedule, all right.
And then, number three, I wouldsay this stay accountable,
(24:49):
share your boundary.
Maybe you share it in thecomments right here.
Uh, if you're watching onYouTube, just share whatever
that boundary is, just as a kindof a prophetic declaration to
say, hey, I'm going to do thisthis week.
This is just not somethingwhere I'm going to let this be
in one ear and out the other.
I'm actually going to do this.
I'm going to set a boundary.
Maybe share it with a trustedfriend or a mentor.
(25:09):
If you're in the mentoringprogram or in our foundations
course, share it in in theFacebook group with us and let
us know that you're setting aboundary in your life.
And listen, I would just saythis if you're looking for
something that help you actuallyget into a rhythm of boundaries
in your life, in a rhythm ofcreativity that honors the Lord
(25:30):
and the season of life thatyou're in, I want to really
encourage you to get our Core 4Focus Planner.
The reason I developed this isbecause the Core 4, which is a
framework that I developed, thatI've taught in the mentoring
program for years it is a dailyrhythm that we use as artists to
keep us focused on what Godsays is important in our life.
(25:53):
And the core four is justsimply this connect, clarify,
create and cultivate.
That is, connect with the Lordevery day.
Understand what he's got foryou, clarify that is what he's
got for you that day, whatyou're focused on.
Number three spend timecreating in the studio every day
.
And then, number four cultivaterelationships with the people
(26:14):
that matter, that is, yourbuyers.
Cultivate relationships withthe people that matter, that is,
your buyers, your prospects,your fans and followers, other
artists.
When you do this using the corefour focus framework and the
planner.
Every day, we literally give youthe opportunity to plan your
year with the Lord.
We do a week in review.
I'll just show you what itlooks like every day.
(26:35):
Every day you come in, there'sa scripture or a quote
inspiration up here.
You just write down what's Godsaying?
What are you focused on for theday?
What are you focused on in thestudio?
Who are you cultivating with?
You do that as a rhythm everyday over 90 days.
And listen, what happens is youstart accomplishing more.
(26:56):
You start feeling connected totheishing more, you start
feeling connected to the Lordmore.
You start actually being in thestudio more, not because you're
Superman or superwoman, butjust because you're setting
clear boundaries in your life.
Listen, I wish it.
I wish for all of us that thiswould just happen on autopilot.
It just doesn't, and that's whyI created the core four focus
planner for you to be able to,to actually have a simple
(27:18):
planner.
We've got them in spiral, boundand hard bound.
Our view to have every day justto inspire you and keep you
focused on the things that aremost important in your life, so
you can honor the creativecalling that God's got in your
life.
Hey, let me pray as we go todayand um to hear in the comments
what God's saying to you aboutthis whole topic of protecting
(27:40):
your creative energy and settingboundaries in your life.
So, jesus, thank you.
God, thank you that you give usthe choice and the grace to be
able to set boundaries in ourlife with you so that we can
focus on the things that youhave for us, creatively and
artistically, in this season ofour life.
God, thank you that when we dothat, when we're faithful to
(28:01):
draw the boundary lines inalignment with who you've
created us to be and what you'vecalled us to do in the season
of life that we're in, god,thank you that your grace is
released.
Thank you that you amplify andaccelerate our efforts.
Lord, you multiply things sofar beyond what we could ever do
by ourself when we cooperatewith you and create boundaries
(28:21):
in our life that honor yourcalling on our life as creatives
.
God, give us grace to do that.
Lead us and guide us.
Today, we pray in Jesus' name,amen.
Hey, my friend, listen, I loveyou.
Thank you for being here everyweek with me on the Thriving
Christian.
Pick up a copy of the core forfocus planner.
The link is right here, uh, inthe description in the show
(28:42):
notes.
You can grab that.
You can also become a part ofour foundations course, our
mentoring program uh, see allthe different resources that we
have over at matt tommymentoringcom, and I hope that
you'll stay connected with usand be a part of this global
army of artists that God'sraising up all over the world.
I love you, friend.
Thanks for being with me.
Until next time, remember, andpractical tips to help you
(29:16):
thrive in everything that God'scalled you to do as an artist in
his kingdom.
Every issue is absolutely freeand it includes the latest
podcast episode, featured artistspotlights, a worship song of
the week and, again, tons oftips and encouragement and
inspiration for you to keep youinspired and encouraged in
everything that God's got foryou as an artist in the kingdom.
You can click the link righthere in the show notes to join
(29:38):
us, and it's a great way to stayconnected.
All right, love you, bye.
So what if I told you that the secret to unlocking
your best creative flow isactually not more freedom, it's
actually boundaries.
You know, as a believer, weunderstand that our freedom
comes in Christ, but it has tobe stewarded well in our life.
And that stewardship comes withboundaries and boundaries.
For a lot of us artists, theycan seem like shackles.
(00:22):
They're actually what allows usto have safeguards in our life,
to amplify the creativeanointing on our life.
We're going to dive into all ofthat and give you some
practical steps on how you canstart co-laboring with the Lord
to amplify the creativeanointing on your life.
Today, on the Thriving ChristianArtist.
All over the world, artists areawakening Painters and potters,
(00:50):
writers and weavers, poets anddancers not chasing followers or
fame, but sons and daughterscalled for such a time as this,
transformed from the inside out,creating with purpose,
releasing the glory of God andliving in the power of the
kingdom.
Right now, this is the ThrivingChristian Artist.
Well, hey, my friends, superglad that you're back with me
here on the channel, whether itis your first time, first time
in a long time, or whetheryou're a regular listener or
(01:11):
viewer, I'm really, really gladyou're here.
Make sure you hit the subscribebutton so you never miss any of
the great content that I'mputting out every week all about
helping artists thrive ineverything that God's called
them to do.
Now, listen, I know today'ssubject may be something that
you're like, matt.
This does not seem like what wedo as artists.
You know, we're kind of taughtas artists to go with the wind
(01:33):
and go where inspiration takesus and live this life of freedom
and everything.
But I really want you tochallenge this idea that maybe
you've had in your life thatsomehow that boundaries are
negative and that freedom justmeans that you're kind of
flowing with the wind.
A lot of times people think, ascreatives we think that
boundaries equal creative death.
(01:55):
It's, you know, this idea ofdon't fence me in.
I got to be who I am and dowhat I'm called to do, and I
just want to flow with what theHoly Spirit's, you know, telling
me to do.
Listen, there's nothing wrongwith that.
But I want you to understandthe other side of that, that
true freedom is not the absenceof limits or the absence of any
boundaries in your life.
It is actually the presence ofthe right ones.
(02:17):
And when you learn what healthyboundaries are in your life and
how to begin to steward thecreative calling of God on your
life.
It actually amplifies andaccelerate what God wants to do
in and through your life.
As an artist, you know I alwayslove to go back to scripture and
everything that we talk about,and today I want to jump into 1
(02:38):
Corinthians, 10, 23,.
And it says this everything ispermissible, but not everything
is beneficial.
Everything is permissible butnot everything builds up.
Listen, one of the things thatwe know in Christ is that we
have freedom.
Right when the spirit of theLord is there is there's liberty
, there's freedom.
(02:59):
But as children of God, as sonsand daughters, we get a choice.
God doesn't come down and justsay, no, you have to do it this
way and you have to do it thatway, and here's the rules, and
and follow the rules.
No, he says, hey, here's a roadover here, and here's a road
over here.
You can.
You can take all of this, thisincredible anointing that I've
given you, creatively andartistically, and you can.
(03:20):
You can steward it well, or youcan just kind of do what you
want to willy nilly, and both ofthose right, both of those have
results in their life.
Now you may be saying, well, Idon't want to be not stewarding
what God has in my life, I wantto, you know, be stewarding it
well.
Well, the only way that youknow if you're stewarding it
(03:42):
well or not is to actually lookat the fruit of your life.
Right and so if you took aminute right now, just you and
the Lord, and you looked at yourlife and you looked at the
creative gifting that he's givenyou, that he's invested in you
since the day that you were born, if you were honest, would you
say that you've been stewardingthat well, or that you've just
(04:04):
kind of been treating it hit andmiss.
You've just been what I call anENT artist.
Right, every now and thenartist, you've just been kind of
doing it when you felt like it.
You've been letting it, youknow, get pushed to the bottom
of the pile of priorities.
You've heard me say many timeson the podcast, on videos and
books.
I love to say that if yourcreative calling was important
(04:26):
enough for God to give it to you, it's important enough for you
to focus on.
And I'll take that one stepfurther today.
I'll say if your creativecalling was important enough for
God to give it to you.
It's important enough for youto set boundaries around it so
that you can give the focus andthe attention and the resources
and the energies that itdeserves.
(04:47):
See boundaries the way Goddesigns boundaries, the way God
offers us to include boundariesin our life.
They're for our good, right.
They're designed to keep ourcreative focus and our creative
passion and energy and resourcespure and powerful and on
purpose and working in a greatway.
Right.
They're designed to keep ussafe and not allow everything
(05:11):
else to come in and water downand distract from the very
things that God has given us tofocus on in our life.
Listen, I don't know about you,but I realize my art and my
creativity is a gift from God.
You, but I realized my art andmy creativity is a gift from God
.
When I do the creative thingsthat God's created me to do, man
, I'm a better person, I'm abetter dad, I'm a better husband
(05:32):
, I'm more able to sense hispresence, I'm more able to see
God move both in and through mylife.
And I can just tell you when Ilook back at my life, when my
art was in a place of second,third, fourth place, when it
always got pushed down to thebottom.
Guess what also was true in mylife?
I wasn't as happy, I wasn't asfulfilled, I wasn't operating at
(05:55):
the level that I know that Godhas for me in fulfillment and in
focus and influence in my life.
And why was that?
Well, it's because I wasletting everything else take
front seat.
I was letting everything elsetake center stage except for the
thing that God gave me as myprimary calling in life, which,
(06:15):
for me and maybe for you, isyour art.
Listen, art is a gift, and so,if it's a gift from God, it's so
important for you to realizethat you got to give that the
time and energy and focus thatit needs.
You know, I like to think ofour life, really, in our, you
(06:36):
know, what we hold as people iskind of a container, right?
God invests things in us.
The Bible often talks about usas being jars of clay, right,
ceramic pots, and that's a goodthing, right?
I've often thought about thecreative flow of God coming into
our life, coming into ourcontainer, almost like a river
(06:57):
analogy.
Right, I love thinking about ariver, because a river carries
life, it carries energy, itcarries power, right, just like
our creative anointing does.
But listen, a river withoutbanks.
Guess what it is?
It's just a flood.
And what happens with a flood?
Well, a lot of times a flood isfull of destruction.
(07:17):
A lot of times a flood gets outof hand and a lot of times a
flood just kind of seeps outeverywhere.
But when a river has banks, ithas a focus, it has directions.
Life can be there.
You can harness that power.
And the same thing is true inour spiritual life.
When we bring again with thewisdom of the Holy Spirit, when
(07:39):
we bring boundaries to our lifeand we say these are the things
I'm going to do, these are thethings I'm not going to do, this
is the way that I believe God'sdirecting me to direct my
creative anointing, my creativecalling in my life.
When we do that, listen, itamplifies the impact and the
influence.
When we don't, what does it do?
It waters down, it spreads thin, it loses the impact and
(08:03):
influence that God designed forthat to have in our life.
I love that scripture inProverbs 25, 28.
It says like a city whose wallsare broken, broken through, is
a person who lacks self-control.
In other words, if you don'thave self-control in your life,
if you're not discerning whatyou're going to give focus to
(08:26):
what you're not going to allowto.
You know, focus to go on whatyou're going to say yes to, what
you're going to say no to.
What happens is it's like aperson whose walls, like a city
whose walls have been brokendown.
What happens in that situation?
Any old thing in the world canjust come in there and ravage
the city.
And you know, I don't know ifyou ever thought about your life
(08:47):
like that, but your life, youknow, you're like a city and
God's wanting your city to beteeming with life and with
abundance and with joy andimpact and influence.
But if there are no walls, thatis, if you've not taken time to
actually create walls aroundyour city and say these are the
things that are important thatGod's doing to me and I'm going
(09:09):
to, I'm going to protect thosethings.
I'm going to.
I'm going to protect thosethings from from everybody else
saying this is important andthat's not important.
I'm going to quit allowingeverybody else's emergency to be
my emergency.
I'm going to quit doingeverything that everybody else
says is important in my life andI'm going to actually focus on
the things that God says areimportant in my life and the age
(09:32):
I'm in and the season that I'min in my life, I'm going to
protect the creative anointing.
And guess what happens when youdo that?
It's like again, bring it,bring it, bringing banks to that
river.
All of a sudden, your riverbegins to flow, the anointing in
your life begins to be focusedand begins to be effective.
And listen, I just believethat's the way God has designed
(09:54):
for us to live.
But that's again, just likeeverything in the kingdom You've
heard me say this a milliontimes this is one of those
processes that God doesn't do toyou, those processes that God
doesn't do to you.
This is something that God doeswith you.
That is, as you make a decision, as you take a step of faith
(10:14):
toward God and toward hispurposes and plans, respecting
the creative anointing that's onyour life.
Guess what?
God releases grace.
God releases favor.
God releases divineappointments in order to come
and amplify the thing that he'salready put in you.
Now you may be thinking well,what kind of boundaries do I
need to put in my life?
Maybe you're somebody listen, Iwas like this for a long time,
so I get it.
Maybe you're not somebodythat's naturally leaning toward
(10:38):
boundaries in your life.
Maybe you're just a really freespirit, or maybe you let
everybody else set boundaries inyour life.
Everybody else set theirpriorities in your life, so I
want to talk about some of those.
Give you some practical thingsand one of the first boundaries
I think that is really importantfor every creative person who's
(10:59):
focusing on honoring thiscreative call in our life.
It's about your time right,protecting the specific hours
that you have in your day forcreating, for resting, for
connecting with God, for beingwith family, for doing things
that bring you life.
You know, the Bible says inEcclesiastes 3.1,.
It says for everything there'sa season and a time for every
(11:24):
matter under heaven.
Then let me ask you this Areyou scheduling a time in your
life every day to be creative?
You may say, well, I don't havetime, I can do all this other
stuff.
Well, again, if your creativegifting is important enough for
God to give it to you, is it notimportant enough for you to
actually schedule some time Now?
(11:45):
What does that mean?
It absolutely means that ifyou're saying yes to your
creativity, more than likelythat's going to mean that you're
going to be able to say no tosome other things in your life
You're not going to be able tojust, oh, I can keep the
grandkids anytime they come over, or I can volunteer at the
church anytime they ask, or Ican drop everything and go do
this or go do that.
(12:06):
No, you're going to focusintentionally on saying yes to
the creative gifting that God'sput in your heart.
Now listen, I can already tell,and maybe put this in the
comments if this is you, some ofyou are already saying well,
that sounds really selfish.
I thought we were supposed tolay ourselves down for others
and I thought we were supposedto put everybody else first.
(12:26):
Listen, I really believe thatas you do the thing that God's
called you to do, he's going togive you plenty of opportunities
to lay your life down, toimpact and influence others, to
let your life be a glowingexample of his love and his
kindness and his glory in theearth.
But if you're allowing yourlife to just respond to
(12:49):
everybody else's emergencies andyou're ignoring the very thing
that God's given you as a giftand as a calling and as a
creative anointing in your life,you're missing, I believe, the
vehicle that God's given you asa gift and as a calling and as a
creative anointing in your life.
You're missing, I believe, thevehicle that God's given you to
experience and to transmit theabundant life that Jesus
promised in John 10.10.
And so scheduling your creativetime on your calendar is, I
(13:14):
believe, just one of thefundamental, basic things that
every person who's creativeneeds to do.
Because it's a marker, right,it's a marker in your schedule,
it's a demonstration toeverybody else that, hey, this
thing that God's called me to do, it's important and it's
important enough to find itselfjust like a meeting, just like
(13:35):
lunch with a friend, just like ameeting at the church, just
like a business meeting.
Your creative time is importantenough and you need to
prioritize it on your calendar,all right.
Number two I would say is thisidea of energy boundaries.
I'm 51.
I'll be 52 later on, just acouple of months this year, and
(13:55):
I don't know about you.
But energy levels change, right, as you get older.
I've realized over the yearsthat I'm most energetic
creatively in the mornings.
Right, I get up 536 in themorning, I do 30 minutes of
drinking my coffee and thenusually I'm out the door on my
walk, my prayer time with theLord.
(14:16):
I take some time journaling allthat and usually, about eight
o'clock I end up in the studiofrom about eight o'clock to
about one o'clock in theafternoon.
That's when I usually, you know, kind of stop for lunch or
whatever.
That's my most creative time.
And I've just learned for memaybe different for you, but for
me that's when my energy is thehighest, when I'm able to most
(14:38):
focus, when I'm able to mostgive my best to my art.
So I've just kind of learned inmy life as an artist if I'm
going to do creative things, bein the studio, whether I'm
writing, whether I'm creatingart I've got a show coming up or
whatever it is I'm going to doit in those times.
So I guard that time.
I don't schedule meetingsduring those times, so I guard
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that time.
I don't schedule meetingsduring those times.
I don't let anybody just walkin during those times.
I don't take phone calls duringthose times.
I'm not answering a lot ofemails or being on social media
during those times.
Why?
Because I'm protecting thisplace of creativity and creative
energy that I have.
I'm protecting it like atreasure.
Why?
Because I know that for me, inthe season of life I'm in,
(15:19):
that's the place that I'm mostfocused and I'm most available
to be most effective in my life.
Now think about that for you.
Maybe put that in the commentsIf you're watching over on
YouTube.
What is that time for you thatyou're most effective?
All right, also, think aboutwhat's the time that maybe you
(15:40):
need to be on in other areas ofyour life.
You know, maybe you're a mom,maybe you're a dad, you're,
you're at work, maybe you'reworking a full-time job.
You come home all day.
When you get home, I meanyou're on with the kids or
you're on with the family, butlater at night, or maybe on the
weekends or in other times,maybe you've got pockets that
you say, hey, these are thetimes I can be creative, but
these other times are stillgreat times.
(16:03):
Right, it's great to be a momand dad, it's great to be, you
know, doing things at church andwith friends and all that.
So, respecting your energeticboundaries, respecting and
really delineating hey, mycreativity is important, can't
be everything in my life, but itneeds its own place, just like
family needs its place, justlike my business needs its place
(16:23):
or whatever.
You learn to make a place foreverything that you're doing in
your life, and I've just learnedagain back to this idea of
creative energy.
I just have learned to guard itlike a treasure, because that,
to me, that's where all theideas are flowing out of my
heart, that's where I can seeeasier, where, artistically,
(16:46):
that's where I can hear the Lordartistically is in that place
where my heart is really engaged.
You know, I love it in Proverbs4.23.
It says, above all else, guardyour what your heart.
Why?
Because out of it flows theissues of life.
Or you may hear other versionsthat say everything you do flows
from your heart.
And so, from a creative energystandpoint, I think you got to
(17:09):
be really on purpose about that.
When is the creative flow fromyour heart happening, and how
can you make that a priority inyour life?
And so I would encourage you tomaybe just sit down for a
second, even as, after you'rewatching this today, you're
listening to this today.
Sit down and just say you knowwhen am I as I look over my life
(17:32):
, I look over my, you know myseason of life right now.
When is the time that I've gotthe most creative energy?
And put that on a schedule.
Give yourself permission to dothat thing.
Other thing I would say is thisalso look at, are there things
that I'm allowing in my creativeenergy, time in my creative, my
best creative time that areactually draining me.
(17:54):
All right, and start to setsome limits around that.
Maybe there are things that youstill got to do, but maybe you
put them at a time of the weekor a time of the day that
doesn't interfere with your bestcreative time.
And then a third kind ofboundary I would say are content
boundaries.
Listen, as artists, as creativepeople, most of us are talented
(18:18):
enough that we could probablydo just about anything we put
our mind to right.
And just because you can dosomething, or just because
something strikes your fancy orgets you interested, doesn't
necessarily mean that it's God'sassignment for you creatively
in this season of life.
And so I think it's really,really important that, as
creatives, we keep an ear to theLord and we keep an ear toward
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recognizing what it is thatwe're supposed to be focusing on
right now in our artisticpursuit and don't be allowing
don't allow yourself to just goin a bunch of different
directions.
What I mean is this I talkabout this so many times in the
mentoring program maturing as anartist, I believe, is about
(19:05):
finding creative focus.
That is a lot of times.
We want to be creative dabblers, right, we want to just do this
and do that.
In fact, if you're a dabbler,put it in the comments I'm a
dabbler or I'm a recoveringdabbler.
But when you let yourself justcreatively dabble all the time,
you get a mile wide and an inchdeep, right.
You never allow yourself toreally develop the artistic
(19:29):
mastery that it takes for uniquevoice and your uniqueness as an
art to come forth.
And so I think part of settingboundaries in your life is
learning to say you know what?
I could do a bunch of thingscreatively, but this is what I
really love, this is where I'vereally got the most opportunity,
this is where I feel you knowthe presence of God.
(19:49):
On.
This is what I see resonatingin the marketplace, if you're
selling your work and givingyourself the permission to
really focus on those things andnot allowing yourself to just
be going here and yon all thetime and again allowing yourself
to be a mile wide in an inchdeep.
I love Philippians 4, 8.
It says finally brothers,whatever is true, whatever is
(20:11):
noble, whatever is right,whatever is pure, think on these
things Again, what Think on thethings that keep you aligned
with God's very best for yourlife, and so I think one of the
things you could do practicallyin this, in your time, as you're
thinking about, you know,boundaries today.
Think about creative boundaries.
(20:32):
What is it in this season thatGod's got his hand on right?
What is it that you feel?
The whoosh of the right?
What is it that you feel thewhoosh of the spirit?
What is it that you're feelingled in creatively?
And I want to, I want toencourage you don't be afraid to
say no to some good things inorder to be able to say yes to
the best things that God iswanting to bring into your life.
(20:53):
Well, listen, when you begin todo this with your time and your
space and your creative focusand with your relationships, all
of a sudden you start realizingthat boundaries don't cage you
in.
They actually concentrate you.
Boundaries are there to protectyou.
Boundaries are there to keepall the distractions that are
trying to derail you out, sothat what you can give your best
(21:17):
focus, your best energy, yourbest creativity to the things
that actually matter in yourlife.
Listen, I've been mentoringartists for a lot of years now
and I mentor them in the areaslike this, and I do it not only
from God's word, but also fromreal experience in my life, and
I can just tell you in my lifeof being an artist for over 30
(21:40):
years, the moments that, and theseasons of life that I will
create boundaries and cultivatethose boundaries as habits in my
life, those are the seasonsthat I'm most fulfilled, that
I'm most effective, that Goduses me in the most influence
and impact.
And the seasons that I don't dothat, the seasons where I just
(22:00):
kind of let everything go to thewind, those are the seasons
where I'm most frustrated, whereI'm most ineffective and where
I feel most frustrated in mylife.
And so protective seasons,protecting your creative space,
protecting your creative mindset, your creative energy all of
that it leads to a deeperintimacy with the Lord, it leads
(22:21):
to deeper clarity and flow inyour life and I believe it gives
you deeper opportunity toengage with the Holy Spirit
really is saying in your lifeagain, as opposed to just being
being drifted around and floataround um by every, every
passing wind and every passingwhimsy that comes along.
So listen, I want you to reallystart getting into this today
(22:43):
and just really receive thisidea that your mindset about
boundaries has got to shift.
All right, remember we changein our life, not because you
know, we just make ourself do it.
Everything that changesexternally in your life happens
because your internal selfchanges right, and so your
(23:04):
external actions only changewhen there's a mindset change
right, when you renew your mindto a different truth.
I want you to just begin to askthe Lord about this today.
And so I want you to just beginto ask the Lord about this
today.
Lord, begin to change my heart,to realize that boundaries are
a blessing, not a burden.
Right, in fact, you can beginto just say that, lord, thank
you today.
(23:25):
That, as Matt's teaching this, Ijust I realize now, I realize
from your word, I realize fromwhat Matt's saying today, that
boundaries that you're callingme to put in my life, they're
not a barrier to me, they're nota burden, they're not something
that's trying to hold me back,they're a blessing, they're
actually what wants to bring mein to the fullness of what you
(23:47):
got for me as an artist.
And again, psalm 16, six.
You know what it says theboundary lines, the boundary
lines have fallen for me inpleasant places.
Surely I have a delightfulinheritance, in other words,
what your inheritance, that Godhas for you.
It comes when you understandhow to stay within the
boundaries that you set with theLord the boundaries of your
(24:08):
calling, the boundaries of yourseason, the boundaries of what
you're willing to give your time, energy and focus and resources
to in your life.
So three things you can do today.
Number one, I would say prayfor clarity about the boundaries
that God's inviting you toestablish.
Number two pick one area.
If you know you can't do all ofeverything at once, but pick
(24:29):
one area the time boundaries,energy boundaries, content
boundaries right, the thingsthat that you're focused on
artistically and just set oneclear boundary in your life this
week.
Maybe it's just, maybe it'sjust starting with putting some
some creative time on on yourschedule, all right.
And then, number three, I wouldsay this stay accountable,
(24:49):
share your boundary.
Maybe you share it in thecomments right here.
Uh, if you're watching onYouTube, just share whatever
that boundary is, just as a kindof a prophetic declaration to
say, hey, I'm going to do thisthis week.
This is just not somethingwhere I'm going to let this be
in one ear and out the other.
I'm actually going to do this.
I'm going to set a boundary.
Maybe share it with a trustedfriend or a mentor.
(25:09):
If you're in the mentoringprogram or in our foundations
course, share it in in theFacebook group with us and let
us know that you're setting aboundary in your life.
And listen, I would just saythis if you're looking for
something that help you actuallyget into a rhythm of boundaries
in your life, in a rhythm ofcreativity that honors the Lord
(25:30):
and the season of life thatyou're in, I want to really
encourage you to get our Core 4Focus Planner.
The reason I developed this isbecause the Core 4, which is a
framework that I developed, thatI've taught in the mentoring
program for years it is a dailyrhythm that we use as artists to
keep us focused on what Godsays is important in our life.
(25:53):
And the core four is justsimply this connect, clarify,
create and cultivate.
That is, connect with the Lordevery day.
Understand what he's got foryou, clarify that is what he's
got for you that day, whatyou're focused on.
Number three spend timecreating in the studio every day
.
And then, number four cultivaterelationships with the people
(26:14):
that matter, that is, yourbuyers.
Cultivate relationships withthe people that matter, that is,
your buyers, your prospects,your fans and followers, other
artists.
When you do this using the corefour focus framework and the
planner.
Every day, we literally give youthe opportunity to plan your
year with the Lord.
We do a week in review.
I'll just show you what itlooks like every day.
(26:35):
Every day you come in, there'sa scripture or a quote
inspiration up here.
You just write down what's Godsaying?
What are you focused on for theday?
What are you focused on in thestudio?
Who are you cultivating with?
You do that as a rhythm everyday over 90 days.
And listen, what happens is youstart accomplishing more.
(26:56):
You start feeling connected totheishing more, you start
feeling connected to the Lordmore.
You start actually being in thestudio more, not because you're
Superman or superwoman, butjust because you're setting
clear boundaries in your life.
Listen, I wish it.
I wish for all of us that thiswould just happen on autopilot.
It just doesn't, and that's whyI created the core four focus
planner for you to be able to,to actually have a simple
(27:18):
planner.
We've got them in spiral, boundand hard bound.
Our view to have every day justto inspire you and keep you
focused on the things that aremost important in your life, so
you can honor the creativecalling that God's got in your
life.
Hey, let me pray as we go todayand um to hear in the comments
what God's saying to you aboutthis whole topic of protecting
(27:40):
your creative energy and settingboundaries in your life.
So, jesus, thank you.
God, thank you that you give usthe choice and the grace to be
able to set boundaries in ourlife with you so that we can
focus on the things that youhave for us, creatively and
artistically, in this season ofour life.
God, thank you that when we dothat, when we're faithful to
(28:01):
draw the boundary lines inalignment with who you've
created us to be and what you'vecalled us to do in the season
of life that we're in, god,thank you that your grace is
released.
Thank you that you amplify andaccelerate our efforts.
Lord, you multiply things sofar beyond what we could ever do
by ourself when we cooperatewith you and create boundaries
(28:21):
in our life that honor yourcalling on our life as creatives
.
God, give us grace to do that.
Lead us and guide us.
Today, we pray in Jesus' name,amen.
Hey, my friend, listen, I loveyou.
Thank you for being here everyweek with me on the Thriving
Christian.
Pick up a copy of the core forfocus planner.
The link is right here, uh, inthe description in the show
(28:42):
notes.
You can grab that.
You can also become a part ofour foundations course, our
mentoring program uh, see allthe different resources that we
have over at matt tommymentoringcom, and I hope that
you'll stay connected with usand be a part of this global
army of artists that God'sraising up all over the world.
I love you, friend.
Thanks for being with me.
Until next time, remember, andpractical tips to help you
(29:16):
thrive in everything that God'scalled you to do as an artist in
his kingdom.
Every issue is absolutely freeand it includes the latest
podcast episode, featured artistspotlights, a worship song of
the week and, again, tons oftips and encouragement and
inspiration for you to keep youinspired and encouraged in
everything that God's got foryou as an artist in the kingdom.
You can click the link righthere in the show notes to join
(29:38):
us, and it's a great way to stayconnected.
All right, love you, bye.
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