If Nobody Sees, Does It Matter?
As I sat staring at the unchanging red light with no traffic around, that question kept running through my mind.
I was tired of waiting. I needed to get down the road.
And IF I ran the light, nobody would SEE me break the law because no one was around.
Does it matter if no one sees you do something wrong, tell a little white lie, or twist the truth ever so slightly?
It all depends on your perspective and moral compass.
In this case, I did NOT run the red light even though it would have been easy to do so without getting caught.
I painfully sat there and waited for whatever triggers were needed to change the light.
While I waited, it struck me that this situation is similar to something every entrepreneur, marketer, and business owner encounters Every. Single. Day.
And it has to do with WHOSE voice you are listening to and WHOSE lead you are following in life and business.
SURVEY Says...
My recent survey found that 36% of entrepreneurs, marketers and business owners have difficulty hearing the RIGHT voice when writing, creating, planning, and doing.
Why didn’t I take the risk and run the light? Because just like this blog I’m writing or the communications strategy I create for clients, my "secret sauce" finds me listening for the RIGHT voice throughout the day.
Many of you do that very same thing I do. (Kudos, if that is where you are today.)
Others may listen to your internal voice and find great success with that.
Or perhaps you hang on to every word a particular guru teaches.
In my case, my secret sauce and the voice I listen to is the Holy Spirit. (Yes, you read that correctly.) When I write, create, and do things—I seek the counsel of the Almighty.
If this concept is foreign to you, I encourage you to read on.
If this strategy is something you are familiar with but struggle to do, you will benefit as well.
If you have this topic nailed already, I invite you to read on and tell me what else I could add to this topic.
Why Use "My Secret Sauce?"
Based on those who indicated they struggle with the concept, let’s unpack WHY inviting the Creator of the Universe into whatever you do is transformational.
If you invite God into whatever you are writing, creating, or doing BEFORE you do it—you will:
- Experience the difference between a blank page and a masterpiece.
- Gain insights that help you overcome writer’s block.
- Hear how to put your finger on the pulse of your audiences’ problems.
- Show your audience how you solve their woes.
- Write, create, and do things without hype or manipulation.
- Seek to look like Him and stop looking like the world.
- Be equipped with guidance that may take you in an entirely different direction.
- Quit striving (struggling) and start abiding (resting in Him).
But learning to HEAR and RECOGNIZE God’s voice only occurs as you practice leaning in and listening consistently over time.
Like the relationship with your spouse or kids, you learn the tone and sound of each voice. And you get to where you can anticipate what might be shared.
Although, sometimes, that consistent voice may surprise you and share things you never imagined they would say.
How to Use "My Secret Sauce"
So, HOW do you learn to hear God’s voice in what you write, create, and do?
Let's take a look at FIVE STEPS that will transform how you navigate life and business, and then unpack each one.
- Stop Compartmentalizing.
- Pray Consistently.
- Invite Him into EVERYTHING.
- Use the Ultimate How-To Guide.
- Listen AND Take Action.
Now that you know the five steps, let's drill down into how to make each step become a reality and part of your routine.
ONE: Stop Compartmentalizing. Many of us are guilty of putting God in a box and only pulling Him out when we need something.
Here’s the sad truth: God is NOT a magic genie in a bottle. He’s a living, breathing Spirit Who is eagerly waiting to build a relationship with you.
He wants to be involved in everything about you from the moment you wake up to the time you lie down.
Challenge: Stop shoving Him in a corner (out of sight, out of mind) or just acknowledging Him during Sunday service. Integrate Him into EVERYTHING.
TWO: Pray Consistently. Prayer is a conversation. No magic, smoke, or mirrors. Nothing lofty or scripted.
Prayer is just you sharing your heart with Him and asking for his help, guidance, and direction as you navigate from one task to the next - one project to the next.
Challenge: Instead of relegating prayer to one point in time, talk to Him throughout the day.
What If Your Perspective Is Different?
Let’s put a pin in this for a moment.
If you don’t believe in Jesus as your personal Savior, what I’m sharing may fall flat and seem crazy. So the challenge for you is to ask Him to reveal Himself to you. I promise that when you do, He will.
Or maybe you know Who He is, but you’re just acquaintances that rarely talk.
Or maybe you see Him as a distant being who is only accessible through conduits or ritualistic rote sayings. The challenge for you is to ask Him to become real to you in all you do. I promise you He will do that and more.
Unpack Three More Steps
Now, let’s move to the third way to learn to hear God’s voice in what you write, create and do.
THREE: Invite Him into EVERYTHING you do. At the beginning of your projects and tasks, ask Him to guide and direct you.
Ask Him questions about the strategy, content, and key points you should make.
Ask Him if you’ve forgotten something or if there are ways to make your work better, stronger, and more vibrant.
You may even ask Him WHO you should reach out to help make your project better.
The options of the questions you can ask Him are endless — just like the questions you pepper your kids with when you want to learn the details about the upcoming field trip, project, or test.
The only difference is you are asking questions of the One who created you, so the stakes and results are higher.
Challenge: Block out an hour and invite Him into everything you do in that one hour. Rinse. Repeat. Keep doing that repeatedly until inviting Him into your day, projects, and tasks become second nature and natural.
FOUR: Use the Ultimate How To Guide. You and I are blessed to have scripture (God’s Words) available at our fingertips anytime, anywhere.
The Bible app makes that possible.
So open up your app or Bible.com browser and dive into scriptures about literally any topic.
Not sure where to find the specific scripture you need? You can ask God to point you in the right direction. You can also Google ‘scripture: insert your keyword’ until you find the right one.
Start to marinate in the Word by memorizing verses. When you do that, you will recall them when the time is right.
(Throughout Joyful Copy, my book, I list 100s of scriptures that I use in my life and business. You can also find them in the appendix, too.)
Challenge: Pull out 1-2 scripture verses that speak to you in the season you are walking through or the project you are working on. Write them out on note cards. Carry those notecards with you and read them throughout the day. Look up verses that apply to what you are working on. Add them to your notecard stack and pull them out to read them throughout the day. Rinse. Repeat.
FIVE: Listen and Take Action. All the steps before this step are void and null if you don’t pause to listen and then do what He says.
Like my waiting at the red light story, I could have pushed forward and run that light to get where I was going faster.
Instead, I heard a still, quiet voice counsel me to pause and reflect before moving forward.
When I did, wisdom and discernment helped me see what I needed to do. The same thing will happen to you.
When you consistently call out to invite Him into whatever you’re doing, if you pause to listen—you will gain insights, direction, and even writing muses, you never thought existed.
But then, you need to follow through and take action on what you hear.
Whose Voice Are You Hearing?
Before I close this post out, I need to spend a moment on discernment.
Since the devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour—he will try to trip you up and let you THINK you are hearing God’s voice when you are NOT.
He will use deception, tricks, and lies to trip you up when you least expect it.
He will use others who speak “Christianese” but are not aligned with Him to distract you and maybe even sell you a bag of goods you do not need or don't deliver on their promise.
The key is to talk to God so often that you know Who you are listening to and hearing.
As I wrote in Joyful Copy:
It is important to use heavenly wisdom and discernment as your filter and guide when you navigate through life, work on your business, and strive to write joyful copy.
Any stressors that you feel as you walk through life and business, as well as these copywriting and marketing exercises, are not from the Lord. How do I know that?
Because there is a clear difference between Satan’s voice and God’s voice.
In short, here’s what you and I both know to be true: God’s voice will lift you and help you soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31), while Satan’s voice is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
As you learn how to hear His voice in what you write, create, and do—stop each step of the way and ask God to partner with you and guide you.
When you lean into Him and not your own understanding, He WILL direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5–6). (You can take that promise to the bank.)
And remember, just because you CAN get away with something when no one is looking doesn’t mean you should because you will know, and so will God.
If nobody sees, it DOES matter.
If you’ve read this far and still have questions, or you just have other insights to share, please email me at [email protected]. I promise to respond.
