The Bible says: ‘They provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power’ (vv. 40-42 NKJV). In the wilderness, the Israelites continually aggravated God to the point of anger and caused great sadness in His heart by limiting Him. They limited what He could do for them and through them. And we do the same thing when we don’t recognise and use the gifts He gives us and the creative ideas He places in our minds. God wants us to break out of the ‘box’ of our own backgrounds, stumbling blocks, and personal limitations. One of the ways we can do that is by constantly letting ourselves experience and be open to new ideas, new places, and new people. God’s Word says: ‘Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left’ (Isaiah 54:2-3 NKJV). Notice the words ‘enlarge’ and ‘stretch out’ and ‘lengthen’ and ‘strengthen’ and ‘expand’. If we want to be really creative, we also have to be teachable. We need to keep learning, growing, and expanding our thinking so we can make room for innovative new ideas. Some people might think they’re not naturally creative. But we’re not necessarily born with creativity – it comes through developing our God-given gifts and seizing the opportunities He sends our way. Do you want to break out of the box? That’s how to do it!
