The Hardest Part of Being a Christian Writer (And It’s Not What You Think)

Ever feel like writing faith-based books is heavier than you expected? You’re not alone. But what if I told you the hardest part of being a Christian writer isn’t writer’s block, book sales, or even marketing? What if the real challenge is something much deeper—something no one really talks about?

In this raw and eye-opening episode, we dive into the unseen struggles that come with writing for God. From the spiritual weight of your calling to the doubt that creeps in before you hit publish, this conversation is one every Christian writer needs to hear.

If you’ve ever wondered:

✅ Am I really called to write?

✅ What if I misrepresent Scripture in my books?

✅ Why does this calling feel so heavy sometimes?

Then this episode is for you.

💡 Inside, you’ll discover:

• The single biggest struggle Christian authors face (and how to overcome it)
• Why Galatians 1:8-10 is a critical warning for faith-based writers
• How to write with confidence and conviction while staying true to Scripture
• The hidden reason writing for the Kingdom feels harder than you thought

You weren’t meant to carry this burden alone. Tune in now and learn how to walk boldly in your calling as God’s anointed scribe.

🎧 Listen now!

📢 Share this with a fellow writer who needs encouragement today.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

📩 Got thoughts on today’s episode? Send me a message using the link below—I’d love to hear from you!

Transcript

You know, as Christ followers stepping into our calling as writers, we expect challenges in writing. But what if the hardest part isn't writer's block or how to get more book sales?

What if the real battle Christian authors face is something much deeper, like the spiritual weight of your calling or the pressure to get it right for God?

So in this episode, we're going to get very real about the unseen challenges no one warns you about. And I promise you, it's not what you might think they are.

If you've ever felt like writing faith based books is heavier than you expected, then turn up the volume, friend. You're going to want to be part of today's conversation.

This is episode 14.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning author of Christian fiction. It wasn't that long ago that I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, setting the course for a spiritual journey that transformed my life.

But the journey through self publishing hasn't been easy as I soon found myself obsessing over book sales rankings and getting to the top of the shelves, all the while trying to stay rooted in Christ and live out my purpose.

But God has graciously been teaching me how to navigate the spiritual pitfalls of the brutal book publishing industry. And now I'm sharing them with you. Welcome to the Anointed Scribe podcast where each week I open my personal diary to share soul nourishing stories designed to inspire, uplift and equip you for your writing life.

If you're already a Christian author or one in the making trying to balance faith with business, you're in the right place. Because for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe.

Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome back to another episode of Anointed Scribe. If you've been here before, you hopefully know by now that this is a place where we have real, raw conversations about what it means to write as a believer in Christ.

Not just the fun parts, but the struggles, the doubts, and the stuff no one really talks about.

But here's the thing though. My conversations with you are based on my revelations, Holy Spirit teachings and my experience as a Christian author.

I want you to always go to the Bible with the scriptures I share with you and pray about them. Ask God to speak to you directly because it's firstly what you should do with any message you hear then, but also because your journey and purpose is different to mine.

So welcome back. If you're a regular listener and if you're new to the anointed scribe tribe, I hope you will browse some of the backlist episodes and use them to draw closer to God in your author journey.

Because I know you haven't found your way here by accident. Right?

Okay, so I'm jumping straight in today. We're getting into one of those things that no one talks about.

In fact, I yet have to hear it come up in any of my zoom calls, author meetups or Christian writing conferences. And you know what? In my opinion, it's the single most important thing we as Christian authors should be focused on because it's the bedrock of our entire purpose and call to write for the kingdom.

It's actually something I once found to be one of the hardest parts of being a Christian author.

Because here's the thing.

We think the hardest part is going to be the writing itself, right? Or the publishing process or selling your books, or even finding an audience. And yes, of course, writing a book is much harder than readers might ever know, especially if you're making a career of it.

And don't get me wrong, all of those things have their challenges. But today I'm not talking about the dedication and discipline or talent you need to write, publish, or market your books.

Today, I'm talking about something far more important and, in my experience, harder than any other part of being a Christian writer, especially if you're trying to build a thriving author business.

It is, in fact, the weight of the calling itself.

Now, before you tune me out and think this doesn't apply to you because you know you're calling and you're very certain what you're doing. Hang on a minute and just let me explain, because I'm pretty sure that if you truly have a heart for God and a heart to use your writing and author business to spread the gospel, then chances are you've probably already experienced this.

So let me explain what I'm referring to here, because you'll see that being a Christian author, in the true sense of the word, is actually serious business.

It's that heaviness, the tension between what you feel called to write and the doubt that creeps in over what you actually put on paper.

It's the pressure to steward your words well, to convey the right message to your readers, the massive responsibility not to lead your readers astray, but to accurately translate the word of God to them in a character or through your stories or in your nonfiction book.

It's that moment before you Press publish, where you ponder whether you're qualified to do this.

Because let's face it, using your words as a Christian writer to either encourage or inspire your readers carries an immense responsibility.

And if you've ever stumbled upon that verse in the Bible where it warns believers not to lead his flock astray, you would have felt that instant pang in the pit of your stomach that has your nerves on edge.

Because who wants to stand before God on Judgment Day and have God ask you why the verse you used in your book was out of context or you twisted the word of God in your story?

I Definitely don't.

Galatians 1, 8:10 warns us not to twist or pervert the gospel, even in a minor variation, or to use it to win human approval or popularity.

And Paul goes on to say that if even an angel from heaven were to preach something other than what the Gospel teaches, he will be cursed.

That's quite a serious warning to us Christian writers, isn't it? I mean, I had to do a serious heart check when God brought my attention to this Scripture, because, listen, there is so much to unpack in this piece of Scripture, in Galatians, especially if this is more than a hobby for you and you're focused on building a thriving author business.

Because there's a very fine line between using your books to spread the gospel and build the kingdom versus using them to gain popularity and fame and money, right?

The other thing Paul addresses here is that as writers, we can go off script, so to speak, quite easily. I mean, I'm a pantser. I never stay on script. But Paul warns us here that if there's one script as a Christian author you want to stick to, then it's the Scriptures.

See what I did there?

You don't want to twist or misrepresent the Bible in any way, shape or form.

Now, I don't want you to go off into a panic or let fear get hold of you now, because that's not what you should be doing here.

Satan will twist this truth into having you doubt yourself and your purpose. And if you're good enough to be a Christian writer, which will completely derail you from God's purpose for your life.

So just take a deep breath for a second here because I'm going to lay it all out for you in a way that will make more sense to you.

Firstly, I want to draw the distinction between a few what I call Christian writer varieties. And this is something that, that I see cropping up more and more lately as the Christian fiction category in particular seem to be growing bigger by the day.

In my opinion. There are three types of books making their way into the Christian categories on Amazon.

There's the faith led, scripture inspired, Christ following author who loves and worships God the Father, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit, who uses their books and author platform as a means to spread the word of God, the Bible, and to minister messages of faith to other Christian believers.

This is who I am as a Christian author. This is my entire brand, using my books to minister through stories.

Type number two is the author who writes clean and wholesome books.

In other words, books that do not contain any profanity or excessive violence or sex. Just nice clean books with great storytelling to entertain the reader without a faith theme or biblical message or redemption story.

They'll often have their main character be a priest or a nun, for example, who solves a murder. But there's no deeper faith connection in the content of their books. There's no physical transformation or spiritual transformation that any of their characters go through other than the protagonist's occupation.

Their character doesn't portray any faith struggle or path to forgiveness or redemption.

Or there's a Christian relic maybe that has gone missing and the quest for this relic then becomes the story.

These books make for great reading entertainment.

And then there's author type number three, who uses Christian themes, often even scripture, in their books, that often confuses, misleads and misrepresents Christianity, leaving the reader in no man's land and more confused than ever.

An author that springs to mind here would be Dan Brown, for example. Now, I'm not bashing him, I'm just saying critics have often said that he contradicts the Bible and leans more to Gnosticism than true biblical teaching.

And he openly also admits that his books challenge Christians to question their faith.

So as you can see, these three types of books or authors are very different from each other. And it's therefore quite clear that that they each have a different motive and a goal for their writing and their author business.

So the question then becomes, firstly, which type of author are you?

And secondly, how does the content of your books measure against Paul's warning in Galatians?

Which now brings me all the way back to today's topic. Because if you've picked author type number one, the author like me, who was called, appointed, chosen and anointed to write, who loves God and wants to glorify him in your books, then you should now relate with why I say the hardest struggle we face is the responsibility of this calling.

But it's Also, what comes with with other hard parts.

For one, there's this spiritual warfare. Because anytime you step into what God has called you to do, into a ministry, which is What I believe Orthotype 1 is, the enemy is going to try to stop you in whatever way he can trip you up.

Second, there's the doubt, not just about your writing craft, but about yourself.

Did God really call me to this? What if I mess this up? What if no one reads it? Can I actually do this?

It reminds me of the question Satan asked Eve in the Garden of Eden. Did God really say you should eat from this tree?

Doubt is not God of God, friend.

It is of the devil.

Then there's the third one, which is waiting.

Because writing, publishing, and reaching readers is a process.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. It's a seed that you plant and then leave and trust for God to water in his time.

It's waiting patiently for God to move in his time, not yours. And sometimes it feels like you're just sitting in the in between, wondering if it's even worth it.

That's a real struggle right there.

No one really prepares you for these things. No one prepared me for. It still doesn't.

And if you're feeling them right now, I want you to know it's not your mind playing tricks on you. When you doubt, or when you doubt your skill or your writing, or why God called you, or even if God called you, it's not you.

You are not failing. You're also not alone.

This is part of the Christian author journey. This is part of the ministry that you, as a Christian author, has on your life, the calling. This is your job. This is your mission.

Just like Paul ended up in prison, just like Jesus ended up on the cross, there will be hardship, but through God, with the Holy Spirit, you can push through all of it.

Here's what I think makes this calling so uniquely hard as well. It's not just a skill.

It's a stewardship.

When you're a Christian writer, you're not just putting words on a page.

You're carrying something much bigger than yourself.

Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, devotionals, or a blog, you are handling something that has the potential to impact lives.

And that is no small thing and should be taken seriously.

If you've ever felt the weight of that, it's because you were never meant to take it lightly. But you were also never meant to take it on alone.

Think about this. Moses didn't take his calling lightly when God asked him to lead Israel.

Jeremiah, didn't take it lightly when he was called to be a prophet. Paul didn't take it lightly when he was entrusted with spreading the gospel to the Gentiles.

Here's the thing. They all struggled with it.

Moses argued with God and said, I can't do this. I'm not a good speaker.

Jeremiah said, I'm too young. No one will listen to me.

Paul had a thorn in his flesh that made him feel weak.

Sound familiar?

But God doesn't call us to go at it on our own.

God calls us to things that feel too big for us for a reason.

Because when we have, then we have him to rely on him to carry it out.

And writing, when done in obedience to God, is one of those things. This is why it feels so heavy. This is why it sometimes feels like more of a burden than a joy.

Because what you're carrying is not just about you.

It's not just about how many readers you have or how many books you sell or how much money you have in the bank. It's about letting God speak through you, letting God use you for his purpose.

And when you understand this, when you seek God in your writing and author business, he does the job for you.

So. So what do we do with all of this? You might be thinking, okay, great. So I'm not crazy for feeling this way, but what do I do about it?

How do I make sure I don't misrepresent the Bible?

Friend, there's really only one way to make sure you represent God accurately and heed Paul's warnings in Galatians.

Abide in Christ so that he can abide in you.

For the mouth, keyboard, pen speaks what the heart is full of. That's what Luke 6:45 teaches us.

Spend time in the Word. Spend time with God and let His Holy Spirit guide your writing.

Because if you know the heart of God, then you will know right from wrong.

And here's where I want to speak to your heart today.

First, you have to recognize that the weight you feel is not meant to crush you, but to remind you who you're relying on.

To remind you that God chose you to carry out this mission for Him.

The moment you try to carry this calling in your own strength, it will crush you. You'll burn out. You'll start doubting yourself. You'll compare yourself to other writers who seem more successful, more talented, more anointed.

You'll give the enemy a foothold to derail and distract you from God's plan for your life.

See, this was never meant to be about your strength.

Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when he says, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.

If you're feeling weak, if you're feeling you are not enough, if you're feeling inadequate, that's the best place to be because that's where God shows up.

Second, you have to stop expecting it to be easy.

I think sometimes we get caught up in this idea that if we're doing what God has called us to do, it should just flow right?

That if he really called us to write, the words should just pour out effortlessly. Or our books should just sell by the millions. Our audiences should grow.

But show me one person in the Bible who followed their calling and had it easy.

God doesn't call us to things that are easy. He calls us to things that require faith and reliance on him and doing it in his strength.

That means there will be struggles, there will be moments of doubt, there will be times when you want to quit, and it all feels too much for you to handle.

But the difference between those who quit and those who press on?

They understand that hard doesn't mean long wrong.

Just because it's hard doesn't mean you're on the wrong path.

Just because it's hard doesn't mean you are not called.

It means you are stepping into something that matters and the enemy is fighting hard to stop it.

So if you're sitting there today, feeling the weight of this writing journey, feeling resistance, feeling like maybe you should just walk away, I want you to pause, breathe, and remember why you started.

God did not call you to do this because you're the most talented.

He called you to this because he has something to say through you.

Your job. Be obedient. Show up. Keep writing even when it's hard.

Because one day you'll look back and realize the weight was never meant to be to break you. It was meant to refine you. And that, my friend, is the real heart of this journey.

If this episode spoke to you, I'd really love to hear from you. Send me a message with a link in the show notes or DM me or share this with a fellow writer who needs to also hear it, even with your pastor or anyone else you might know who ministers for God.

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Because for such a time as this you have been Called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe thanks for listening to today's episode of the Anointed Scribe podcast. I hope you're leaving feeling inspired, encouraged and on fire to step boldly into your calling as a writer chosen and set apart to fulfill a unique purpose in God's plan.

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I look forward to our next episode together, and remember, for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe. I'll see you next time.