66 | You Were Never Meant to SELF-Publish — What Exodus Reveals for Kingdom Writers

What if the word “self-publish” has been quietly working against you as a Christian author this whole time?

In this episode of The Anointed Scribe, Urcelia unpacks the hidden problem with the word “self” in self-publishing — and why Christian authors were never called to write, publish, or build their author business alone. If you’ve been feeling exhausted, isolated, or stuck in your indie author journey, this one’s for you.

Through a powerful passage in Exodus 35–36 — where God commissions ordinary people to build the tabernacle and supernaturally equips them with skill, intelligence, and creativity they didn’t have before — Urcelia reveals the pattern God still uses with Christian writers and authors today: He stirs the heart, He fills with His Spirit, and He over-provides for the work.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why the word “self-publish” contradicts everything the Bible teaches Christian authors about identity, calling, and dependence on God

• The surprising connection between self-ish, self-centred, self-confidence, self-care — and the way we approach self-publishing

• How God equipped Bezalel and Oholiab with supernatural skill to do work they were never trained for — and what that means for your writing

• The heart condition that blocks God’s provision in your author business

• How to shift from striving as a self-published author to thriving as a God-commissioned, Spirit-equipped, Kingdom-building author

Whether you’re a Christian fiction author, nonfiction writer, or just starting your indie publishing journey, this episode will remind you that the God who called you to write will equip you and provide everything you need to carry out that good work.

Scriptures referenced: Galatians 2:20, John 15:4, Philippians 1:6, 1 Timothy 6:18, Exodus 35:25–36:7, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 9:8

📌 Resources mentioned:

• The Revive to Thrive Way™ — Launching soon!

👉 Listen now to uncover the secret to becoming an anointed scribe!

Transcript

What if I told you that one of the most common words we use as indie authors,

a word we say almost every single day, has been quietly working against us this whole time?

I'm not talking about imposter syndrome or comparison or any of the usual suspects. I'm talking about a word so normal,

so embedded in our vocabulary that most of us have never even questioned it.

The word is self publish.

And today I want to unpack why that little four letter prefix self might be the reason so many Christian authors feel extreme, exhausted,

isolated and stuck.

Because, friends, spoiler alert. You were never meant to do this by yourself.

Stay with me. This is the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction authority.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I had no idea it would spark a spiritual journey that would redefine my calling. But you know what, friend?

Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same, saying,

welcome to the Anointed Scribe Podcast, where faith meets business for Christian writers. Let's write, publish, and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well then, let's get started.

Real quick. If you've been building your author business feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and unsure of your next steps, the revive to Thrive Way™ was made for you.

Three shifts that replace the overwhelm with peace, the confusion with purpose, and the hustle with overflow. And they're ready to do the same for you.

Check it out at anointedscribe.com/ReviveToThrive . Link is in the show notes.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome to the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

It's the podcast for Christian authors who want to write,

publish and build the author business with God instead of just for Him.

If you're new here, welcome, welcome. Pour yourself something warm if you're in the northern hemisphere or cold if you're down south like me. And settle in and let's have a nice chat today.

And if you're a regular, you know the drill, friend. This is your coffee date with another author friend who gets it.

So I've been chewing on something for a while now and I finally sat down this week and started writing out my thoughts because I just couldn't shake it.

And the more I wrote, the More. I realized this wasn't just a random thought.

This was something the Holy Spirit has been gently peeling back for me, layer by layer.

It started with one word.

One word. A word I've used for years.

A word you've probably used just this week.

And that word is self publish.

Now, before you think I've gone off the deep end,

hear me out.

I understand what that word means.

I get the intention behind it.

Self publishing describes the process of a writer publishing their work independently without a traditional publishing house.

I get it. That's the industry definition.

And there's nothing wrong with that definition on the surface.

But here's what hit me as a Christ follower,

as someone whose identity and calling are rooted in God's word.

Nothing I do is meant to be done by myself.

And nothing I do is meant to be done for myself either.

The Bible is pretty clear on this.

Galatians 2:20 says,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,

but Christ lives in me.

That's Paul literally saying,

self is off the table.

We died to self.

Our old way of operating, the striving, the hustling, the doing it all alone mentality that was nailed to the cross.

And yet here we are,

proudly calling ourselves self published authors,

building our self published businesses and wondering why we feel like we're doing it alone.

Now let's take it a step further, because I think the enemy is craftier than we give him credit for.

Think about all the other self words we throw around.

Selfish, self selfish.

But God calls us to be generous and giving.

1 Timothy 6:18 tells us to be rich in good works,

generous and ready to share. Right?

How about this word? Self centered.

But Jesus says in John 15:4, abide in me, and I in you.

The center of our lives isn't supposed to be us,

it's supposed to be him.

How about this one? Self confidence.

But Philippians 1:6 says being confident of this,

that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.

Our confidence isn't in ourselves,

it's in the one who started the work and will finish it.

Ooh, and this is a nice little trigger buzzword. Self care.

And look, I'm not saying rest and boundaries are bad. God literally invented the Sabbath. You should rest.

But the second greatest commandment,

love your neighbour as yourself. It's an outward call.

It's others focused. The world says, put yourself first.

Jesus says, put me first.

Love others well and I'll take care of you.

So when the enemy floods our industry,

our calling as writers with a language of self,

is it any wonder that we feel so isolated,

that we feel like everything depends on us,

that we're drowning under the weight of doing it all because we've unknowingly adopted the wrong framework?

We've been self publishing when God called us to do something entirely different.

So what's the opposite?

If we're not self publishing, what are we doing?

I've been wrestling with the right word and honestly, I keep coming back to this.

We are commissioned to publish.

We are spirit led publishers.

Or if you want to keep it close to home with this podcast,

we are anointed to publish.

Because that changes everything, doesn't it? When you move from I'm self publishing a book to God commissioned me to write and publish this book.

The weight lifts, the weight shifts.

It's no longer all on your shoulders.

It was never supposed to be, right.

And listen, I didn't just pull all of this out of thin air. Yet today,

God showed me something beautiful in Exodus that I want to walk you through because it's going to change the way you see your calling as an author.

So I've been doing a read the Bible in a year plan. It's in chronological order and it's just absolutely mind blowing how I see things now. And if you're doing 1, 2, high five, we are in this together.

And this week I was in Exodus chapters 35 and 36, to be specific. And let me tell you, what I found in there stopped me in my tracks.

So let me set the scene. The Israelites have just come out of Egypt. They've been slaves.

These are not skilled artisans, these are not trained craftsmen. They were making bricks in the mud. They've been wandering through the desert by this time almost 40 years.

And Moses has just come down from Mount Sinai for the second time with the Ten Commandments.

And I say the second time because, well, the first time didn't go so well, did it?

He came down to find the people had built a golden calf and were worshiping it, right? So there was some serious course correction needing to happen here.

But this time, Moses comes down with a clear instruction from God. He had just spent 5, 40 days with God on the mountain and he comes down and he says, God says, build me a tabernacle.

Build a dwelling place so that I can be with my people.

And not just any structure. God gave it incredible detail, specific plans for his sanctuary.

We talking intricate gold filigree work, precious stone settings, woven tapestries,

carved cherubim. This was master level craftsmanship and here's the thing.

These were former slaves. God's now telling to build this thing.

Where on earth were they going to find people with these kinds of skills? In the middle of a desert, no less.

This is where it gets incredible. Exodus 35, starting around verse 30 tells us that God called two men by name,

Bezalel and Oholiab.

Two ordinary men. Nothing special about them on paper, right?

But look at what God did. Let me read you the passage real quick. It's Exodus 35, verse 30 to 33, if you want to follow. It says this.

See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, and he has filled him with the spirit of God,

with skill,

with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting and in carving wood for work in every skilled craft.

Did you catch that?

God didn't find men who already had the skill and recruited them.

He took ordinary men and he filled them with his spirit.

And then it says he put skill and intelligence and knowledge into them.

He literally equipped them with abilities they did not possess before.

Friend, do you hear what I'm saying today?

God didn't look at Bezalel and say,

well, you seem talented enough. Go figure it out.

No,

God filled him.

God equipped him.

God gifted him and then sent him to do the work by stirring his heart.

And it doesn't stop there. Go back a few verses to Exodus 35, 26, and it says that God stirred the hearts of the women,

all the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill. It says,

to spin the goat's hair for the tabernacle coverings.

God didn't just equip people, he moved their hearts first.

He stirred something inside them.

He planted the desire and the ability.

So can I ask you something today? Has God ever stirred your heart to write?

Has he ever planted a story idea,

a message, a book concept that you just. Just couldn't shake?

Something that kept you up at night, something that wouldn't leave you alone no matter how much you tried to talk yourself out of it?

Well, I'm here to tell you, friend, that wasn't random.

That wasn't your imagination.

That was God doing exactly what he did in the desert,

stirring your heart and your mind to do the work he prepared for you?

Because Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The work was prepared before you were the stories, the books, the messages, they were ready and waiting for you to. To walk into them. You didn't dream this up by yourself.

God commissioned you.

But here's the part that really wrecked me in the best possible way.

Not only did God call, stir, and equip his people, wait for it. He also provided everything they needed to carry out this Good work.

Exodus 36, 3, 7. Go and read this. It's extraordinary.

It tells us that the people brought so many materials,

so much of their gold and silver and fine linen and precious stones,

that Moses had to actually tell them to stop.

Moses literally said, stop bringing me stuff. We don't need your donations any longer. We have too much.

I mean, imagine that. When was the last time you experienced overflow in your Orsa business?

When was the last time God provided so abundantly that you had to say, lord, this is more than I need?

I don't know about you, but I want to live in that space,

and I want to give back from that overflow when I have it.

And I believe God wants that for you, too.

Because here's the pattern I see in Exodus, and it's the same pattern God uses with us today.

First, he stirs your heart.

He plants the calling. He gives you the desire to write.

Then he fills you with his spirit.

He equips you with the skill,

the intelligence, the creativity you need.

He puts things in you that weren't there before.

And then he provides.

Not just barely scraping by, provides, he over provides. He opens doors and sends resources and connects you with the right people.

But, and this is the part we need to sit with,

this provision follows a condition. Not a legalistic earn your way condition,

but a heart condition.

I think what sometimes happens, and I'm preaching to myself here because I've lived this,

is that we start out with the right heart. We start out writing for God. The calling is fresh, the fire is burning, and we're all in, right?

But then the world creeps in.

We start checking out our Amazon rankings.

We start comparing our launch numbers to someone else's.

We start chasing the algorithm, obsessing over keywords and downloads,

fixating on income reports.

And slowly, almost imperceptibly, our hearts shift.

We go from writing for his glory to writing for our glory,

from his purpose to our purpose.

And that's when things start to feel heavy.

That's when the joy drains out of our writing and the striving sets in.

That's when we wonder why God isn't providing the way he used to.

But maybe the question isn't, why isn't God providing.

Maybe the question should be, where is my heart?

Because Jesus said it so plainly in Matthew 6:33.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you. Now, we've probably been desensitized to this scripture,

but I want to point it out. It says, I all these things,

the provision,

the readers, the income, the growth,

the impact,

all of it follows when we get the order right.

Kingdom first,

his purpose first,

his glory first, and then he adds what we need.

And Paul reinforces this in 2 Corinthians 9, 8, when he says, and God is able to make all grace abound to you,

so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times,

you may be abound in every good work.

All sufficiency in all things at all times.

So you can go out and do God's work.

That's not a stingy God from where I'm sitting.

That's not a God who calls you to write and then leaves you to figure it out, right?

That's a God who provides lavishly for the work he's commissioned you to do.

But it starts with a heart. It always starts with a heart.

So why do we doubt if God stirred the hearts and minds of former slaves in a desert and turned them into master craftsmen,

if he provided so abundantly that Moses had to tell people to stop giving,

why do we doubt that he'll do the same for us?

If God put intelligence and skill and creativity into Bezalel,

skills that man didn't have before God breathed them into him,

why do we think we need to figure out cover design and marketing and Amazon ads and email funnels and Facebook all by ourselves?

I think the answer goes back to that word, self.

We've bought into the lie that this is a self publishing journey,

that we are self made authors,

that success depends on our hustle, our strategy, our effort. And listen,

I'm not saying we sit back and do nothing. God filled Bezalel with skills,

but Bezalel still had to pick up the tools and go do the work, right?

The woman whose hearts were stirred still had to sit down and spin the thread.

There is absolutely a partnership here, a co laboring with God.

But the foundation, the source, the power behind the work,

that's not us, that's him.

And when we try to build on the foundation of self,

we are building on self sand.

But when we build on the foundation of his calling,

his equipping and his provision,

that's when we are building on rock.

So here's what I want to leave you with today, friend.

If God stirred your heart at any time to write a book,

whether it's a novel, a devotional, a children's book, a memoir, a song, a Bible study, whatever he placed on your heart,

know he called you the same way he called those men and women in the desert.

He stirred your heart.

He's equipped you.

Or he's in the process of equipping you and he will provide what you need to carry out the work.

But I want to challenge you with something.

The next time you're about to say I'm a self published author,

I want you to pause just for a second and remind yourself of the truth.

You didn't call yourself to do this. God did.

You're not doing this alone either. His spirit is within you.

His spirit is with you. And the work you are doing,

it's not for your kingdom.

It's for his kingdom.

You're not a self published author.

You are a God commissioned,

spirit equipped,

kingdom building author.

You are an anointed scribe.

And there's a world of difference between those two things.

So whatever you're facing today, whether it's doubt about your calling,

stress about your finances, confusion about your next step,

or just plain exhaustion from trying to do it all,

I want you to take a deep breath and remember, Bezalel.

Remember that God took an ordinary man with no special skill,

filled him with his spirit and used him to build something extraordinary for God's glory, in God's strength,

with God's provision. He's doing the same thing with you.

You just have to let go of self and let him lead.

Friend, thank you for being here today. If this episode resonated with you,

would you do me a favor? A small favor? Share it with a Christian author friend who needs to hear this too.

Screenshot it Send the link Tag me Anointed Scribe on social media. However you want to share it. Because I believe this message isn't just for you or for me.

It's for every Christian writer who's been carrying the weight of self on their shoulders.

And if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode. Also, if this podcast has been a blessing to you, if it's encouraged you, challenged you, or just made you feel a little less alone on this author journey, I would be so super grateful if you'd take 30 seconds to leave a review.

Honestly, it makes such a difference. It helps other Christian authors find this podcast.

And every time I read one of your reviews. It just fills my cup.

So thank you in advance for that.

Oh, and one more thing before I let you go.

If today's episode stirred something in you, friend,

if you're feeling that tug to stop striving and start building with God again,

I've been working on this program that I'm so excited to be sharing with you soon. It's called the Revive to Thrive Way and it's launching, hopefully still this month now that my book is finished.

Finished and with my editor.

But if you're sitting there feeling tired of the struggle, tired of the industry pressure, and just lost and confused about the way forward and how to build a sustainable author business with God, I'd love it if you go check it out at anointedscribe.com/revivetothrive and that's two written out revive to Thrive.

The link is also in the show Notes Friend, I've got more good things coming your way, but I want to leave you with this final thought.

The enemy wants you to believe this is a self made solitary journey and that you are not enough.

But today God is telling you that you were never meant to be enough because he is.

And a willing heart surrendered to an able God has never once gone to waste.

He didn't call you to be enough.

He called you to be available.

And what he did with those two ordinary men and a handful of willing women in the desert,

he is ready and waiting to do with you.