Why Write A Christian Book? The Power of Your Testimony Through Self-Publishing
The Call
Do you feel the Lord calling to share your testimony in the form of a self-published book? I still remember God’s call to write my book. I was in the thick of my darkest season, involving my son. He was being tormented after smoking pot with his friends, and it appeared he was experiencing drug-induced schizophrenia.
This went on day after day, month after month. It was all I could do to keep my head above water. I was experiencing the gamut of emotions and responses you go through in your faith when God allows something you never expected…when He appears silent…and when the answers you seek in His Word don’t seem to work.
It wasn’t always “pretty.” I want to say I was a pillar of strength throughout, but that would be a lie. I often hung on by a thread—in a constant tug of war between faith and fear; hope and despair; trust and anger.
In the midst of all this pain, distress, and weakness of my flesh, I heard the Lord say, “You will write a book about this one day. Take notes.”
A Desire to Obey, But…
Now keep in mind, I was an avid reader. I loved Christian books and had my share of indie author friends. I had even been to a couple of Christian writers conferences. I desired to self-publish a book one day, but the thought was almost paralyzing. And though I’d done some speaking and had an occasional article published in a local paper, I had no idea how to write a book. Regardless, the last thing I wanted to do—or had the emotional capacity for at the time—was to consider such an endeavor.
During my trial, I wasn’t exactly embracing all God was producing in my weakness. I didn’t care much about letting “perseverance have its perfect work,” (James 1:4.) I just wanted my son back. I just wanted this—whatever this was—OVER. And when it was, I certainly didn’t want to write about it for the world to see.
I remember thinking, “Once I get through this—if I get through this—I would never want to relive it, even on paper.” (And in fact, I didn’t begin to write the 1st Edition of my book for six more years.)
I never did take notes, though I wish I had. (At least not written ones) I wasn’t trying to be disobedient to the Lord’s request. My heart has always been to honor the Lord with my “yes.” But truth be told, I was in survival mode. And the idea of putting my blackest night to paper was overwhelming, to say the least—especially with the thought that someone else may read my words someday.
It felt too vulnerable, too transparent, and too raw. But my heart took notes. My spirit was recording all that God was teaching me through it. And it was as if He was branding understanding into the depths of my soul.
A Second Request
I still remember how long I waited. I tried my best to hide in the hopes God would “forget” what He’d asked of me. But He is “the God who remembers.” In fact, He remembers the prayers we no longer remember to pray. And five years later, while at a creativity conference, God reiterated His request.
The woman leading the conference asked us to bow our heads. She began to pray for God to reveal a way He would like to use us in an area of creativity. I was surprised to immediately see three people—complete strangers—who desperately needed my testimony in the form of a book. The Lord showed me their cries for help, and I could feel them as if they were my desperate pleas.
Then the Lord asked me, “Would you write the book, if only for these three?” As tears escaped my eyes, I replied, “Yes. I will write it, if only for ‘the one.’”
Stepping Out in Faith
When I finally sat down to write my book in 2017 (six years after the Lord first asked me), the words just flowed. My “yes” was met with His faithfulness. He provided every step of the way.
In October of 2023, my son (who my book is about) encouraged me to rebrand with a new cover, new title, and additional content. He felt the previous cover made it seem for women only, which I had never thought of nor intended. He expressed that both men and women needed it and that it was also crucial for the younger generation, but they weren’t going to be drawn to it as it was.
Again, the idea overwhelmed me, but I felt the Lord was in it. The Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition, DON’T CHEAT THE BUTTERFLY: A Battle, A Strategy, and A Mind Transformed, was published in 2025, eight years after the 1st Edition. This time, I went the extra mile and even narrated an audiobook version—an undertaking I could never have imagined.
Beauty for Ashes
Following the book’s publishing, one of my sons offered to help me with the book’s marketing by creating social media ads. He wanted to conduct Zoom interviews with some who had reached out to express how the book had changed their lives. We hoped to get feedback and turn these one-hour video recordings into 1-minute ads.
What I didn’t expect was the intensity and passion of their responses. I was overcome with emotion, realizing God was giving me a glimpse of the reward for our suffering. Hearing the transformational impact my testimony—my book—was having on others’ lives was a rare gift, and I knew it. Seeds planted unto the Lord typically grow unseen, for Him alone to reap at the harvest. Yet we can be assured those seeds we sow—no matter how small—always produce a crop. Always.
It has been 14 years since the Lord first asked me to start taking notes for a book. Discovering that what I gained in suffering at the hand of the enemy—all those years ago—is still bringing healing and transformation to others has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Talk about redemption and restoration! It should come as no surprise that the ashes of our deepest trials often produce the most profound beauty.
A Price Worth Paying
Victory typically comes with a cost. The writing and publishing of my book came at a physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual cost. But I would gladly pay the price again for the joy of helping others and the honor of having something precious to lay at my Savior’s feet.
Revelation 19:10 says, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” I don’t claim to know the full meaning of this verse. But I know that our testimony can be a launching pad for someone else’s. The Biblical strategy God taught me—and the testimony of my son’s miraculous healing—have been used by God to bring transformation and freedom to others going through unique trials of their own.
I didn’t truly understand the reason for God’s calling or the impact writing a book would have until all these years later. A caterpillar wrapped in darkness doesn’t understand his master is giving him wings. A book can reach people well beyond our sphere of influence, through the power of our testimony!
Is the Lord calling you to write your story in a Christian nonfiction book? Maybe even in the form of a Christian fiction book? Does the thought intimidate you? Does it seem too big a task? Too high a calling? And couldn’t it cost you, greatly?
In 2 Samuel 24:24, David determined not to sacrifice to the Lord that which cost Him nothing. In his book, The Scandal of the Kingdom, Dallas Willard said, “To ‘count the cost’ doesn’t mean we just look at what we pay; we also look at what we gain.”
The things we walk through in life are not simply meant to be survived and the lessons learned are not meant for us, alone. Our breakthroughs are meant to break ground for those who walk behind us. They are meant to be a source of hope, encouragement, and healing for others. Writing your book will certainly cost you. But eternal reward awaits! Take the risk, my friend. Count the cost. If only for “the one.”
Author Bio
Kristen Smeltzer is an author and speaker who weaves powerful Biblical truths with personal testimony, in order to open eyes to the true nature of God and inspire hearers to believe afresh in the Lover of their souls. Her book, Don’t Cheat The Butterfly, is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook format. For more information, go to: https://kristensmeltzer.com/
https://www.amazon.com/DONT-CHEAT-BUTTERFLY-Strategy-Transformed/dp/0999562835
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