Israel was warned not to use their collective creativity in the wrong way. They were to build an altar to the Lord; they were not to build or erect a rival altar or worship symbol to another god:
"Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God, and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the Lord your God hates" (Deuteronomy 16:21-22).
God created us to be creative people and that creativity didn't disappear after Adam and Eve fell. However, now we're like a computer with a virus. Everything remains intact, but a sin virus was introduced that corrupted all the files. The computer still functions but it has a major defect that limits its effectiveness. That's a good analogy for how we now function in our fallen nature, and that includes our creativity.
What's more, if we don't channel our creativity into legitimate and godly expressions, it will tend to "break out" into other areas and that could include worship. We see many such creative "worship" systems today, usually ending in the letters "-ism" that are examples of people's fertile creative minds, but that aren't grounded in God's word or will (socialism, communism, materialism, and a host of cults, which will go unnamed for now).
Yet this creativity-gone-awry doesn't have to be a system; it can be as simple as you using your creativity solely for the purposes of making money or as an outlet to proclaim your own theology and worldview. You're to worship at the altar God prescribes, not one of your own choosing and making.
Are you using your creativity as God intended? Are you submitting it to the Lordship of Christ or is your creativity a renegade or a hibernating talent? How can you utilize your creativity in a way that contributes to your worship of God and not as a creative no-no that hinders or diverts your obedience? In other words, make sure the sin virus isn't affecting your creativity, which God wants you to use and display for His glory.
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