Who’s To Blame?

It drives me crazy when I hear people blame God for the bad things that happen in their lives.  Can you honestly picture God and Jesus sitting on their thrones in heaven and one of them asking the other, “Hey, what can we do to mess up that guy’s day?”  Of course not. 

However, I can easily picture Satan asking his demons that very same question.  He probably targets Christians most of all.  He can’t stand us.  We’re the ones who got away.  We’re the ones who see the truth about what he is.  So he wants to make our lives especially difficult. 

But God uses our difficulties to teach us about FAITH.  Remember what the Bible says?  God takes something bad and turns it into good. (See Romans 8:28) All we have to do is trust in Him.  Hey, we placed our trust in Him regarding our eternities.  Shouldn’t it be easy to trust Him with our lives as well?

God is Honest

God keeps his promises.  Genesis 21 is proof.

157) The Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and He did for Sarah what He had promised. (God keeps his promises!)

158) Sarah gave birth at the very time God had promised Abraham.  (Things happen in God’s timing.)

159) God commanded Abraham to circumcise Issac.

160) Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter.” (Our joy comes from the Lord.)

161) When Sarah requests that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away, God said to Abraham, “Do not be so distressed about the boy (Ishmael) and your maid servant (Hagar).  It is through Issac that your offspring will be reckoned.”

162) God told Abraham that He would also make Ishmael into a nation because he is Abraham’s offspring.

Give Me Strength

My mom used to say that a lot when she was raising three teenagers.  Life isn’t for wimps.  Who do you draw strength from?  Yourself?  Why??  Are you Superman?  As for me, I plug into the Holy Spirit when I need power.  If I had to rely on myself, I WOULD be a wimp!

Exodus 15:2   The LORD is my strength…

2 Samuel 22:33   It is God who arms me with strength…

Psalm 18:1   I love you, O LORD, my strength.

Psalm 28:7   The LORD is my strength and my shield…

Psalm 29:11   The LORD gives strength to his people…

Psalm 46:1   God is our refuge and strength…

Isaiah 40:31   … but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

Habakkuk 3:19   The Sovereign LORD is my strength…

Philippians 4:13   I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

P

God Is Fair

Genesis 20 demonstrates that God is fair.  He gives us a chance to right a wrong.  But if we don’t choose wisely, we will be punished. 

152)God came to Abimelech, King of Gerar, in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman (Sarah) you have taken; she is a married woman.” (God gives warnings in order for us to correct our wrongs.)

153)Then God said to Abimelech, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me.  That is why I did not let you touch her.” (God knows our hearts.  He can also keep us from sinning.  He makes it clear that when we sin, we are sinning against God.)

154)God said, “Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live.  But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.” (We always have a choice.  We can do the right thing!  But if we choose the wrong path, there will be punishment at the end of the road.)

155)Abraham told Abimelech, “There is surely no fear of God in this place.” (How can someone NOT respect God?  He holds our lives in His hand!)

156)God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his slave girls so they could have children again, for the Lord had closed up every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah.  This restoration was done only after Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham. (It is wise to do the right thing.)

This is Pure Satan

Back in 2000, I sent one of my novels to a well-known publisher for consideration.  Although the idea had potential, I didn’t know enough about plotting.  The story was rejected.  Then in 2008, my niece handed me a book and told me that it was really good.  While I was reading, similarities to my own story kept popping out at me.  By the time I finished the book, I was convinced the writer had gotten hold of my story.  I’ve been in a battle ever since.

I keep wondering why this happened to me, but I know who orchestrated it.  You see, I’ve also written Christian novels.  I guess Satan sees me as a threat.  He wanted to make certain I was too afraid to send out another story.  He may have succeeded.  I never want this to happen to me again.  The only way to ensure this is to keep my stories safe at home and never send them out into the world.  But what good are they if nobody but me ever reads them? 

Keep in mind that if you’re trying to follow God’s will in your life, Satan will try to oppose you.  Be vigilant.  But press on.  You have God on your side!

To Be a Christian

My Christian radio station, Air 1, sent me a Daily Verse this morning.  It’s wonderful how it is, but I saw another way to look at it.  Here it is with my alteration:

Christians never give up, never lose faith, are always hopeful, and endure through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:7

We of all people should have an optimistic view of life.  We shouldn’t be walking around discouraged and beaten down.  We know there is more to this life than just surviving it.  God is on our side!  So never give up, never lose faith, always be hopeful, and endure!  Be an example to the people around you.  Shine!

The Secrets of the Montebellis

The Secrets of the Montebellis by Cheryl Colwell

I wish I could give this book a positive review, but in all honesty, I can’t.  I only read as much as I did out of obligation to the publisher.

The story had such promise.  It is about Lisa Richards, who works for the mysterious Montebelli Corporation.  She assists in their efforts to bring back the town of Tangle Grove to its former glory while at the same time devising a means to escape her abusive husband.

There are many things I didn’t like about this book, but let me start on a positive note.  I did like Taylor, Jesse, and Asia.  I never felt a connection with Lisa, probably because a majority of the scenes were in Taylor’s viewpoint instead of hers.  I found this odd since the story is supposed to be about Lisa.  What is also strange is Taylor drops out of the book on page 140 after carrying most of the story.  He doesn’t reappear until page 199.

The book is pitched as a suspense novel, but I found nothing suspenseful about it.  For the most part, all the characters did was attend meetings and go to restaurants.  Their conversations were generally focused on the rebuilding project, which I found quite dull.  The book started dragging on page 21 and didn’t pick up again until page 70.

Another problem I found with the book were the history lessons thrown at Taylor, who is a visitor to the town, every time he turned around.  They came too close together, and the book gave too much history of the area.  Dull reading for the reader.

There were also times when unbelievable things happened, like when a cold wind frightened a grown man inside a cave.  And when Taylor got upset because Lisa didn’t trust him — and they had just met.  Also, Lisa feels sadness for Thomas, her abusive husband, as well as for herself because their marriage is falling apart.  What more does the jerk have to do to her?  There are also coincidences that I just couldn’t buy.  No story should rely on them.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book through BookCrash.

SIN

THE POWER SIN HAS OVER YOU IS IN DIRECT PROPORTION WITH THE PLEASURE YOU FIND IN IT.

The Plot Against Jesus

Yes, I know I’m jumping ahead.  We just celebrated Christmas.  But when God leads you to greater understanding, you don’t quarrel with Him.  You just go along for the ride.

I find it amazing that I’m still learning.  I grew up in a Christian church, and I became a true Christian in 1991.  Yet I’m still grasping new truths all the time.  Thank God!  I don’t want the Scriptures to become dusty and commonplace.  They still hold a lot of mystery for me, so I keep coming back for more.

Okay, back to the topic that started this post.  You probably know that the chief priests and Pharisees accompanied the soldiers when they arrested Jesus.  But why did they hate Him so much?  The answer is right there in the Bible.  I found it in John, chapter 3, starting with verse 19:

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Verse 20: Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” 

Jesus states the facts clearly.  Since every man is a sinner, you can bet the chief priests and Pharisees were as guilty as everyone else.  They probably felt some pressure to behave better than the common man.  Jesus made them feel like failures, I’m sure.  His words convicted them.  Not a good feeling.  So they despised Him.

Think of yourself.  When you’re sinning, you don’t feel very close to God, do you?  You know what you’re doing is wrong.  Perhaps you mentally step away from God, hoping He won’t notice what you’re up to.  If you took a minute to remember Jesus and His words, I bet you’d feel convicted, just like those chief priests and Pharisees. 

That’s the whole point!  The Bible is full of good and bad examples, models to follow and warnings of what not to do.  Let’s decide today not to be a Pharisee, okay?

God is Mighty

The Book of Genesis is full of examples of God’s might.  Chapter 19 is no exception.  We can only marvel as we read this amazing chapter.  It certainly stands out for most Christians.

143) God sent two angels to Sodom in the evening.  (They spoke to Lot.)

144) God gave the angels power to strike the evil men in Sodom with blindness so they could not find the door to Lot’s house.

145) The angels told Lot to gather his family, because they were going to destroy Sodom.  The outcry to the Lord against its people was so great that God had sent the angels to destroy it. (I love the way God protected Lot and his family.  He really does care about His children!)

146) Lot told his family to get out, because the Lord was about to destroy the city. (Talk about panic!  I would be the first one out the door!)

147) Lot and his family were led away by the angels, for the Lord was merciful to them.  (He is merciful to us, too.  He hasn’t changed since that night.)

148) The Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah.  (Now that is power!)

149) Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain. (God won’t tolerate evil.)

150) Lot’s wife looked back, even though the angels specifically told her not to.  She became a pillar of salt.  (We need to obey God, or face the consequences.  He knows what is best for us.  And He must have had a good reason for not wanting Lot and his family to see what was happening to Sodom.)

151) When God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Yep, we serve a mighty God!