Tag: Bible

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How Do I Know if a Person is a False Prophet?

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There are new things to look at on the site.

  1. The is a new trailer of the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” It is on the right side under the Amazon icon. Click on it to see what the book is all about.
  2. There is now an Amazon widget for you to order my book. You can see some five star reviews there as well.
  3. In the bookstore there is a very special deal going on. First the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is on sale for $15.99 compared to $19.99 in the retail stores. We have very good news besides the sale. There is no shipping costs until the end of May. Yes, I said NO SHIPPING COST! That means the book is actually cheaper than if you bought it from amazon right now.
  4. There is a new page forming called, “All About Writing.” That page will talk about publishing; have guest authors share, and discuss writing trends. It is in a baby stage, so bear with me as I slowly develop it to my and your liking.
  5. I have posted two 5 star reviews of my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” on the “All About Writing” page. I will be add others as the days go by. Click on the All About Writing tab to also see all my other places you can connect with me.
  6. There is a new page called, “Publishing News.” This page will bring you news from around the world on trends, latest news on publishing, and any other things that may be interesting. Check it every time you come here. There is a new post there today that is very interesting. Just click on the “publishing,” tab above, to read the latest news on pubishing.

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Another shocking announcement! ( That got your attention!) “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, ” is now out in eBook form. It came out yesterday and my feet still haven’t hit the ground. You can acquire it at all the eBook outlets. It is only $4.99. Help it climb the www.amazon.com best selling list.

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Thoughts just for you…

In the Bible we are warned about false prophets. I Peter and I John talks about them.

This brings up the question: How do we know if a person is a false prophet?

There are several ways to test a person giving a message to try to sway us.

  • Check to see if their words match what God says in the Bible.
  • What is their commitment to the body of believers, and the fruit of their ministry.
  • The most important test is, what do they believe about Christ? Do they teach that Jesus is God and the only begotten Son who came down to this earth and gave up His life for us?

Our world is full with voices claiming to speak for God. Check them out with these tests to see if they are truly speaking God’s truth.

Verify every message you hear, even if the person who brings says it is from God. If it truly is from God, it will be consistent with Christ’s teachings.

There is even the Antichrist who will be the great deceiver. He will be very popular on this earth, because he will say what people want to hear. He will make them feel good with the evil they are doing.

As Christians what you will say will not win you any popularity contest. People don’t want to hear their sins denounced; they don’t want to listen  demands that they change their behavior. A false teacher will be highly received by non-Christians.

Remember:

You are not alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

 

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Suffering From Truth Decay? Brush up on the Bible

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We have sharing excerpts from my new book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. ” This book reaches out to those who may suffer from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

The book is on sale right now, so check it out by clicking on the “Bookstore,” tab above.

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Today’s excerpt talks about finding all the truth we need, by reading the Bible.

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Chapter 60

 

Suffering from Truth Decay? Brush up on the Bible

 

From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy3:15-17

 

The way the world is going, it will not be long before all references to the Bible in any public places will be outlawed.

The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the law seems to be chipping away at our (so-called) rights, and the pace seems to be picking up.

At one time, the Bible was the most important book in a home and was kept in a prominent place for all to see. Now the most important books in the home are ones about wizards, weight, warriors and war.

Bookcases bulge with books on how to succeed, save, spend, sail and survive, but a Bible is nowhere in sight. Maybe there’s one in the hall closet or in one of the boxes in the garage—one of those boxes that hasn’t been opened since the family’s last move. Or it might be used to help junior sit higher in his chair. And a Bible is a nice gift to give when a child is dedicated, confirmed or baptized. But has it been opened recently? Probably not.

People have forgotten what book they can read to find happiness. They want to read books that make them a better person without having to give anything up. “Why should I read the Bible when I can have a happy life studying books on the stars and the horoscopes?” they would argue.

This may sound familiar to some of us. Do you have a Bible close at hand—one that you read every day? You don’t? Then you are suffering from truth decay!

All anyone needs to be happy is to read all the wonderful things that God has promised us in the Bible. We can read about what Jesus has done for us and what He has in store for believers. We can step into a world that is not a fairy tale and not about wizards or horoscopes.

What the Bible does not promise is success by stepping on someone else, which is the undercurrent of so many self-help/success books. What the Bible does promise is that we will have everything we need to live the lives God intends for us. The Bible does say that we will have eternal life if we accept His gift of salvation. It does say that we can have eternal joy, happiness, peace and love. I can’t seem to find any other book that can make (and keep) all those claims.

All in one book—the Bible, God’s Word. If we think the earth is a pretty nice place to hang out, try streets covered with gold. Try no more pain, no more death, and no more worries. How about the fact that we will be given new bodies?

Sound too good to be true? I have an assignment for you. (The former teacher in me is coming out!) Search all the books at your local bookstore and send me a list of the books—other than the Bible—that promise the above luxuries.

Now don’t flood me with book titles that don’t promise all the things God has for us. You may find some book that says, “If you follow the advice or formula in this book, you will have special powers, or you will be able to put a curse on someone. You will be able to … you will … you will!”

That is not from God! That is from Satan. That is from the prince of darkness. And there are many books like that one. They lead to eternal death. Eternal life alone trumps all of your dreams of power and lust.

I have read books by famous authors. They were very entertaining, had marvelous story plots, and kept me in suspense. I realized, however, that I was getting hooked on them. I couldn’t get enough. I read a couple of books every week. The problem was that I wasn’t growing as a Christian. I had put my Bible away; in fact, I didn’t have time for it. I was being entertained, but I was slipping away from my Christian standards and the way of the truth.

I still read a good mystery book once in awhile, but my first priority is reading Christian books (like this one) and the Bible. There are a lot of thrilling things in the Bible that can’t be found anywhere else.

Part of the issue is what we allow into our minds. In Philippians 4:8, Paul outlines the diet we should be feeding our minds: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

How would the following fare if held to that standard? Video games that let you destroy everything in sight. TV shows that have violence and sexual overtones in almost every scene. Novels and other books that glorify sensual themes or are just so much fluff to put into our minds.

The Bible—God’s holy Word—is the only thing I know that fulfills all the criteria Paul lists in Philippians 4:8. Everything else pales in comparison.

We need to stop and take a breath—to stop and think about the direction we’re going. If we’re going the wrong way, God allows U-turns. (I know, good bumper sticker. I use it in another chapter.) As long as we have breath, we still have time to get back into that Bible, and start learning about how to find true happiness.

There are many wonderful stories in the Bible. One is about a wall falling down just from the force of trumpets and people yelling. Another is about a giant who is killed by one little stone. There is a great story about the sea being separated and people walking on its instantly dry bed. That also happened with a river. Then there are the stories about voices coming from the strangest places—once from a bush that was on fire and once from a donkey. But the most unusual story is about a man who is crucified on a cross and then comes back to life three days later. This book is a must-read. It’ll knock your socks off!

This sounds like a best-selling novel that was created in the mind of a great author. Well, that’s partially correct. The author is great. He is God. Unlike novels, where the characters are made up by the author, the stories in the Bible are true and about real people. I have read the book, and I must tell you that there are many wonderful stories that are there to point us to God.

 

Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

 

Further Adventures

Where are your Bibles? Look for them when you finish this chapter. Are they in places where you can see them? Do you ever open any of them? Try putting them in spots where not only you see them, but also where others who visit you can see them.

How about the coffee table in front of the couch? Do you have one there? Is there one on the bookshelf in the den? Do you keep one in your car? How about by your bed? As you can see, there are many places to put your Bibles. If you don’t have one, splurge and get one. It will be the greatest book you have ever read.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that even though not many people read the Bible, it has been one of the number one bestsellers in the entire world?

 

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Grace, Oversight and Direction Spell G-O-D

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I am sharing another excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. ” It talks about the grace of God, and how we sometimes ignore it and feel we are doing fine on our own. Dr. Phil might ask, “How is that working for you?

The book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is on sale on this site. In the bookstores it is $19.99, but here it is only $15.99, and the shipping has been cut in half. A total savings of over $6.00.

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Chapter 34

 

Grace, Oversight and Direction

Spell G-O-D

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8–10

 

As I have grown in my Christian faith, I have seen some disturbing trends in Christianity. One that particularly disturbs me is that we have so many what I call “Sunday Christians.” Oh sure, they’re in church on Sunday—they even may teach a Sunday school class or usher or be the preacher—but on Monday they go back to telling their raciest jokes, padding their expense accounts, cutting corners in business deals and doing things that would make even the average pagan blush.

They attend church on Sunday and then disgrace themselves—and their Savior—the rest of the week. Saying someone is a Christian just because he goes to church is the same as saying you’re a hamburger just because you eat hamburgers! (Yes, this is a bumper sticker that I used earlier. You are very sharp!)

 

I read a book called “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” by Philip Yancey.1 He is a wonderful writer who doesn’t pull any punches and goes directly to the heart of the matter on any subject. He talks about people who avoid grace.

Grace is one of the most important things God has provided for us. He showed His own tremendous grace by sending His only Son down to earth to die for us.

But people avoid grace because grace brings about change. It causes them to live righteous lives. It causes them to love their neighbor. It causes them to give their hearts away to God. It causes them to give up their sinful desires for power and lust. And, frankly, some people don’t want that kind of change in their lives because it totally rearranges their lives.

We see these people in our churches. They have an outer face of love and grace, but on the inside they are greedy and selfish, and wonder what they can do to help themselves look more important. They come because it is the proper thing to do, and it makes them look good in their community.

Experiencing true grace is seen in the account of the prodigal son. He knew he was wrong. He knew that he had wasted all his inheritance. He was ashamed of everything he had done. The only thing that saved him was his father’s grace. He realized he needed to go back to his father and ask for forgiveness, hoping (no, knowing) his father would extend grace.

The truly gracious person was the father. Instead of turning his back on his wayward son (which he had every right to do), he ran toward his son with tears in his eyes, embraced his son and welcomed him home. He even had the best calf in his herd slaughtered to celebrate the occasion.

However, the brother of the prodigal son hated him because of the disgrace he had caused the family. He was livid that the father accepted him back without punishing him. His hatred and envy were not very far below the surface of what probably looked wholesome and loving.

Think of the prodigal son’s father as our God and how He will accept us back no matter what wrong we have done. His grace is every day. He loves us seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day—not just on Sundays.

Not only does God extend His grace to us in providing salvation and welcoming us into His family, there are two other things He wants to do for us—the last two things in the acrostic at the beginning of this chapter: He wants to provide oversight and direction in our lives. Those are things we must give Him permission to do for us.

We can accept His salvation and then decide we’ll simply go on with life, using our own intuition and “smarts” in plotting the course of our lives. But that’s not very smart. He has a so much wiser plan for our lives. It’s in our best interest to turn that part of our lives over to Him as well.

 

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

 

Further Adventures

If you were given grades for your commitment to going to church, helping others, or loving God, what would those grades be?  (I love giving out grades since I once was a teacher.) Would you get an “F” for going to church? Have you decided there is no way that going to church can make a difference in your life? Do you think that you can grow spiritually on your own? What about helping others? What grade would you receive for giving to the poor, or helping a homeless family?

Now for the most important grade that will help you pass your requirements to go to heaven: How much do love and serve God? Are you a non-believer? Are you an occasional churchgoer who believes in God but doesn’t seek to grow? Are you a dedicated Christian who seeks more knowledge about God and tries to help others to do the same?

Think on this: Study up on the real meaning of life by reading the Bible. Learn how to be compassionate to others in their time of need. Place God first in your life, and be in fellowship with others who have also put God first in their lives. Then you’ll be in line for the final BA (Bible of Advancement) degree that will advance you into heaven.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that when we show grace enough to help others shine, we begin to shine ourselves?