Tag: Israel

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The End Times Don’t Seem Like a Fairy Tale Any More

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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. You can acquire it at all the eBook outlets. It is only $4.99 compared to $19.99 in the bookstores. You can even order it right from this site by clicking on the Amazon icon on the right.

If you want a hard copy, with the autograph of the author on it, just click on the bookstore tab at the top of this page to order one. It is only $15.99 plus shipping compared to the $19.99 price in the retail stores.

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I have a podcast here that I did with John Kremer, the marketing guru. He invited me to share unusual places to sell books. Take a listen and hit those streets running: goo.gl/WGTF7

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I saw a report that eBooks are starting to slow down in sales. They reached their peak and have leveled off. What does this mean?

It means that, if you have a truly good book, it doesn’t matter what the trends are. Your book will sell in any market at any time if it is well done, wins awards,  and has good reviews.

My book, “Signs of Hope: ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” recently won an award from Reader’s Favorite Awards. It also has received several five star reviews.

This has helped it keep good sales going.

Never feel that trends are what controls the industry. Good writing, and promotion controls the industry.

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I went to a friend’s house last night to see some slides he had taken while he visited Israel. I thought, ” Oh boy, here is another of those boring slide shows put on by an amateur.”

I was very wrong. Don Phillips had a wonderful presentation filled with fascinating stores of his trip. He was very emotional the whole time while showing the slides. He kept saying things like, ” This is where Jesus prayed and sweat blood. This is where Peter denied knowing Jesus. This is where they think Jesus was buried. This is the Mount of Olives, where Jesus will come down to someday.”

As he went through the slides, I too got emotional. I decided that I had to go to Israel myself some day. I added it to my “bucket list.”

With Israel being attack by the Hamas, and many other countries in the Middle East trying to destroy it, the end times doesn’t seem to much like a fairy tale anymore. For those who are skeptics, the writing is on the wall.

I have read the end of the book (Bible) and God wins!

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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The GPS System with God = God’s Prophetic Signs.

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The book “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” just received a five star rating from Reader’s Favorite Books website. Check it out at: http://www.readersfavorite.com/review/5735. You have to go down a little to find it. You can order this book right here on this site for a nice savings.

In the retail stores it is $19.99. But if you order from this site it is only $15.99 plus the shipping is cut in half as well. A total savings of  over $6.00.

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Today I have an actual chapter from the book. We often get lost when we travel and need a GPS to help us find our way. God is also our GPS.

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Chapter 47

 

Need Directions?

 

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

Psalm 37:39

 

Charlotte and I were riding home from the airport with some friends after traveling with them. My friend had aGPS(Global Positioning Satellite) system in his car. Among the hundreds of satellites orbiting the earth (do they have traffic cops up there directing all of these satellites?), at least 24 of them are used just for this purpose.

GPSis the most amazing technology I’ve ever seen. My friend had his set to show every inch we traveled—I mean every inch. You could see the car moving down the I-5 freeway, and it even showed what you might see on either side of the road. It showed a lake coming up on the right, and sure enough there was a lake on the right when we got there. All the way home that device showed me the landscape on either side of the car. I didn’t check to see if it showed where we live, but I’m sure it could have. I definitely felt like “Big brother was watching”!

We also have aGPSsystem with God. It is called God’s Prophetic Signs. Just like we can trust theGPSsystem in our car, we can also trust God to guide us down the right path.

One example of God’s Prophetic Sign—His GPSsystem—is found in Hebrews 9:28: “He [Christ] will appear a second time … to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” It doesn’t say He might appear or that He’s thinking about appearing. It says He will appear—just like that lake appeared along I-5. This is a Prophetic Sign for us to cling to and be waiting for in excitement.

You want some more of God’s Prophetic Signs? Try this one: Numbers 24:6–9: “Like valleys they [the children ofIsrael] spread out … Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out ofEgypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse them? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!”

As I type this,Israelis battlingLebanonbecause the group called Hezbollah kidnapped some of their soldiers. At the same timeIsraelis fighting the Hamas inPalestinebecause they killed some of the Israelite soldiers. There is a full-scale war going on with many people dying each day.Israelbecomes very aggressive when provoked. We were told this clear back in the Old Testament book of Numbers!

Romans15:12says, “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’”

Now let’s go way back to Isaiah and see that, yes it does say in Isaiah 11:10: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse [literally, the Root of Jesse]; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit”—or as another version states it: “will be a banner of salvation to all the world.” The prophecy is about Jesus, who came from the family (root) of Jesse. Certainly Jesus’ life bore fruit, and He became the banner of salvation to all the world.

How’s that for an easyGPSto follow? We will never get lost with such profound words to go by.

Hold on, I’m not done yet. Here are some moreGPSdirections for you from Matthew 24:6–8:

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

Jesus is talking there about what is happening right now—today—in our world. There have been great earthquakes with deadly tsunamis killing thousands in one day. A record amount of hurricanes have pounded our nation, killing many people. There have been wars all over the world—not just between nations, but between political groups within a country. TheMiddle Eastis a battleground every day with conflict inIraq,Afghanistan,Israel,LebanonandPalestine. And there are countries where thousands of people are starving to death each day.

Let’s go back into the Old Testament again and read in Zechariah 12:3, where God says, “I will makeJerusaleman immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.”

As I write this, the whole world is trying to getIsraelto stop bombingLebanon.Israelis not listening. They will not stop until the enemy is destroyed.

Let’s switch gears a little and talk about false prophets and demons. All around us has been a sharp rise in Satan worship, and people who claim to be a messenger from God. Matthew 24:11–12 warned us about this two millennia ago: “And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”

Sound familiar? Have you read this morning’s paper? Let me just give you some headlines and articles from my paper this morning:

  1. Snipers arrested and charged with two first-degree murders and 13 counts of attempted murder.
  2. A stepfather is charged in the death of a four-year-old boy. The boy had traumatic injuries and had signs of trauma on various parts of his body and head.
  3. Ex-police officer charged with sex abuse.
  4. Angry rioters started fires, broke windows, looted, attacked police and threw rocks. Why? Because a train was late.
  5. A three-year-old boy inTokyo,Japanwas left in an unwanted baby drop box.

I think that is enough to give you the picture. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that sin is having a free ride right now. These incidents are often met with apathy because we hear these and similar stories every day. The laws so often seem to protect the guilty. Jails are full, so they let criminals free because of lack of space. A large segment of our population has no respect for the law.

People have a tremendous love for money, and we were told that would happen too. In 2 Timothy 3:1–5, it says that among other undesirable traits, people will be lovers of money.

All of the things that are happening in theMiddle Eastand toIsraelspecifically are fulfilling prophecy. God will intervene right at the time He has determined. He still loves His people, and He will not let them suffer more than they can handle. God does that with all of His children.

God has made it perfectly clear how we can become children of god. There are no secret meanings or clues—it’s right there in the open: “Believe in Me and you will be saved.” No further steps are needed.

Take that one step if you haven’t already. You don’t know the day or time that Jesus will come again, but with all of the prophecy that has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled as we speak, things seem to be nearing completion, so I suggest you take that step soon.

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that

are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.

By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.

Romans 16:17–18

 

Further Adventures

I suggest you read Revelation to understand more of the end times. It can be very hard to understand at times. There was a lot I didn’t “get.”

I found one of those “for Dummies” kind of books very helpful. (Yes, a retired teacher still needs education.) It is called: Revelation: God’s Word for Biblically-Inept, by Daymond R. Duck, Copyright 1998 by Starburst, Inc.1

My name could replace the term “biblically-inept” in the series title. Even though I didn’t see my name on the cover, I bought it anyway. It breaks down each chapter and verse of the book of Revelation and puts them into words you and I can understand. It gets very specific about theMiddle East, the Rapture, Armageddon and many other confusing things that will happen in the end times.

I learned a great deal by studying biblical revelation with this book by my side. I highly recommend doing so.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how people search for meaning of life and what they are on earth for, but they don’t use the one book that tells them everything they need to know?

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Satan Starts Working Overtime When you Become a Christian

 

Every Temptation Is an Opportunity to Trust God

 

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

 

When someone becomes a Christian, Satan starts working overtime to try to pull that person away from God. He hates it that one more person has accepted the love of God into their lives. He will do whatever he can to turn the new Christian around, and head him or her back into sin.

We have so much fun each day just trying to make it through the day fighting off temptations. I mean this as a challenge and not as a joke. We face temptations constantly to do what God would not want us to do. He allows a different close encounter to approach us in the form of many temptations going through our mind every day. It could be something small like telling an off-color joke to others in an effort to fit in, or something more serious like deciding to take home a business camera that no one will miss.

Being tempted is part of being human. God does not protect us from temptation. He allows it into our lives so we can learn to depend on Him. The verse above promises that He “will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” It is our chance to build on solid ground for our eternal blessings. We are never free of temptations. It doesn’t matter how long we have been a Christian—Satan will tempt us. When we fall for the temptation, it’s because we have turned our back on the “way out” God has promised.

Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was offered a great deal of power in the world. He was given a chance to be king over all the kings. He was offered all the land He could see in all directions from the high place He was standing. He was tempted in every way you could think possible. This man called Jesus, who is the embodiment of how we should live on this earth, turned His back on all of the temptations! The way of escape for Him was falling back on the promises of God from Scripture.

We have the same power to not be caught by temptation by calling to mind God’s promises to us.

            We face temptations every day. (I am a sucker for Snickers candy bars, every time I see one in the store.) We need to concentrate on doing what is right each time we face a temptation. There is a very simple way to approach each and every temptation we face. Just ask, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” I mean, we can really ask that question each and every time we are tempted.

Example: Guys, a female friend asks you to help her put up a fence. About halfway through, she invites you into the house for something to drink. When you get inside, you see by what she’s wearing that she has other intentions. She comes close to you, and says that it would be OK to have a little fun. “No one will know,” she promises. What would Jesus do?

There is one thing you should do right away. You should run out of there like Joseph ran from the wife of Potiphar. You should run like you are being chased by a rabid dog looking for someone to bite.

Potiphar’s wife had tried for several days to get Joseph to sleep with her, and he refused. Then when he was close, and no one was around, she grabbed his cloak and ordered him to sleep with her. He broke loose and ran out of the house. He resisted temptation even though Potiphar’s wife tried so hard to seduce him.

Why did he run? Why should you run? It didn’t turn out well for Joseph. Potiphar’s wife became angry because he wouldn’t sleep with her. She accused Joseph of trying to seduce her. Even though he hadn’t touched her, Potiphar put him in prison for several years. Not a good situation for a young man that did everything he could to please God.

But there is a happy ending to the story of Joseph. In Genesis 39–50 we see how God brought Joseph through temptation and made him instrumental in His plan for the nation of Israel, giving him a place of prominence Joseph never could have dreamed would be his. It is one of the most wonderful stories in the Bible and I often wonder if the story would have ended as it did had Joseph not taken the “way out” God provided. Probably not.

Sometimes the “way out” may be simply walking away from temptation. Other times we may have to run as fast as we can.

As a child, I used to go to a movie in the downtown area of Salem, Oregon. It was within walking distance of my home. It was all right going to the movie, because it was still light. But on the way home it was very dark, and bushes lined the sidewalk where I had to walk. I knew there was a monster in those bushes and he was ready to grab me! I think I set some kind of record as I ran by those bushes. I was not about to be caught be some evil demon. I stayed in the middle of the street so a monster couldn’t grab me from either side.

All of us have monsters—real or imagined—in the bushes. Temptations are the real ones that we all face at some time in life. What is important is that each and every time we are faced with some kind of temptation, we ask, “What would Jesus do? What is the ‘way out’ He is providing me?”

 

[God’s grace] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.

Titus 2:12

 

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 2:18

 

Further adventures

Think before you leap! Always be on alert. Think of life as a war between God and Satan. You are on the good guy’s side. You need to be careful of the attacks from the guy on the other side. He will do whatever he can to destroy you. He will try to convince you that what you are doing is OK just this one time. No one will know. Stop! That is not the good guy talking. That is the enemy! Trust God, and God only. Everything else is the enemy.

 

Something to ponder

Isn’t it funny how some of us never hear the music before the song is over?

 *Excerpt from: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World