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Reviews directly from readers to the author have been unanimous! This is a good book! A new release (May 2008) has generated new life to the discussion on teen pregnancy, domestic violence, emotional abuse, and lack of preparation for married and family life.
Stop by the website www.whatisforworse.com and read the preview.
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12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
God does not ask us to do anything without first giving us the strength to perform the task. He has given us a measure of faith, new mercy for this day, and free will to choose a life with Him. One can say the devil is really busy presenting us with opportunities to sin, but how do we live a life of abstinence from fornication? How do we choose pleasant words when our emotions are charged? How do we handle our enemies after they offend us?
When we allow our love for God to manifest in our choices, our actions will line up with the word of God. It is easy to give in to sensual pleasures; and then, ask God to forgive us after we have indulged in the sin.
How far did the sin set us back? How close were we to the answer for which we've been praying? What happened at the moment we gave in to sin? What breakthrough did we stop for ourselves? If we pray for others, what breakthrough did we stop for those whose names we call out at the altar?
We have heard it said our lives may be the only Bible some people will ever read. Are the lost souls worth your sacrifice of obedience to the will of God? Or, should they mind their own business and do as say, and not as you do?
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When I reflect on my life with Christ, I can see the growth. I am glad about the increase in wisdom. What has my attention (during this time of reflection) is I did not know how to love God (in the beginning), so it was so easy for me to "backslide" once I received Christ in my life. I wonder why I couldn't just remain sinless, once I was forgiven for sins at the time accepted Christ in my life as a teenager.
However, I remember learning about God before I started kindergarten through Bible study at our house every Tuesday. My father's brother came to our house with his family, and all of us sat in on the Bible study. Yet, this early exposure to the Bible did not indicate I would and/or should have a sinless life after accepting Christ.
I marvel at God's mercy on me during that time of ignorance. He could have allowed death to call my number while I was in sin, but God allowed mercy to go into effect for me. When I re-dedicated my life to Christ in my early 20s, I did so because I was grateful to God for how well things were going for me.
Many times, people are criticized for going to church only when things are going bad for them. I don't see anything wrong with a person going to church when it seems all hell is breaking loose in their live. They should be applauded for going to church instead of going on a drug, alcohol and sex binge.
Persecution comes with salvation. Anyone endeavoring to live for God will have seasons of persecutions that will make them start praying for sins they may have missed. I remember at one point in the early 90s, I prayed, "Lord, if there is something I have done, and didn't ask forgiveness, please forgive me now."
I paid my tithes, fasted, kept God commandments, supported church functions. It seems as though my life should have been more joyful at that point. However, the enemy really put his all into trying to get me to think serving God causes more trouble to come into my life. I couldn't believe that. I was constantly casting down thoughts of serious backsliding.
For years, besides praying the model "Our Father" prayer, the prayer in my own words, from my heart was, "God give me strength." That was my prayer in my teen years; and well into my adult life. I am glad God strengthened me to be persistent in learning more about Him.
When I began to live the scriptures, application brought on conflict in some situations. For instance, Matthew 18:15-17 applied is certain to have unpleasant encounters based on the spiritual maturity of the people involved. Some folk advise to leave matters alone and let God handle it. There is a time to step back; but then, the stepping back should be when God says step back.
Again, applying the scriptures to flee fornication will get a person labeled as holier-than-thou. Trust me. It happens. It is more acceptable to charge willfull sin to a case of the cain't-help-its, than it is to make a decision to actually live according to God's word.
The beautiful aspect of holiness is the ever-present desire to be holy. To be holy means being persistent about applying God's word even when it means being alienated by others who are still at the God-knows-my-heart stage in their spiritual growth. God will place you in the company of people with the same level of faith in being persistent in loving God.
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