Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Tactics, Trends, & Traits Book Blast - Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Tactics, Trends, & Traits of the Enemy by author Jermaine Gadson is a must have resource for believers who want to be well equipped to be victorious against the strategies of the devil. The devil is cunning and deceptive, and he will stop at nothing to keep God's people from reaching their potential in Christ. In this book, Pastor Gadson discusses how the enemy uses temptation, seduction, fear, isolation, guilt, shame, and other such things in order to steal and destroy a person's life. Satan works tirelessly through various means and mechanisms to keep sinners from hearing and being receptive of the Word of God, in order to prevent them from being saved. If you have family or friends who are not born-again, this resource will help you to identify schemes that the enemy may be using to keep your loved ones from being saved. This book is intended to equip the Body of Christ to wage a good warfare against the strategies of the enemy. It is not God's will for His people to be taken advantage of by the enemy because of ignorance. This book exposes who the enemy is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will try to do in the future, as an enemy of God's people. This book is written for the everyday believer to be able to understand and use. However, it is also a helpful tool for Christian leaders to be able to identify specific ways in which the enemy desires to attack them in order to steal their influence, kill their destiny, and destroy their reputation and ministries. In this regard, it is an encouragement to the Body of Christ to guard and protect their spiritual leaders.


Excerpt:

Know Your Enemy
Before engaging in battle of any kind, it is very important to be familiar with the opposition. The more you know about your enemy, the greater you will be equipped to fight against them and be victorious. Knowing your enemy includes being knowledgeable of their strengths, weaknesses, habits, origin, and the like. When you are knowledgeable about your adversary, you become empowered to develop a plan of action or strategy to adequately defend against their opposition, overcome their threats and defensive mechanisms, and ultimately defeat them.

Athletes and those who follow sports are familiar and acquainted with this principle. Coaches and players spend hours upon hours viewing video recordings of not only their own team, but of their upcoming opponents as well. They view recordings to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses as revealed by previous games, and they do the same to identify strengths and weaknesses of the next team they have to face.

This principle is certainly pertinent in the area of the military as well. No military general, or top ranking official who has authority over military personnel will in their right mind authorize the use of military force without adequate information concerning the enemy to be attacked. Right decisions require right information. This is especially true if you want to come out victorious and on top.

Now that we can see the importance of this principle from a natural standpoint, it makes sense that this would also apply spiritually in relation to how we are to do battle with our spiritual enemy. As you read this book, I hope that you will be able to see the importance of this material in helping you towards this very end. The reason this book is so important is because the person reading it is like a ballplayer looking at tape of his or her opponent or a military general gathering intelligence on a terrorist organization.

When you know where your enemy came from, what your enemy has done in the past, and what your enemy is presently capable of, you are more readily prepared to wage a good warfare and defeat him in any present or future encounters you may have.

Title: Tactics, Trends, & Traits of the Enemy
Author: Jermaine Gadson
Genre: Spiritual
Publisher: Crossbooks – Division of LifeWay (June 2014)
ISBN: 9781462736362—Hard Cover
ISBN: 9781462736355—Soft Cover
ISBN: 9781462736348—eBook




Pre-order at: http://www.amazon.com/PRE-ORDER-Tactics-Trends-Equipping-Believer/dp/1462736351/



Jermaine Gadson is the Senior Pastor of Faith Ministries, Inc., a non-traditional church located in Birmingham, AL. Prior to starting Faith Ministries, he served as an associate minister, youth minister, and pastor for local churches and ministries in the greater Birmingham area.  While, growing up in the Baptist church, he gave his life to Christ at an early age, and is a third generation minister of the Gospel.

He holds a B.A. in Religion with a Concentration in Congregational Studies and a Minor in Classics from Samford University, and a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School of Samford University.  He is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Beeson Divinity School. 

Gadson enjoys reading, writing, sports, outdoors, movies, and spending time with his family. He is happily married to his wife Kristy and they have one beautiful daughter, Khloe.

Visit Pastor Gadson online at www.JermaineGadson.com.

Pump Up Your Book and Jermaine are teaming up to give away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Terms and Conditions:

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  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive each of the prizes
  • This giveaway begins May 19 and ends on May 31, 2014.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 2, 2014.
  • Winner has 72 hours to reply.
  • Good luck everyone!


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Monday, May 26, 2014

Man's Rejection of God: Who's Responsible? by RL Keller


Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi has been quoted as saying “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” This is a sad indictment of the Christian community as a whole. Is it true? Are believers in Christ the reason people keep their distance from Judeo-Christian beliefs and the God we embrace? I feel there’s no question that we’re partially to blame. In this book I touch on a wide variety of topics, but in the end call out Christians to immerse themselves in a time of reassessment as we all strive to be more genuine and consistent in our faith.

Excerpt:

Chapter 11
Consequences

“‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Paul had a specific purpose for writing to the Corinthians. The Corinthian believers were becoming arrogant over their spiritual security and Paul needed to set them straight. As The Asbury Bible Commentary rightly points out; “Christian liberty unchecked may deteriorate into license and endanger not only the weak but the strong Christian as well.”

The idea of consequences isn’t relegated only to the New Testament. Nine times in the Old Testament 25 the word ‘consequence(s)’ is used. Each time it’s referring to the result of the sins of the people of Israel or of an individual Israelite. Whether an individual believes in God or not, consequences shall come upon them, just as they shall come upon us all.

The truth revealed in verse 23 should not be considered a Biblical truth alone, but rather a universal truth. While it’s true that we can do anything we want, not everything we do will be beneficial or constructive for either ourselves or those we love. In reality, this concept has nothing to do with God, for even if He didn’t exist, there would still be consequences as the result of our words, actions and reactions. Every choice we make in this life has resulting consequences. Even inaction has consequences. We can’t escape them; they are inevitable.

Title: Man’s Rejection of God: Who’s Responsible?
Author: RL Keller
Genre: Religious/Spirituality
Paperback: 161 pages
Publisher: WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishing (March 2014)
Paperback ISBN-10: 1490821481
ISBN-13: 978-1490821481
Hardcover ISBN-10: 149082149X
ISBN-13: 978-1490821498
Kindle: 9781490821474/ASIN: B00I5076TU

Purchase at http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Rejection-God-Whos-Responsible/dp/1490821481/ or http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Rejection-God-Whos-Responsible-ebook/dp/B00I5076TU/



Richard Louis Keller was born in Newark, NJ in 1955 and grew up in Middletown Township (NJ). He graduated from Montclair State College in 1978 with a degree in Broadcasting. Rich gave his life to Christ in 1979. Since his conversion he has spent time ministering for the Lord in various capacities. God gave Rich the gift of communication. He uses that gift by writing a daily devotional blog and has had two other books published.

Visit Rich online at www.breadoflifemin.net and his blog at www.minidevos.blogspot.com


Saturday, May 24, 2014

Doubting Thomas


Thomas was one of the 12 apostles. The first time we really hear anything about him is in Gospel of John. Do you remember the story of Lazarus, Martha and Mary’s brother?

Jesus had fled Jerusalem because the authorities were going to arrest him. Soon afterwards, he received word that his good friend Lazarus was very sick in Bethany, a tiny village outside of Jerusalem. When Jesus said he wanted to go see his friend, most of his followers didn’t think it was a good idea. They knew there were people in the area who wanted to kill Jesus. But Thomas said, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” Even though Thomas figured something bad would happen if they returned to Jerusalem, he had the courage to stay by Jesus’ side and die with him.

If you remember, Jesus and his followers did go to see Lazarus, who was buried by the time they arrived. Jesus called to Lazarus, and he came out of his tomb.

Some time passed, and we don’t hear about Thomas again until the Last Supper. Jesus knew he was leaving the disciples and he spent his time telling his followers that he was going to his father’s house to prepare a place for them. Then he would come again and take them with him.

As the Scriptures tell us, Jesus is arrested, sentenced to die, crucified, and rose again three days later. On the day of his resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples, who are in hiding. But Thomas isn’t there. When he arrives, the other disciples tell Thomas that Jesus appeared to them and he doesn’t believe them. Thomas says, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” He had the courage to die with Jesus, but his faith wasn’t strong enough to believe in the resurrection.

Eight days later, Jesus appears again to his followers, and this time Thomas is with them. Now, all of Thomas’s doubts are wiped away and he says, “My Lord and my God!” This is where Jesus says something very important. He tells Thomas that he believes because he has seen Jesus, but “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

We are those people. We did not see the resurrected Jesus, but we believe in him. We have faith that what the Bible says is the Truth, it is God’s Word.

Sometimes we’re like Doubting Thomas. A bad thing happens and our faith isn’t always strong enough to keep us believing. Just like the apostles, who were scared about the future after the death of Jesus, we hear God’s Word but don’t take it to heart. How can we be more like the Thomas whose doubts were wiped away by seeing the resurrected Jesus?



Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Daily Bible Reading - End of Hebrews and James



I'm doing my best to stay in the habit of reading first thing in the mornings, but that might change soon. I'm close to finalizing who I will work under for real estate, so mornings might become a rush out the door once the kids are on the bus. I'm praying it all works out.

I read through to the end of Hebrews and all the way through James (one of my favorites).

Hebrews 10, 11, 12, and 13

Favorite verses:

10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:5-6 “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
 James 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

If I truly followed all the instructions in James, I would be a much better person. Though short in length, it is a powerful reminder of how to live our Christian lives. There are too many favorite verses for me to quote here, so I will restrain myself and only share my most favorite; ones that mean the most to me and encourage me in the areas where I struggle. 

Favorite verses:

1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
 3:8-10 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
 5:16 ...The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.