Supernatural Provision by Joan Hunter

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.  A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.  The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between!  Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Joan Hunter

and the book:

Supernatural Provision

Whitaker House (November 2011)

***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For over 30 years Joan Hunter, President and Founder of Joan Hunter Ministries, has ministered tirelessly, preaching and teaching God’s Word worldwide and serving as a conduit for His healing power. She is the author of four books:  Healing the Whole Man Handbook, Healing the Heart, Power to Heal, and her most recent, Supernatural Provision. Joan has been featured on many television and radio broadcasts in the U. S. and around the world. She lives with her husband, Kelley Murrell, in Pinehurst, Texas. A mother and grandmother, Joan has four grown daughters and Kelly, four sons. To learn more about her or attend one of Joan’s conferences or speaking events, go to her website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In these uncertain economic times, many are struggling to make ends meet, allowing credit card bills to pile up with no plan on how to pay off their debts. Others may not be suffering financially, but fear the future and are unable to find peace. In her latest book, healing expert Joan Hunter has plumbed the pages of the Bible for wisdom on securing financial freedom and managing it according to God’s instructions that results in peace that surpasses all human understanding. Maintaining that God wants to bless His children in every area, Joan shares fresh revelations that will ignite readers’ faith to: overcome debt and loss, remove roadblocks to God’s blessings, discover the blessings of faithful stewardship, and unlock the windows of heaven. An audio teaching CD is included with each book.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Whitaker House (November 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603744355
ISBN-13: 978-1603744355



AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

“WORD” ECONOMICS

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

—Jeremiah 17:7–8

   When you hear the word economics, you probably think of the largely secular discipline that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. You may think of the stock market, which rises and plummets in an alarming pattern. You may think of taxes and tariffs and currency exchanges. The realm of money may seem incompatible with faith, having little or nothing to do with the supernatural.

   Yet the Christian life is not a dichotomy of material and spiritual, natural and supernatural. Those of us who call God our Savior and Lord know that every aspect of life has a natural and a supernatural component—economics included. Our financial wellness matters as much to God as our physical health, and we should not look at our finances from a standpoint that’s informed solely by secular investment analysts and stockbrokers. No part of your life can be understood without revelation from the Holy Spirit.

   Understanding divine financial provision and the supernatural flow of money requires a personal revelation from God, just like every other area of Christian experience. Men cannot understand God’s methods using the world’s logic, which tells us to save x dollars each year, invest in certain funds, and otherwise make our own way. Most Christians have subscribed to worldly financial thinking: only 10 to 20 percent of all churchgoers tithe faithfully, which indicates that many do not believe that God will enable them to do more with the 90 percent they keep after tithing than with the money they save by refusing to tithe. Others are ignorant of the Bible’s teachings on tithing. They have not discovered that God keeps covenant with His children and provides for their needs from His inexhaustible riches in glory, not their limited incomes.

   Christians must know the difference between world economics and “Word”  economics—the divine ways in which God provides for His children as they advance His kingdom on earth. His Word—the Holy Bible—is the answer book for questions about the realm of personal finances, especially as it concerns the call of God on your life. In these end times, the economy of God is not the same depressing picture that the world paints, with its buzz about deflation, inflation, recession, depression, unemployment, et cetera. His economy is thriving, with enough provision for you to do everything He has planned for you. He knows what works all the time.

A Steady Constant amid an Economy in Flux

   In the world’s economy, it’s a “buyer’s market” one day, a “seller’s market” the next. The stock exchange is unpredictable, with investment brokers changing their tune every day. The threat of market crashes haunts investors everywhere, so that an atmosphere of panic and confusion permeates Wall Street and financial analysts.

   Who is the author of confusion? Who is the author of scare tactics and lies? We all know that it’s God’s opponent, Satan. Because he is God’s enemy, he is also our enemy, and he will do anything and everything to discourage Christians. If he can get us to doubt God’s provision and live in paranoia about unemployment, bankruptcy, and the like, he has the upper hand.

   The great thing about God’s economy is, it never changes. While the world’s economy is in constant flux, the principles by which God’s economy operates are eternal; they do not shift according to the latest trends on Wall Street. The current economic conditions do not limit God. He doesn’t have more money when stocks are soaring and less when the market tanks. “The earth is the Lord’s” (Exodus 9:29); He owns it all, all the time. He could turn stones into loaves of bread if He chose to. (See Matthew 4:3–4.) He used ravens to feed the prophet Elijah. (See 1 Kings 17:6.) He supplied sustenance for Noah and the other inhabitants of the ark during the great flood. (See Genesis 6:13–9:1.) He can provide for those who trust Him in any situation.

   When the enemy tries to tell you something negative, laugh out loud! If he whispers fear and paranoia into your mind, call him a liar and quote God’s Word to him, just as Jesus did when Satan was tempting Him in the wilderness. (See Matthew 4:1–11.)

Heed the True Anchor, Not the News Anchor

   Most Christians read the Bible and pray when they are at a crossroads and need wisdom on what to do. Yet many of them make the mistake of seeking the Bible’s wisdom for every area of life except their finances! They consult the Word of God for answers to questions about health, emotions, relationships, and the like, but neglect to search the ultimate source of wisdom for financial advice—with tragic results.

   I know a woman whose husband could not stay away from the news. He listened to, watched, or read the news all day and long into the night. Panic invaded his mind on a daily basis and also permeated his marriage and family, and his wife was at a loss for how to deal with the spirit of fear that had taken over her home.

   Sadly, many people devote much of their attention to the news, whether by watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the Internet, or checking Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites for updates. The news from these sources is almost always from man’s perspective, not God’s. Granted, being informed about world events is useful—how else can we know when to pray for change or when to rejoice over the fulfillment of God’s promises? But the fact remains that most news broadcasts emphasize the negative and end up inciting panic and undermining our confidence.

Watch What You Lean On

   How many people do you know who trust the news without question? They are totally consumed with the opinions of man as their ultimate source of knowledge; they “lean on” worldly news and then wonder why they do not have peace and joy!

   Does the Bible say, “Trust in the news with all your heart, and it shall direct your path”? No! God’s Word tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). In the midst of a seesawing stock market and high unemployment, trusting in God’s provision can be a challenge. The key is to be more focused on His promises—His economy, as revealed in His Word—than on the world economy.

Guard Your Ears

   You may be familiar with Romans 10:17: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” What you may not realize is that, like faith, fear also comes by hearing—listening to the news, to the world around you.

   If we try to keep up with the world’s financial reports and heed messages of economic doom and gloom, we are bound to become anxious and prey to fear. Fear, as you know, is the opposite of faith, and it is not from God: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Again, if the news is what you focus on, a spirit of fear will pervade your thoughts. Your spirit will be dominated by whatever you feed your mind.

   As I wrote earlier, the “news” that bombards us 24/7 should not be our primary source of information, especially when it comes to our finances. Instead of depending on the newscasters, we should turn to the Word of God. The more we depend on the Word, the more content and confident we will be. Where do you go for answers? God’s Word or the news broadcasts?

Guard Your Mind

   When you spend hours surfing the Internet, reading the newspaper, and watching TV news anchors broadcast their negative messages, what will enter your mind? Negativity. Junk. Trash. Fear. Poverty.

   Be careful about the thoughts you entertain. Instead of dwelling on negativity, use your God-given discernment. When the financial forecast is dire, you will be free from anxiety and fear, because the truths about God’s economy—the promise of His supernatural provision and inexhaustible resources—will keep your soul at peace.

   In addition, when you renew your mind (see Romans 12:2), you will have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). And, when you think with the mind of Christ, you end up making wise decisions based on your faith in God and your obedience to His Word.

Guard Your Tongue

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.    (Proverbs 18:21 kjv)

   It may come as a revelation to you, but your words can affect the level of your material wealth. You can bring in money by the words you use. You speak by faith and you act in obedience to the Word of God. No matter how you feel at the time or how much money you have, when you speak in faith and obey God’s Word, He blesses you and your offspring.

   Consider the words you speak. Are they words of peace and faith, or are they expressions of fear and panic? When you choose to fill your mind with God’s truth and speak words of faith alone, you withstand the spirit of fear and dwell in the prosperity of God. If anything is blocking your income, you must pray positive words over your finances. Declare good things. Speak increase and prosperity. The words of your mouth will determine your success, not the naysaying of the newscasters.

   We have this assurance in the Psalms:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.   (Psalm 1:1–3 kjv)

   When we set our minds in agreement with the promises in the Word of God, we can expect incredible blessings from our Father, for He supernaturally blesses His people!

Faith for Finances in Tumultuous Times

   In the midst of the housing bust and economic downturn of 2008–2009, our ministry had to relocate. On top of that, my husband, Kelley, and I moved. The logistics of such an undertaking are usually overwhelming, not to mention the added difficulty of my having to help direct the process from a distance due to my extensive travel schedule. Yes, I continued to travel wherever God sent me during this time and usually found myself out of town.

   Despite the circumstances that surrounded us, our needs were met supernaturally. Our ministry has more workspace than ever before, and our new home is beautiful. We are grateful for God’s blessings, and we excitedly anticipate the blessings to come as we faithfully follow His leading.

   True prosperity is found in the Word of God. If we feed ourselves continually on the things of God, our souls will prosper. As our souls prosper, our bodies and minds also prosper. The effects of these blessings overflow into every corner of our lives.

   Is everything in our lives perfect 24/7? No! We still live on earth and daily face challenges to overcome. However, we are so blessed that we just hop over each challenge to catch the next blessing. We listen to God’s Word, speak His Word, and believe His Word.

   When you turn to the Word of God, you receive only good news—the promises He has in store for you. As we have discussed, a steady diet of world news produces nothing but fear, worry, and anxiety. What will you listen to? Whose report will you believe? (See Romans 10:16–17.) Will you continue to rely on the world’s economy, or will you walk into and stay within the economic principles designed by our Creator? Every day, you will make such a choice. Choose carefully.

   Man may fail you, but God never will. And He is the greatest “personal financial adviser” you could hope for, because He always has your best interests in mind.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   (Jeremiah 29:11 niv)

   Which will you trust? The words of man with doom and gloom, which plant seeds of doubt and disbelief, or the wonderful Word of God with its promises of abundant life? If you answered “God’s news,” read on. In this book, I will reveal financial principles from the Word of God and show you the joy of putting your faith not in a paycheck or another source of income but in your ultimate Provider, the Lord God Almighty.

   God has only good things for you, but you have to turn to Him and open your mind and heart to hear, discern, understand, and follow His plans for you. When you deposit faith for your finances in the bank of heaven, you will receive the greatest possible return, and His peace and prosperity will permeate your life. May it be so for you today!

40 Days to Better Living: Depression by Dr. Scott Morris

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.  A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.  The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between!  Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Dr. Scott Morris
and the
Church Health Center

and the book:

40 Days to Better Living: Depression

Barbour Books (November 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings – The B&B Media Group – for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

From the time Scott Morris was just a teenager, he knew he would do two things with his future—serve God and work with people. Growing up in Atlanta, he felt drawn to the Church and at the same time drawn to help others, even from a very young age. It was naturally intrinsic, then, that after completing his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia he went on to receive his M.Div. from Yale University and finally his M.D. at Emory University in 1983.

After completing his residency in family practice, Morris arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1986 without knowing a soul, but determined to begin a health care ministry for the working poor. He promptly knocked on the doors of St. John’s Methodist Church and Methodist Hospital in Memphis inviting them to help, and then found an old house to refurbish and renovate. By the next year, the Church Health Center opened with one doctor—Dr. Scott Morris—and one nurse. They saw twelve patients the first day and Morris began living his mission to reclaim the Church’s biblical commitment to care for our bodies and spirits.

From the beginning, Morris saw each and every patient as a whole person, knowing that without giving careful attention to both the body and soul the person would not be truly well. So nine years after opening the Church Health Center, he opened its Hope & Healing Wellness Center. Today the Church Health Center has grown to become the largest faith-based clinic in the country of its type having cared for 60,000 patients of record without relying on government funding. The clinic handles more than 36,000 patient visits a year while the wellness center, which moved to its current 80,000-square-foot location on Union Avenue in 2000, serves more than 120,000 member visits each year. Fees are charged on a sliding scale based on income.


Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Depression is a serious condition—and 40 Days to Better Living: Depression provides clear, manageable steps for people to manage it, through life-changing attitudes and actions. Readers can select one or more elements of the 7-step Model for Healthy Living—Faith, Medical, Movement, Work, Emotional, Family and Friends, and Nutrition—and follow the 40-day plan to improve their lives, just a bit, day by day. With plenty of practical advice, biblical encouragement, and stories of real people who’ve taken the same journey, this book—from the Church Health Center in Memphis, the largest faith-based clinic of its type in the U.S.—may be one of the most important books your customers will read this year.

The 40 Days to Better Living series offers clear, manageable steps to life-changing attitudes and actions in a context of understanding and grace for all people at all points on the journey to optimal health. With plenty of practical advice, spiritual encouragement, and real stories of those who have found a better life, this simple and skillfully crafted book inspires readers to customize their own path to wellness by using the 7-Step Model for Healthy Living as a guide:

·         Nutrition: pursuing smarter food choices and eating habits

·         Friends and family: giving and receiving support through relationships

·         Emotional life: understanding feelings and managing stress to better care for yourself

·         Work: appreciating your skills, talents, and gifts

·         Movement: discovering ways to enjoy physical activity

·         Medical care: partnering with health care providers to optimize medical care

·         Faith life: building a relationship with God, neighbors, and self


Along with tips from the Model for Healthy Living, the easy-to-read format features a Morning Reflection and an Evening Wrap-Up as well as a place for documenting plans, progress, and perspectives. Targeted scriptures and prayers that undergird the focus of each day’s message make this compact book an excellent choice for a daily devotional.

Subsequent titles in the Better Living series will be released bi-monthly and address key health topics including hypertension, diabetes, depression, weight management, stress management, aging, and addiction. All promise substantial support to those who are ready for a newer, better way of living—body and spirit.


Product Details:

List Price: $7.99
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616262664
ISBN-13: 978-1616262662

AND NOW...THE FIRST FEW PAGES: Click on the images to see them larger:

The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional by Stormie Omartian

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Stormie Omartian

and the book:

The Power of a Praying® Wife Devotional: New Ways to Pray for Yourself, Your Husband, and Your Marriage

Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Karri James of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stormie Omartian is the bestselling author (more than 13 million books sold) of The Power of a Praying® series, which includes The Power of Praying® for Your Adult Children, The Power of a Praying® Wife, The Power of a Praying® Husband, and The Power of Prayer™ to Change Your Marriage. Her many other books include Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On, The Prayer That Changes Everything®, The Power of a Praying® Woman, and The Power of Praying® Through the Bible. Stormie and her husband, Michael, have been married more than 37 years and are the parents of two adult children.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

New from bestselling author Stormie Omartian is a book close to her own heart—The Power of a Praying® Wife Devotional. Following up on the insights and prayers of The Power of a Praying® Wife (more than 3.5 million books sold) 100 brand-new devotions, prayers, and supporting Scriptures offer a praying wife fresh ways to pray for her husband, herself, and her marriage.

These easy-to-read devotions will increase any wife’s understanding, strength, and peace, as well as provide her with perspective on the situations and challenges she faces. And each prayer will help both husbands and wives be more attuned to the Holy Spirit so they can do what’s right without allowing negative emotions or unclear thinking to get in the way.

A must-have for anyone wanting God’s best for this most important relationship.








Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736926925
ISBN-13: 978-0736926928

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

When I Desire Greater Persistence in Prayer

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As a wife, you need the kind of prayer habit that doesn’t give up or allow discouragement to get in the way, but instead persists and keeps on praying and asking.

When God told Abraham He intended to determine if Sodom was deserving of destruction, Abraham then interceded, praying on behalf of however many righteous people might be there. He asked God if He would destroy Sodom if fifty righteous people were found there, and the Lord said He would not. Abraham then asked if He would destroy the city if forty-five righteous people were found there, then forty people, then thirty, then twenty. Each time Abraham asked, God said He would not destroy it for that many people. Finally Abraham said, “Suppose ten should be found there?” And God said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten” (Genesis 18:32). As it turned out, only four righteous people were there, so God destroyed it. But Abraham had stopped asking at ten.

We need the kind of persistence in prayer that causes us to continue asking as Abraham did. Too often we stop short. Perhaps Abraham stopped asking because he couldn’t imagine that there wouldn’t be at least ten righteous people in Sodom. Or perhaps by then God had proved His point and revealed His intentions. God knew the city was wicked enough to destroy, but He saved the four righteous people—which were Lot, his wife, and their two daughters (Genesis 19:29).

Your prayers are powerful to save too. So keep asking and continue seeking, and don’t ask for crumbs when God wants to give you the banquet. When it comes to praying for you and your husband and your marriage, ask God to help you persist in prayer for even what may seem impossible. Ask for your marriage to not only be saved, but to be good. Ask for it to not only be good, but to be great. God doesn’t say “No” to what is His will. If your husband has a strong will that refuses to submit to God’s will, persist in praying that God’s will wins out.


My Prayer to God

Lord, I pray You would help me to be persistent in prayer—to ask and keep asking for what I believe is Your will. I know anything less than love, selflessness, kindness, peace, and generosity of soul is not Your will in my relationship with my husband. Help me to persist in praying for nothing less than the high standard You have for our marriage. Give me a vision of how You want me to pray. Show me the way You want our marriage to be and help me to pray accordingly so that it becomes all that.

I know I cannot force my husband’s will to be anything other than what it is, but You can touch his heart and turn it toward You. I pray You would do that. May he welcome Your Lordship in his life. Help me to pray consistently and passionately, and to persevere no matter what is happening. I thank You in advance for the great things You are going to do in both of us and in our marriage.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

My Review

The "Power of a Praying..." series is a true blessing. I have almost every book that Stormie Omartian has written, and they have transformed my prayer life.

The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional is going to be a favorite. It has all that the other books offer, yet it comes in quick devotions. Each chapter/devotion has a scripture, and short teaching or story, and is followed by a prayer for that topic. Easy to use and understand. It also includes prayers for us, the wives, as we are diligent in praying for our husbands. It's a great book that will be used for years to come.

Thanks for reading and God bless!  :)

Start Here, Go Anywhere by Richie Hughes

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Richie Hughes

and the book:

Start Here, Go Anywhere

Charisma House (August 9, 2011)

***Special thanks to Kim Jones | Publicity Coordinator, Charisma House | Charisma Media for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Richie Hughes is the founder of Richie Hughes Instructional Camps. A dynamic and sought-after speaker, he formerly served with Jentezen Franklin as the executive pastor of Free Chapel Church in Atlanta and Orange County, California. He holds degrees from Lee University and Lincoln Memorial University and lives in Cleveland, Tennessee, with his wife and their two daughters.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Start Here, Go Anywhere gives you the tools you need to make good choices and recover from the bad ones you may have already made. With moving stories from his own life—including losing his only brother to AIDS—and testimonials from former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and Mac Powell of Third Day, Richie Hughes provides a fresh treatment of both failure and redemption.

No matter where you are today, with God’s help you can go anywhere. Poor choices in the past do not destroy your future potential to do great things. God loves you so much that He wants to transform your future for His glory.





Product Details:

List Price: $10.99
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Charisma House (August 9, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616382112
ISBN-13: 978-1616382117

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

You Have a Choice

It’s choice—not chance—that determines your destiny.1
—Jean Nidetch

I like to win. All my life I have believed that if someone is keeping score, I should come in first place.
Growing up, I played whatever sport happened to be in season at the time, and I spent the better part of my
adult life coaching student athletes. I am very competitive in everything I do, and I realize that’s not always a good thing. I battle this part of my personality on a daily basis. Although I still love to play sports, I can’t quite do at forty-five what I used to be able to do at age eighteen. My baseball and football days are over, and my basketball days are numbered. So like many other men my age who strive to be competitive, challenging their bodies and minds in hopes of staying in the game, I play golf.

One day while I was playing golf with a friend, I found myself very frustrated. I was having a series of especially bad breaks. The ball just would not bounce my way. If you know anything about golf, you know it is a sport that requires a high level of skill but gives a low level of success in return. There are just too many uncontrollable factors that can influence the outcome of the game—wind, the speed of the putting green, and the distance of the putt, just to name a few.

Both my friend and I are competitive, and each of us wanted to win badly that day. Of course, he got all the breaks. He hit shots into the trees and yet they would bounce back out into the fairway like magic. Everything was going just right for him. I on the other hand was having no such luck. I made some great shots. They left my club perfectly and actually landed in the fairway, but that’s where my good fortune ended.

Partly because the ground was hard and parched from the heat of summer, my shots kept flying down the middle of the fairway and, just as they hit the course, would begin to roll farther and farther away from the mark. I’d end up taking long walks back to the golf cart to follow my errant ball, my frustration increasing with every step. One shot rolled through the fairway, through the rough, and splashed into the creek. I was annoyed, but I shook it off trying to focus on the next hole. Then, unbelievably, the same thing happened with the next hole. My shot went flying through the air, hitting the fairway beautifully; then it too began to roll off course until it landed in water.


I should have known I was in trouble even before I started the game. The golf course was named after a series of lakes, and indeed there was water everywhere. With each stroke, I became more and more upset, until I was boiling inside. My partner’s shots were going into the trees, then coming back out, hitting the cart path, and advancing another fifty yards closer to the green. Why him and not me?

I pressed on, my competitive nature not allowing me to quit or to just enjoy the game and the time I was able to spend with my friend. I didn’t care about the beautiful scenery or that I was fortunate enough to not be sitting at my desk wishing I could play a few rounds. None of that mattered because, you see, it was all about the win. Finally, after battling every force of nature and beyond, I finally got to the green. It was time to make my putt. I was thinking, “OK, let’s see the water mess this up!” I told myself that I have perfect form, perfect delivery, and I will make the putt. My nice, firm stroke sent the shot toward the hole; then everything seemed to stop as I watched that little white ball roll toward the tiny hole in the middle of the green. I held my breath as my shot rolled into the hole and spun around in the cup. Then the unthinkable happened. It made a U-turn and jumped out of the hole! I was living every golfer’s worst nightmare.

I exhaled slowly but then succumbed to the frustration I had been feeling all day. I tossed the putter so far into the woods I might have made the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing a golf club the farthest distance (I’m kidding). My competitive spirit really got the best of me that day. My putter is probably still somewhere in the woods rotting and rusting to this day.

Yet what happened next was probably worse than the horrible tricks my golf balls were playing on me. My friend said, “Richie, the cart girl’s watching.” I looked up, hoping against hope, but there she was right behind the green. The young woman’s cart was full of cold beverages for the golfers, and she had stopped so she wouldn’t disturb my friend and me while we made our putts. Unfortunately, she had witnessed the whole thing.

What kind of spectacle had I made of myself? What kind of example was I setting for this young girl or my friend? Everyone at the golf club knew I was in the ministry. What did my behavior reflect about my ability to control my anger? I hadn’t thought about any of these things when I was throwing my putter. I was only concerned that I had missed the shot. What had once fueled my success on the playing field had become a stumbling block. My competitive spirit, my desire to win had crossed an invisible line, becoming a weakness instead of a strength.

Have you ever made a choice you regret? We all have at one time or another. Some of our choices are merely embarrassing while others lead to more serious consequences. That day on the golf course I harmed my witness as a believer in Jesus before both my friend and the young woman manning the beverage cart. I could only hope it wouldn’t sour her view of Christians in general. Yet I know of others who have struggled with addiction, financial hardship, and even a life-threatening disease because of the decisions they made.

Our lives are shaped by our choices. No matter where we begin, our decisions each day determine where we will end up. We choose to get up every day and go to work or school. We choose whether or not we are going to eat certain foods or exercise. We choose whether we are going to smoke or drink alcohol. We choose what type of sexual encounters we will participate in and with whom. We choose our spouses and our friends. Each of these singular decisions has a consequence that is powerful and lifelong. Even decisions that seem insignificant, like what we eat for lunch, can have a profound impact on our lives and the lives of others.

Choices Have Power

In his book The 21 Most Powerful Minutes of a Leader’s Day, John Maxwell describes a law of momentum that is shaped by our choices. I like his observation so much that I have shared this principle repeatedly and even used it in a Bible study I led for the Atlanta Falcons players. Two years later the players were still putting into practice the lessons learned. Using the first four kings of Israel as examples, Maxwell explains that we can choose to be momentum fakers, momentum takers, or momentum makers. David and Solomon were the momentum makers. David was a great warrior who conquered territory that gave Israel room to expand, and Solomon oversaw great wealth and built a temple for the Lord to dwell in. Rehoboam, however, was a taker because he obtained everything his predecessors had worked so hard for and disbanded it in just a matter of days. And Saul was what Maxwell calls a faker. He had tremendous potential, but his insecurities kept him from being all he could be; his successors David and Solomon took Israel to the next level.

As I told the players, every day our choices determine what kind of momentum we create. We can be fakers, who have tremendous talent but allow insecurity and doubt to rob us of our effectiveness. We can be takers, who make foolish mistakes or don’t give our full effort. Or we can be momentum makers, whose decisions bring great success. This is the kind of person we all should aspire to be. When I presented this concept during the Bible study, I brought cards the players could use to track their progress. Each card had the word momentum written in huge letters, and beneath it the three categories were listed: faker, taker, and maker.

The players periodically checked in with me to discuss their growth in becoming momentum makers, and sometimes I’d call and ask, “Hey, what were you today?” The guys knew what I meant, and they were very honest. Some days they’d say, “Rich, I was a taker. I got a penalty because of unsportsmanlike conduct.” Or, “I had a bad had a great day. I was an encourager. Our team did well in practice.”

Every day when the players made the right choice, their decision affected not only them individually but also those around them, and it helped make the team successful. The same is true for you and me. Our choices have tremendous power to set the course not only of a game but also of a day, a year, even a lifetime.

Lessons From the Garden

I thank God for giving us the freedom to make our own choices. He is powerful enough to force us to do whatever He desires, but He does not function that way. God wants to be in relationship with us, not to have us respond to Him like robots. Where’s the fun in that? Whether it’s coming from a child, a friend, or a spouse, the words “I love you” aren’t nearly as meaningful when they’re not said willingly.

The power to make choices is a gift from God, but it is not one we should take lightly. The choices we make either lead us closer to God or pull us further away from Him. Author C. S. Lewis observed, “Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature.”2

The choices we make determine the people we become. Life would be so much easier if we realized this and lived our lives accordingly. A college student who doesn’t study for a test is likely to fail. A man who mistreats his wife shouldn’t be surprised when she is indifferent to him. A teenager who breaks curfew shouldn’t wonder why his parents don’t trust him. We need to heed the words of Galatians 6:7–8: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

This can be seen from God’s earliest dealings with mankind. He gave Adam and Eve a choice—to obey Him
and not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or to partake of the fruit and suffer the consequences. We all know how that story ended. Adam and Eve’s disobedience led to their separation from the intimacy they once had with God. He gave them everything they could possibly need, and He made a point to spend time with them each evening, but their rebellion cost them all of that. As a result of their disobedience, Eve and her descendants would suffer pain in childbirth, and Adam would have to toil to provide food for his family.

We are still reaping the fruit of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Romans 5:12 says, “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men.” Adam and Eve probably never thought their decisions would impact their descendants for generations, but that’s the tricky thing about consequences. We can’t choose them. We’ll discuss that point more fully later on, but suffice it to say that we have absolutely no control over the results of our choices, only on the choices themselves. This is why God sets before us one choice that is more important than all the rest.

The Most Important Choice

Christ died for our sins, removing the wall of sin that separated us from the Father, but our disobedience still causes us to live outside God’s best. Of the dozens of choices we are faced with every day, the most important one is whether we will choose to follow Christ. Deuteronomy 30:19–20says,
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your
descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you
may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.”

Although God gives us the freedom to make any choice we desire, His will is that we choose Him and His ways. Why? Because He is our life and the length of our days. Choosing Him is the only way we can spend eternity in God’s presence, and He is the ultimate source of peace, joy, fulfillment, and eternal life. He created us, and He knows what we need even better than we do. Jeremiah 29:11 says God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, ourselves will never match God’s best for us. It won’t even come close.

Sometimes we think we can serve God and still pursue our own ambitions. This too is a recipe for disaster. It is impossible to wholeheartedly love God and be attached to the world. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” When we attempt to serve two masters, our judgment gets cloudy, and we end up making faulty decisions.
“Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world.”3 —Anso Coetzer

This is because our choices will always reflect our values. When obeying God is a priority, our choices will reflect that. We will do our best to avoid making decisions that harm our witness or are contrary to God’s Word. I regret my actions on the golf course that day, but I know that if I weren’t committed to honoring God in all I do, I probably wouldn’t have been so embarrassed by my behavior. Nor would I have attempted to avoid making the same mistake the next time I was frustrated by my golf game.

I often think of the admonition of Joshua, whom God chose to lead the children of Israel after Moses’s
When Joshua was nearing the end of his own life, he gathered the Israelites together and prophesied to the people, reminding them of all that God had done for them. God had brought them out of captivity in Egypt, delivered their enemies into their hands in battle, and even gave them land for which they did not labor and cities they did not build.

You’d think that after seeing the Red Sea part and plagues of locusts and frogs descend on the Egyptians, the children of Israel wouldn’t want to serve anyone but the Lord. Yet Joshua didn’t make any assumptions. After recalling God’s goodness, Joshua gave the Israelites a choice that I believe God is extending to you right now. He said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

Richie Hughes and his house are committed to serving the Lord, but you have your own choice to make. You may have seen God move mightily in a family member’s situation, for someone at your church, or perhaps even in your own life at some time in the past. But you still must choose. You won’t be guilty by association. Will you follow God or your own rules? This is the most important choice any of us will ever make.

Choosing Christ will ultimately lead to eternal life and bring God’s blessings, but that doesn’t mean life will be easy. Not even close. I grew up in a Christian home with parents who loved me and my siblings and taught us to follow the Lord. Yet easy is the last word I would use to describe the journey God allowed us to take. We experienced heartbreak, and we cried many nights as we grappled with choices that would turn our lives upside down.

My Review

This is one of those books that everyone should read. We don't always realize or think about the consequences of the choices we make. But be assured... every choice, no matter how big or small, has a consequence... be it good or bad.

Richie Hughes leads us with scriptures and personal experience to show just how the choices we make can change the course of our lives... and others' as well. No matter where you are in life or what choices we have made in the past, he reminds us that we serve a God who can wipe the slate clean and give us a new start.  We can learn to make better choices... we just have to choose.

I can't recommend this book highly enough... not just for yourself, but for family and friends. Who wouldn't want to learn to make better choices?


Thanks for reading and God bless! :)

Spiritual Housekeeping by Kimberly Daniels

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kim Daniels

and the book:

Spiritual Housekeeping: Sweep your life free from Satanic oppression and demonic strongholds

Charisma House (September 6, 2011)

***Special thanks to Kim Jones | Publicity Coordinator, Charisma House | Charisma Media for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kimberly Daniels is a sought-after conference speaker, preacher, and powerful prayer warrior. She pastors Spoken Word Ministries in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband, Ardell and is on the Jacksonville City Council. Daniels graduated from Florida State University and Jacksonville Theological Seminary and is the author of Inside Out; From a Mess to a Miracle; Clean House, Strong House; Delivered to Destiny; and Give It Back! and the coauthor of More Than Just The Catch.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Stay Prepared for Satan’s Unexpected Attacks

Do life’s challenges seem to throw you off balance? Do you struggle with the should haves, could haves, and would haves? In Spiritual Housekeeping, Kimberly Daniels outlines the keys to defeating the devil and putting your spiritual house in order.

Using numerous Bible passages and experiences from her own life, Daniels provides proven principles that give you the balance to live in the world while pleasing God by…


Avoiding compromise and ungodly tolerance
Discerning the difference between what is holy and what is not
Understanding the realms of spiritual authority
Keeping the occult out of your house

Discover how to become a gatekeeper to your home and receive God’s instructions for the spiritual traffic there. You can depend on the Holy Spirit to help you with the devil’s unexpected attacks and difficult situations.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Charisma House (September 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616382384
ISBN-13: 978-1616382384

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Delivered From

Social Intercourse

The Bible tells us that believers are “in” the world but not “of” it (John 17:11, 16). God has called us to be a light to the world. At the same time He has warned us not to be unequally yoked with people, places, and things that would hinder our walk with Him. So with this in mind, how do we run our businesses, educate our children, and relate to society in a way that will not displease God or cause us to be unequally yoked with the world?
The answer is simple—beware of social intercourse! Let’s start by reading 2 Corinthians 6:14–15 (kjv, emphasis added):

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

I have read this scripture many times over the past twenty years of my salvation. I found it very interesting that the Holy Spirit would open it up to me in a new way, as He did recently. Though the foundation of my deliverance is rooted in this scripture, until now I never recognized the standard that it sets for a victorious
lifestyle in Christ Jesus. Second Corinthians 6:14–15 represents the line that God has drawn in the Spirit to give us:
• Spiritual strength to avoid compromise and ungodly tolerance
• Stamina and endurance against opposition and persecution
• Discernment to know the difference between what is holy and what is unclean

The key words of this passage are:
• Fellowship—People (becoming one in Him)
• Communion—Places (gathering in His name)
• Concord—God (agreement with God
• Part—Faith (having a belief that cannot be shaken)

Fellowship—righteousness vs. unrighteousness
The word fellowship is metochos (met’-okh-os) in the Greek, which means, “intercourse.” Intercourse is defined as: “connection or dealings between individuals or groups that causes a coupling or uniting that makes those who have come together one.” As I studied the word intercourse, I noticed the word interchange. When intercourse takes place, there is always an interchange. This means that the people who come together literally experience an exchange in the midst of their union. The word interchange means, “to put each in the place of the other; to cause to change places, or to give and receive things from each other reciprocally.” It also means to cause to follow one another. Based on the word study on fellowship, it is not difficult to see that when we fellowship or socialize with people on a continual basis, a union takes place in the spirit. This is why the Bible asks the question, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). The interchange involves everyone and enables each person to get something out of the relationship. This is why we must know those that we labor among. God commands that we “come out from among them” (2 Cor. 6:17)! If you do not want what other
people have, it would not be wise to hang out with them. On the other hand, when believers come together, there is a sweet communion that takes place. Where two touch and agree, Jesus comes into the midst. One believer can put a thousand demons to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight (Deut. 32:30). The Word of the Lord asks: “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?” Whenever the Word asks a question, an alarm should go off in our spirits to do a self-evaluation. We should ask ourselves questions like:

• What kind of inner circles am I a part of?
• Are the values of those who are closest to me committed
to righteousness or unrighteousness?
• What am I depositing into my closest relationships,
and what am I getting out of these relationships that influences me spiritually?

Pause and think on these questions! Is there anything in your life that you are in fellowship with that will stop you from being one with Jesus? If so, break fellowship with it now!

Communion—light vs. darkness
We are called to be in communion with our God. Let’s look at the word communion. The Greek word for communion is koinonia, which means: “partnership, participation, social intercourse, communication
and distribution.” I was knocked off of my feet when I found out that communion means social intercourse. When Paul refers to communion, he relates it to light and darkness. He is actually saying that light and darkness
will never commune or agree. Because of this, we must choose one side with which to commune. There will always be controversy, combat, and a battle in the spirit when dealing with light and darkness. Many people get discouraged when they experience this kind of warfare. This is the kind of warfare we should rejoice about!
The Bible says that we must be watchful when all men speak well of us. The truth of the matter is that not all men are supposed to agree with us. All men are not walking in the light of the truth, and when you are confronted with darkness, there is supposed to be a battle!

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would
love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will
also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. —John 15:18–20

The battle will rage when light and darkness collide. The only true light in the world is the light of Jesus Christ. The world hates Jesus! When believers get this down in their spirits, they will develop tougher skin. Those who represent Jesus must have tough skin and not take persecution from the world as a personal attack.
It is not personal; it is scriptural! The world is not supposed to love you when you love Jesus. When believers allow resistance and rejection from the world to get them down, it is a sin before God! Paraphrasing what Jesus said, He made it simple: “Who do you think you are? You are not greater than Me! They hated Me, and I
created them—I AM God! Do not be moved when they hate you.” This is the commandment of the Lord. Light cannot commune (be comfortable with) darkness.

No matter how good things may seem or how nice people may be, if you are a child of light, darkness will always oppose you. No matter how much you try to harmonize, there will be a screeching sound of discord in the spirit. We have Jesus on the inside of us, and demons will always be uncomfortable in His presence. When we step into a place, we bring Jesus with us. There are places where people do not want Jesus around. We should not be alarmed when we are barred and even kicked out of certain places. The power of manifested light in a dark place is a good thing. It reveals to the people that they are in darkness. It is a glorious thing when the children of God come together to let their light shine. When light connects with more light, the power of God is manifested in the earth realm.

The koinonia of God flows fluently in the midst of the saints. This is why the anointing of the saints increases with numbers. One can put one thousand to flight, but two . . . ten thousand! Koinonia promotes partnership, communication, and a balanced distribution among the people of God. It is a social intercourse that takes place to give birth to the will of God in the earth realm. Real communion causes God’s glory to radiate in the midst of a dark and lost world. There is something awesome that takes place when God’s anointed ones gather. We gain ground in the spirit, and the Lord has free course to move. On the other hand, because of negative agreement there were some places where even Jesus could not heal the sick. When we fellowship with people who are not children of light, we get stuck in a spiritual limbo. To be in limbo means to be caught between. Because light and darkness cannot agree, those who try to make them mingle always end up in limbo. The manifestations of limbo are the spirits of struggle, distraction, confusion, and heaviness. We are in the world but not of the world. We are commanded to go into the world to be witnesses for Jesus, but the approach and strategy we use means everything. We are called to influence and not to be influenced!

There is a difference between communion and compromise. Communion brings forth a unity that bonds believers together for God’s purpose. When we compromise there is no bonding, but a bowing that takes place. It causes a person to knowingly or subliminally submit to the spirit in charge.

Concord—Christ vs. Belial
The scripture also asks, “What concord hath Christ with Belial?” The word concord is sumphonesis (soom-fo’-nay-sis) in the Greek, and it is defined as: “to be in harmony with, agreement, to stipulate by compact; to concur and support.”
Agreement means everything! It affects every area of our lives. We need agreement within ourselves to achieve our everyday goals. Without agreement, our families are dysfunctional and our businesses will fail.

God showed me that agreement is a type of spiritual covering. I believe that this is why Paul used the analogy of Christ and Belial. When we agree with certain things, we come under the covering of a certain ruler. We cannot agree with Christ and Belial at the same time; only one will rule!

Let’s take a look at the meaning of Belial:
• A person considered morally worthless
• Good for nothing
• Diseased in the mind
• Hard-hearted
• One who promotes rebellion against God and constituted authority
• Another name for Satan
• Vile, lewd, licentious, corrupt
• That which works against and has no regard for God or the things of God

Understanding the meaning of Belial brings forth a greater understanding of why this spirit has no agreement with Christ. We can be effective in winning the lost in dark places and during dark times as long as we have the revelation that Christ has no agreement with Belial. This is what accursed means: “dedicated unto doom or
damned by God Himself.” If God has killed a thing, we cannot religiously resurrect it. If the root is holy, the fruit will be holy, but if the root is demonically dedicated, the fruit will be cursed. Christ and Belial simply cannot agree. A biblical meaning for the word agreement is, “to marry, betroth or to gather selves until they
become one.” We cannot attempt to attach Jesus to the accursed thing.

Part—believers vs. infidels
The Word of the Lord asks, “What part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” The word part in the Greek is meris (mer-ece’), and it means, “to share, to be in the same province of or to participate with.” It comes from another Greek word, meros, which refers to a coast, portion, or to have respect of.

When Paul asked the question, “What part hath he that believeth with an infidel?,” it was serious! The word infidel refers to one who does not have faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. There is a difference between believing in Jesus and believing that Jesus is the one and only living God. Few deny that Jesus walked on the earth. Many
consider Him a great man or even a powerful prophet. The problem comes in when they deny His lordship! Putting it simple, an infidel is one who denies the lordship of Jesus Christ. What part does a true believer have with a person who does not believe that Jesus is the Lord and Creator of the universe? None! Believers should have no part in activities that give homage or even respect to other gods. We should not spiritually hang out in territories where demons are attempting to make us bow to the gongs of the land with the intent to overthrow them. The persecution of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the perfect example of having no part with infidels. The king made a decree that whenever the gong sounded, everyone had to fall down and give homage to the pagan deity of the land. The Hebrew boys were put in the fiery furnace because they refused to bow. Yeah,
I know this is an old Bible story (in the minds of many), but the reality of this story will one day be grafted into the hearts of the saints in America. Many gongs are sounding, and many people who call themselves believers are bowing in our country. Jesus told Satan, “You have no part with Me” (John 13:8). In this same way we must not be a part of, have a portion with, or participate in modern-day idolatries. There are gongs going off in the spirit bidding Christians in America to bow. These are not ancient gongs as in the times of the Hebrew boys. These are gongs of economic trouble, disasters in the weather, seducing spirits from the rich and the famous, political unrest, peer pressure, idolatrous temptation, and compromise. During times like these we can remain steadfast in the things of God if we focus on our portion. Looking to the left or the right will make us lose the race. We can win if we stay in our lane and allow Jesus to be the author and finisher of our faith. We must be able to stand and declare, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” (Josh. 24:15). God is using His people to do a great work in the days in which we live, and we cannot come down off the wall.

Let’s take a look at how Nehemiah dealt with the temptation to bow to the dictates of the world.
Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with
fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.” —Nehemiah 2:17–20

The people of God were in a bad situation, yet Nehemiah bragged on His God. His enemies mocked him and called him a rebel, but Nehemiah had a revelation; God was his portion! His source was not in man, so he did not have to bow to them. He also let his enemies know that they had no portion in what God had for him. When we (as believers) know our portion and in whom it is placed, we also know the portion (or legal right) the enemy has to get involved in it—none! The portion of the wicked has no agreement with what God has for us.
The twentieth chapter of Job describes the portion of the wicked. It describes the portion of the wicked to be like a basket filled with curses.

It includes the following curses:
• The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment.
• He will perish forever like his own refuse.
• He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
• His children will seek the favor of the poor.
• His bones will lie down with him in the dust.
• His food in his stomach turns sour; it becomes cobra venom within him.
• He swallows down riches and vomits them up again.
• He will not see the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
• From the proceeds of business he will get no enjoyment.
• He knows no quietness in his heart; therefore his well-being will not last.
• In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; every hand of misery will come against him.
• When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath.
• A bronze bow will pierce him through.
• Terrors come upon him.
• An unfanned fire will consume him.
• The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
• The increase of his house will depart, and his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.

The scripture concludes by saying: “This is the portion from God for a wicked man, the heritage appointed to him by God” (Job 20:29). I praise the Lord because we have no portion in wickedness. Today, when the hearts of many are failing them for fear, we must continue to confess Psalm 73:26, which says: “God is the strength
of my heart and my portion forever.”

We must rebel against or disagree with the things or the ways of the wicked. This is the only way to avoid social intercourse. Social intercourse is the pathway to idolatry, which comes in the name of status quo social activities. God put the need to socialize on the inside of us, but we must do it according to the Word of God. There is a sweet anointing when the brethren dwell in peace under the covering of God’s covenant. We can operate in the midst of those who do not know Jesus, but we must lead and not follow. We must influence and not be
influenced. This is the calling we have as the salt of the earth. I call it blending without bending.

My Review

This is a powerful book! A must read, in my opinion. Spiritual Housekeeping will teach you not only how to break free from demonic strongholds and satanic oppression, it also tells us why it's important to do so, and what the consequences can be if we don't.

Kimberly Daniels does a wonderful job of teaching on this subject. I have learned more in Spiritual Housekeeping than I did attending a 2-day class. I know that I will be reading this book again, referring back to it for reference, and passing along what I've learned.

A Quarter for a Kiss by Mindy Starns Clark

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Mindy Starns Clark

and the book:

A Quarter for a Kiss

Harvest House Publishers; Reprint edition (October 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Karri James | Marketing Assistant, Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mindy Starns Clark is the author of many books (more than 450,000 copies sold), which include A Pocket Guide to Amish Life, Shadows of Lancaster County, Whispers of the Bayou, and The Amish Midwife. In addition, Mindy is a popular inspirational speaker and playwright.


Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

With a touch of romance and a strong heroine, A Quarter for a Kiss offers more of the fast-paced and suspenseful inspirational writing found in A Penny for Your Thoughts, Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels, and A Dime a Dozen. In this fourth book of the Million Dollar Mysteries, Mindy Starns Clark weaves another tale of mystery and God’s touch on the lives of those who seek Him.

As a young widow, Callie Webber finds strength in her faith in God and joy in her growing romance with her employer, Tom Bennett. When their friend and mentor, Eli Gold, is shot, the search for answers as to who and why leads Tom and Callie to the beautiful Virgin Islands. There they face a sinister enemy among the ruins of an old sugar plantation—an enemy who’s willing to do anything to keep his identity secret and the past deeply buried.





Product Details:

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers; Reprint edition (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736929592
ISBN-13: 978-0736929592

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

“Come on, Callie,” Tom urged. “You can do it. You know how.”

Ignoring the burning in my calves, I kept my gaze on Tom, who had reached the top of the wall almost effortlessly and now waited there for me to join him.

“There’s a grip at two o’clock, up from your right hand about six inches,” he guided, speaking in the low, soothing tones I teasingly called his “rock climbing” voice. Glad for that voice now, I released my handhold and reached upward, my fingers easily finding and grasping the tiny ledge. “Now your foot,” he said. “Slow and easy. You’re almost there.”

As I went I concentrated on all I had learned about rock climbing in the last few weeks. It was Tom’s passion, and we had spent a number of hours practicing on a real rock face while he taught me the basic tricks and techniques. Now we were in an indoor gym, on a simulated rock wall, climbing much higher than we had ever gone in our practice runs. And though I was wearing a safety harness that was roped to the ceiling, that didn’t make it any easier or any less scary—particularly where the wall actually bent outward, pitching me at a difficult angle.

“You are one step away, Cal,” he said, excitement evident in his voice. “Most of the people won’t make it half this far.”

With a final burst of daring, I slid my toes against the next hold and straightened my knees, rising high enough to touch the ceiling at the top of the wall.

“You did it!” Tom cried, and only then did I allow myself to smile and then to laugh.

“I did do it!” I echoed, slapping a high five with Tom and feeling the rush of pleasure and relief he said he experienced every time he finished a challenging climb. Of course, to him “challenging” meant the Red Rocks of Nevada or Half Dome in Yosemite. For me, a big wall in a rock-climbing gym was a pretty good start.

We repelled down together, my legs still feeling shaky once I was on solid ground.

“That was great,” the teenage staffer said as he helped unhook me from the harness. “And to think you were worried. Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”

“Not that high and not indoors,” I said.

“Well, you’re a natural.”

“I had a good teacher,” I replied, glancing at Tom, who was busy removing his own harness. He and I had spent the last three weeks together vacationing in the North Carolina mountains. During that time, we had enjoyed teaching each other our favorite sports—climbing and canoeing—though I liked to tease him that my hobby was the superior one, because one false move with a canoe paddle wouldn’t exactly plunge a person hundreds of feet to their death. Tom had replied that if one were canoeing above Niagara Falls, that wouldn’t exactly be true, now would it?

As the teenager moved on to help the next set of climbers, Tom gave me an encouraging smile.

“Hey, what did you say this is called?” I asked him, pointing at my visibly wobbling knees. “Sewing legs?”

“Sewing-machine legs,” Tom replied. “A common climbing malady. Come on. You need to rest for a bit.”

He bought us two bottles of water from the snack bar, and then we found a quiet corner and sat on a bench there, leaning back against the wall. I felt thoroughly spent, as if I had pushed every single muscle in my body to its very limit.

I sipped on my water, feeling my pulse slowly return to normal, looking around at the activity that surrounded us. Across the giant room, a new group of climbers was being instructed by a guide while about ten more people waited in line for their turn. In the front window was a giant banner that said “Climb for KFK,” and beside the cash register was a table where pledges and donations were being accepted for “Kamps for Kids,” a charity that provided summer camp scholarships to impoverished children. Instead of a walk­athon, they were calling this event a “climbathon.” I liked the idea as well as the whole atmosphere of the place, from the easy joviality of the people waiting in line to the upbeat encouragement of the instructors who were manning the ropes and providing assistance as needed.

“So what’s up, Callie?” Tom asked. “You haven’t been yourself all morning.”

I shrugged.

“Sorry,” I said. “This is my work mode, I guess. You have to remember, we’re not just here to have fun. We’re on the job, so to speak.”

Tom nodded knowingly and then leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“So how does this happen, exactly?” he asked. “Do you just walk up to the people and say, ‘Hi, here’s a big whopping check’?”

I smiled.

“Oh, sure, that’s usually how it goes. I call that my Big Whopping Check speech.”

“Don’t be hard on me,” he said, grinning. “I’ve never done this before.”

I leaned toward him, speaking softly.

“Well, first of all, you have to wait for the proper moment,” I said. “Like just before you’re about to leave.”

“Okay.”

“Second,” I continued, “you have to have the full attention of the correct person. You don’t want to give that whopping check to just anybody.”

“Get the big wig. Got it.”

“Finally, the act of presentation takes a little bit of flair. It’s a huge moment for them. You want to help them enjoy it.”

“I think I understand.”

“You also want to bring them back down to earth a little. I actually do have a short speech I give every time I hand over a grant. I remind the recipient where the money’s coming from and what it’s for. That seems to go over well.”

I felt funny explaining how I did my job to Tom, because he wasn’t just my boyfriend, he was also technically my boss. Though he lived and worked on the other side of the country, far from our actual office, Tom was the kind and generous philanthropist behind the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation. I worked for the foundation as the director of research, and basically my job was to investigate nonprofits Tom was interested in and analyze their suitability for grants. If they checked out okay, I then had the pleasure of awarding them grant money. That’s what we were doing here today. For the first time ever, Tom was joining me as I gave a little bit of his money away.

“Hey, Tom! Tom Bennett!” a man cried, interrupting my thoughts.

The fellow bounded toward us, grinning widely. He was tall and wiry, with deep laugh lines in a tanned face, and when he reached us, we stood and the two men shook hands warmly. “You said you might come, but I didn’t believe you.”

“I’m glad I was able to work it out,” Tom replied, smiling.

He introduced his friend as Mitch Heckman, owner of the gym and co-organizer of the event. I told Mitch how impressed I was with the gym and with the climbathon concept.

“Most of the credit goes to my wife,” Mitch said, shaking my hand. “I’m just glad we could use the gym to help out a good cause.”

“Have you raised much?” Tom asked.

“Our goal for today was twenty-five thousand dollars,” Mitch said. “You can see how we’re doing on that poster over there.”

He pointed to a drawing of a mountain with a zero at the bottom, amounts written up the side, and $25,000 at the top. Sadly, it had only been colored in about half of the way up—and the event would be over in another hour or two.

“Of course, we had a pretty big learning curve in putting the whole thing together,” Mitch said. “I’m sure we can make up the difference with some bake sales or car washes or something. We’ll get there eventually. Mai pen rai, huh?”

“Yeah, mai pen rai.”

They chatted for a few minutes more, and then Mitch was called up to the front. After he was gone, Tom explained to me their acquaintance, that they had met a few months ago while mountain climbing—specifically, while scaling the limestone cliffs off of Rai Ley Beach in the Krabi Province of Thailand. Tom had been working hard in Singapore and had taken a weekend off to visit the nearby mountain-climbers’ mecca, where he met Mitch atop one of the peaks after a particularly challenging climb. As the two men rested, they talked, and it turned out that they were both avid climbers and eager to explore an unfrequented jungle crag nearby. Together they had hired a guide and ended up having an incredible day of climbing. Though the two men hadn’t seen each other since, they had been in touch off and on ever since via e-mail.

“What were you saying to each other just now? My pen…”

“Mai pen rai,” Tom replied. “That’s Thai for ‘no problem’ or ‘never mind.’ The guides say it to encourage you while you’re climbing, kind of like ‘you can do it.’ ‘Don’t worry.’ Mai pen rai.”

“Does Mitch know about the foundation?”

“Nope. He thinks I’m just another rock jock.”

“He’s in for a nice surprise, then,” I said. “This is fun, giving a grant to someone who never even applied for one.”

This wasn’t our usual mode for doing business, that was for sure. But this particular charity was so new—and the amount we were donating so relatively small—that the investigation hadn’t been all that complicated. Since KFK had never applied for a grant from us, I hadn’t really had the authority to go in and do an extensive investigation. But they did belong to several good nonprofit watchdog groups, so I had felt confident doing the research from our vacation home in North Carolina, mostly over the internet and on the phone with the foundation’s accounting whiz, Harriet, the day before.

“Anyway, now you’ll finally have the pleasure of making a donation live and in person,” I added. “Something I’ve only been bugging you to do for two years.”

“Almost three years now,” he corrected. “And, yes, I’m hoping this might shut you up for good.”

“Oh, you want me to shut up, do you?” I asked. “What about—”

He silenced me with a finger against my lips, which he allowed to linger there.

“No,” he whispered, gazing a moment at my mouth. “Don’t ever stop talking to me. I want to listen to you forever.”

We looked into each other’s eyes as everything else in the room blurred into the background. My legs shivered again, but not from climbing this time.

“We need to get going,” Tom said gruffly, standing and then helping me to my feet. I squeezed his hand, and then we separated into the men’s and women’s locker areas to get cleaned up.

After a shower I dressed quickly in a pair of black slacks and a soft blue knit shirt. I towel-dried my short hair, combed it out, and took a moment to put on some lipstick and a touch of mascara.

As I looked in the mirror, ready to leave, I was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. In a few short hours Tom and I would go our separate ways, boarding two different flights to head toward our homes on opposite coasts—him to California and me to Maryland. For three glorious weeks we had done nothing more than shut out the rest of the world and spend time together, but we couldn’t hide out and play forever. Our work and other responsibilities awaited us, and as one week had turned into two and then to three, we had already stretched the length of our available time to the very max. Soon our idyllic vacation together would officially be over, and Tom and I would be back to our long-distance romance as usual.

Slinging my bag onto my shoulder, I decided to take this day moment-by-moment. Despite the difficulty of parting, we still had a job to do. We still had a grant to give out.

I emerged from the locker room to find Tom also showered and dressed, standing nearby and squinting toward the front of the room. He had in his hand a check from the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation, dated today and made out to the charity, though the amount had been left blank.

“Callie, can you read that figure?” he asked. “I need the exact amount they’ve raised so far.”

I walked a little closer and then came back to report that they were up to $11,043. Quick with numbers, Tom didn’t even hesitate before he filled out the check for $23,957.

“That’s ten thousand more than they need to bring them to their goal,” I said after doing the math in my head, not surprised one bit by his generosity.

“Yeah, but it’s the least we can do, don’t you think?”

He tried to put the check in my hand, but I pushed it back.

“No, you don’t,” I said. “Enjoy the moment.”

Carrying our bags, Tom and I walked to the front of the gym, where his friend Mitch was chatting with a woman that I assumed was his wife. We were introduced, and I liked her firm handshake and the way she looked me directly in the eye. She thanked us for coming and then moved on to speak with someone else.

“We’re going to head out,” Tom said to Mitch, “but I wanted to give you a check first. I talked my company into making a small grant.”

Of course, the way Tom had said it, you’d never know that it was his company, nor his money—nor that he was using “small” as a relative term. Mitch took the folded check without looking at it.

“Listen, buddy, every bit helps. Thank you so much, and thanks for coming.”

The two men shook hands, and then Mitch shook my hand as well. We said goodbye, and Tom and I departed, walking silently through the packed parking lot toward our rental car.

“You were right, Callie,” he said nonchalantly, pressing a button on his key chain to unlock the car. “Giving away the money in person really is kind of fun.”

I was about to reply when we heard Mitch calling Tom’s name. We turned to see the man running toward us, breathless, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“I don’t understand,” he gasped, holding up the check. “This is so much. Is it some kind of joke?”

“No joke, Mitch,” Tom said. “We’re affiliated with the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation. That’s a grant.”

“A grant?”

“Yeah, we give them out all the time. Callie, what is it you like to say when you give grants to people?”

I smiled.

“Basically,” I said, going into my spiel, “we want you to know that the best way you can say thanks is to take that money and use it to further your mission. The foundation believes strongly in what you’re trying to accomplish, and we just wanted to have some small part in furthering your efforts.”

To my surprise, Mitch’s eyes filled with tears.

“Your generosity leaves me speechless,” he said finally. “Won’t you come back inside? Let me tell my wife. She’ll be so excited. Maybe we can get a picture for the newsletter or the website or something.”

I looked at Tom, but he seemed decidedly uncomfortable.

“Mitch,” I said, “we really prefer to do this in a discreet manner. Just tell Jill that the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation gives the money with love and with God’s blessings. We’d rather not receive any individual recognition.”

Bewildered, he looked back down at the check.

“And you promise this isn’t a joke?” he tried one more time.

“No joke,” Tom laughed. “I give you my word, buddy. It’s for real.”

With a final sincere thanks, Mitch turned and headed back to the building. We stood there and watched until he went inside and the door closed behind him.

On impulse, I turned and threw my arms around Tom’s neck. Startled, after a moment he hugged me back.

“You are such a good man,” I whispered, feeling absolutely, utterly, and completely in love.

He laughed, pulling me in tightly for an embrace.

“Wow,” he replied. “This giving-away-money thing gets better all the time.”

Knowing the clock was ticking closer toward our flight times, we managed to pull apart and get into the car. He started it up and pulled out of the parking lot, driving toward the airport.

We were quiet as we went, both lost in our own thoughts. As we wove our way through traffic, I considered our relationship and the long and winding path my life had taken since my husband’s death. This coming summer would mark four years since Bryan was killed, and in one way it seemed like yesterday, and in another it seemed like decades ago. My husband had been my first true love, the sweetheart I had met at 16 and married at 25. We’d had four wonderful years together as husband and wife, but that had all come crashing to an end that fateful day when we went water-skiing and Bryan was hit by a speedboat. The boat’s driver went to prison for manslaughter, but I also went into a sort of prison myself—a self-imposed prison of mourning, of loneliness.

Only in the last six months had I allowed myself to consider the possibility that there might be life for me beyond my husband’s death. Tom and I had developed a good, strong friendship through our many work-related conversations over the phone, and then, slowly, that friendship had started taking on other dimensions. We finally met in person last fall, when Tom received word that I had been hurt in an investigation and raced halfway around the world to be by my side and make certain I was all right. We had spent a mere 12 hours together—just long enough to begin falling in love—and then we were forced to endure a four-month separation while he went back to Singapore on important business and I healed from my injuries and continued my work with his foundation in the U.S.

Then three weeks ago, in the very heart of spring, we had been joyously reunited. Showing up in a hot air balloon, Tom had swept me away to a gorgeous vacation spot in the North Carolina mountains, where we planned to stay a week or so and give ourselves the opportunity to see if our relationship really could work face-to-face. What we had found was that we were so compatible, so comfortable, and so suddenly and deeply in love that it was nearly impossible to end our vacation and return to our regular lives.

Now, however, our time together had come to an end.

“There’s the car rental return,” Tom said suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. He followed the signs and turned into the lot, but instead of heading straight to the busy rental return area, he veered over to an empty parking spot nestled behind a big truck. He put the car in park but left the motor running.

“Maybe we should say our goodbyes here,” he told me, “instead of out in the middle of the busy airport.”

I nodded, surprised when my eyes suddenly filled with tears. I didn’t want to say goodbye at all. Tom’s cell phone began ringing from his gym bag, but we ignored it.

“Callie, have I told you that the past three weeks have been the happiest weeks of my life?”

The ringing stopped. In the quiet of the car, I held on to his hand, looking deeply into his eyes.

“They have been incredible,” I replied. There were many, many moments we had shared that I would relive in my mind in the coming days. “I don’t know if I have the strength to say goodbye to you or not.”

Tom reached up and smoothed a loose lock of hair behind my ear. Such tenderness was in his gaze that I thought it might break my heart.

“Callie, I have something for you,” he whispered. He started to reach into his pocket, and I swallowed hard, wondering what it could be. Then his phone began to ring again.

“You better see who it is,” I said, sighing. “It might be important.”

By the time he got the phone out from his gym bag, the call had been disconnected. Tom was pressing buttons, trying to see who had called, when my phone started ringing from my purse. I dug it out, surprised to see that the number on my screen matched the number that had just called his.

“Hello?” I asked somewhat hesitantly.

“Callie?” a woman’s voice cried from very far away. “Is that you?”

“This is Callie,” I answered. “Who is this?”

“This is Stella,” the voice said. “Stella Gold.”

I put my hand over the phone and mouthed to Tom, It’s Eli’s wife.

Eli Gold was my mentor, a friend of Tom’s, and the person responsible for bringing the two of us together.

“Stella?” I asked, trying to picture a woman I didn’t know very well at the other end of the line. I had met her the day she married my dear friend Eli, but she and I had not really spoken since, except for those times when I called their house and she had been the one to answer the phone. “What’s up?”

“Oh, Callie, I’m so glad I finally reached you. I need you. I need your help. I need Tom Bennett, also, if you know how to reach him.”

“What is it?” I asked, my heart surging.

“It’s Eli,” she sobbed. “He’s in the hospital.”

“In the hospital?”

“Callie, he’s been shot.”

My Review

A great mystery. Not my usual genre, but I really enjoyed it. Made me glad that I branched out a bit. Although this book is part of a series, it is still a great story on it's own. You may want to pick up the rest of the series after reading it. It's that good.


Thanks for reading and God bless! :)