Book Review: Lord Foulgrin's Letters

I wonder how many times we go about our merry ol' way, not giving one thought to what is going on around us. I know there are people who make way too much of demons, but to act like they don't affect us is foolish. But, how much do they influence us? How many times throughout the day do we do or say things because one of them whispered the idea into our ear? Scary, isn't it?

Lord Foulgrin's Letters by Randy Alcorn is a set of letters written by Lord Foulgrin to his apprentice, Squaltaint.These letters contain the art of seducing and keeping the human vermin from learning about salvation in Christ and/or living a victorious Christian life. Squaltaint has been assigned to Jordan Fletcher. Fletcher is not a Christian and Squaltaint is supposed to keep it that way.

But, things don't always go as planned. As hard as Squaltaint works, Fletcher does come to know Jesus Christ. So what's the plan now? Leave Fletcher alone since they can't have his soul in Hell? Not on your life! If they leave Fletcher alone, he will continue to grow in Christ and become what they don't want him to. Affective! Passionate for Jesus! On fire!

Lord Foulgrin gives Squaltaint explicit instructions in what he is to do to keep Fletcher from growing and realizing the plan that Jesus has for him. He must keep Fletcher in the middle. Life without a definite purpose. If that means destroying his life, then so be it. They want him to be apathetic. To get worked up over things that won't make a difference in eternity. (Like what color the new pews in church will be.)

We must remember that there is a war going on. Even if we don't see it or sense it. For non-Christians, it's a war for the soul. For Christians, it's a war for our devotion, for our attention, for us to think about the here and now. Are we helpless in this war? Not hardly! God has given us everything we need to fight and win! Keep our eyes on Jesus. Think about Heaven and all that's in store for us there. Don't let Satan have the advantage and win a few battles.

FREE Baking Bread Ebook, TODAY ONLY!

I don't usually post about food on this blog, but I couldn't pass this up. Marilyn Moll at The Urban Homemaker teaches women how they can make high quality bread, among other things, at a low cost.

For TODAY ONLY, she is offering her ebook, "A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread, a $9.95 value, FREE!! I love free stuff and what's better than to download a document that will help you feed your family nutritious food?

Go here, download, and enjoy!

The Speaker of Your Language

Sometimes my mind is boggled by the fact that Jesus can speak any language. No matter who we are or where we're from, He can communicate with us (as long as we're listening.)

This proved true for Paul when he was still Saul and traveled to Damascus. Most of us know this story, but something struck me when John Williams, one of our associates at church, was preaching on the passage on Sunday. Acts 26:14 says, "And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (my emphasis added)

Why did Jesus speak to him in Hebrew and not Greek? Greek was the main language of the day. Most people could speak it. I think He spoke to Saul in Hebrew, because this language would hit closest to home. Saul was a devout Jew. Hebrew was the language the Old Testament was written in. It was the language that was closest to his heart.

Jesus talks to each individual in the language that is closest to their heart. I'm not speaking just about the words we use, although that is an obvious point. I'm talking about Jesus touching the spot on our heart that is most tender. The spot that if someone else tried to "touch" it, it would just push us further away. Yet, Jesus knows when the timing is just right to speak to us.

Listen when He speaks to you. Don't turn Him away. He loves you more than you could even begin to imagine.

Trust and Initiative

I've been struggling for a while now with the balance between trusting God and taking initiative. When is it crossing the line to take the initiative to "fix" our problem and just be trusting God for our needs? For instance, Geoge Mueller didn't ask one person for a penny for his orphanages. He just prayed and trusted God to supply the need. And that's what God did. He supplied him with millions of dollars for the orphanages.

Does this mean that it's always God's will to just do nothing? The more I've thought about it and prayed about it, this is what I believe God would have us to do. First, pray. Take the matter before Him and see what He wants from us.  He will show us. It takes time sometimes to get an answer from God.

Ruth is an excellent illustration of this. Ruth 2:2 says, "And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter." She could have sat back and said, "Well, LORD, just bring us the food. We trust you and rely completely on you." Could God have done this? Sure! But, this is not what happened. She took initiative and told her mother-in-law she was going to find a place where she could work. Seeing her testimony this far, we know she trusted in Jehovah.

So what happened? Verse 3 tells us, "And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech." (my emphasis added) What does that phrase, "her hap was to light", mean? It's basically telling us that she just happened to go to Boaz's field. A coincidence. I love how the Bible uses tongue-in-cheek responses sometimes. Yeah, right, she just "happened" to go there! Maybe in man's eyes, but not in God's! He saw her take the initiative to work and He made sure she and Naomi would be provided for.

So back to George Mueller. I am definitely not suggesting that he didn't take any initiative. But sometimes we tend to compare and say that since he didn't ask for any money, then we shouldn't do anything either. We should just trust God. I'm sure that Mr. Mueller came to this point because God put it in his heart. God will show us what we should do. But no matter what, we need to trust Him, whether we've felt burdened to not do anything or if we're putting forth a bit of effort to help the situation.

The bottom line is this: trust God, do what you can, but know that He is the one in control and will work out whatever your situation is.

Are You Set Apart?

I'm studying Psalm 4 for our ladies' Bible study at church and I can't even begin to share what I have learned. A couple of weeks ago I was looking at verse three and I thought, "How can I get anything new out of this?" It seemed so straightforward. Well, I was wrong!! On Thursday evening, God showed me some new things about the verse. Don't you just love it when it feels like God is sitting right there beside you and teaching you? I know that He is and we can't live by feelings, but it sure is nice to "feel" it sometimes.

Anyway, Psalm 4:3 says, "But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him." The word "call" doesn't just mean to cry out for help when I'm trouble. There's so much more to it than that. It's a call to someone who I already have an intimate relationship with. It's not an "I'm in trouble, can you get me out even though I haven't talked to you in years" situation.

The more I read this verse, the more something became apparent to me. When you rearrange the first part of the verse, it reads like this (bad grammar included): "But know that him that is godly the LORD hath set apart for himself..." Just because a person is saved doesn't mean they are automatically set apart. God will not force anyone into this. But...if you are godly, the Lord will set you apart for himself. He wants you for himself, just like a man wants his wife for himself.

What are you doing today to grow in the Lord and become more godly? There is a great sense of security in knowing that He loves us so much, He doesn't want to share us with anyone else (the world.)

Because David was godly, God set him apart for himself (relationship); because of the relationship, David knew he could "call" on God.

4 Reluctant Entertainers Giveaway

4 Reluctant Entertainers is a great site if you want to learn more about hospitality. I know I need more help in this department!

The winner will be announced this Sunday so go to the site and enter. Here's what you'll win if you're one!

~ Wacky Jackie Cake Mix (Butte Creek Mill, made right in my town)

~ Pumpkin Bread Mix (oh, delicious, just like Wacky Jackie)

~ Meyer Dish Soap (basil scent - my favorite, thanks to my friend, Steph)

~ Fall napkins - perfect for entertaining

~ Plant holder (for your front door!)

What Would You Like To Read?

I have been blogging for a while on growing in Christ and living for Him. Are there any topics you would like for me to cover specifically? If so, stop by and share your thoughts. I look forward to some future discussions!