Turn your heart

over to

esus!

A book for struggling Christians

By:

Dale Lee Gordon

Copyright 2010

A Struggling Christian

I have been struggling as a

Christian for as long as I have

been a Chris t ian. I think a lot

of us struggle with maintaining a

close relationship with God. Often

it is the little foxes that stir up a

number in our lives.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes,

that spoil the vines: for our vines

have tender grapes. Songs of Solomon 2:15

It is like the computer which I am writing this book on. Back in 2007, it

was a good computer. I noticed, however, the performance kept getting worse.

Now I can’t shut it down without hoping and praying it will start again. It

crashed twice and crashed hard. Just as my computer crashed so did my life.

While I do not want to dwell on my past negative life issues because I would

rather give glory to God, in this book I will touch on a few personal issues that will

give struggling Christians hope.

In the past I used to dwell on all the negativity in life, seeing the glass empty.

I was a mouse in search of cheese and that was all I wanted. I wanted the fast and

easy way to life but crashed so many times on the way to where I was headed.

Rather than looking around f o r a b e t t e r w a y I would use a hammer and

chisel to try and knock down walls. I even ta lked about how love was like a

hammer that was needed to knock on my door to reach me. I tore down more

than I built up wondering if there could be an easier way. The only easy

way I found is by hard work a nd tu rn i ng yo u r he a r t ov e r t o J e sus .

As we travel on the road to success we may fail several times along the way.

B u t w e shall reap a harvest if we do not faint. Often life is a struggle of a trail of

tears. I got off on a very rough road as a new Christian, and later made a vow to

become a preacher for God if He would help me through a most difficult part of

my life. In my vows I have often felt I needed to give something in order to be

loved. In other words, I felt I needed to earn love. So I gave of myself so

much that there was just nothing left of myself to give. I quite literally out tithed

God’s requirements and in s t ead o f g iv ing t i the acco rd ing t o Bib l e

t each ing , I tossed my pearls before the swine that so quickly turned and

rendered me.

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before

swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Matthew 7:6.

I refuse to dwell too much on my past since no one wants to hear a

person whining, instead I look to a solid future; one where God’s love prevails ( I

am not just referring to heaven). When you give your best to the worst

sometimes your prize becomes null and void. I gave of myself so much and it hurt

so badly. I gave to a pastor who later, and just as Matthew 7 states, turned and

attacked me. It was a painful lesson that was not fully u n d e r s t o o d until

sometime later. I started seeking ways for the quick buck, however, I learned that

the quick and easy way is the most unrewarding way. Satan’s idea of a “silly

season” isn’t fun nor does it last long. It is like the artificial high a drug gives. It

may be fun for a season but it bites like a serpent in the end. I call drugs

“Satan’s candy,” though money can truly be classified in the same category.

Our s illy s easons abruptly end when Satan retracts his golden hand and

quickly robs you of what little pleasure you thought you had. What you may

find is that you are sitting in a rubber room with only a safety smock, a hole in

the floor for a toilet, and three meals a day. You think to yourself, “Reality has set

in.” When the silly seasons of life end and we are left holding the empty bag, or

worse, someone else holds it, and you think to yourself, “What went wrong?”

Questions arise and there is often no answer.

The Shoulda Woulda Coulda’s

What should I have done differently? It’s the “if only” stage. If only I had

n o t c a s t m y m o n e y t o s w i n e m a y b e t hings would have worked out

but the path has been set. Perhaps you, like me, are headed towards an iceberg on

your maiden voyage. The course is set and the speed is high. You think to

yourself, “I am the ship that cannot be sunk!” I have said in my heart, “Satan

doesn’t even exist,” but God taught me a lesson; Satan is real and if Satan is

real, God must be real as well.

Smash!!! Your ship collides with a huge

iceberg. The damage is done and now your

ship is slowly sinking into the dark abyss.

Cold waters are on every side and it has

become evident there are not enough life rafts.

Perhaps you, like me, created a nightmare

of your own doing. The ship you thought

was Noah’s Ark turned out to be another

Titanic. You know of the fearful sharks, and

you know you can’t tread these waters; what

do you do? A s y o u o b s e r v e the last

life raft depart you

know how this story is going to end. You are in a trap and there is no way out of

this sinking ship. You should not have opted to go on this horrible journey;

b u t there is no turning back now. What you thought was just a small iceberg

turned out to be the final voyage to the end of life. Is there an answer? Yes!

While others might be drinking their last drink or running around trying to save

themselves by put t ing on a life jacket and plunging into the water to prolong

the inevitable, h o p i n g t o escape, but in the end these are the people crying

out, “Oh, God, o h, God!” Meanwhile, a poor, but content family gathers

together, reading the Bible, speaking of how they shall meet Jesus in the end.

They read their Bible that promises everlasting life to those who love God, a n d

t h e y a r e prepared. As for the others, all they could think of was rescuing

themselves.

Sometimes the damage is so severe and the gouge so deep into the hull of

the ship there are no solutions. Sometimes God has to stand back and say, “You

didn’t need my help getting into your problems, now you have to solve this one on

your own.” Though there are no life rafts left, there is one life preserver left,

and that is Jesus. He is the one thing we have to hang onto. We have to remember

that God is still in control and He still loves u s .

…I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE. Hebrews 13:5

God isn’t through with you yet. A r e t hings in y o u r life as this

Titanic? T h e n k n o w t h a t y o u r only life preserver is Jesus Christ. Are

you sinking and don’t know if you will be able to go on? Perhaps there is one

last place in the life raft. Perhaps there is just one seat left with your name on it.

I write in haste because I know the time is short. I can’t be real preachy adding

a lot of verses because my computer won’t let me download www.e-sword.com,

an electronic Bible. My internet doesn’t work very well and none of my USB

ports are working. My bank account has been closed and I wonder if there is no

escape from this impossible nightmare. I am hoping to write my way out of the

damage done of casting my pearls before the evil swine. God only knows the

answers. As for me I don’t have a clue. This is a problem that cannot be easily

remedied. All I know is God is in the business of making the impossible

possible and I have a dream to achieve. There is a prize, restoration and life at

the end of the tunnel. I just have to find the way there.

Exhausted Resources

I have lost almost everything and so little remains. I have just enough of

a computer to get this book finished. If it fails it will have the same fate as all

other things in my life. They are piled deep under a total loss of shattered dreams.

In my quest for making more money, I lost even more. All I had, I gave away, and

now what?

The most painful thing about disasters in life, are the ones we know we

created ourselves. I used to live in a self-suicide of life where all that I had

were goals that failed. Have you ever had enormous dreams only to find out

they were not God’s will? As for me I like to write. The problem is when I

made writing an

obsession and put it before God. I would go to bed thinking of t y p i n g o n m y

computer and how to make something work. The very machine I loved became

an idol and essentially a god. God broke this god and wiped the slate clean. I

often blamed Satan for the total loss, however, I realize now the loss was due to

my own folly. I was the fool that said in his heart there is no God. The only true

god I found myself worshipping was the works of my own hands. Today I sit in

a trailer park having little money to survive off of.

In just days more unpaid bills will hit, I ask, have you ever been in this

situation before? What little you have is breaking whether it is a leaky roof, a

computer on its last dying leg, or a car that barely runs. You already know there

just isn’t enough money but you press on praying that all will come through.

Thinking of the widow’s last two coins, you end up doing the same, giving the last

that remained. Does this sound like you? Well, welcome to our world. The ship is

listing hard now, it is beginning to take a plunge. It bucks and kicks like a beast as

it drifts off into the dark waters. You feel yourself saying, “This is it, prepare to

meet your God.”

Cleaning the Slate

The hardest thing for me to do was to let go and let God. It was a hard

decision to make, just letting go, but there were no other choices. You can hang

on to what you th ink you have, or you can reach out and hold God’s hand,

take off your shoes, get down on the floor, and cry out to God. He will come

through. Looking back, I trusted in things that failed me rather than in Jesus. I

can’t sit here and expect seeds to firmly plant themselves in the ground.

P e o p l e m a y h a v e h u r t u s b u t w e must let go and let God be the

medicine made from the mud. As I sit here I think of what I do have.

When I look at my past I like to see what led to the slate being cleaned. It was me

with the problem, not everyone else. I had the beam in my own eye while I was

trying to clear the speck from my neighbor’s eye. I forgot my own house was not

kept while I was keeping others. Because of my bad mental state I was not being a

good steward of my money.

What God had been trying to tell me I did not want to hear. Other good

advice would go from one ear to the other and I relied on my own

misunderstandings that were not from sound advice. Many of the past books I

wrote had the entire scope off. The focus was strictly on me and no emphasis on

God.

One Step Forward Ten Steps Back

My dad to ld me never to sweep dirt into the tide or it will come right

back at you in greater force. Do you ever feel in life that the harder you work the

quicker you fail? Right now as I sit and think of all I have done, words escape

me. I w a s a l w a ys trying to find some new way. There is only one way, and

that is Jesus.

Perhaps, if in the past I had thrown in the towel after the first computer

crash, I would not be sitting here as broke and destitute. If I had not spent

money on trying to start a computer business but rather on durable goods that

could help me, I would not be in this situation. S o m e t i m e s i t s e e m s

t h a t God’s quiet gentle voice has faded and all that remains are lies from the

enemy. This is however, not the end.

Changing Your Frame of Mind

The mind plays a critical part in life. It can be the glue that bonds life together

when times are at their hardest. You can chose to build up your mind, like building

a muscle. I used to read Dale Carnegie books and they put me in a stronger piece of

mind where I had more confidence. People used to laugh at me for reading such

books saying, “Why try to win friends and influence people. Who cares?!” The

person receiving the love you offer sure cares.

Thinking Things into Action

You can make up your mind to succeed or you can set your mind to fail. It

all depends on the old story; is the glass half full or half empty. I’ve often thought

both are poor choices. The answer is given in the Bible and it is simple.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest

my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5

Even Elijah, one of the greatest men of the Bible, at one point just wanted

to lie down and die. Look at Jonah who lay in the hull of a ship thinking he

could hide from the face of the living God. He then went from the hull of the ship

to the depths of hell. Here I am LORD, crying out from the pit of hell for

salvation from all I am facing. Often we think of God’s saving grace a s only

being good for salvation from damnation. However, the Word of God is open

ended when it speaks truth. It doesn’t say, “Saved from hell,” or “Saved from your

situations,” no, rather, God leaves the equation an open format for us to be able to

provide what solutions we need solved. The problem is we close our minds

because we think we already understand the truth and have things clear in our

head as to what we can and can’t be saved from.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor

his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

Could this be the reason we are begging God to help us? Perhaps we

are not righteous. Or could it be that we suffer for a season and now the

season is ready to change. Furthermore the Bible tells us:

FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE

SAVED. Romans 10:13

I know I have called upon the LORD in the past and He saved me from

my enemies and from my own destruction, but perhaps now He is allowing

room for a lesson to be learned. It is a hard lesson and one that has been following

me around for quite some time. It is like sinful Israel in the book of Judges.

The Israelites would go astray and God would jump in and save them after they

repented. Each time they would repent and the sin cycle continued, the period

of time of suffering increased. This happened so many times until God was fed up

with Israel and finally took away their nation for good and sent them back into

captivity once and for all. Though a new generation, almost entirely of people who

had never seen Jerusalem, returned to Israel once again it was only for some to be

witness of the now destroyed Jerusalem from its glory days. As they watched the

temple’s foundation being laid, some cheered while others cried. The ancient men

who remembered the former glory of Solomon’s temple recalled its beauty and

seeing the smaller less elaborate temple being built, wept on its behalf. I am

experiencing the same thing in my life and perhaps you are too. Though things are

different they just aren’t the same as the former glory days when I was healthy and

strong and could get any job. When I look back to my life in the Marines and all

the former glory days when I had a vehicle, I cringe knowing the bicycle I ride

now is not for pleasure; it is my primary mode of transportation. The God-given

finances that I was supposed to nurture and raise, I gave unto my enemy. A

pastor took what I had for himself and went on a spending spree, lavishing his

friends and lovers with my money. Though I don’t want to whine or bore you

with details, the lesson that can be learned here is be careful who you trust. I

feel I took God’s very gift and despised it. Even the car my parents gave me I

allowed another to drive it who then completely destroyed it. From here on out it

is all hard work, trying to rebuild my life from the ashes of all the mistakes I

made. I lived without God’s blessing for so long thinking t h a t w h a t I was

doing was right, when all was wrong. There is an answer I beg of this book and I

will go on with the answer.

A Sinner’s Cry to the Almighty God

Is there a sacrifice left for sins when a sinner does so wrong? D o y o u

find yourself in a bitter crossroad wondering which way to turn? It seems like

everyone I know is broke. I go past fast food restaurants smelling just how good

the food would be to eat, and knowing I cannot afford it. Movie theaters are long a

thing of the past. I look down the road and there is a prize of a new life and life

more abundantly but in the past all I could see was darkness. D o y o u h a v e a

sting of pain that you cannot forget? We must learn to deal with it and we must

learn to forgive. What I can do is pray for the men who wronged me so wickedly.

Can God forgive us? I am a sinner who really messed things up. I took God’s

blessing, and yes, even my parents blessing

and despised it. The question is, can I ever be

forgiven? Can I still have salvation and peace of

mind from the ever burdening question of where

will I spend eternity? They were mistakes

a n d costly expensive ones at that.

God is allowing me time to think about what I did; a time out in the corner, so to

speak. Do you want a shot at the American dream but the possibility is

fading, falling, and failing. Are you tired of empty cupboards and empty

dreams? W e want life and happiness but we are miserable . Where do we

go from here?

One cannot know what the right thing to do is and yet do what is wrong in

such a way it harms others at the cost of the other person’s expense. Is this what I

have done? Yes! I stand guilty as charged.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be

healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James

5:16

Please join me in the following prayer: I confess my sins to you LORD. I

have fought you, I have hated you, I have been angry with you, I have not

understood you, and now I know my faults. I confess the secret sins of my life. I

am wrong and you are right. You gave me the tools to survive and I despised and

rejected them. In folly and my own madness I destroyed the love you gave me

when I first accepted you. I confess my sins and beg you to restore this sinner

to the level I was once at. Restore the years that the locust have eaten. Your

Word promises the healing, the mud that becomes medicine, and the healing of a

broken heart. I ask you to return me to my former glory, minus the years of a

foolish atheistic past. Remember my vows I vowed on a night’s sky looking up

to you. Recall my words ten years ago before all things really went wrong

(another story). I vowed to be a preacher for you, yet here I sit, life in shambles

wondering what to do or where to turn. LORD I take full responsibilities for my

actions, knowing it was my fault for all I did wrong. LORD I want to live and to

love, please restore what was taken and remove the curses put on me so long ago.

I believe in your promises to refill the storage vats.

I thank you, LORD, for the pain and trials. I thank you for the years the

enemy laughed at me while robbing me right before my eyes. Grant salvation and

peace within the storm. LORD I recall the dream last night. I recall the violent

twister. In my dream its path was nine miles long. It was a picture of the

destructive forces that terrorize our lives. I know now I am a sinner and I come

to you for mercy. Your loving kindness I seek. Please help me to survive and

bless me with a future and an outcome.

LORD I a m here to worship you. I repent of all I am or all I ever thought I

was. I am sorry. Please come into my life and save me. AMEN…

Where to go from here?

In life there is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace. The harder we work

at it the more the Devil will fight us. Your works aren’t good enough.

...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in

weakness… 2 Corinthians 12:9

It is in these weakened times our character is truly tested. We can come out

a victor or cowering under Satan’s grip and his force of evil. We can go through a

trial to find out if we are made of gold or made of unfired clay. Trials will come

and trials will go. For me I have lived in a season of trials. It took a lot of prayers

and GOD Almighty to bring me out of the slump I was in. Now I can look into

the mirror and know I am a wonderful person, confident but not overly proud.

I know when I see my reflection in the mirror that I am wonderfully and

beautifully made in God’s image. If I say I am ugly I am reflecting that God is a

horrible artist. Whatever state I am in, no matter what I look like, or what I have

done, I will know from here on out that I am loved.

How to React When You Think God Hates You

This is a hard pill to swallow. You may think to yourself, “Does God care

about me? My life is destroyed, He mustn’t care!!!” I lived this way for years

crying out “Why, why?” wondering what is going on.

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith,

and we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

God never did say life would be easy, and no, life is not a box of chocolates.

Life can be a series of hurdles we have to overcome to get to where we are going

and in the end there is a prize, so keep your eyes on the prize of life.

I know in my life there is a prize ahead and I know its potential as long as

God’s blessing is in it. O n e o f l i f e ’ s p r i z e s i s the restoration of a

sinner’s life, and serving Him and others with the love of God. Is it working out?

Yes, because I believe in love. I believe in a love so strong the gates of hell

cannot extinguish it. O n e o f Satan’s greatest fears is the love we have with

GOD. It becomes the inseparable threefold cord that cannot be quickly broken. It

is love with peace and hope.

Man wasn’t meant to live alone. I am beginning to feel and see the

importance of marriage. That is, of course, one that honors God. Though I may

not be perfect in this matter, (explanations withheld and details left vague) I still

want a marriage that is made of love. I have likened it to a building. The

foundation of a marriage is friendship and the trust you build. This is the most

important part of courtship because without a solid foundation the walls and roof

will sink into the sand. The walls, of course, are romance. I thought for a while

that the first kiss should be under the altar in front of a minister, but seasons

change. Just don’t let kisses escalate into something they should not be. Make it

a passionate kiss but don’t act like you own the donut shop unless you have

purchased the building. Make your marriage vows h onorable to the Mighty

God who will help you keep your love from growing cold. In a marriage there

must be a chief Cornerstone and that Cornerstone represents the LORD who

will guard you and bring peace to your lives. The roof to your house is the icing

on the cake and that, of course, is intimacy. Being intimate in marriage is a God

given gift which should be valued and guarded above all else.

God’s Word tells us the following:

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled… Hebrews 13:4

There is a beautiful love song by Garth Brooks. The song is called

“Shameless.” It is a story of how a man can love his wife without shame or guilt.

Marriage should be a lasting relationship only separated by death but reunited in

God’s kingdom.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it...

Song of Solomon 8:7

There is a power in love beyond anything in this world. Love opened the

grave of Jesus and brought Him back to life. Love heals, love protects, and love is

always there when you need it. Love will travel, forsaking all just for a kind

word. Love pleases and love thanks. Love is the power to restore and to rejuvenate.

All my life I have always wanted LOVE. Now I have found it. Though we

have the love of the LORD in our lives we need human love. In the midst of my

pain, in the depths of hell, love found me. Love has a power to win and rule over

our lives. Love can and will surprise you. I write this book with the love Jesus

Christ gave me, knowing I am forgiven. It is like a young man who is given a

brand new car. He loves and cherishes it, yet in a fleeting moment destroys it.

Though his family forgives him, the second car he will have to work for. I know

because that is my life story.

Only God can restore you. I can only hope that the whirlwind I saw in last

night’s dream was that of Job’s answer to prayer. Our life cannot be restored

unless it is blessed by God. I know I can no longer run ahead of God expecting

Him to catch up. It may not be in His will for me to run at all. I know God’s

will f o r u s is to rest because in rest there is strength. All we can do is pray

and ask the good LORD to lead us. If we have been g iven a second chance

in life, follow where the LORD leads. The children of God were guided by a

pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night, not by the wanderings of

their own way. Peter walked on water only when his eyes were fixed upon Jesus.

Like Peter I failed and though I wanted to move forward and press on I got

bogged down with the demons, worries, and fears of life. Soon I was sinking and

crying out from the billowing waves, “LORD, save me!!!”

I know there is a future for me and it won’t be eternity in hell. I simply had a

lesson to learn that God is God and to let Him do what He does best. I cast my

burdens and cares to the mighty God to let Him handle the things I cannot.

A Picture of King Solomon

Pride got a hold of King Solomon and as intelligent a man as he was, he lived

on his own, outside of God’s glory. There is a little known fact about this

unusual king. It all began with the temple which bore his name. Studying the

names of the pillars in front of the temple gives insight to who Solomon truly

was. Boaz was the name of the left pillar, but the right pillar was Jachin.

Yawkeen is the Hebrew pronunciation meaning; “he or it will establish.” So who

is this he or it who established the temple? Perhaps Solomon thought of himself

as establishing this temple. Could he establish it, giving honor to himself,

claiming the glory of his own? Well, apparently he did and because of his folly

God saw that the temple and his very own pillar would not be left standing. This

may not make any sense, but now I will clarify his folly in one word, Yekonehyah.

The meaning of this word is important. It means; “Jah or Jehovah will establish.”

Doesn’t it make more sense to have Yahweh power our lives rather than our own

understanding? If we Yawkeen our lives we see the results… destruction, chaos,

fear, and uncertainties. However if we Yekonehyah our lives we allow God to be

the creator and builder of our lives. When we tend to rely on our own

understanding we fall short of the glory, however, when we lean on the strong arm

of God He catches us when we fall. The question is what pillar would you rather

be called?

Solomon’s Repentance

Solomon was a man of much love. With his love he married far too many

women and pulled his heart down and away from his loving Creator. Every time

he saw a beauty he added her to his harem. Straying away from his loving Maker

he sought the gods of this world to please that many wives. As he began to lose

ground, he came to grips with the God of grace and understanding. He was

forgiven when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes he writes of

folly and the vanities of life. It is evident when reading this book that Solomon’s

intelligence had become his own destruction, and similarly, my ways t h a t I

thought were honorable had become my own destructive paths. It is interesting

how we see what appears to be righteous, in reality can be our folly. Solomon

finally saw his own hurt.

…There is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

Ecclesiastes 8:9

Solomon saw his own folly and the LORD gave him time to write it

down and repent of his actions. In my life I have done unspeakable things (again

not for the scope of this book) yet God has not only forgiven but rescued me from

my own madness. There is one true God and His ways are holy.

Manasseh’s Madness

King Manasseh was a man of

much speculation. I have seen him

categorized with King David

which is wrong.

Manasseh means to

king is the example

had the chance at salvation but

forgiveness in vain. If I was a

forget. This

of someone who

took the LORD’s

betting man I would

venture to suggest Manasseh

kingdom. The reason I say this

and once worshipped, he forgot

Manasseh’s repentance was

look at my own life and

to do. I too, have idols

b e destroyed. They are the

will not be in God’s

is the idols he erected

to destroy. King

not complete. I

wonder what

and they need to

works of my

own creation, the folly I

ever accepted Christ in my heart.

created before I

King Manasseh was much like me. He built his life on the shifting sands

of false dreams, a life of idolatry and violence. The example here is spoken of in

two books. In 2 Kings, chapter 21, we see the violent evil acts of this king,

however, in 2 Chronicles, chapter 33, we see a picture of his repentance. Which

is the truth and which one is the lie? The answer is both. He repents but not

with a full heart. Manasseh is seen:

He took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all

the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in

Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 2 Chronicles 33:15

Though he cast out his strange gods there is no record of him destroying his

gods. It was not until later when the most righteous king ever, King Josiah, came

along and destroyed the idols of Manasseh.

And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that

were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and

the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it

upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. 2 Chronicles 34:4

Repentance is more than just half way actions; you must do your full part of

destroying the evil you create. I may be just as guilty and that could be part of the

reason I failed. Does i t ever seem that the very hand of God i s against

y o u ? D o n ’ t blame God, perhaps He has stopped u s because our works

need improvement. Perhaps it was God’s plan to bring me to this point in my life

so He can show that:

The difficult can be done, the impossible takes a little longer. Dale Lee Gordon

I want to prove Satan to be the evil liar he is

but if I can just step out of my own folly for a

while I can see the blemishes in my character. It

becomes evident our lives are a mess when we

start seeing the destructive forces coming in from

every side.

An Example from King David

King David was said to be a man after God’s own heart. He had gentleness

on one hand and a Goliath-sized strength on the other. He cared, he loved, but he,

like so many of us, later fell. It was the pride of life, the “Oh, look at me” spirit.

It was, however, the times he was at his worst, were the times he was at his best.

With the words, “Thou art the man!” it was then that King David became

r e p e n t a n t . He wrote Psalm 32 and 51, begging and pleading with God to

restore him to the glory of the former years. Later on his wives were raped by

his own son in full view of everyone. It was at this point, when his son was

finally overthrown, that King David had to make the hardest choice of his life.

Was he to morn over the death of his son or to rejoice in the s alvation and

saving grace of the LORD? After a bitter taste of reality he chose the love of the

Almighty God. The soured grapes he had eaten truly had set his children’s teeth on

edge.

Life is full of challenges and hardships. For King Herod his fate was sealed

at the death of John the Baptist. Pontus Pilate had a chance to step down as

governor and gain salvation. When his wife spoke to him of her dream of his

folly, Pontus Pilate still allowed the King of Glory to be t o r t u re d to death. We

have choices in life. We can go around as Pontus Pilate trying to wash our

hands in innocence all the days of our lives hereafter, or we can do what is right

when the time comes. The question is what will it be? Will you bow down from

whatever position of evil you are doing and will you follow God’s lead and

forsake all things? Temporary riches can be elusive and so unfulfilling. A r e

y o u f a c i n g some serious bills? Do n ’ t l e t them beat you down to the dust

of the earth but rather we must learn to press on. I have come to grips with life and

its difficult challenges. For so long I just wanted out, but now I can see there is a

prize waiting around the corner and it is a ministry of blessing. God wi l l g i ve

yo u a reason to go on even if you do not have one. God showed me His love,

when love was fleeting and seemed hopeless. God does interesting and amazing

things when it comes to life and love. He warms our heart at just the right point

and even though we can’t earn God’s love, we need to show Him that we do love

Him.

I have often wondered how many people will be saved.

And IF THE RIGHTEOUS SCARCELY BE SAVED, WHERE SHALL

THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR? 1 Peter 4:18

It doesn’t say it is impossible to be saved it just ain’t all that easy. Perhaps

that is why so many Christians struggle through life because they are still in the

oven waiting to be kiln dried. The question is; will we explode because we did

not take the time to work out the bubbles or will we crack and be good for

nothing. Satan is looming around every corner to tear your world apart. DO

NOT GIVE THE ENEMY, SATAN, ANY GROUNDS FOR ATTACK IN

YOUR LIFE! I recall some time ago I created a Power Point presentation. I

broke down in tears as I was recording. I then told Satan to bring it on. Sure as

ever, he did. I invited Satan to attack me. What I should have done

was digested God instead. God’s W ord proves this in the following verse.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and

rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Jeremiah 15:16

We reap what we sow and if we sow bad seeds we will reap a bad harvest.

We have to learn to do what is right and sow goodness into our lives. F or so long

I f e l t I was undeserving of a good life so I bound curses to me or made

impossible vows, which I later paid. For every action I reaped an action similar but

effectively worse. I could never face the fact that God just simply loves me for who

I am. Nothing I can do will pay for the bloodshed at Calvary! Nothing I can do will

ever reach a point where God will say, “Good enough.” There are no works that

God sees as good, for all they are, all filthy rags. We are not on a point or merit

system with God. To i n d u l g e y o u r self in a pork chop or a bunch of donuts

is not going to make God hate you. What God gets upset about is when we

ignore Him, rejecting His sound advice, and doing things our own way and staying

away from God. You see, God wants to be a part of our lives. He stands at the door

knocking, yet it is our responsibility to either let Him in or shut Him out. I could

list verse after verse about the follies of legalism but that is not what this book is

about. It is important to work out your salvation, but not work for your salvation.

Nothing will please the Almighty God as much as a genuine heartfelt prayer on

your knees with shoes off. Get down in that position now and renew your love for

God. H ave you gone astray and walked away from the love of the LORD? As

soon as we start becoming a servant to sin, and its enticing lusts, we lose track of

who we are. We lose our meaning of serving God and soon we come crashing

down as reality takes a full grip, knowing we fell away from our one true God. The

only way to get right and get out of the pit you dug for your own burial, is to

slowly start filling it back in, cover it with grass, walking away from the sins of

our lives. Start a new life free of your sins. Sometimes God cleans the slate

because we won’t return to Him. A n e x a m p l e i s Lot’s wife who became a

pillar of salt because she wanted that one last look into a sinful past. Her heart

wasn’t made clean and God knew she would always hold on to the past with

admiration and lusts. The two husbands-to-be of Lot’s daughters perished along

with the city, all because of unbelief. Not believing God is a sin I am guilty of.

God could have struck me down for so many things, but never did.

An Example of Aaron

When I cook a meal I often joke around saying that I cook “Aaron style.” I

throw all this stuff together and out comes a g rea t meal and if you don’t

know the story, find it in Exodus, chapter 32. I used to think of salvation with

Pharisaical thinking, that I could gain it b y some kind of point system. Then I

looked at the picture of Aaron in the following verse:

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even

Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments. Psalm 133:2

Here is an example of someone who had really blown it but God showed him

favor in the end. God can and will show you the same favor. The question is, will

you give up the idols you are carrying and hand them over to Jesus or will you try

to hide them in your tent by lying and sitting on them? My friend, tell the world or

just simply someone you know, about what Jesus has done for you. Share this

book and share the love Christ has given you. Don’t be like the person I used to

know who was a l w a y s complaining about t h e c h u r c h wanting money. He

never paid tithes but was quick to want a handout. Now he sits in a wheelchair,

unable to walk. Perhaps it was God’s way of getting his attention, I don’t know.

What I do know is it was a freak accident, and one that could have been

prevented had he said and done the right things. The man hanging on the cross

next to Jesus, though he said few words, h is words will forever be

remembered in the greatest book ever, the Holy Bible. By our words we can

be justified or condemned. It just depends on our sincerity. What I tell you is;

God knows your heart. My best advice is not to listen to the preacher, but rather

the spoken words of God’s book, the Bible. The most important thing I can

tell you to do is: Turn your heart over to Jesus. AMEN…

God is so good! Much has happened since the writing of this book in late

winter of 2009. My web site www.coloryourworldwithlove.com, which is a

ministry that GOD gave me to help people, has blossomed and is continuing to be

blest by GOD. My computer runs great a n d m y l i f e h a s i m p r o v e d a s

GOD restores and rebuilds me. GOD is setting up pillars all around me,

recreating me brand new and uplifting my life. My dream of creating a ministry

of blessing has come true. GOD is doing more things in my life than you can

possibly imagine and in ways I never could at one time believe. GOD has

protected me from the worst. GOD truly lives up to the name of LOVE as we

turn our hearts over to Jesus.

I have to apologize for the formatting of this book. I had to convert the

original pdf back to Word 7. When I did so the formatting would not work and as a

result I lost half the pictures. Nothing I could do would change these errors. This

book was fought from day one when I originally wrote it. I worked with a computer

that was barely working. Within that time the computer crashed completely and that

is when I lost the original Word document. Fortunately I had a pdf file uploaded to

my server on my website otherwise this book would be lost. The good news is Satan

hates this book. That must mean I did a good job on it. Thanks to my editor she did

a great job on the grammar and wording of this book. She made what was good even

better.

Amen

Turn Your Heart over to Jesus…

Hearts shatter but they rebuild.

Love matters and love can be refilled.

It is the heart that God sees, not the appearance.

Though love flees, it stands a second chance.

God is the victor as you shall find.

Love can last forever, though sometimes love is blind.

Just turn your heart over to Jesus for He has paid the price.

Give your Heart to Jesus my friend, this is the best advice.

Written in its entirety by,

Dale Lee Gordon