As you all know, I posted on Monday that I had decided
to stop writing The Inspiration Café blog. Because so many of you have contacted me in
various ways since then, most with loving messages of encouragement, I want to
tell you what transpired that led to that decision.
On Monday, I lost my courage for spreading the Good News
and considered not pursuing the publishing of my completed upcoming book after
being told, “No one will read it. No one wants to hear your story” by a woman
who has never read of a word of my book manuscript. As for my blog, this same ‘friend’
deemed my blog not good enough to reach 2500 or 25,000 people to be a success. There was much more said, but I will spare you the details. The I am saddened that this blog doesn’t reach
more people, but that aside, I will reiterate what I have said from the start:
IF MY WRITING CAN HELP ONE PERSON FIND JESUS, IT IS
WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.
Yes, on Monday, I temporarily lost my spiritual compass
and courage for spreading the Good News in the face of tense discouragement
from someone I thought was my friend. When I left lunch, I felt broken and a
failure in the eyes of God, inept at best. Looking back, I should have left the
table sooner rather than submit myself to such negativity for 2 hours!
However, with
that said, I am learning that the doors that God has opened, no man can close. I
have a choice as to whether or not I continue to write my blog, but it is God
himself who is the judge and for whom I write. Here is what I have learned, through prayer, and through Scripture, about what is of God and what is not.
The first Scripture reading is what I call my God-given
‘Signature Scripture.’ That is, the one that has propelled me to write both my
blog and my book, in prayer with faith-filled abandon:
Acts 26:14-18
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul,
why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 “Then I asked,
‘Who are you, Lord?’ “‘I
am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now
get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a
servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people
and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive
forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”
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Romans 16:17
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out
for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary
to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
John
10:10
“The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
1
Thessalonians 1:4-5
“For we know,
brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our
gospel came to you not simply
with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.”
1 Peter 5-8
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Ephesians 6:10-20 / The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
his mighty power. Put on
the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything, to stand. Stand
firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with
which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.”
Matthew
10:14
“If anyone will not welcome you or listen
to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and
Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than for that town.”
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In
closing, I thank you all for your support and, through prayer, have
reconsidered continuing to write The Inspiration Café by the grace of God for
the glory of God. Perhaps this experience will only serve to improve this
effort and thereby lead more souls to Jesus Christ.
Copyright 2016 | Adele M. Gill
| www.theinspirationcafeblog.net
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