Top 5 reasons why God is better than Sauron

The sinister egg glared from the Easter basket's grass-filled depths, a single nefarious intruder lurking among the goodies.

The terrifying Eye of Sauron Easter Egg.

Any LOTR (J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book Lord of the Rings) fan can tell you about uber-bad guy Sauron.

He appears as a hideous pulsing eye, much like that of a contact wearer who kept his lenses in too long, but to the 1000th power.

Or as our daughter Patty, the basket giver says, "Blazing with the burning intensity of a thousands suns gone supernova."

We're talking serious corneal abrasion.

Horrifying rendition of the Eye of Sauron wrapped in pantyhose

In the LOTR books and movies the eye of Sauron exerts an almost irresistible pull, similar to a chocolate Easter bunny in a cellophane wrapped box.

For me the rabbit's yellow candy eye isn't half as entrancing as its chocolate ears, but I digress.

In The Lord of the Rings Sauron is after the ring of power, carried by our brave little Hobbit, good-guy Frodo.

Sauron puts all his efforts toward obtaining it. He builds up armies of hideous creatures. He spends his time searching for it, ready to take it by force. His sole focus is to Get That Ring.

So of course I thought about God. 

(Huh?)

Yup, my mind flooded with a multitude of ways God trumps Sauron. Here's my top 5.

5. Sauron skulks about in his dark tower.

God IS a strong tower.

You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy. Ps 61:3
The name of the LORD is a strong tower. A righteous person runs to it and is safe.  Proverbs 18:10

4. Sauron tries to take your stuff.

God gives good gifts to his children. 

...how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matt 7:11
For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Romans 11:29 

3. Sauron's eye is creepy.

God's eyes are on us for good.

 

The LORD's eyes scan the whole world to find those whose hearts are committed to him and to strengthen them. 2 Chronicles 16:9

The LORD's eyes are on righteous people. His ears hear their cry for help. Psalm 34:15

2. Sauron sends out bullies.

God sends angels to guard & help us.

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. Acts 5:19

1. Sauron gets defeated.

God reigns forever.

The LORD will reign forever, your God, Zion, for all generations! Hallelujah! Psalm 146:10

God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. Psalm 47:8


To get the full picture substitute "Satan" in place of "Sauron." 
Replace the ring with yourself.

Here's the good news:
If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, check out this link to peacewithgod.jesus and let the post-Easter celebration continue.

Does God Play Favorites?

Cecil Murphey has authored and co-authored over 135 books, including 90Minutes in Heaven and GiftedHands: The Ben Carson Story.

Thanks to his generous sponsorship, last month I attended HACWN's 2014 writers conference in Kansas City.

Sounds straightforward, right? There's more to the story.

Kat Crawford, author of Capsules of Hope, and co-founder of the Wordsowers Christian Writers group, urged me to attend the 2014 Heart of America Christian Writers Network conference.

I said, "I'd like to Kat, but it's not in our budget."

She insisted, "You need to be there."

It's hard to say no to Kat. She's a tiny fiery planet orbiting the writing world. When she emits her cosmic wisdom rays, people listen. So at her continued urging I said, "I'll pray about it."

She leaned close, patted my arm and said, "Get ready to go."

 

I sought the Lord, both alone and with my husband, Jake.
NOTE: Fancy way to say, "Asked God about stuff."

On Friday Aug. 29, during my morning bible study, Revelation 3:8, a message to the Church in Philadelphia, stood out:

 

"I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me."

 

Late that night after much prayer Jake and I agreed that, due to our other commitments, I could only attend the HACWN conference if the Lord fully opened the door of provision.

NOTE: Fancy way to say, "Paid for stuff."


courtesy of Anusorn P nachol @freedigitalphotos.net

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Kat Crawford contacted Cecil Murphey and asked him to sponsor me.

 

His one word response waited in my inbox next morning.

"Sure."

God's provision didn't stop there.
 

Wordsowers team leader and "Roadblocks to Forgiveness" writer Teresa Tierney invited her fellow attendees a ride to Kansas City.
                            Whoo hoo! No car rental needed.

And because of their friendship with Kat, a lovely couple opened their home to us.                      Yes! No hotel bill.

 

Here's the best part: God doesn't play favorites. He has wonderful things planned for you, too.

 

In Acts 10:34 Peter said, "...'I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.'" NLT.

Here's what God says about you:



courtesy of artur84 @freedigitalphotos.net

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 TLC

 

To discover his amazing plan for your life, spend time with God reading his word, the bible.

I'd love to learn what doors God opens for you. Drop me a line and I'll intercede for you before the throne.

NOTE: Fancy way to say I'll pray for you. 

#1 Personal Life Coach

Have you ever found yourself falling into a bad habit? Maybe one you'd conquered before?
I have. Then I beat myself up. "That was so stupid! Why did I do it...again?"

                Overeat.
                       Procrastinate.
                             Treat loved ones badly.  
                                    Waste hours on computer and TV.
                                             Drinking, drugs, pornography...

We've all been there. We knew something was detrimental, but we did it anyway. And continue doing it. Trapped in our own, sometimes hidden, prison.

Photo courtesy of sakhorn 38 @freedigitalphotos.net

Let's stop kicking ourselves, because that won't change things.
If we could break the cycle on our own, we'd have done it already.

The great news is:

No matter what we've done, there's a God who loves us, and is standing by to help us.

It's like having the all-time best life coach available 24/7. Free. Always invested in you. Always available to you. Always loving you.


When we know the right thing to do, but don't do it, it's called sin. It's doing things opposite of God's way. And it wreaks havoc in our lives.
The great news is:
 
God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. 1 John 1:9

That's a promise for everyone. And we don't need to feel alone or ashamed, like we're the only one struggling because the bible says: 

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles @ freedigitalphotos.net

 ^"You have never been tempted to sin in any different way than other people. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can take. But when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin." 1 Corinthians 10:1


Today can be a new beginning. Let's follow God, the ultimate Life Coach, to break free from the things that keep us in chains.

Photo courtesy of Naypong @ freedigitalphotos.net