Dr. Howard has crafted a careful and balanced blend of Bible exposition, theology, real-life illustrations from his vast ministerial experience, and practical applications to those who yearn for their lives to be transformed from a messy situation to a message that honors and glorifies God. Each chapter expounds the miraculous way God used an unlikely individual with a messy life and turned his or her life into a positive message. The woman at the well, Zacchaeus, Jabez, Ruth, the thief on the cross, and Jephthah all faced challenging circumstances. Sin, genetics, the unexpected death of a spouse, rebellion, and poor family heritage placed these Bible characters in the "most likely not to succeed" category. All had three strikes against them. God, in His infinite mercy and grace, had a plan for each of these lives. He turned their mess into a positive message. Regardless of what mess you find your life to be in, this book gives practical ways of how to get out. Everyone faces trials and difficulties in life. Dr. Howard likens the trials and difficulties in life to "potholes." Potholes appear out of nowhere - unexpectedly - and can be destructive and hurtful and take away our joy and sense of well being. Dr. Howard says, "Being a Christian does not mean that we will not be faced with trials and tribulations, which are like potholes in our lives (some are big while others are small)." Regardless of how messy your life is or how many potholes are causing you concern, Turning Your Mess into a Message will give you hope and lead you to the Savior, who alone can turn your life around. He did it for the six Bible characters expounded upon in the book and He continues to change and transform messy lives into a message today.

Auszug. � Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Turning Your Mess Into A Message

By Josef A. Howard

AuthorHouse

Copyright � 2011 Dr. Josef A. Howard
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-7889-2

FOREWORD.......................................................................................................................................................xiACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................................................................xiiiDEDICATION.....................................................................................................................................................xvINTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................xviiChapter I: The Woman at the Well (John 4:1-42) - God Turns a Messy Life of Sexual Sin into a Message of a Second Chance........................................1Chapter II: Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) - God Turns a Mess of Pain into a Message of an Enlarged Territory.....................................................31Chapter III: Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) - God Turns a Messy Life of Corruption into a Message of Honesty, Trust, Restitution, and Redemption.....................41Chapter IV: Ruth (Ruth 1:1-4:22). - God Turns a Messy Situation of Death and Hopelessness into a Message of God's Kinsman Redeemer.............................65Chapter V: The Thief on the Cross (Luke 23:39-43) - God Turns a Messy Situation of Eternal Separation into a Message of Abiding Presence.......................83Chapter VI: Jephthah (Judges 11:1-40) - God Turns a Messy Life of Being an Outcast into a Message of Being a Hero, but ........................................101CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................................................133BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................................................137ABOUT THE AUTHOR...............................................................................................................................................141

Chapter One

The Woman at the Well (John 4:1-42) God Turns a Messy Life of Sexual Sin into a Message of a Second Chance

When I take a retrospective look at my life, I find it quite embarrassing that I have made some very poor decisions of which I am not proud. Some of these decisions were made when I was under pressure to impress others, live up to someone's expectation of who I ought to be, or simply being na�ve. The fact that I did not know who I was, Whose I was, and what I stood for, made others feel they had the right to redirect, realign, reconstruct, remodel, or reprogram me into the person that would suit their taste. This led people to begin to tell me what to do and who to become. They also felt it was their God-given right to tell me how to walk and with whom to walk; how to talk and to whom to talk; how to laugh and with whom to laugh; and how to befriend others and with whom I could become friends. I thank God from the depth of my heart that He helped me to break that level of control others had over my life, and I was able to develop an independent spirit under the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Quite honestly, it would be very easy and self gratifying for me to blame others (family members and friends) for all of the bad decisions that I have made, but I know that I would be doing you and myself a disservice and I would be lying. Indeed there have been many individuals in my life who have helped me make some very positive decisions that turned my life around. Without those individuals and obviously the leading of God's Spirit, I am not sure where I would be today. It means that most of the decisions I have made, both negative and positive, have either been influenced by others or by my own doing.

I have not conducted a scientific study to know what percentage of the bad decisions can be attributed to others or myself. However, I do know that I have immensely contributed to both the good and bad decisions I have made in life, and I take full responsibility even if others influenced my behavior in the past. What is interesting is the fact that almost every time I made a bad decision, I always sought to undo what had already been done. Of course, it was not always possible to undo it, but that did not stop me from thinking about having a second chance in order to redeem myself.

Have you ever had a strong desire to be given the opportunity to start afresh in life after making some bad decisions that resulted in devastating consequences? I am sure you have. Or perhaps for you, it is like receiving a fresh start in life especially after a bad day, week, month, or year.

It is quite common to hear people make resolutions at the end of the year that the coming year will be different: bad habits will be broken, weight will be lost, better jobs will be found, or that he or she will become a better husband/wife or Christian. The problem, however, is that while our intentions are good, our will and our ability are not, and we too often fall back into the same habits, the same actions, and the same pattern that brought us to where we were in the first place. Like Jesus said to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41-42). When failure occurs enough times in our lives, we are tempted to believe and feel that our situation has become hopeless and that we will never succeed or make good decisions in life. It is at this point in our lives that God desires to step in. When the enemy has whispered lies about our ability to make a good decision and stick to it, and we begin to believe him and succumb to his lies, then it's time to call upon the name of Jesus. The Bible declares in John 8:44 "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

If indeed you do not belong to the devil, then you should not allow his lies to penetrate your spirit and take residence there. You need to refuse or reject his lies (in Jesus' name), then hold onto the truths found in the Word of God and declare them over your life. This is a fact that needs to sink into your spirit man. Even if what the enemy is accusing you of is true, you can still reject it if you have confessed your sins to God. The Bible describes the devil as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He will accuse you even after you have confessed your sin before the Lord, asked for His forgiveness, and abandoned the confessed sin. Thank God that we have the ability to overcome the accusation of the devil. In the same verse, the Bible says that we can overcome the accusing words of the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Let's examine what it means.

Our successes and victories in our Christian walk depend on a clear understanding and application of the power of the blood of Jesus in our lives. I am convinced that a Christian will never enjoy the full benefits of being a child of God until he or she gives the blood of Jesus its rightful place in his or her walk with the Lord. In Hebrews 9:22, we read, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without...

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