INTRODUCTION



Like many people, my idea of God was pretty nebulous. I would simply have described Him as a spirit that was everywhere at once and in everything. I believed in karma, reincarnation, psychic phenomena, channeling, and meditation. I was a new age woman.

Then, at the age of 50, I entered into a second marriage. My new husband was a Christian and he wanted me to read the Bible. He was so insistent, that I finally began to read it just to please him.

I didn't expect it to change my life. But to my amazement, it did. I used to experience periods of depression, feelings of inadequacy, and a deep sense of loneliness that nothing would alleviate. I was unhappy with life as if somehow I'd been short changed. But now all those negative feelings are gone and I'm beginning to feel joy for the first time in my life. I feel supercharged and eager to share what I've learned.


CHAPTER 1

ARE YOU PLEASING GOD?



Before I started reading the Bible, it never occurred to me to wonder whether I was pleasing God or not. To me He was a spiritual force to be used for guidance, healing, peace, and anything else I might need. I didn't think of Him as having a personality that could be either pleased or displeased. I thought of Him as a spiritual force that I could learn to use.

I was constantly reading new age books in order to learn more about this spiritual force. I think I was attracted to the spiritual world because I found the real world so boring. I thought most people were pretty stupid. Naturally, with this kind of attitude, I didn't have any friends. It's hard for me to remember just how unhappy I was back then, but I do remember doing a lot of crying. But in spite of my tears, I kept thinking that the next new age book I read would bring me happiness.

I even took a class on how to develop my psychic abilities. This led to my ability to find things psychically; like the pen I misplaced. I'd stop looking consciously and turn my focus inward. Then I'd just follow my inclinations. I'd feel like walking into the bedroom, towards the bed, my eyes falling on the bedspread near the foot of the bed. There was the pen half hidden under a wrinkle of the bedspread.

I could use my psychic ability to find things outside of the house too. One day I wanted to buy a scratching post for my cat. In the pet stores, they wanted what I thought was a ridiculous amount of money for a rug-covered post. I decided to check out the second-hand stores. I drove to the two stores that I regularly shopped in but neither of them had a cat scratching post. That's when it occurred to me to use my psychic ability.

So I focused on that inner place in my mind and just started driving. When I came to an intersection, I'd ask myself "Straight, left, or right?" and I would just know the answer. I drove that way for quite awhile and found myself in a neighborhood I wasn't familiar with. Then I felt the urge to turn into the parking lot of a strip mall and in it was a second-hand store that I'd never been to before. Inside was a cat scratching post for only two dollars.

I was quite proud of myself about this psychic ability, but while it was useful for finding things, it wasn't helping me get along with other people. I felt very lonely, isolated and empty inside. I had to keep myself very busy to fight off the crushing feelings of depression.

Then I read the following verses in the Bible:

1Thessalonians 4:1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God ...

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

This started me thinking. If God can be pleased or displeased by what I do, that means it makes a difference to Him how I behave. In other words, He cares about me. This was a wonderful thought. God cares about me as an individual. This thought starting chasing away my depression.

If God cared enough about me to be watching me and checking on my behavior, than that made me want to measure up to His expectations. I wanted to please Him.

According to the Bible, the first thing I needed to do in order to please God is to have faith in Him.

Hebrews 11:6 ... without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists ...

This made sense to me. Naturally God would be displeased by people who didn't believe He existed. Next I read that God wants to give me happiness.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness...

This sounded like a good bargain. All I have to do is please God, and I will receive wisdom, knowledge and happiness. The happiness part was the most important to me. I had been chasing happiness for a long time without even getting close.

Now the Bible was telling me that if I pleased God, He would bring me happiness. This sounded worth trying.

The Bible says God wants to give us good things.

Matthew 7:9-11 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then ...know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!





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