Divine Secrets (& Friday's Give-Away!)

Sweet friends, you have spoken my love language this week with your words of encouragement!!!!

Thank you for taking time to leave a comment and especially for sharing how God spoke to you specifically. My favorite was to read something specific that you read in a post and how it answered a question that's been bouncing around inside of you. That's God speaking to you! I also love knowing more about what's going on in your heart and in your life. You were so real about where you are and where you long to be, seeking God but sometimes wandering instead of following.Your words were vulnerable. How you share your life as I share mine filled me up at times when I felt depleted this week. And God spoke to me through YOU!

I hope you'll keep your thoughts coming! You may think it's no big deal. But you are a big deal to me.And thank you for admitting some of you are afraid of chopping vegetables, too. That made me feel so normal!

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I've been thinking about how much God speaks to me through His word. It's never in an audible voice. And sometimes I'm not even reading my Bible. But God shows me things in the Bible or from the Bible that offer insights and direction I need. Through His Word He helps me understand His ways which give me direction each day.

Sometimes it's when I'm reading my Bible. I'll put myself in the setting of the story, asking Jesus to help me see how the circumstances, struggles or lessons in the passage parallel my life.

Sometimes I'll be reading a verse in a devotion or a Bible study , and it's just what I needed to hear. The timing is perfect and I know God orchestrated it because only He knew I would need it then.

Other times I'll be reading a a book and the chapter I'm in will address a subject that I've been struggling with. A verse or truth from the Bible will be woven into the writer's thoughts, and it's just what I needed to shed light on my situation.

Today I want to introduce you to a friend who also longs to hear God speak to her heart. Rachel Olsen and I work together each week on the P31 Encouragement for Today devotions. She's our Sr. Editor. We pray over each devotion, that words written by our speakers and writers will speak into the hearts of each person who reads them, revealing God's heart, direction and life-changing truth.

Rachel is is also an author and speaker who who loves to dig into to God's Word and learn from His Divine truths! She's passionate about sharing those truths with everyday women just like us,so today I invited her to share about her new book, "It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know"

Rachel, tell us why you wrote It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know?

Jesus’ statement to His followers in Matthew 13:11 captivated me. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you.” When I read that I was taken by the notion that God was willing to share His secrets with me. He was saying God has supplied me – and you – with sacred knowledge. Only I wasn’t so sure what it was, so I set out to discover what Christ was talking about here.

The word secrets here is translated from the Greek musterion, which means a sacred hidden truth that is naturally unknown to human reason but is made known by revelation of God.

As I dug into the Bible I found many such secrets … biblical teachings that run counter to what our gut or culture tells us about successful living … principals for how life works in God’s kingdom here and in the age to come.

I soon realized these were important truths all my God-Sisters need to know! These God-sized secrets contain the keys we are looking for—answers to the issues of modern life, such as exhausting schedules, unpaid bills, petty conflicts, and unmet expectations. I selected twelve I felt are particularly pertinent to women today and wrote this book.

I love a book that helps me face my everyday issues with God’s truth and perspective. Tell us more about how your book does that.

This book doesn’t just tell you what a particular verse or parable means - although that’s important and the book does do that. But it shows what that means for your life and mine … right now, today.

For instance, it can help when it’s 10:45 PM and you’re beat but you’ve still got one more task on your to-do list (chapter 9). It can help you handle your emotions when hosting Thanksgiving and you’re stressed over the food turning out great and everything being clean for your guests to enjoy (Chapter 7). It can also help you cope when a co-worker makes a snarky comment that really digs into your skin (chapter 4).

It’s No Secret applies ancient truths to our contemporary, everyday issues. It can empower you to:

• Handle petty conflicts and criticism with grace
• Overcome the competitive urges that leave you stressed or lonely
• Grow spiritually despite life's setbacks
• Relax unrealistic expectations in favor of emotional stability
• Uncover a surprising means to worshiping God amidst your busy schedule
• Discover how to make what you give away ultimately return to you
• Find life-long adventure as you yield wholeheartedly to God

Readers are saying this book is a fun, easy read, yet also challenging and very applicable. And that’s exactly what I intended it to be. Someone once said this book packs a punch, with a well-manicured hand. I think that’s a compliment.

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If you'd like to win a copy, just click on the word "comments" below and tell Rachel what Divine Secret you'd like to know, and why you'd want to win her book! We can't wait to read your comments! Oh, and I'll be back later this afternoon ( next Tuesday) to announce this week's winners. (I've got a field trip to get to this morning with Josh's high school class. We're doing a walking Tour of downtown Charlotte!)