WINNING WITH THE WORD
“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life.
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Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, January 17, 2022, and this is Episode #3 of Series 2022. This episode is titled “How Big is Your God?”
Are you facing an impossible situation? Maybe you’ve been given an incurable medical diagnosis. Maybe you’ve gone bankrupt with no prospect of a job that pays enough to get you out of your deep, financial hole. Maybe your spouse has just walked out on you, leaving you alone with small children to raise.
Whatever the case, you’re feeling hopeless.
In my novel, The Madonna of Pisano, the first book in my Italian Chronicles trilogy, my main character, Maria Landro, faces a hopeless situation. Raped by a man she deeply trusted and pregnant with his child, she finds herself frightened, ostracized, and alone in a small, 19th-century Sicilian village. Gossiping tongues wag fiercely behind her back, threatening to destroy any vestige of self-worth she still might have.
Unable to move forward, she goes into hiding for six years, only to discover, upon her return to society, that it is now her little boy who bears the brunt of her tragic experience. Eventually, Maria must come to grips with how she perceives the size of her God. Her pivotal question becomes: Will she trust God to save her, or not?
Perhaps you, too, like Maria, are struggling with trusting God. Perhaps your God is an uncaring God, a distant or absent God, or a disinterested God. Perhaps your God is an angry God, a fickle God, or a demanding God.
But, none of these lenses reveals the true character of our God.
Let’s take a look at Exodus 34: 6-7, where Moses ascends Mount Sinai to get the second copy of the Ten Commandments after he angrily destroyed the first copy upon seeing the idolatrous sin of the nation of Israel. In this passage, we learn about the true nature of God as He describes Himself to Moses:
“The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, ‘Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”
So, what do we learn from this passage? We learn that God is full of mercy and compassion toward us. We learn that He is filled with love toward us and wants to bless us and our families. We learn that God wants to forgive us of our sin. He is not ready to pounce on us; He is ready to welcome us!
We also learn that God is just. In other words, He cannot turn His back on sin. If we do not repent of our sin, we must be punished for it.
But God has provided a way out of our sin. That way out is Jesus Christ. Jesus took the rap for our sin. He took the punishment for our sin that should have been inflicted on us. But, He loved us so much that He wanted to be punished in our place.
When Jesus took the punishment for our sin, He did two things: He set us free, but He also satisfied the Father’s justice. Nothing so amazing had ever occurred in human history—that the God of the universe should bear the punishment for the sin of His creation. This is a truth too marvelous to comprehend!
Yet, Jesus did it for you and for me.
He did it because He is Love and because He is God. You see, we have a God Who can do the impossible. We have a God for Whom nothing is too difficult.
Listen to what God says about Himself in these verses:
Jeremiah 32: 27 – ““I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”
Numbers 11: 23 – “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!'”
Luke 1: 37 – “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Again, I ask you, “Are you facing an impossible situation today?” No matter how impossible it looks to you, it is not impossible for God to handle. Why not go to Him for help? Stop looking at your situation through human lenses. Start looking at your situation through God’s eyes. He can do anything—if we only believe.
Perhaps you do not yet have a relationship with God. I invite you to establish a relationship with Him now. God wants to be your Father. But the only way you can connect with Him is through His Son, Jesus Christ. Why not connect now? Pray this simple prayer with me:
Lord Jesus, I’m facing an impossible situation. I see no way out, but Dr. MaryAnn tells me that You are the only way out. So, I turn to You now for help. I invite You into my life to be my Savior and Lord, to set me free, to help me in this impossible situation. Thank You for being the God of the Impossible. Thank You for showing me the way out of this situation. I trust You to lead me. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
If you sincerely prayed this prayer, please write down today’s date. It is your spiritual birthday. And please write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I would like to send you a free PDF booklet, titled After You’re Born Again, that will help you get started in your walk with Christ.
I also encourage you to get yourself a Bible and read it every single day. The Bible is God’s love letter to you, His manual for your life. In the Bible, God reveals Who He is, and He teaches you how to live.
Finally, ask the Lord to lead you to the church of His choice for you where you can learn about Him and have fellowship and encouragement with other Christ-Followers. It is critically important in these last days to fellowship with other believers who are mature in Christ and who can guide you as you grow in Him.
In this message today, I mentioned my novel, The Madonna of Pisano. You can purchase a copy for yourself or as a gift for someone else by visiting my website at maryanndiorio.com/book-table.
If this podcast has helped you in any way, please consider supporting it by becoming one of my valued patrons. Just go to patreon.com/winningwiththeword to join my wonderful Team. Patrons receive numerous benefits in appreciation for their support.
Until next time, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are, and that He will help you to keep on Winning with the Word!
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Copyright 2000-2022 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published or printed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may contact her at info@maryanndiorio.com to request permission.
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