Thursday, January 29, 2015

Authors of the Times by Linda Yezak

Linda Yezak
Recently, I took Beth Moore's nine-week study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. I’ll always remember this part:

Each day the sun comes up closer to the dawn of Christ's coming. If the Word of the Lord needed to speed ahead in Paul's generation, how expeditious should it be in ours? These are days for deliberate acceleration. We have wheels. We have wings. We have ways. We have means. At least for now, many of us also have freedom of speech (Children of the Day, page 196).

And should that freedom be withdrawn, Beth says, we have the assurance of 2 Timothy 2:9 "the word of God is not chained."

I got to thinking about our call to get the gospel out and how urgent the need is. Most of us are aware of the times we’re in because we’ve been instructed to watch. Because we’re aware, we’re bracing ourselves. Are we heading for Armageddon? No. That's not for a while yet. But I feel like the trumpets will soon blast, and things are going to get rough here on Earth.

And, I got to thinking of myself and my role as writer, who I write to, and whether I should shift from backsliders to nonbelievers. Getting the Word out seems so vital now, and those who are called to address the nonbelievers have such a pressing duty that I wondered whether I was supposed to join their ranks.

My answer came: No.

In the perilous times to come, all of us are needed. Writers whose works are intended for believers are crucial. These precious authors inspire, encourage, uplift Christians who already understand the parable of the fig tree. They already know their salvation is nigh.

Authors who address their works to the backsliders are vital, too. These are the ones who bring the lambs back into the fold. The ones who proclaim God's forgiveness for whatever sin or rift that caused them to separate themselves, and call them to come home.

Don't get me wrong: none of us escape the responsibility of the great commission. We are to called to spread God's message. This duty falls upon the shoulders of every person declaring him- or herself to be a Christian. But our calling as individual authors may be different. Perhaps we were indeed called to address the unbeliever or answer the seekers, or perhaps we were called to bring our own back into God's arms, or maybe we were called to encourage and guide those already in the faith. Whatever our individual calling, that calling is still critical, even as the seals snap open and the angels prepare their horns.


So, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJ).



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Purchase Link
Emily Taylor loves to help people, loves to ease their burdens and make their dreams come true. But when a conman ruins her reputation, she discovers that helping others is safer and easier from behind the scenes. 

When one of Emily’s gifts captures the attention of an avid journalist, her identity as the town’s anonymous benefactor—and her renewed relationship with her high school sweetheart—are threatened. 

As her private life begins to unravel, she realizes the one hope for regaining control lies behind prison walls.

Over twenty years ago, after a decade of life as a "single-again," author Linda Yezak rediscovered God's love and forgiveness when He allowed her a second chance at marital happiness. She is now living her greatest romance with her husband in a forest in East Texas. After such an amazing blessing, she chooses to trumpet God's gift of second chances in the books she writes. Linda's novels are heart-warming hallmarks of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings.