Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Are You a Pickle Sloshing in the Salty Brine? by Zoe M. McCarthy

Image by Scarletina
Perhaps, you’re sloshing in the salty brine because God is fermenting you to be the salt of the earth.

Verses in the Bible assure us God is ready to give us success with one requirement:

As long as we seek the Lord, He will give us success.

It’s that simple.

The hard part is truly believing God. But, dear friends, it’s time we decide.

I invite you to read my story and then the passages below (NIV). And as you slosh in the salty brine, believe and stand firm on these promises.

In 2007, John and I found the perfect hill in a remote valley surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. I wanted to build a house, move there from the city five hours away, live on that hill, and write.

We made an appointment for the next day with the realtor.

In the motel that night, I woke at 4 am. “What am I doing?”

Back home, I’d committed to Bible Study Fellowship and was called to be a children’s leader. I had four years left in the program. Sick to my stomach, I sought God. I asked Him to forgive me. I let go of my dream and recommitted myself to BSF. Peace washed over me.

Then God said, “You may buy the land, but complete your commitment before you go.”

Four years later, John and I moved to this Eden, and I received a contract for my first book. I’m still sloshing in the brine, but I’m learning to seek God and discern the successes He gives me.

Scriptures

We seek God, then succeed.

2 Chronicles 26

5b As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.


We obey God, then receive blessings and prosperity.

Psalm 128
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.


We delight in God, then receive our heart’s desires.

Psalm 37:4

Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.


We get into God’s Word and do what God says, then prosper and succeed.

Joshua 1

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.


We seek God first, then receive things we need.

Matthew 6

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.


We submit to God, then our paths straighten.

Proverbs 3
In all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.


We trust God, then we are helped.

Psalm 28:
7 My heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

So you see, it’s all about seeking God in everything. How has this worked for you?
 <<>>

Bible verses assure us God is ready to give us success with one requirement.  Click to tweet.

Has there been a time you sought the Lord and experienced success?

About the Author
Zoe M. McCarthy
Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.
Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…
 
Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy
Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.


Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books