Knowing the Struggle is Over

I’m honored to share an interview with K. M. Johnson on the blog tour for her book Knowing the Struggle is Over. I would love to give you a copy of this book - If you would like to be entered in the drawing for the book, please leave a comment at the end of this post.

"When do we stop complaining and start thanking? For every negative there is a positive. Just like for every cause there is an effect. When we are complaining about the obstacles in our lives, we are complaining about the lives that GOD has so graciously given us."

Q: K.M., the title of your book is, Knowing The Struggle Is Over, which is very fitting for the current economic situation. I know some people may be wondering, though, what exactly is the struggle?

A: Honestly, I get that question often. The struggle is not your typical financial situation or necessarily an addiction that I am speaking of. Though those are two great examples, a struggle is actually any situation, trial, or tribulation you may find yourself in.

When you find yourself in a struggle, it often means that you have come to a point where you must make a decision and ultimately a choice. I say this with the understanding that everything we do daily is a choice.

Q: In your book you tell the reader that they can get through any struggle in just three steps. So, what are these three steps?

The first step is to Stop Complaining. Now, I must admit I did say you can get through your struggle in just three steps, but I never said it would be easy! During this first step, the focus is on renewing our minds and changing the way we view the things that are happening to us. Oftentimes, we become so caught up in the world around us that we forget about the God within us.

The second step is to Let Go and Let God. For myself, this was the hardest step. Mainly because I had NO idea what it meant to literally “Let Go and Let God!” Once I had an understanding, it became a natural sequence in restoring my faith in God in regard to my situation.

The third step is to Acknowledge Him. Some may see that as easy and obvious, but how often do we know what to do and still we don’t do it! You have to develop a major spirit of praise and give Him ALL of the glory for everything, big and small. The noticeable things in our lives we always seem to give Him the glory, but God is truly in the details as well.

When we begin to pay attention and notice how He is moving and working in our lives, that is when we can truly praise Him. And a praise like that becomes a sincere and spirit-filled praise. It’s not forced, and you won’t even have to second guess.

Q: How did God lead you to write this book?

A: It’s funny and I talk about this at the beginning of my book. As I drove home on I-10 from Houston, TX, to Gulfport, MS, for Christmas, I received a revelation. I was somewhere in Louisiana, and I began praying about the situation I was in. As I finished praying, I remember thinking, “I should write a book.”

Now, what is interesting is that not only did God impress upon me the strong desire to write a book, but He also gave me the title and contents during that drive. By the time I had made it to my mother’s house, I was so excited because I knew I was about to write this book called Knowing The Struggle Is Over and I was going to have three steps that would help others accomplish just that.

If I were a writer, this wouldn’t have sounded so crazy. I never really had a true interest in writing an actual book before then. The only thing I had ever considered prior to that day was writing a children’s fiction book, or maybe a few songs or poems. But a non-fiction book? Absolutely NOT!

Q: Why did you feel that it was so important to write a book about getting through a struggle?

A: I truly would like your readers to know that with everything you go through, God is preparing you for the next level He wants to take you to in life. Sometimes, we think that we know who God is, and we really don’t. Just because we spent time with Him last week doesn’t mean we can ignore Him this week.

To better understand how He works in our lives, we have to continuously strive for a closer, more intimate relationship with Him daily. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean to put limits on Him, that just means to trust Him.

We begin to lose faith because we aren’t spending enough time getting to know Him. We get through our situations by restoring our faith and developing a closer relationship with God. Everyone has an area in their relationship with God where their faith is not at the level it COULD be.

Q: How can readers get their hands on their own copy of this miraculous book to help them restore their faith in God?

There are several options. My book is available on both my blog: http://michelejenterprises.blogspot.com/ and my author site: http://www.kmjohnson3stepstoknowing.com/.

You can also order it from your favorite local bookstore and have it within a few short days. It is also offered on various online stores. Regardless of how you get your copy, the most important thing is that you get your copy! This is a great way to revive your thinking and restore your faith!

Huge {{HUGS}} and great thanks for to KM for a complimentary copy of her book! Its YOURS - simply leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.

Enter to Worship - Exit to Serve

Enter to Worship Exit to Serve By Ronald K. Gray

"We cannot have the attitude to simply ask God's blessings in our life. That is the tendency of the church today. We should desire to actively participate in a relationship with Him."

• What is the book about? While the book’s title puts it in the praise and worship section in book stores, the book is more about the total life of the believer. Nehemiah10:39 is the core scripture for the book’s teachings. Nehemiah had gone to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and also rebuilt the temple, restoring worship to the people. Worship was centered around sacrifice. I use the different groups pictured in Nehemiah to talk about fundamental areas of the believers life. The scripture says they would not forsake the temple of God. We have forsaken the house of God today. We are so busy with our agendas, we have left the true reason for worship. God is looking for something real from our lives, not just our words.

• Why Enter to Worship and Exit to Serve? The life of the believer comes from our life in God. We bring to Him a sacrifice of our monies, our gifts, our fruit and lay it at His feet. The premise for most Christians today is what can God do for them instead of how can I worship God with all that is within me. The scriptures teach us that everyone has something to offer. When we worship in the fullness of our lives, God then fills us to be able to affect our world. We then exit to serve God through proclaiming His Word, serving those around us and exalting His name in all the earth. Everything we do in church is to help us fulfill God’s calling on our lives in the world.

• Why do you talk about money? The very first thing that was brought into the temple was an offering of grain or corn. This is symbolic of money. I go to Kenya every year and they trade their corn for other items such as meat, oil, etc. God is interested in our money. He speaks of money more than He does either prayer or heaven. I think there has been a lot of negative about money and there has been a lot of error through the years. I hope that what I teach in the book is balanced. Many pastors have said this teaching has helped their churches understand the truth about tithes, first fruits and seed offerings.

• What do you think is the most important chapter of the book? In over 35 years of full time ministry, I have never heard anyone else teach about porters. In Nehemiah 10:39 it lists porters between priest and singers. I thought that was very interesting and researched porters. It is basically a janitor. So between priests and porters are janitors. Servants that do the basics. People who do ordinary things to keep ministries going. God wants servants. That is a concept that is lost in the big time world of church ministries today. Jesus came to serve. I believe that we can make a difference in our community, our neighborhoods, and our world if we are willing to lay our lives down to serve God.

• What do you hope to accomplish with your book? I hope that ordinary believers will recognize they have something to offer. We can bring our monies and touch the nations. We can bring our gifts and see the power of God touch people and their needs. We can offer our fruit and not wait for the pastors or elders, but be instruments to bring life to those around us who are seeking a relevant relationship with Jesus. The five fold ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher were never supposed to do everything in the church. The church is supposed to be equipped for ministry. Everyone should be able to proclaim the message and everyone should have praise for the God we serve. That should not happen just on Sunday mornings between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. We should be able to give God praise in our homes and throughout the week. I truly believe this can be the church’s finest hour.

• Where are these resources available to purchase? You can obtain this book and many other resources on my web site at http://www.ronaldgrayministries.org/.

• Are there other available resources connected with this book? Yes, I taught my book at a conference and had it professionally recorded on video and audio. These sessions are great for small groups and Bible studies. There is a Study Guide to help the leader go through the sessions. The book and the video provide different insights that will help people to grow into maturity.

Please leave a comment below to be entered into a drawing for a free copy of this book!

Many Thanks to Ronald Gray for the copy of his book.