Gripped for Glory: July 2011

'Freed to Testify,' Volume II in the Gripped for Glory ebook series, is now available for purchase through Smashwords. Formats offered include most electronic and mobile platforms.

As a biblical biography of one of the most celebrated disciples of the entire New Testament, 'Freed to Testify' explores the life and testimony of Mary Magdalene. In a culture where women were considered ignorant, second-class citizens, and wholly unreliable as legal witnesses, it is somewhat puzzling God would grant such prominence to a woman like Mary of Magdala. Yet from the pages of scripture she emerges as one of the most beautiful and faithful characters of the entire Bible. Scripture mentions her by name fourteen times, eight of which list her even before Mary, the mother of Jesus. In fact, Mary Magdalene appears in the canonical gospels more than any other female disciple. No other woman is portrayed with more devotion to Jesus and with good reason.

Mary spent much of her early life as a prisoner of Satan. Physically possessed and controlled by seven demons, she was mercilessly tormented day and night. But the time came when those same evil spirits of darkness encountered the One who had come into the world to destroy the works of their master. And by the power of the Incarnate Living God, those servants of Satan were driven out of Mary forever. Freed from hell's bondage, Mary made a decision many others had already made. Forsaking all, she would love and serve her Deliverer until the day she died.

During the following three years of Jesus earthly ministry Mary never left His side. In every scriptural mention she is portrayed as a close friend of Christ and a leader among His female disciples. Surrounding the events of the resurrection of Jesus, all four gospels place Mary Magdalene as the most prominent character. For her unwavering devotion, Mary was given the most honorable and joyful commission of all time: "Go quickly and tell the disciples He has risen!" Following her obedience, Mary of Magdala gained a position of notoriety throughout the early church as the first person to have seen the risen Lord. Hers is indeed a life worth exploring.

'Freed to Testify - A Biblical Biography of Mary Magdalene' includes biblical references, exciting dialogue, historical data, and questions for personal application, making it a great resource for bible study groups or personal spiritual growth

Isn't it nice to know that in a world where someone is always selling something, some things are still free? As a way of saying "Thank you" to the readers of Gripped For Glory, I'd like to offer you not one, but two free gifts. Both are redeemable without cost or personal effort. Interested?

Free Gift #1 - Two weeks free subscription to royalty free images by Fotolia.com for five blog readers. Through a coupon giveaway, five readers will be able to download three images per day for fourteen days for a total of 42 free images, no strings attached. After fourteen days, if you are not interested in continuing your relationship with Fotolia, all downloaded images are yours to keep and use, no questions asked. For fellow writers, this can save you money on the purchase of stock images now being required by so many online forums. *For information on how to redeem a giveaway coupon, please see additional information listed at the end of this article.

Fotolia is a worldwide social marketplace offering the world's largest image bank and most affordable royalty free photos and illustrations for any medium, web or print. They currently boast more than thirteen million images, vectors and HD videos from designers and photographers around the globe. Fotolia images are displayed in some of the most well known agencies in the world. Their images are royalty free and can be used for all kinds of professional documents without limits on time or copies.

As a freelance writer and author, I have used Fotolia images for more than a year and have been very pleased with the quality and quantity of their images, as well as the pricing and licensing arrangements. I especially appreciate being able to filter out offensive images from my searches and the wide selection of sizes which can be expanded to fit any size or graphics program. Payment is quick and easy through the use of PayPal. Some photographs are offered for free, while pricing for others begins as low as $1.00.

Wondering why I made the decision to post this short promotional article on this blog? Quite honestly, it was a great way to save some money in this economy. But more importantly, it provided a great segue way to discuss the offering of my second free gift.

Free Gift #2 - Eternal Life! At this point some readers may say, "No thank you. I don't need or want eternal life. Goodbye!" But God says you do, and since He is God and you are not, don't you think it would be wise to at least listen to what He has to say about this matter?

The Bible says God has a wonderful plan for each and every person on planet earth. God loves you and wants you to experience His peace and life - abundantly and eternally.

"…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" Jeremiah 29:11

"…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10b

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

So why aren't most people enjoying God's abundant life? Even though God created mankind in His own image, He did not make us robots that would mechanically love and obey Him. He gave us a will and freedom of choice. The problem is people chose to disobey God and go their own willful ways. And we continue to make choices every single day to follow our own selfish desires instead of God's good desires. Such rebellion against God's ways is called "sin" and all sin results in a separation from God.

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

"No one is righteous - not even one. No one truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all." Romans 3:10-18

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

Through the ages, individuals have tried many ways to bridge the gap between man and God. Good works, religion, philosophy, morality are just some of the vehicles men have invented to try and find their way back to God. But the Bible teaches all such attempts are entirely unsuccessful.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12

"But your iniquities have separated you from God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Isaiah 59:2

God says there is only one remedy for this problem of separation. Jesus Christ is the only answer. He died on the cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin and bridging the gap between God and people once and for all time. God has provided the only way back to Him. He freely offers this reconciliation, but leaves the choice to accept His offer up to us. He will never force anyone to accept the sacrifice of His Son.

"…God is on one side and all people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, Himself man, is between them to bring them together…" I Timothy 2:5

"For Christ also has suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…" I Peter 3:18a

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Every person must individually make the decision to personally trust Jesus Christ and receive His offer. Salvation does not come through second-hand associations or some kind of cultural or racial birth right. You can't purchase it and you can't earn it. Salvation only comes through a personal decision to act upon God's offer and personally receive His invitation.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12

"…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

Even though you need to a coupon code in order to redeem your free Fotolia images, isn't it nice to know that no special codes are required for the redemption of your soul. Jesus has already redeemed your life when He died on the cross and rose again. You don't need anyone to give you a secret code and you don't have to wait for any future giveaways in order to enjoy the benefits of God's free gift of eternal life. It can be yours today.

So how can you redeem your eternal salvation coupon? By sincerely praying a prayer to God something like this: "Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place for me in heaven. Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life, forgive me of my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in You for my salvation. I accept your free gift of eternal life. Amen."

If you meant what you just said to God, Free Gift #2 is yours to enjoy forever. No hidden legalistic agendas; no additional religious strings attached. You can now enter today's date on your calendar as your redemption code. And under the date, enter these scriptural assurances of your new eternal life

"For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Welcome to eternal life!

*HOW TO REDEEM YOUR FOTOLIA COUPON:

Select any one of the following five Fotolia codes and you will be taken to Fotolia's coupon redemption page at: https://www.fotolia.com/stock-photos-for-bloggers . Once the page is open, follow the directions and begin selecting your free images. Once you have made your image selections and they have been added to your Shopping Cart, remember to select the "XXL" subscription as your size and payment option and not the "Credits." That way, you will not be charge for your free, giveaway coupon images. Promotional coupon codes are valid for fourteen consecutive days during which time you can download three images a day for a total of 42 images. If you enter a code that was previously redeemed and receive an invalid response, try another code. If all five codes prove to be invalid this means all coupons have already been redeemed.

Note: If you do not already have a Fotolia account, you will need to create an account in order to redeem the promotional coupon and download free images. If you already have a Fotolia account, the coupon codes will not work for your existing account.

Thank you for your support of Gripped for Glory. Happy Hunting!