Poetic Faith: Various Topics and Biblical Doctrines Explored, Discussed, and then Put to Rhyme

Randy Mlejnek

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781635758405
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Religious Poetry
• Index: Literature

This book that you hold in your hands is very unique in its design and composition. It could be described as a combination of devotional, Christian living guide, and topical Bible study. It adheres to the mantra that variety is the spice of life. It takes the reader on a religious roller coaster, diving in to a diverse doctrinal melting pot put to poetry. It explores and discusses a wide variety of topics and issues relating to biblical faith with relevant application for the twenty-first-century Christian. Topics of discussion include prophecy, God's design for sex and marriage, heaven, abortion, temptation, the Holy Spirit, angels, spiritual warfare, prayer, creation, baptism, the Lord's Supper, forgiveness, the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. There are also some short personal stories detailing my own spiritual journey, plus much more. Whether you are deeply rooted in your faith or actively seeking for answers, I believe that this book has something for you. If you enjoy choices, options, and engaging your mind to examine a broad range of ideas and topics, look no further. I believe that you will discover this book to be an interesting read, packed full of information, spiritual insight, and biblical encouragement to strengthen your faith. It seeks to examine many doctrines, religious practices, and moral issues from a biblical perspective. Every single chapter is closed with an original poem written by the author that directly correlates to the specific topic being discussed.

Poetic Faith

Various Topics and Biblical Doctrines Explored, Discussed, and then Put to Rhyme

Randy Mlejnek

ISBN 978-1-63575-839-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64079-169-5 (Hard Cover)

ISBN 978-1-63575-840-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Randy Mlejnek

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

To the love of my life, my best friend, and my beautiful bride, my

wife Amanda. Without her constant love and support, this work would

not have been possible. I love you ARM and I thank my God upon every

remembrance of you.

5013

To my mother, Glenda Mlejnek, thank you for leading me to Christ as a young boy. Thank you for taking me to church when I was growing up and for your unceasing prayer for me over the years. You have always believed in me and God truly blessed me with such a wonderful mother in you.

I also dedicate this book in loving memory to my Mother in Law, Debbie

Mills. To whom, I owe a special debt of gratitude. She strongly

encouraged me to share my writings with the world.

Introduction

I would describe this book as a combination devotional, Christian living guide, and topical Bible study. My book adheres to the mantra that variety is the spice of life. It takes the reader on a religious roller coaster, diving in to a diverse doctrinal melting pot put to poetry. It examines many different modern-day issues and topics as they relate to biblical faith.

I believe this book may be a good resource to many who are interested in Christian, religious, and spiritually themed literature. I believe its content to be both timely and timeless. It is one of those books that people can read, reread, and often refer back to as the different topics become relevant in their lives. It covers a wide range of topics viewed through the lens of a biblical perspective and worldview. It also happens to be extremely unique in its composition. One of the unique things about this book, is that it incorporates an original artistic component by closing each chapter with a poem that I have written, that directly relates to the topic being discussed.

Its topics encompass many areas of interest, including prophecy, God’s design for sex and marriage, abortion, heaven, angels, spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit, prayer, temptation as well as the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection of Jesus, and many more. I also included some short personal stories that convey lessons that I’ve learned along the way in my own journey of faith.

1

Does God Give Us More than We Can Handle?

I’ve heard this phrase used so many times and not just in religious circles either. I’m sure that you have heard it a number of times as well, or maybe you have even used it yourself. It is usually given out in an attempt to encourage someone who is going through a difficult struggle in their life. I’ve heard regular church-attending Christians offer this sentiment to someone in the midst of great suffering. They will say, “Remember, God will never give you more than you can handle or that you are able to bear.” This intended comfort is given with confidence, as if it was taken directly from the pages of the scriptures. So let’s briefly examine this common cliché and see how its wisdom lines up with the Word of God. That, ultimately, should be our test for all things as Christians.

There is a verse in the New Testament that some will point to when trying to justify this statement and to try to give it authority. It is found in 1 Corinthians 10:13. It says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (NKJV). This verse is talking about temptation, not trials. God will never allow you to be tempted to sin, as a Christian, beyond your ability to be able to resist that temptation and He is faithful to provide a way of escape for the temptation. This verse then gets misquoted and taken out of context to support this unbiblical wisdom.

There is no promise in the Bible where God tells us that we will never be given more than we can handle. In fact, the Bible is filled with examples where people were given more than they could handle. If you look at the life of David, Elijah, and Moses, you will see many times where they were given more than they could handle. So why does God allow us to be given more than we can handle at times? There are several main reasons for this, I believe. One of the obvious ones would be that if we could handle everything life throws our way on our own, then what would we need God’s help for?

God, sometimes, allows us to be given more than we can handle to teach us that we need to trust, depend, and rely fully upon Him. Jesus said that apart from Him, we could do nothing (John 15:5). The Christian life is not meant to be lived by our own strength and power. God wants our full reliance and trust to be upon Him. We are given more than we can handle so that our faith can grow and we can learn to surrender to His will and way in our lives. When we try to do things in our own strength, that is when we run into trouble. I’m guilty of this so often myself. I try to pick up and carry burdens that are not mine to bear in my own power. That’s why 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast our cares and anxieties upon Him for He cares for us. We are told to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). We are given more than we can handle so that God’s presence and power can be made known and manifested in our lives.

When, in our pride, we think that we can handle things better our way, on our own, we usually fall flat on our face. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18, ESV). We need to trust in the Shepherd and be sensitive to His leading. This involves maintaining daily, close, and intimate contact with Him. If you want to hear the Shepherd’s voice, you need to be following Him closely and walking obediently after Him. This involves a total reliance and dependence upon Him to realize that without Him, we are nothing. To understand this, let’s look at what this old song says: “I can’t even walk without Him holding my hand.” As 1 Chronicles 16:11 says, we are to continually seek the Lord’s face.

The apostle Paul writing to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 1:8 said that he and other followers of Jesus experienced trials and troubles that were “far beyond our ability to endure” (NIV). Then, in verse 9 he says, “…But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…” That is the lesson right there—that we will face trials, suffering, pain, and difficulties in this life that will be too great for us to endure on our own.

I am given more than I can handle all the time. I have to remember that when I am weak, He is strong. His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). No matter what trials or storms that you may face, if you trust in the Lord, you will learn that His grace is sufficient for you. I’ve heard it said that sometimes, God calms the raging storms in our life, and other times, He allows the storm to continue to rage and He calms us. He can give the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7), and He can give you joy even in the midst of the ...

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