Out of the Dead Sea

By Monaca Williams

Do you ever feel like you are just existing and not truly living? Do you sometimes wonder if there is more to this Christian life? Its easy to feel lost in this world full of catchphrases and Christian lingo. Out of the Dead Sea was written in hopes of bringing to light the obscurities of the Christian life. How can we grow in Christ without truly understanding the principles of this lifestyle? How can we expect to remain steadfast without first having a proper foundation? This book offers simple explanations and useful scenarios to guide us through our transformation in Christ. The author candidly shares real-life situations and lessons learned along the way in hopes that others will be empowered by her testimony.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490878126

Monaca Williams

Evangelist Monaca Williams is a devoted wife and mother of three. She has humbly served both youth and adults in ministry for over a decade. From preaching to song writing, her greatest passion is sharing the word of God in a way that everyone can easily understand.

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Copyright © 2015 Monaca Williams.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7813-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7814-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7812-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906505

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/28/2015

Contents

Introduction

1 Born into Sin, Separated from God

2 From Head Knowledge to Beliefs of the Heart

3 Transitioning from Death to Life

4 The Greatest Commandment Is Love

5 Life in the Spirit, the Evidence of Change

6 Truth about Forgiveness

7 The Reality of Christianity: Faith, Hope, and Trials

8 Staying Alive

Final Thoughts

Notes

To my husband:

You have been my biggest supporter, and I never could have completed this part of my journey without you. Thank you for challenging me to expand my thinking and for inspiring me to dream big. Together we can do anything.

I would like to give thanks to my parents and my grandmother, who have always loved and supported me. I greatly appreciate all of the wisdom and encouragement you have given me over the years. Thanks to everyone who believed in me and cheered me on. There are too many of you to name, much love to you all.

I pray that this book sets the captives free.

Introduction

When I think about my former life, the life that I was living without Christ, I imagine myself with dull, gray skin and a bloated body. I can picture myself floating around in a murky sea full of other swollen bodies: the sea of the dead. Our bodies are fully dressed, eyes open, brains functioning, and hearts beating. But we are dead.

When you think about any sea, you imagine all types of life forms, beautifully colored creatures and mysterious species, all thriving in an enchanting underwater world. And then there is the Dead Sea. This sea is unlike any other. Where one would expect life, there is very little. The Dead Sea, located in the Middle East between Jordan and Israel, is one of the saltiest seas in existence. It is completely landlocked and is the lowest elevation on earth. The salinity of the Dead Sea is so intense that animals cannot thrive there, and that salinity increases with the sea depth.

So, there we are as sinners, landlocked in this sea of death, which is sin. It’s so murky and foggy that we are not fully aware of our surroundings or our condition. The farther we sink into this sea of sin and destruction, the worse we become. This sea leads to the lowest elevation: eternal separation from God.

There is hope, however, because God is calling us out of the Dead Sea and into a life of abundance. God wants us to live a purposeful and joyous life. God desires that we have a prosperous life that only He can give. God’s plans for us are far greater than anything we can imagine.

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

1

Born into Sin, Separated from God

Born into Sin

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them (Genesis 1:27 KJV).

If we study the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, we see God as the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all life forms that exist, including mankind. In Genesis, we learn that God created Adam, the first man, in His likeness or image. He later created Eve from Adam’s rib. God gave Adam dominion over all the earth and its creatures, so we can assume that God greatly valued him. He and Eve lived and thrived in the Garden of Eden with God, until the fall of man.

What is the fall of man? It is that familiar story where Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit after being persuaded by the Serpent (Satan) to do so. After eating this forbidden fruit, the two were thrown out of the garden where they had once dwelled with God. Their disobedience destroyed the intimacy that they had shared with their creator. It is through their disobedience that bad choices, evil, and sin were introduced into the world. Now mankind is no longer automatically in tune with God.

From that point on, all mankind was born into sin, or separation from God, rather than into relationship with God. We must now choose to build a relationship with Him, since it is no longer inherent in our nature. Until we make the conscious decision to seek after and build a relationship with our creator, we are distant and separated from God, our Father. This separation makes us subject to sin. Simply put, sin can be described as bad choices we make that lead