As good and faithful Christian men and women, we would never lie to anyone. Would we? Hopefully not. But according to Greg Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, we seem to have less of a problem telling a lie to ourselves. Maybe we prefer to call them excuses or justifications, but the result is still the same - we give in to temptations and suffer the resulting consequences.

In the book "I'm Going on a Diet Tomorrow (And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)", Laurie challenges his readers to take a closer look at how they tend to give in to temptation through rationalization and compromise when dealing with certain harmful behaviors. Although the cover displays a slice of pie dripping with chocolate and cherries, Laurie doesn't focus only on dieting, but applies his thoughts to many areas of life.

Pastor Greg points out that although temptation can come at any time, it frequently comes after a time of great blessing or when Christians have asked God to use them to make a difference in His kingdom. He explains how Jesus dealt with his times of temptation, particularly during his forty days in the wilderness being tested by Satan.

Pastor Greg provides helpful guidelines to effectively combat temptation and gives encouragement to overcome it. The chapters are short so the reader doesn't get bogged down in deep theological studies, which suits the topics well. The questions at the end of each chapter are well-designed to focus the reader on the subject. (Posted on 2008-07-16 21:16:16)

Just a little note to let you know that you have blessed me so much over the last ten years. You have taught me so much and I so appreciate your daily devotions. I have read all of your books and enjoyed every one of them. You teach in a way that the average person can understand and learn. Thank you so much for your faithfulness to the Lord. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.
Thank you,
(Posted on 2008-05-19 20:53:33)