About The Book

A. Preface

Are you in a desert, or in green pastures?

It is in the desert we hear echoes of heaven. The desert presents opportunities to both man and God-an opportunity for God to glorify Himself by performing miracles, an opportunity for man to experience God's love and power. In green pastures, with water all around, we need no miracles. But our souls are often in the desert, and that is why we need to hear from heaven, to be able to walk with God. The desert is a meeting place for both man and God. If we do not walk across the desert every day, we cannot realize the love and favour of God. Yea, we cannot appreciate His mighty deeds.

The desert can be either a place or a state of mind. It is the literal place where God chose to reveal Himself to messengers and prophets. It is also a state of being, for you may have every material thing you desire in the world, yet inside your soul you may not feel happy or content or at peace. In that situation your soul is in the desert, and you need to find something that can make your soul satisfied again. That is when you need to seek God's guidance.

In this book I have explained what religion is. Ultimately, it is a relationship between each one of us and God. God has sent guidance to us through prophets, messengers and loved ones. They all have come before us with messages of guidance or reconciliation, telling us how to live the short life we have in this merciless and bitter world. It is our responsibility to follow God's guidance, the true religion, because we will be judged. Those who were sent by God to bring His guidance did their work and we need to do our work, too. If we claim that we are following their teachings, then they have set a standard, an example for us to follow.

What then are green pastures-what state do they reveal to us? They represent the state that exists when our soul is content and at peace. That can only be achieved through a good relationship with God, by believing, trusting, obeying and living according to His guidance. If you have peace within you, it does not matter where you are physically or what you are going through-every place, every situation is a green pasture for you because you believe in Him. Therefore, you have nothing to complain about, but rather only need to glorify and appreciate God for everything that happens in your life, knowing that God has a good purpose for you, and beyond circumstances and situations there is peace, which exists in the green pastures.

When you are in the desert, you are all alone, desperate and confused because you cannot trace your direction and you can find nothing to eat or drink. That is when you need to call upon the name of God, and He will answer you. Seek for His guidance and He will guide you. When you follow His guidance, you are walking with Him and your soul will be at peace.

Green pastures do not represent material prosperity, but spiritual prosperity. Material prosperity does not give peace; it only creates the illusion of green pastures, a mirage in the middle of the desert. We came into this world with nothing and we will leave it with nothing except our deeds and actions, good or bad, that will follow us. Spiritual prosperity or peace comes from the creator of the universe, our heavenly loving and caring Father, our Lord God. We all need to be in green pastures, not in the desert.

God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, a place filled with green pastures. When they ran short of God's glory, they were chastened and sent away from the Garden of Eden and went to wander in the desert. Ever since, we have all been born in the desert as a state of mind, and we live there until we ask God to send our soul back into the Garden of Eden again. When we run short of God's glory because of our sins, this automatically sends us back into the desert. When we approach or call upon the name of God for guidance with a true and sincere, repentant heart, through His mercy, grace and love He answers and forgives us. Repentance and forgiveness carry us back to the green pastures and into God's loving shelter.

Trust in God at all times, the children of he Most High God. Tell Him all your troubles, for He is our refuge. Remember we are like a puff of breath; great and small, rich and poor alike are worthless. But it is better to obey God than to sacrifice the best sheep to Him. Rebellion against Him is as bad of witch craft and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry.

Peace, joy and happiness come from God only through good relationship but we cannot buy them. Giving and helping others without having a good relationship with Him first does not give them either.

For those who trust, obey and wait upon the Lord God dwell in the green pasture in their lives.

B. Back Cover text

Sing to the Lord, all the world! Worship the Lord with joy; come before Him with happy songs! Never forget that the Lord is God. He made us and we belong to Him; we are His people, we are His flock. Enter the temple gates with thanksgiving; go into its courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise Him.

Teach me your ways, O Lord; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to your truth and righteousness, for you are my God, who saves me. I always trust in you. Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God.

The Lord will destroy death forever. He will wipe away the tears from everyone's eyes and take away disgrace we His children have suffered throughout the world.

I have a message, a belief, and a story to share with the world. I have put my heart and soul into my endeavor in order to encourage others. I am not a preacher or a prophet, but this is a voice in the desert proclaiming the day of the Lord is at hand, the day of the judgment and salvation.

We have been created superior to all other creatures by God, more superior even than angels. Angels were created to serve God, but man was created with a special responsibility to God and a responsibility to all other creatures. We were given the ability to participate in life by creating new life ourselves, something the angels were not. We were not created to worship God but to obey Him, for God has millions of angels to worship Him. If we fail in our responsibility to God by failing to keep His commandments, He will forgive us, but if we fail in our responsibility to one another or to the other creatures in God's creation, what then must we do? We will need to ask them to forgive us, before we turn to God. We must stop judging unjustly; we must no longer be partial to the wicked. We must defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; we must be fair to the needy and the helpless.

God is neither desperate nor does He benefit or lose because of our actions. If we do what is good and walk in the right, we bring good unto ourselves. God will be pleased with good actions and bless us. God is interested in having a good relationship with us; this is the true religion-knowing what God wants and knowing that we are doing what pleases Him.

It is true that for us, our life is like grass. We grow and flourish like a wildflower; then the wind blows on it, and it is gone-no one sees it again. But for those who honour the Lord, His love lasts forever, and His goodness endures for all generations of those who are true to His covenant and who faithfully obey His commands. The Lord placed His throne in heaven; He is king over all. Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels, who obey His commands, who listen to what He says. Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers, you servants of His, who do His will! Praise the Lord, all His creatures in all the places He rules. Praise the Lord, my soul.

C. Table of Contents

Contents Chapters