The Devil is a Lie by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

I love to read as you may know, but lately I have not been able to finish many books. That is not the case with my guest author today. Her books captivate me from beginning to end. It is an honor to have her here! I'm so excited.

Please welcome, my guest, ReShonda Tate Billingsley - you will not be disappointed! Below you will get a chance to read an excerpt or listen to one read by ReShonda. Also, if you leave a comment, you will be entered to win a copy of The Devil is a Lie, courtesy of The Gospel Writer!




ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a national bestselling author of 17 books, all published by Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books. Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, is being made into a movie and national touring stageplay of which she is Executive Producer and actress Regina King is the director. Five of her other books, have also been optioned for film by CodeBlack Entertainment.

ReShonda’s literary career is such a success that in 2007, she was able to leave her job as a reporter with Fox 26 News in Houston to pursue writing full time. ReShonda has appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list more than 20 times, as well as The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News and Ebony Magazine Bestseller’s lists.

ReShonda has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition. ReShonda’s upcoming projects include The Devil is a Lie (July 2009), Holy Rollers (2010) and two more teen novels. The Houston native and University of Texas at Austin graduate also serves as a freelance editorial and marketing consultant. She has ghostwritten four fiction projects and five non-fiction projects. She is married with three small children.

ABOUT THE BOOK
AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT. . . .
When Nina Lawson wins $16 million in the Texas Lottery, the real estate executive and her fiancé, ecstatically begin planning their future — from paying off their credit card debt, to setting their wedding date, to a spontaneous, spare-no-expense island getaway.
But when Nina goes to claim her winnings, she gets an astounding twist of fate: her ex-husband, Todd Lawson, shows up to inform he he isn’t her ex —since the paperwork for their divorce was never officially filed. By Todd’s side, his money-hungry girlfriend, Pam – the woman he left Nina for.

MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS
Between her divorce drama, Nina also has to deal with relatives coming out of the woodwork to seek a payday for themselves. Before all is said and done, Nina must ask herself if scoring a fortune in cash comes with too high a price tag. With a little bit of luck, Nina will discern the real wealth in her heart, not just her bank account—or risk losing everything—to find out what matters the most.

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The Devil is a Lie -Excerpt
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Happy Reading,

Wanza Leftwich
The Gospel Writer

Can we afford NOT to repent?

Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealing by all this people." I Samuel 2:22-23

I was talking to a friend yesterday about how important it is to have a heart for God and the things of God.

We are living in a day and time where many Christians are not sensitive to God's will. We do any and everything we want to do and still call ourselves Christians - followers of Christ. We must be careful not to take God's grace and mercy for granted.

In the above scripture, Eli, the priest, failed to reprimand his children for sinning and dishonoring the house of the Lord. He spoke to them, but he did nothing to stop them. Eli and his two sons eventually died because of their wrongdoing and honor was no longer found in their family line.

We do not simply live for ourselves, but for generations to come. The repercussions of sin can easily travel from us to our children, to our children's children and so on. It is important that our hearts be humble, sensitive and pride less. If we sin, if we stumble, we must be willing to quickly repent to God and turn from our sin.

Have you ever said you act like your mom? or your dad? Do you do the things they did - right or wrong? Does adultery, teen age pregnancy, fornication, homosexuality or even debt plague an overwhelming amount of family members or yourself?

The scripture ends with a man of God telling Eli, "Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of they father should walk before me for ever: but not the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house." I Samuel 2:30,31

In other words, the men in Eli's generations would die young because he honored his sons above God. One man's sin affected all the men in his family. Can we afford not to repent and make our situation right with God?

It's more than me, it's more than you - it's our families' future on the line.

Repenting,

Wanza Leftwich
The Gospel Writer

My Purpose

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5

God has a purpose for our lives. You and I were not a mistake or an afterthought. This purpose was known to God before we were conceived in our mothers' womb.

How awesome it is to know that God created me and you to do something that only we can do. I know you may hear this over and over, but look at the above scripture - God took careful thought of us before...

before we were rejected by others
before we ended up in an abusive relationship
before we failed a class and couldn't graduate
before we were married
before we were divorced
before we were saved
before we were conceived...

God thought about us and gave us his stamp of approval. He would not have allowed us to be conceived if He did not have a specific plan for us.

Today, it is our duty to make sure that we get to know God and His purpose for our lives. He told Jeremiah plainly in the scriptures his purpose. Take the mystery out of your purpose - get into God's presence and simply ask Him.

I believe if you are sincere, He will answer you.

Living in purpose,

Wanza Leftwich
The Gospel Writer

The Sound of Abundance

There have been many days when I did not have enough money to pay my bills, let alone by something new to wear or get the latest fashion of clothing.

As sure as the years passed, time went on and on. I heard nothing. Not even a glimpse that a change was coming. Yes, I felt good after hearing a mighty word, but deep within my heart, the bells of financial prosperity did not ring clear for me.

Recently, I began to hear the sounds of abundance.

How can I hear it now? What makes the difference?

The difference between today and yesteryear is my faith and belief. Oh, yes, I always believed that God would provide (never leave me nor forsake me), but I was not always confident that living in the abundance was for me. I knew he could do it for others, but would he actually do it for me? Was this a pipe dream I was holding on to?

My dreams started to become reality a few months ago when my mind took a turn for the better. I began to meditate on God’s word day and night. I envisioned myself living my dream. I thought about it so much, I was surprised when I went to the bank and didn’t have the money I thought I had. I lived in my dream until I thought it was a reality.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.Joshua 1:8

Bingo(no pun intended). And thus, the sound of abundance began to ring for me. I knew I had stumbled onto something when I shocked myself by not getting upset about a late bill or not worrying about putting an extra $20 to my regular offering. The hair and nails could wait – God’s priority was my priority.

I started to hear the abundance off in the distance. Opportunities began to open up to make more money. First it began with an errand here or there for a few dollars, then a resume for a friend and an offer to write a devotional for a major Christian ezine.

The sound of abundance was here. It started with meditating on God’s word which led my belief and thought process to change.

Now, I wonder why I just didn’t start meditating years ago. I would have heard the sounds then…hmmm…but better late than never.

Listening,

Wanza Leftwich
The Gospel Writer