Does God Give a Damn?

By Dr. Johnny J. Boudreaux

We tend to blame God for everything when things get out of hand. We tell people that God took our loved ones when they died, but then we never look back and think about what we are really saying. Is God really to blame for what happens, or is it our sin?

In Does God Give a Damn?, author and pastor Dr. Johnny J. Boudreaux offers an unblemished view of Gods motives for leaving us here on the earth, and he reminds us that even when life is hard, God never intends to do anything to us that would take away his blessings. Instead, Gods Word shows us that we are responsible for some of the bad in our lives, especially when we allow the devil into our lives. Each chapter in Does God Give a Damn? focuses on those circumstances in our lives that draw us away from God and cause us to falsely accuse him of allowing this confusion, reminding us instead that we must be the ones to stand up to the devil and his tactics.

We cannot blame God for what happens in our lives, but neither can we just say the devil made us do it. First we must admit that our lifestyles and decision-making is what damned our lives. It is not Gods fault, but it is God who offers us the guidance we need to reckon with our sinful ways.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532039782

Dr. Johnny J. Boudreaux

Dr. Johnny J. Boudreaux was born in Southern Louisiana and lived on a farm growing up, and he and his family later moved to Houston, Texas. Raised Catholic, Johnny would later join a Baptist congregation and go on to receive an associate degree from the College of Biblical Studies, a masters in theology from the Southwestern Theological Seminary, and his doctor of ministry from the Houston Graduate School of Theology. Pastor Boudreaux was a world-class professional athlete and a highly ranked boxer, and he is also the father of three children.

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Copyright © 2018 Dr. Johnny J. Boudreaux.

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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-3977-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3978-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017919521

iUniverse rev. date: 12/26/2017

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1: God’s Purpose For Man

Chapter 2: Establishing A People

Chapter 3: What We Don’t Know Will Not Always Hurt Us

Chapter 4: Respect

Chapter 5: Defining Objectives

Chapter 6: Where Are We Looking For Change?

Chapter 7: Being Different

Chapter 8: Church Members’ Lives Should Say More

Chapter 9: Why Is God Not Getting Recognition?

Chapter 10: A Failing Dynasty

PREFACE

I n Mark 16:16, Jesus said, He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Reading those words caused me to evaluate God in a different way from what I had before. Before that, I believed that God did nothing to us but good and that it was us who condemned ourselves.

In this book, I will attempt to show that God does not intend to do anything to us that would take away His blessings for us. God has sacrificed heaven’s best while living on earth to save us from all we have done, including displaying a lack of appreciation for Him.

You will get an unblemished view of God’s motives for leaving us on earth. The gospel appears not to be enough for many of us; we have to see it in action, try it on, and use it before we believe it even though it is the Word of God.

Too many people have the wrong perception of God because they do not understand Him as He is and has always been. Many presenters do not always make His Word clear enough, and those who listen to it are not always ready to accept it in its fullness.

Not until we are challenged to listen to the Word will we commit to hearing what God has to say. Not until circumstances become confusing or matters drastically change in our lives will we give God any attention.

In this book, I will give an answer to the question, Does God Give A Damn? and will attempt to draw a picture of who is giving what to whom. We are always blaming God for the bad things that happen to us; we always overlook the fact that we must agree to allow the devil into our lives. He is not breaking in—we are inviting him in. God does not and will not force Himself into our lives: Behold I stand at the door and knock (Revelation 3:20).

I have titled every chapter with the circumstances that draw us away from God and cause us to falsely accuse God of allowing confusion to enter our lives. Let us answer the question, Does God Give A Damn? Those guilty of preying on people who want to get to heaven will be offended, but I hope this book will encourage readers to stand up against the devil and his tactics. Someone needs to remind him who’s in charge. God gave humanity dominion over everything!

CHAPTER 1

God’s Purpose for Man

I n the beginning, God had man in mind and employed him in a special way to let him know how much He wanted him to share in the development of this wonderful, productive kingdom, as well as His concern for it. The Bible documents that God made man from the dust of the ground while breathing into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7), which makes him of great value. Man was assigned as the keeper, manager (Genesis 2:15) of the garden. While blessing everything, God included man as well and told him to be fruitful and multiply.

God gave man guidelines and warnings—rules on how far he could go. Every opportunity was given to man for his success, but he wanted more, not realizing how much it would cost him. God desires six specific things of man.

1. He Expected Man to Represent Him on Earth

By making man in His image and likeness, God wanted to give creation a view of Himself that would demonstrate His desires to the world. Man would be in the midst of creation and be the influence, example, and expression that would stir excitement among all creation. He wanted man to be His voice, eyes, and ears—His facilitator who would exhibit leadership on earth.

2. He Expected Man to Be Familiar with All He Created

God did not want man to be fearful of anything He created. God wanted man to properly handle what He had created and know how to get the answers to help himself. Abraham told his son that God would supply us with all we needed if we trusted Him. (Genesis 22:8).

3. God Expected Man to Know What He Created

When God put man in the garden to manage and keep it, He gave him the privilege of naming everything. For that