Introduction
GloryStealer
There is a moment hopefully that comes to everyone at some point while they are alive. It is a time and place not easily arrived at or found. It is a break through of the mind and heart caused by heartache and pride that is unveiled to us in the most uncommon of ways. It is the moment when God reveals to us that we are a Glory Stealer. Yes, a Glory Stealer. It is a place where we displace God and forget that the Creator of Heaven and Earth deserves all the glory. For Instance to put it in layman’s terms, how many times do we see a Football player on television running down the sidelines and scoring a touchdown. Most of the time we see him doing some kind of funky dance, slamming the ball into the ground and yelling some kind of trash into the television camera as he pounds his chest. In contrast, we sometimes witness a player pointing to the sky and gently tossing the ball to the referee as he gracefully strides off the field. The end result is the same in both situations, a touchdown, but the reaction to their success is totally different. That is what the book is about, the heart behind the action. I believe that it isn't until we are broken of ourselves and basically sick of ourselves can we really start to live for God. Each one of us, even the most humble of men must walk with the awareness that we are all vulnerable to this satanic attack. We have to go back to the origin and realize that it was Lucifer who wanted God's glory. He wanted to displace God by over throwing his throne. Being the number one angel wasn't good enough for him. To put it plainly, he wanted to be number One of everything. He wanted to displace his creator and take the glory and honor that was due to only God himself. When we take the time to look at the history of some of the sickest people in history, for example. People like Napoleon, Hitler, Bin Laden , we must realize the same spirit that drove Lucifer, drove these lunatics. Each of these men could have stopped at some point but they wanted the whole world. They got greedy and wanted everything and just like Lucifer, lost everything. God has shown me that the same spirit that tried to overtake the thrown of God still lives today. That spirit looks to displace God and give that person a false sense that they accomplished their goal or success through their own power and work. Forgetting to acknowledge that God was their source of power. Letting, as my dad says, their EGO (Easing God Out) get in the way. It just doesn't have to be in world leaders or professional athletes either . It can be in the everyday person who works their 40 hour work week. Like a salesman who wins Rep of the Month and thinks they are something special or a teacher who wins Teacher of the Year and strides like a peacock down the school hallway thinking that the whole world revolves around them. It is a place of pride and self gratification. It is a place that God despises. Throughout the Bible God mentions that he hates pride and opposes that individual who has it. That's right, if you are at a place right now where you don't give God the glory and honor for your success the Lord opposes you. You might say, well I'm here now and God doesn’t care that I am a Glory Stealer, as you say Al. But I’m telling you your time is short lived at the top. God loves you to much to leave you where you are at. I guess that is why we are writing this book. If you are reading this right now it is because you need to read thisright now. Maybe you are at the place where a break through is about to happen that God can finally use you for his Glory and not your own. Maybe you are at the place where your EGO is ready to ‘ease God in’. Because if we don't come to this revelation on our own and learn from what we read and from others pain, we will have to learn it the hard way by our own pain and brokenness. God wants every one of us to come to the knowledge that he is the Creator, the Almighty, the Father in Heaven. He wants all his children to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And he wants everyone to give him the honor and glory that the He deserves. I hope after you read this book that you will come to the awareness that you are a Glory Stealer. That would be the first step to fixing this problem. Self admittance is often a good thing because it shows humility. It is a place where God can begin to work in your heart and life to start to put the focus on God instead of ourselves. I hope this book helps you discover this and leads on you in a new direction to where you start using the circumstance in your life to promoting God's glory and not your own anymore. I wish you the best on your Journey with God .
Sincerely,
Al Petrecca and Keith Goodling.