Two Becoming One Flesh - A Fulfilling Marriage

The marriage of a man and a woman is a union of two individuals joined as one (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11; Ephesians 5:31). God intends for them to serve Him as a team, as co-heirs with Christ of His entire Kingdom (Romans 8:17).

At first, a couple's attraction increases their love for one another. Yet, over time they gradually stop considering one another, doing the tiny thoughtful gestures for one another that mean so much and sharing the same goals and purpose in life (Ephesians 5:33).

As the years progress, the couple eventually take each other for granted, stop romantic overtures and make other pursuits their priority in life. They co-exist, but do not work as a team or care about each other's needs as much as they care about their own.

To the Wife:

There are many women who take their husband for granted. Some insist on spending more money than he makes. Others find their fulfillment in their home and children or in their job and ignore their husband's needs.

They get caught up in the pressure of their daily demands and make no time for their husband. They forget that men need visual stimulation to feel loving, and they make no effort to groom and dress nicely for him at home.

They forget to make his favorite meal, to shop for his preferences and to make time to listen to him share about his day. A wife is given the privilege of following the outline given in Proverbs 31.

She will flourishes as a wife, mother, homemaker and business woman in this creative capacity given to her by God. God's Spirit will give her wisdom and strength to minister to her family.

To the Husband:

A man will expect his wife to be sweet and accommodating and to keep him as her primary focus (Ephesians 5:25); yet, it is often the husband's poor choices, which keep the marriage in a state of perpetual insecurity and financial loss.

No woman can be sweet and submissive when her husband stops considering her needs and keeps her life in turmoil. Then he blames her hormones or personality for her negative reactions to him.

God desires to charge the husband to dwell with and to provide for his wife with love and understanding (1 Peter 3:7). If he does, then his wife will more easily submit to His loving leadership.

A man’s responsibility is to protect his wife and to give her the feeling of safety and security she deserves. He will not take her for granted, if he realizes everything which she does for him throughout the day after day (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Romans 12:16).

To the Couple:

Any couple can keep romance alive with spontaneous little gifts, daily times to snuggle, helping each other around the house, date nights, listening with focused attention, and an unexpected phone call or an email during the day proclaiming their love for one another (1 Peter 4:10). Try it and see!

Prayer:

Father God, the opposite sexes are just that - opposite. It seems that You played a trick on humanity by causing opposites to attract. However, Your plan all along was for opposites to complement one another.

We can draw from one another's strengths to make up for our own weaknesses. Remind us that we are a team, and we will dwell together in unity as we work and pray together under the direction of Your Holy Spirit (Psalm 133:1).

Thought for the Day:

As we make an effort to increase our love for each other until it overflows, we will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. - 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Ephesians 5:21

Our HighTower

 

Solitude is one of the chief ingredients for a spiritual life. Jesus gave us this example, (Luke 4:42-44; 5:12-16; 6:12-16; 9:18-20; 21:34-38; 22:39-46). Slipping away into times of physical solitude, to quiet our soul – our mind, choices and emotions - and to retreat from the trappings and demands of the world around us is vitally important. That is why some people choose to take vacation days at a quiet retreat to pray and fast and withdraw from the noise and clutter of society.

As he did with Jesus, Satan loves to follow Saints into these solitary times with temptations and vain imaginations (Luke 4:1-13). There are many in history, which chose the life of a recluse, only to be disappointed that they still had their carnal desires for company. So, interior solitude of our thoughts and emotions, times to quiet our soul and to listen to God’s Spirit is important throughout the day.

Our thoughts can drive us crazy! We lament over the past, fear the future and obsess over the current moment and all that is demanded of us by family and employers. Therefore, we need times every day where we sneak into our prayer closet and listen only to God (Matthew 6:6). We still the turmoil of our thoughts, which race through our mind, and focus on God’s Spirit resident within our spirit.

We listen with our inner, spiritual ear (Revelation 3:22) to all that God has to say to us. When we return to our regular schedule after this time of listening only to God, we react to life from a place of peace instead of anxiety and stress. Our words are seasoned by holiness, our actions are anointed and our thoughts are stilled and centered on the direction of God’s Spirit. As we leave our quiet place, we can remain in that still place of solitude within.

Envision yourself climbing to the highest room in a tower. You seek God and find Him there. Then, you view all of life from this safe and holy position, where nothing can touch you or move you without God’s permission. We no longer react to life. We surrender our will to God’s instruction and allow Him to tame our tongue (James 3:2) and direct our actions. We say only what our Father anoints us to say, and do only what our Father directs by His Spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, we desire that You camp all around us and be our glory within (Zechariah 2:5; Psalm 125:2). We live a life in You, as we go about the business of our day, listening to Your Spirit and hiding under the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 17:8). We want the impulses of our soul to come from Your direction rather than driven by our flesh. You are love, and as we dwell in You, we walk in Your love and respond to the world around us by Your love within us.

Thought for the Day:

The soul in union with God lives a beautiful life of perfect harmony.

 

 

 

Continual Peace and Tranquility

 

God gives us an example of what it means to rest. He completed His work of Creation and then rested from His works (Genesis 2:2). God calls us to cease from our works as well, and to diligently enter into His rest. God despises all fleshly worship (Romans 8:7-8; 1 Corinthians 15:50). He only wants those who will worship Him in Spirit and with sincerity (John 4:24). He takes our heavy burden from us and opens the door for us into His rest (Matthew 11:28). His Sabbath rest lasts for eternity (Hebrews 4:9).

Only the prideful and rebellious, who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, are excluded from entering His rest (Hebrews 3:11; Psalm 95:11). However, there is forgiveness in God’s heart for anyone who repents at any time (Psalm 130:4). You can never do anything too horrendous, or live in rebellion too long for Him not to forgive you. He faithfully forgives every sin we lay down (1 John 1:9). God’s rest is forever (Psalm 132:14) and is for everyone who humbly surrenders their life to Him (Mark 8:34).

We enter God’s rest at the same moment we repent and believe in Jesus as the Christ (Hebrews 4:3). Jesus is the only way of salvation, the only truth and the only everlasting life available to mankind (John 14:6). His living water is the only fountain of youth we will ever need (John 7:37-39). He suffered an unbearable death on Calvary’s cross to pay for the sins we commit (1 John 2:2; 3:5). However, He freely gives us the security of His love and delivers us from all of our fears (Psalm 34:4).

God gives us the wings of His Spirit so that we can rise above the turmoil of life in this world and enter into His Sabbath rest (Psalm 55:6). Therefore, do not harden your heart against this offer from God. Enter His tranquil rest, which His salvation brings to us all (Hebrews 3:7,13,15; 4:7). We can never please God by serving Him in our flesh, but only as we rest in Him and do the works, which He ordained for us to do before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, with Your rest, You provide us with righteousness, peace and joy through Your Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). You also give us unlimited access to Your throne, so that we can live in continual fellowship with You (Hebrews 4:10). We work ourselves into an early grave by serving You in our flesh, when You want to give us Your rest now and forever (Psalm 127:2). Thank You for Your love, forgiveness and provision all the days of our life.

Thought for the Day:

Now is the time to surrender to God for Salvation and to enter into His rest. – 2 Corinthians 6:2

Evening Shadows Fall

 

The world is increasingly hostile toward Christians, denying us freedoms and ridiculing our beliefs. We will experience many more temptations in the days and years to come to compromise our convictions and to make peace with the world. Few will stand up to the authorities like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did, even though they were threatened with death by fire (Daniel 3:17-18). Sinful pleasures, economic dependence, human praise and recognition, and reluctance to participate in conflict will influence many people to walk away from faithfulness to Christ.

The evening shadows are falling at the end of this Laodicean age (Jeremiah 6:4; Matthew 13:39-40). The rapture will soon usher in the Great Tribulation. Until then, following the leading of God’s Spirit may end us up in jail, threaten our very life and rip us away from our beloved family. Our family may even endure financial and physical burdens because of our decisions. How can we ever live with the guilt of causing their suffering? I am not referring here to being forced to end our religious rituals. In reality, many religious practices are superfluous and appeal more to the flesh than to the Spirit.

To give up religious practices is no hardship. However, there may come a moment in our lifetime where the authorities will demand that we deny our faith in Christ or die. There is no shame in standing up for our convictions. God will protect and provide for our family, just as He will care for us if we are imprisoned. He will send His ministering angels to take charge over us and to provide for us (Psalm 91:11; Hebrews 1:14). Many martyrs for Christ declared that He even protected them from feeling the physical pain of torture.

I can attest to this, because after a car accident that broke 11 of my ribs, my little finger, gave me half a face full of glass and punctured my lung, I was pain free and back to work in a week. It took three months for the bones to completely heal, but I never took one pain pill. God’s people never need to cower in shame or fear (Acts 5:19). We can stand boldly like Daniel in the lion’s den and the three young Hebrew men in the fiery furnace. God sent angels to close the mouths of Daniel’s lions; and Jesus was in the furnace with the bold, Hebrew youth. He is with us as well.

Even if we give our life for our faith, we will take our last breath on earth and our very next breath in heaven. However, now while America still gives us religious liberty, let us take advantage of these freedoms and proclaim our faith at every opportunity. It does not matter who hears us or what they think about us. Let us spur one another on to witness, by the thought that the day will come, and it may not be very far off, when sharing our faith will be prohibited in every country in the world, including America.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to live a life of consistent holiness as we trust You for our daily needs. You have a perfect plan for the end of this age, and we are blessed to live in such a time as this (Esther 4:14). Living a life that honors You will insure that Your faithfulness will see us through any turmoil in this world (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Fulfill Your desire for our life in us and through us, as we rest in Your love and follow Your Spirit’s guidance every moment of the day and night.

Thought for the Day:

Take a stand for Christ in each new day and allow your life to reflect His glory from within you.

Spiritual Poison

We all know that there are plants and chemicals that can poison our body. We do everything in our power to avoid poisoning our self and our loved ones, even our pets. However, did you know that you could poison your spiritual life as well? Negative emotions are toxic to both our soul and spirit. They are red flags to alert us to some turmoil in our subconscious mind. We are ignoring the thoughts that feed these negative sentiments. Yet, our emotions pick up on them and try to force us to pay attention to and resolve them.

Some people with phlegmatic personalities are able to process incidents as they occur and forgive and forget. Yet, some with melancholy personalities hold a grudge and stay bitter for years. Then choleric people often stuff the incident and move right on without dealing with the emotional firestorm caused by these conflicts. The sanguine individual may philosophize and chalk the incident up as the other person’s problem. No matter what personality type we have, however, we all experience conflicts in our life that wound us deeply and need to be healed.

If we follow the trail from the negative emotion back into the past, we find not one, but many instances that built up over the years to bring us to the place where they are now surfacing in our daily interactions. Yet, we often continue to suppress them. Our dreams and nightmares also warn us of these unresolved conflicts, but we ignore them as well. I came to a place in my life where I could no longer tolerate the grouchiness, over-sensitivity, self-pity and hair-trigger anger that crept from my past into my day and spoiled life for me.

Thankfully, I learned to sit in a quiet place with my journal and to allow God to direct my soul as it empties itself of its burdens! If we stay quiet long enough to hear God’s Spirit, He will direct us from one incident to the next that caused the build up of these negative emotions. Write down in your journal everything that comes to your mind, even if it does not make sense. Alcoholics Anonymous calls this a searching moral inventory. God will shine His light on the memories where He wants you to go in order to achieve the resolution of these unsettled issues.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for willingly exposing the lies Satan convinced us of during the traumatic times in our life. We thank You for Your truth, which sets us free (John 8:32). Help us to freely forgive the offenders in our life, or to ask for forgiveness in the areas where we hurt someone else. In this way, You set us free from bondage to these negative emotions. Even if the offended party will not forgive us, we are free before You of all of our offenses.

Thought for the Day:

Following the path of these negative emotions to the root experience, which is causing them, is the only way to find spiritual, mental, emotional and ultimately physical health.

 

 

 

Thank you, Matt Milligan, for the use of your photo.
http://www.mattmilliganphotography.com/

The Present Moment

Read: Philippians 4:5-7

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” - Psalm 55:22

Most of the time people function on automatic pilot! If we stop to analyze our thoughts, they are usually either on the past or on the future. Neither of those topics is very useful for the present moment.

Yes, we learn from the past and we plan for our future, but we do not obsess over them! We do not allow them to keep us from paying attention to the “here and now.” For the Born Again Christian, the past is over and forgiven and we are not promised a future, so dwelling on them is futile and only hinders our effectiveness in the present.

God only promised us this moment in which we draw our breath. We are not guaranteed the next breath! Therefore, give your prayerful attention to the moment as God gives it to you to enjoy. By doing this, we live in awareness of His presence in our lives and follow the leading of His Holy Spirit moment-by-moment throughout the day.

Fully living in the present moment is the ONLY way to stay in tune with the Spirit of God. The problem with dwelling in the moment is that we were hurt by the past, which makes us fearful of the future. God helps us to heal from the painful parts of our past and He also helps us to deal with our insecurities and fear of the future. 

Whenever your inner peace is distrubed by negative emotions, follow the advice of these verses and those already mentioned:

Proverbs 16:3… “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Proverbs 3:5-6…”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own

understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”

Psalm 22:8… “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let Him deliver him,
since he delights in Him."

In the present moment, we encounter God on a personal level. In this rendezvous, we start to realize the extent of God’s love for us as His unique child. The outcome of sitting quietly in His presence is that we begin to pay attention to what we feel, smell, taste, see and hear in this one moment of time. It is through this attentiveness to what is actually going on around you right now that you develop complete awareness and are fully alive.

This understanding allows us to minister more effectively, because we are in tune with God’s Spirit moment-by-moment. The trauma of the past and the fear of the future have no place in the present moment. Once He heals us, we no longer feel shame for the past and we entertain no worries about the future. We are safe and secure in the arms of God in this present moment, even if the circumstances around us are full of turmoil and conflict.

As we dwell in the moment, we become conscious of our union with God through Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit inhabits our spirit and leads us moment by moment throughout our day. His perpetual presence permeates our being as we start to consciously live in the moment. Kenneth Grabner, CSC in his book Awake to Life, Aware of God makes a wonderful statement, “If we take no time to be with God in silence and in quiet, we will never be aware of God in the midst of noise and activity."

That is why a daily quiet time of praise, devotion, and meditation on God’s Word is so important. As we emerge from our quiet time in His presence, we radiate joy and walk in peaceful calm in the midst of all of life’s difficulties. We also provide a lifeline to all of those around us. We do not have to arrive at perfection to minister to others in their walk with the Lord. We just need to contain a willing heart for God to use. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you told Simon Peter that Satan asked for permission to sift him like wheat, but You pleaded in prayer for him, so his faith would not completely fail. Once Peter repented, he turned back to you and was a great strength as he built up the faith of his brothers and the rest of Christianity through the ages (Luke 22:31-32). Thank you for pleading for us as well (1 John 2:1). Strengthen us and keep us focused on You.

Thought for the Day:

God did not put us on earth to amass worldly goods, but to serve as His vessels from which He can redeem others.




Thank you, Beth Howe, for the use of your photo.

Help in Times of Trouble

Read: Psalm 46: 1-3

“You will give me greater honor than before and turn again and comfort me.” - Psalms 71:21 (TLB)

In the past, I often struggled with feeling undeserving of God’s love and care. Satan magnified my imperfections and convinced me that God was upset with me or did not care about me. During stressful times, I often viewed the agitation as a curse from God. I accused Him of holding a grudge against me. In reality, the opposite is true. These stressful events actually come into my life so that He can prove to me that He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3; 7:6).

As soon as a hint of trouble arises in our lives, God offers Himself to us as a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Just as in Biblical days, He allows these trials to provide us and those around us with a glimpse of His awesome power in our lives. When others see Him working events out for our good, they may eventually turn to Him in their day of trouble. They may even ask us why we have so much peace in so much turmoil. At these times, we can be ready with our testimony of His grace and love.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for supplying all of our needs according to Your riches in glory. Help me to live my life so that people will see Your faithfulness and glorify You in their lives. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

Remember that there will always be times such as this, and God will always be faithful.