Foundation Of Marriage is Teamwork

 Are you having issues in your marriage and not knowing how to fix it?  Are you ready to give up?  Let me give you some tips that will help you...

First,  answer this question. Why did you decide to marry your spouse?  What drew you to them?  Did you see yourself growing more in love for one another for the rest of your life?  If not, then maybe you both need to rethink and start fresh with your motivation for marriage. If your answer is yet, then pay attention...

God said in Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:5 that man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.

What is One flesh?  You both are a TEAM, as husband and wife. You and your spouse have different qualities that merge together so you can build a successful family and live in harmony.  Your team environment really means that you work together to build your family and life.  You love one another and encourage one another. You comfort and support each other in all things.  You are NOT 2 separate people who just live different dreams and outcomes.  You are best friends who listen to each other, care about one another's ups and downs and want the very best for them.  You are not living 2 separate lives in one house with occasional love making to fulfill your desires and then move on to your separate lives again.  You are one flesh.  

God designed marriage to be this way because He knew that we would be raising our kids and our family with future grandkids who become our next generational family.  

That's why God said in Ephesians 5:22-25 Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord.  The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church and He is the savior of the body.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.

1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them in understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. 

So, we need to honor each other. Respect each other and care about one another's needs.  Be grateful toward your spouse when they do something for you. Be appreciative of their support and care for your needs.  Be a good listener and understand their hurts and concerns, whatever those may be.  Be humble and apologize when you are wrong. Period.  True love will want to do this.  Be present when they are talking to you.   You are ONE flesh. You are a TEAM that needs to stick together during the storms of life and not pull away. Forgive each other and be gracious. 

Pray for one another. Pray together.  Put God first and I promise, you will want to love your spouse more. Loving God enables you to see your own shortcomings and desire to do better in all parts of your life.  

Letter From Jesus

 My Precious Friend,

The night before My death, I want you to understand, it was you that was on my mind.  I desired to have a relationship with you, to spend eternity with you in heaven.  Yet, sin separated you from Me and My Father.  The law required that an acceptable sacrifice of innocent blood was needed for the payment of your sins.  I came to fulfill the law so you wouldn't have to.  It was the only thing that could be done to pay the price completely so that our relationship could be forever restored.

The hour had come when I was going to be tortured and killed for you.  With heaviness of heart, I went out to the garden to pray.  In agony of soul, I sweat drops of blood as I cried out, "oh My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.  nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39

While I was in the garden the soldiers came to arrest Me even though I was innocent of any crime.  They brought Me before Pilate's hall.  I stood before My accusers.  Then Pilate took Me and had me beaten and whipped.  Lacerations cut deeply as I took the beating for you.  The soldiers placed a crown of thorns on My head and put Me in a purple robe.  Blood flowed down My face.  There is no beauty that anyone would desire Me.  Then the cheering crowd, shouting, "Crucify Him. Crucify Him!" as I stood there silently, bloody, bruised and beaten. Despised and rejected of men.  Pilate sought to release Me but gave in to the pressure of the crowd.  "Take Him, and crucify Him for I find no faulty in Him" He said to them. Then he delivered Me to be crucified.  You were on my mind when I carried My cross up the lonesome hill to Golgotha.  It was My love for you, and to do My Father's Will, that gave Me the strength to bear beneath its heavy load.  There, I bore your grief and I carried your sorrows laying down My life so you could have life abundantly with Me.  The soldiers sneered giving heavy blows of the hammer driving the n ails deeply into My hands and feet.  Love nailed your sins to the cross, never to be death with again.  They hoisted Me up and left Me to die.  Yet, they did not take My life.  I willingly gave it for you.  The sky grew black.  Even the sun stopped shining. My body wracked with excruciating pain took the weight of your sin and bore its punishment so that the wrath of God could be satisfied and you could be free from guilt.  When all things were accomplished, I committed My spirit into My Father's hands, and breathed out my final words, "It is finished."

Greater love hath no man than this:  that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13  

This is what I did because I desired so much for you to come into my love.

I have done everything I possibly could to demonstrate my love for you.  I have washed you clean, ransomed you back, redeemed you, sanctified you, forgave you, and healed you.  Now I extend my nail pierced hand and say, come follow me.

I love you...

Jesus

Love And Discipline For Our Kids?

         

        The definition of LOVE these days can be very backwards.  Loving someone does not mean you affirm their behavior. You can love all people without agreeing with choices they make. When it comes to our own kids, loving them sometimes means we need to be tough and loving by telling them the truth, explaining things to them they need you to explain so that they can understand.  Discipline is an action of love when done properly. 

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. 

Love for our kids is very different than our love for our future spouses. First, our future/current spouses were strangers when we met them and not related to us when we decided to marry them. Of course, God says, when we get married, we become ONE flesh....anyway, Our kids come from us. A part of me and a part of the father of my kids make them so connected to us as family and legacy of future generations.  Growing in our womb for 9 months, seeing them in our womb, feeling them move as they grow in our bodies is an amazingly beautiful and sacred journey for us, as moms.  Yes, some of us get morning sickness, etc but pregnancy is a huge part of a Mom's journey to love and be there for our kids forever.  Seeing them for the first time once they pop out of our birth canal is emotional.  

Proverbs 29:15  The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 

As moms, we want to do all that we are able, to keep them safe, feed them and bathe them, hold them with love and pray over them regularly. Of course, every moms journey is not the same. Some are very young and were not prepared mentally so they had challenges they didn't know to prepare for. Some moms really didn't want to have a child or didn't have a husband they could lean on during the process. I realize that not every situation is the best, but for the most part, Moms will love their child unconditionally forever. If you are a Mom, you definitely understand.

Raising our kids with love is not always easy because we always want to do the right thing at the moment.  Sometimes it may not seem right to discipline them.  Especially if we are first time young moms. But, the Bible is very clear on how we need to raise them. Unfortunately, when I was a young mom, I was not close to God. I knew Him but wasn't living for Him at the age of 19.  I fell away like many do after high school. The journey of becoming an independent adult for the first time, after leaving our parents, was a bit confusing for me back then. 

When it comes to disciplining your child with LOVE, God never wants us to do it in anger or disgust.  He requires us to do it with patience and grace toward our kids so they can learn what is wrong and what is right behavior.  Depending on their age, you will discipline according to what they actually did. Never just slap or punch them in a knee jerk reaction!  Of course, if you are married, then you will need to discuss how you will both do it and be in agreement about it before you have kids.  

You take them aside privately and sit on your couch or bed and explain what they did and why it was wrong. Then, optionally, you can tell them to bend over and slap them on their behind once or twice.  Ask them if they are sorry and pray with them.  Of course, the older they get, into teen years, hitting them on their behind is not going to work, in my opinion. But you may need to just take things away from them(cell phone, etc) temporarily and or send them to their room for a bit.  The point is to make sure they understand what they did was wrong, and give them something to think about in the future. Prayer with them would be helpful too.  Tell them you love them and forgive them after the disciplinary action. 

Yes, that is parental love and it is not abuse, if done correctly.  I did not have to do this often with my kids, but their Dad and I did do it when needed. I learned as time passed, like most of us.

Proverbs 1:8  My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on you head, and chains about your neck.  My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, "come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse:" MY Son, do NOT walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to she blood.  

Spiritual Warfare is a Thing

             What is spiritual warfare?  After living most of my life as a Christian, it wasn't until literally a few months ago that the spiritual attacks were in my face, trying to kick me down into the pit.  You know, when you feel the devil trying to disappoint you with horrible thoughts.  The lies that come into your mind to try and discourage and destroy your faith? 

My deliverance came almost 8 months ago, when I surrendered my alcohol problem to my heavenly Father out of pure desperation and God totally set me free and delivered me from so much heaviness and pain.  Now that I am not influenced by alcohol and I can think straight, plus I'm not having pity parties, I can now see the Holy Spirit moving in my life.  Of course, the devil will do anything to stop our journey  by speaking into our ears with bitterness, lies of who we are and how bad we will continue to be.  

 In spite of the attacks,  I could clearly see God in a whole new light with more faith.  I am so much more aware of God's love and mercy.  I am praying more and can actually hear the spirit of God speaking to my heart and directing my path.  

So, why would we be spiritually attacked?  First, when you surrender to God your entire life and allow Him to be in charge, the devil will do all he can to discourage you.  But, Guess what? When you surrender, God then will use you for greater things, because you have decided to trust Him with your life and you want to share how much God has done for you.  That is exactly what I've been experiencing recently.

That is why I'm writing my story. I want to encourage you if you are going through the same thing now.  I've been a mostly healthy person my entire life. I started having pain in my back, for no known reason, about 3 months ago and found out it was Sciatica nerve pain that is truly painful day and night. The funny thing is, I know it is an attack on me because of what I'm doing for God so I laugh at the devil and pray for healing.  We had some attacks from a neighbor recently also.  That is finished but it was bad when it happened. 

The irony of it all, is now I have so much faith that I have never had before so when a spiritual attack begins, I know what it is and I shake it off immediately and tell the devil to get out!  In Jesus name, we do have authority over the enemy.  When you know that, and you take action against the enemy spiritually, things will never be the same!  God is faithful.  If you are being called by God to walk a new journey, obey Him and take one step of faith at a time. He will guide you so when you do experience spiritual warfare, you will not allow it to stumble you or get you off track.  Praise God and know that He has you!