A warning to the Church!!!! Take heed and turn to the Lord. Watch the video below and share with your friends!

There is no question about who Jesus is. The Bible makes it clear. The apostles made it clear. And Jesus Himself makes it clear. He is Lord!

The only real question that remains, then, is this: Is HE Lord of your life?

This about the answer.

Remember Lordship implies ownership. Does He own your tongue and what you say? Does He own your eyes and what they see? Does he own your hand and what they touch?

You don’t have to be perfect to have Him as your Lord. The disciples to whom He said, “You call me.. ‘Lord’ and rightly so” (John 13:13) were far from perfect. In fact, they would deny and forsake Him the very next day!

Jesus’ lordship is not conditioned upon our obedience. He is still Lord even when we fail Him. We can sin against His Lordship, but we can’t sin away His lordship. Once we belong to Him, He cannot love us more. And He will not loves us less than He already loves us. His love is perfect and constant.

The bible calls upon us to trust Christ with our lives and our eternal destiny. It makes no distinction between receiving Him as Savior and Lord. He is both and He is to be received as both. You don’t get half of Jesus at one point in your life and wait to receive rye other half at a later time.

When you bowed your heart and soul and entrusted your life to Him, you received ALL of Him – Savior and Lord. And He received all of you – your total person.

Once you belong to Him, Jesus calls upon you to obey Him. It won’t make Him any more your Lord than it will make Him any more your Savior. But it will determine the level of your commitment and the extent of your impact for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom.

How committed are you? Are you allowing Jesus to exercise Lordship over your life? His plan for you is much better than anything you could ever dream of. In order to become everything He created you to be, you must surrender to His lordship in your life.

We miss so much when we try to live on our own terms and our own agenda.

Portion of No Greater Savior Devotional.

Does the Bible call us to be doormats as modern christianity (even “biblical” counselors) suggests?

The exegetical work of 2 verses…One adressing an unbelieving spouse and one addressing believers.

1 Peter 3:1 states that wives are to submit to their husbands even if they are unbelievers but lets exegete the passage and see exactly what Paul is talking about and in what context.

1 Peter 3:1
In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives”

This exposition will break down sections and go over words to better understand what the passage says and doesn’t say.

That, if any of them are disobedient to the word – The word of God= the gospel. That is, if any wives have husbands who are not believers/Christians. This would be likely to happen when the gospel was first preached, as it does now, by the fact that wives might be converted, though their husbands were not. It cannot be inferred from this, that after they themselves had become Christians they had married unbelieving husbands.

The term “word” (Logos in greek) here refers particularly to the gospel as preached; and the idea is, that if they were regardless of that gospel when preached – unaffected by it, or if they openly rejected it, there might be hope still that they would be converted by the Christian influence of a wife at home. Not by preaching to him but by the way she lives her life. Paying close attention to her integrity, meekness, seeing to it that she respects him and that she maintains him in the position of leader in the home. A wife has no right to usurp the authority of her husband just because he is unsaved. He is to make all important final decisions after carefully considering her opinion on the matter.

They may be won without a word – In some other way than by preaching. This does not mean that they would be converted independently of the influence of truth – for truth is always the instrument of conversion, James 1:18; John 17:17; but that it was to be by another influence than preaching. A wife is never called to beat her husband over he head with a bible, no man wants to live with a woman who preaches to him daily. What this does not say is that she is to remain silent on all matters. That is where we go wrong in our christian culture. We are so biblically illiterate, such lack of sound teaching on exegesis and hermeneutics in the church it is frightening what we are telling women to do. This passage is used in the modern church to abuse women into being nothing more than a door mat (What sharia law does by the way!)

This passage is clearly stating that a woman is not go around preaching to her husband in an attempt to “get him saved” and usurp the role as leader he holds before God, it never states to roll over and play dead. That is not Christ honoring as you can see the rest of the scriptures that deal with the husband and how he is to treat his beloved wife, his greatest treasure. Even as an unbeliever God still holds him accountable for the leadership of the home and God will use her life to impact his, hopefully to His saving Grace. With that said, she have a voice, she IS important. She is never not commanded to roll over and play dead to all his demands. Dear friend, even in a marriage where both are unbelievers, two people must compromise. It is never one-sided. Why would it be with a believer-unbeliever marriage?  From a secular perspective…if they both were not saved, wouldn’t they have to compromise in marriage? Wouldn’t they have to care about what the other cares about to make the marriage work? Can a marriage work with two people being self-seeking and selfish about their time, money and talents? It can’t. The husband needs to understand what is important to his wife and respect it as he is supposed to love her.. (nevermind the high standard God has for him). Even an unbelieving husband should have such respect and love for his wife to allow her to be her. To seek after her interests, to pursue interests that make her happy so long as they are reasonable. A wife should always be able to speak to him in a loving manner, yet do not compromise her convictions and NEVER violate her conscience!

Marriage is about compromise, it is about BOTH parties making sacrifices for the other (christians or not!). See, today churches want to hold wives to the perfect biblical standard and let men off the hook as if the Bible doesn’t deal with how they are to conduct themselves. It is unfair to hold wives to a standard of perfection while never addressing the husbands. It is equally unfair to take scripture out of context to make women door mats. God warned solomon not to marry pagan women…why? Because a wife is the greatest influence in a man’s life. For good or for evil. How does a wife influence her husband? Have you ever seen a door mat influence anyone? No. A wife that is courageous, active in her husband’s life, seeking his best interest…loving him yet acting as a conscience him at times is what the Proverbs 31 woman was about. She was no door mat. She was strong, dedicated, loyal and most importantly made decisions in the household. She didn’t sit in the corner cooking supper waiting for her husband’s permission to LIVE…her priorities were set. God, her husband and her children first.

By the behavior of the wives – By the conduct of their wives. The meaning here is, that the habitual conduct of the wife was to be such as to show the reality and power of her relationship with Christ; to show that it had such influence on her temper, her words, her whole demeanor, to demonstrate that it is the power of God, real and active in her life. Her life will be a testimony of God’s grace and power to an unbelieving husband without her having to preach to him.

Second verse…

  Ephesians 5:24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Also the wives ought to be (subject) to their own husbands – subject ( hupotasso- Strong’s 5293) to place under. Speaking of an order in rank. The husband is to be the head of the wife, as Christ is his head and the wife is to place herself under her husband in rank in her home. Never usurp the leadership role.

This never speaks of a wife being a doormat, without opinions or value making her inferior but to avoid chaos it was so since the beginning of creation. Adam was the head, the wife was placed under him as his help meet. Not inferior, but holding a different role.

In everything – Pas- strong’s 3956- all, the whole, in every area…in context a wife is to place herself under the headship of her husband in all matters. A wife is never to usurp leadership of the home in any area of their lives. The husband is to be the head and she is to be the helper, never trying to exchange their roles as God told Eve her tendency would be…to rule over her husband (Gen 3:16).

This passage because it has been taken out of context with surrounding passages and has not been exegeted properly is used to tell christian women that they need to keep their mouth shuts in every area of life and that is nothing short of what Sharia teaches.

Christ would have never taught that knowing the value He places on his children and the amazing responsibility He relayed to husbands everywhere in scripture to care, nurture and cherish their precious wives.

Godly conduct should always be a wife’s number one priority, being a doormat is never in the bible. Submission is always spoken of in the context of headship, never making a woman LESS (inferior) than her husband. Christ loves his bride (the church) enough to give his own life for her. He didn’t hold anything back. Is the church in relationship to Christ a doormat without a voice, opinion, needs, desires etc? No. He didn’t ask of us to be doormats, he loved us unconditionally and such love leads us to repentance and to desire to obey Him. Even when the church is to submit to Christ as Lord, he desires a dialogue, a relationship. A relationship goes both ways…it is never a monologue. If he wanted robots without a will (door mats), he would have forced us all to love Him. He had all the power to do so. Yet He didn’t! He wants to be loved by us because we want to love Him after what He did for us. He cares about what we think, how we feel, our fears, our needs, our emotions…He wants to hear all of it. If Christ’s relationship with the church is supposed to be represented by a christian marriage then why on God’s green earth are we encouraging women to want anything less than what God created them to have?

A man who loves his wife, cares about her as an individual, respects her uniqueness and dwells with her in an understanding manner will hardly have an issue with his wife in this area.

 Ephesians 5: 22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,30because we are members of His body.31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

We need to understand that equality of men and women in value, does not mean sameness between the them in roles, as the three persons of the TRINITY are equal in deity, but different in role. Moreover , in case of TRINITY, THE SON submits to THE Father and HIS (SON’s) submission is HIS (FATHER’s) GLORY. Christ’s submission to God the father was out of His love for Him. God doesn’t “rule” over Christ, Christ submits His will to the fathers on His own to bring Glory to the father. Christ could have refused to submit to God the father as He is equal in deity, but He chose not to as it would be against His word and character. Submission does not mean rule over. It is a hierarchy that is intended to bring order.

How is a husband to love his wife?

From: www.ligonier.org

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.” (Col. 3:19, NKJV)

When God says, “Husbands, love your wives,” he speaks of the woman as a complex being. He calls every man to love his whole wife just as every man loves his whole self (Eph. 5:29). This means that a husband must do all he can to understand his wife’s world. What follows are eight admonitions to love our wives with respect to their various facets.

1. Love Her Heart—Emotional Love

The Bible uses the word “love” over 350 times. Almost 10% of these times are in the Song of Solomon (which comprises less than 0.5 percent of Scripture). One thing we learn from this is that a husband should use words to express his love for his wife. “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! O my dove…let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely” (Song 2:10). I know of no woman who wouldn’t love to hear her husband speak to her like that.

2. Love Her Mind—Intellectual Love

A loving husband graciously convinces his wife that, to him, she is the most important person in the world. By this I don’t mean that he persuades her that he will never leave her. That’s not good enough, of course. Does your wife know that you value her above all else? Intellectual love also means engaging your wife’s mind. Many men win the hand of their future wife by thoughtful, engaging, conversation. Too many men fail to take this habit into marriage.

3. Love Her Body—Physical Love

At the most basic level, by physical love a husband strives to meet his wife’s physical needs. An able man who consistently chooses not to provide for the physical needs of his wife does not love her. At the same time, men must help their wives steward God’s provisions in order to maximize their earnings.

Physical love is also complimentary. Your wife needn’t be a supermodel to receive regular, sincere, compliments. Physical love must be exclusive. Taking second looks at other women or carrying on about their beauty is destructive. Each man must strive to please his own wife (1 Cor. 7:3,33)

4. Love Her Soul—Spiritual Love

Men tend to be task-oriented. But often we neglect one of our greatest responsibilities; the cultivation of godliness in our wives. We need to become comfortable with the phrase, “as for me and my house” (Josh. 24:14-15). Joshua understood that as a covenant head, his choices had a profound impact of those under his care. He must always think of the spiritual good of his dependents.

This means making thoughtful, prayerful, decisions, even if they are unpopular. “We are going to church today even though that woman verbally hurt you last week. We must have family worship even with our busy schedule.” These are expressions of love.

5. Love Her Relationships—Relational Love

For couples with children, relational love may require a husband to protect his wife from her “closest relatives.” Be swift and firm to discipline children for disrespecting mom. Resist contradicting her in front of the children. Give her “time off” when necessary. Outside of the home, develop an interest in her friends. Help her to focus on friends that are best for her.

6. Love Her Humanity—Realistic Love

Be tender in your wife’s failures. She needs to know that you love her even if you are saddened by her sin. Be grateful that she is different than you. A loving husband sees his wife as God’s gift to him even if she is not perfect.

7. Love Her Calling—Supportive Love

If a wife’s greatest calling is to be submissive to her husband (Col. 3:18), a loving husband helps his wife to be submissive. Some wives never learn biblical submission because their husbands rarely set a positive example. They fight against the council of the church. They speak blasphemously of civil authorities. They complain about their employer’s policies. Yet they demand full submission from their wives. God says, all men must submit to proper authority (Rom. 13:1). You can hardly help your wife do this if you aren’t doing it yourself.

8. Love Her Maker—Theological Love

Ultimately, we are loveless because we love ourselves more than we love God and are dissatisfied with God’s provision. This means that the more you love God the better equipped you will be to truly love your wife.

By his matchless grace, God draws us to love him and empowers us to love others. Matthew Henry notes that the epistles which focus most on the glory of divine grace, and the majesty of the Lord Jesus, “are the most particular…in pressing the duties of the several relations.” The gospel is the good news that the Son of God “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Christ loves the whole Christian–heart, mind, body, soul–and every other part. Only as we come to terms with what that means will we be able to obey God’s word. “Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.”

Brief History…

At the time Christ was born, the Roman empire was in control over Israel. There were two types of taxes imposed on the Jewish people. A tax on your income and on your property. Rome was very systematic and unforgiving when it came to taxing the people of Israel. Tax collectors or publicans were viewed in the same way prostitutes and murderers were viewed. They gathered mercilessly from their own country men to give to wealthy Rome. They were traitors in the people’s minds.

Purpose…

Matthew is one of the most clear books in terms of authorship. All early manuscripts have Matthews name attached to it. Unanimously asserting Matthew’s (Levi’s) authorship.

One of the reasons we see the genealogy of Christ at the beginning of Matthew is because he is giving scriptural proofs of the Messiahship of Jesus. Matthew takes Jesus’ lineage all the way back to the nation’s inception in the Abrahamic Covenant. (See below for a detailed explanation of the Abrahamic Covenant.)

It concentrates on linking Jesus to King David, whose ‘son’ the Messiah was to be, & fits Him into the development of God’s purpose of salvation in the OT. The genealogy shows Christ’s right to reign as King of Israel. The genealogy places Jesus fully in line with the history of OT Israel. By organizing that history into a regular scheme of three groups of fourteen generations, it indicates that the time of preparation is now complete and that in Jesus the time of fulfillment has arrived.

Themes/ Outline…

~ Traces Jesus descent through the royal line of Judah, it stakes His claim to the title “King of the Jews”.

~ It establishes His status as “Son of David”, not only by emphasizing David’s place in the genealogy but by showing that Jesus is a legitimate heir to the throne by pedigree.

It is highly unusual for women to be mentioned in genealogies (there are at least 50 genealogies in the OT).

Matthew names five:

~ Tamar: canaanite woman who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah (Gen 38:13-30)
~ Rahab: a gentile & prostitute (Jos 2:1)
~ Ruth: moabite woman & worshiper or idols (Ruth 1:3)
~ Bathsheba: wife of Uriah, committed adultery with David (2 Samuel 11)
~ Mary: bore the stigma of pregnancy outside of marriage

All of these women are mentioned, most possibly as a testimony of God’s divine grace!

The difference between Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogy is that Luke records the actual physical genealogy of Joseph (the legal line) by way of ascention…starting with Jesus. Matthew’s genealogy is descending from Abraham to Jesus, recording the line of succession to the throne. The royal line. This genealogy establishes Jesus as Joseph’s legal heir.
~ Matthew shows the royal line.
~Luke shows the blood line.

The royal line could only come from the father. Since Joseph was not Jesus’ earthly father, his blood line (from Mary) had to be directly linked to the seed of David to be able to claim the throne. Through Joseph He gets the claim to the throne and through Mary he gets the claim of being from the blood of David.

David had two sons; Solomon & Nathan.
Joseph is a descendant of Solomon while Mary is a descendant of Nathan. Both from the tribe of Judah, both from the house of David. Making Christ the only ligitament heir to the throne of David.

Pedigree was of the utmost importance to the Jews. If anybody was going to claim to be King, they must prove it by way of pedigree.

After the conquest of caanan (the land flowing with milk and honey), it was essential to determine what your tribe/heritage was so that you knew where you were to live because the land was divided into sections for each tribe.

Example: in Numbers 26 &35 – you had to know your tribe, heritage and location of your father’s house so that you could identify the right section of land for you to live. Tribal identification was essential.

Also, in Ezra 2:62 – After the Babylonian captivity, when the Jews started coming back to Israel, some were claiming to be priests (the tribe of Levi). A pedigree was essential to prove where they came from. If this did not show them as descendants from the tribe of Levi they were removed from priesthood.

In Romans 11:1 Paul lays out his pedigree.
I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Today there isn’t a Jew in the world that can prove by pedigree what tribe they are from. All this information has been lost. Jesus Christ was the last verifiable claimant to the throne of David.

This is not an exhaustive genealogy. Several additional generations must have elapsed between Rahab (Joshua’s time) & David…nearly 400 years later. It is speculated this was done in order to abbreviate the listing.

Abrahamic Covenant

A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required nothing of Abraham. Genesis 15:18-21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants.

The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. The only time that both parties of a covenant would pass between the pieces of animals (animal sacrifices) was when the fulfillment of the covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments. Concerning the significance of God alone moving between the halves of the animals, it is to be noted that it is a smoking furnace and a flaming torch, representing God, not Abraham, which passed between the pieces. Such an act, it would seem, should be shared by both parties, but in this case it is doubtless explained by the fact that the covenant is principally a promise by God. He is the one who binds Himself. God caused a sleep to fall upon Abraham so that he would not be able to pass between the two halves of the animals. Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone.

God determined to call out a special people for Himself through whom He would bring blessing to all the nations. The Abrahamic Covenant is paramount to a proper understanding of the kingdom concept and is foundational to Old Testament theology. (1) The Abrahamic Covenant is described in Genesis 12:1–3 and is an unconditional covenant. There are no conditions attached to it (no “if” clauses, suggesting its fulfillment is dependent on man). (2) It is also a literal covenant in which the promises should be understood literally. The land that is promised should be understood in its literal or normal interpretation—it is not a figure of heaven. (3) It is also an everlasting covenant; the promises that God made to Israel are eternal.

There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant:

1. The promise of land (Genesis 12:1). God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans to a land that He would give him (Genesis 12:1). This promise is reiterated in Genesis 13:14–18 where it is confirmed by a shoe covenant (a binding agreement see Ruth 4:7); its dimensions are given in Genesis 15:18–21 (precluding any notion of this being fulfilled in heaven). The land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is also expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1–10, which is the Palestinian Covenant.

2. The promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2). God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation out of him. Abraham, who was 75 years old and childless (Genesis 12:4), was promised many descendants. This promise is amplified in Genesis 17:6 where God promised that nations and kings would descend from the aged patriarch. This promise (which is expanded in the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12–16) would eventuate in the Davidic throne with Messiah’s kingdom rule over the Hebrew people.

3. The promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). God promised to bless Abraham and the families of the earth through him. This promise is amplified in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Hebrews 8:6–13) and has to do with “Israel’s spiritual blessing and redemption.” Jeremiah 31:34 anticipates the forgiveness of sin. The unconditional and eternal nature of the covenant is seen in that the covenant is reaffirmed to Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 26:3–4). The “I will” promises suggest the unconditional aspect of the covenant. The covenant is further confirmed to Jacob (Genesis 28:14–15). It is noteworthy that God reaffirmed these promises amidst the sins of the patriarchs, which further emphasizes the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant.

God’s method of fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant is literal, inasmuch as God partially fulfilled the covenant in history: God blessed Abraham by giving him the land (Genesis 13:14–17); God blessed him spiritually (Genesis 13:8, 18; 14:22, 23; 21:22); God gave him numerous descendants (Genesis 22:17; 49:3–28). The important element of the Abrahamic Covenant, however, demands a future fulfillment with Messiah’s kingdom rule:

(1) Israel as a nation will possess the land in the future. Numerous Old Testament passages anticipate the future blessing of Israel and her possession of the land as promised to Abraham. Ezekiel envisions a future day when Israel is restored to the land (Ezekiel 20:33–37, 40–42; 36:1–37:28).

(2) Israel as a nation will be converted, forgiven, and restored (Romans 11:25–27).

(3) Israel will repent and receive the forgiveness of God in the future (Zechariah 12:10–14). The Abrahamic Covenant finds its ultimate fulfillment in connection with the return of Messiah to rescue and bless His people Israel. It is through the nation Israel that God promised in Genesis 12:1–3 to bless the nations of the world. That ultimate blessing will issue in the forgiveness of sins and Messiah’s glorious kingdom reign on earth.

From: Gotquestions.org

I want to start by saying that I have personally spoken to Dr. Clarke via emails and he is a real humble, down to earth guy who, after reading his articles and listening to him on the radio will leave you saying “YES! finally, someone who loves the Lord and is biblically grounded on how a healthy, God honoring marriage is supposed to look like!” It is a breath of fresh air. Modern christian counseling is mostly based on pshycology. The focus is the changing of external behavior patterns instead of addressing the internal issues of the heart. It only addresses the symptoms instead of treating the problem. I have heard so many counselors who mean well tell a woman in marriages where the husband has a severe porn issue or has committed adultery (physical or in the heart as Christ says) that it is her job to win her husband back, that she is to stay with an adulterer who refuses to change, that she is to submit to such man… it is beyond heart breaking. Yet, does it truly work? Absolutely NOT! Why? Because most people do not understand that the bible is written in a perfect world…let me elaborate. “In a perfect world” a husband would love his wife as Christ loves the church and his wife will submit to him and respect him. When the Bible says “wives submit to your husbands in everything” it is assuming that “husbands love their wives as Christ loves the church.” THAT is the perfect scenerio. Yet we preach a wife to submit without holding the man accountable to his responsibility to love and honor her as the God appointed head, high priest and leader. We ask wives to submit while we let men off the hook without addressing their sin issues. No one likes addressing sin anymore. This is why Dr. Clarke is a breath of fresh air. This man not only understands scripture, he underdstanfs how we ought to apply it in a fallen world. He understands how sinners work. If you let them “off the hook” chances are they WILL continue to sin. You see, that is the nature of sinners. Without being faced to change , to repent and to turn to holy living…we are like pigs who roll in the mud or a dig that goes back to it’s vomit. I believe what he teaches, I believe it is biblical. As a teacher/counselor myself (nowhere near his expertise and wisdom, nontheless my gifting and call)…I have seen first hand that the approach of “love him regardless “, “do not address his sin” etc DOES NOT WORK! It leaves women depressed, hopeless in situations God never intended and bound by a covenant that was broken and continues to be broken by the very man they committed their lives to. THERE IS NO GREATER betrayal.  If you are in a situation with your spouse that requires repentance and you aren’t getting anywhere, Dr.Clarke’s book is for you! Read the article below and the attached link to order his book! 🙂

BRING YOUR MARRIAGE BACK FROM THE DEAD

Here I am folks, hazelnut-caramel-coconut coffee in hand, 3 sleeping babes (and one that refuses to nap but I gave her organic popcorn and put a movie on so I can escape to the almost unfamilair writing world), and a heart full of convictions.

It’s been too long. Lack of inspiration for the most part. See, I mostly write when I am inspired. I could not muster such inspiration in the midst of adrenal fatigue and being sick for the past 2 months. We now have 5 beautiful little ones, well, one not so little. My oldest will be 11 this month. OHHHH MYYY GOSHHH, I will have a teen in 2 years! :O

No, but really…I am super excited about this stage in his life. He is the most amazing young man I have ever had the privilege of meeting. He is loyal, loving, dedicated and sweetest boy EVER! He is definitively set apart for the Lord. See, I will not get to do certain things in my life because of my past/sins but Franky will. Just like David and Solomon. 🙂 I pray for nothing more than for God to bless my babies with salvation and wisdom.

Abby, the latest little Lightner is 6 months now. She is the sweetest thing ever ( well, by now you should get used to me saying this! LOL). She is such a constant source of Joy in my life, I don’t know what I would do without that little princess.

Having all 4 in 4 1/2 years (for a while there I had 4 under 4 and in diapers!), my adrenal glands were seriously exhausted! I did a round of whole food supplements which made the fatigue disappear but lo and behold, it came back when I finished my supp. So I found myself nearly at crashing point with no parachute. I am on a second round of whole food supplements and im starting to feel better.

During this time I have had time to think, get convicted on a few things and learn about the infinite grace of God. I am a type A. I need things in order the way they need to be done (according to your highness me, if that isn’t bad enough!) Being as fatigued as I was I just couldn’t do it all. No my house was not a mess (not completely) but not good enough to my standards, so I did alot of beating myself up over it. Which brought me to thinking..hmmm…I am always measuring myself ( my salvation to be specific) according to Jesus’ perfection hence I am always coming up short and it’s depressing. He is the standard…I know this…but my salvation is not dependent on “my abilities”, “my standards” or what I think is “good enough”. Even with all the theology I possess, I still have times in the valleys like everyone else. No one is exempt from valleys. The apostle Paul had them too. Spurgeon suffered from crippling spiritual depression and so did Calvin…I mean great men of faith dealt with severe valleys in their lives. Internal struggles. I have always known and believed that salvation is by faith alone. But somehow, without even knowing it, I always measured my salvation according to what I am currently doing or not doing for God. Let me explain. If my prayer life is improving then God is happy with me. If I am being “nicer” to people, “holier” or whatever the case may be THEN God is happy with me. Needles to say when my prayer life was nearly non-existent and I was less than “nice” God was furious with me, He had abandoned me, I was not saved and I am going to hell. Yep. That will plummet any good christian into deep despair. You would of thought I knew better!

Having 3 toddlers and an Infant to care for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is a huge responsibility. Especially when your health is failing you. Throughout my day I prayed. I thank God for my kids, for my blessings, for whatever I can think of. Always keeping God in mind, always reciting scripture in my head but never having the time or energy to be on my knees for 30 minutes or do a bible study hours on end. This is the reality of the season I am in right now. God understands that. My husband works 60 hours a week and I take care of everything and everyone in the home by myself. When I crash on my rocking chair at night, my heart cries out “Abba, forgive me for my lack of faith, forgive me for the times I dishonored you today and for being less than gracious to my kids, forgive me for not wanting to pray…Abba I am soooooo very tired! Will you please restore to me the joy of your salvation? Would you please have mercy on me and give me the time to spend with you without little ones tugging on me (I cant even go potty without tiny ppl…I mean that WOULD be a vacation, nonetheless do a bible study) and when I have the time ( at 10 pm) would you give me the desire to pour myself into your word?”

I am so tired, so very tired of reading blogs on “you should always put God first in your life, the first thing in the morning you should do is to spend time in the word…read your bible for a few hours daily…study your bible daily…blah blah blah.” I seriously wonder what planet some of these ppl come from? You know what, I am not knocking down those moms that CAN wake up at 4am to read their bibles with little ones in the home. If you are one of those, you are a blessing and my hat is off to you. But if I go to bed at 11-12 after my babes last feeding to wake up at 5 before my children…I would end up in the hospital. But me….I am not a supermom…I am not some super spiritual being. I am an exhausted human being in this season in life. There will come a time when I can get up earlier and read my bible…there will be a time when I can do bible studies because my littles will be more independent. Right now, this season…everyone needs mom. My older son needs me, my 3 toddlers are very demanding (my 2 girls wake up 3 times at night to come to our bed!) my infant depends on me for everything. So my time of sleep is precious and a much-needed source of energy. My Lord knows that. That doesn’t mean I am putting God last. That doesn’t mean I am less than others. That doesn’t mean I am less committed. That means I AM IN THE SEASON OF BABES.

I think this is the hardest part to understand for young moms. They are so very hard on themselves. Dragging a bucket of guilt around. I didn’t pray enough. I didn’t read my bible enough. I didn’t…..yackity yack enough. LOL Whatever you may feel you are failing in. As if real spirituality HAS to look a certain way at all times! If that is the case, neither Spurgeon nor Calvin were spiritual enough! How do men who are immersed in the WORD suffer from crippling spiritual depression? But can I tell you mamas that God knows your heart?! He surely does! Dont let someone guilt trip you because they have both time and energy to do things you honestly just can’t right now. You be faithful to God in what He has given you and thrive in the season you are in. Sometimes motherhood is messy. Different seasons require different things from us. God knows if you don’t want anything to do with Him or if your heart cries out to Him in the midst of REAL LIFE. See, real life is me caring for the blessings God has entrusted to me. Real life is not me neglecting my children in order to feel more spiritual. Feelings like this seek to bring us back under the LAW. We are no longer under the LAW my friends, we are under GRACE!

We no longer have to seek to get on God’s good side. If you are found in Christ, you will never be plucked from His hand! You don’t have to perform like a circus monkey to be “good with God”. Now don’t misunderstand what I am saying, by no means do I say we are not to live by biblical principles. If we love Christ, our lives will show it, no matter how many times you mess up (I mess up DAILY!). What I am saying is that if you find yourself in a difficult season in life, or are battling spiritual depression like Spurgeon and Calvin did HANG ON! Stop comparing your walk with the walks of others, stop thinking that if you do not have this specific pattern of religious activities you are less than spiritual.

Love your God with all your heart. Let God love on you as His child. This (season) too shall pass. HOWEVER you can, draw near to Him. Sometimes this looks like ” me on my rocking chair crying out to God in exhaustion for grace and mercy!” Not necessarily….being on your knees 1 hour a day, fasting 2 times a week and doing 3 bible studies weekly. There is no formula for the “perfect” spiritual walk…THAT is what I am trying to say. You don’t HAVE to read a devo every morning IN ORDER to be ok with God or be MORE spiritual. If you are led to do so, I highly encourage it. It surely helps when you wake up to a devo but many moms feel so guilty because they don’t follow a “specific pattern” during a given season in life it sends them into depression.

There’s no need for that. There are some seasons in life that do not have any specific pattern and that’s ok.

I learned that God loves me despite my failures, my lack of super bible studies and theological genius (hardly) posts. He loves me because I am His child. He loves it when I talk to Him throughout the day with a thankful heart even though I dont get to be on my knees. He loves me unconditionally. His loves never depended on me. I didnt earn it, I don’t deserve it and I can’t do anything to lose it.

May your prayer be…”Lord even though I am not on my knees daily, my heart lives bowing down before your throne!”

God is in the business of encouraging moms. He loves to see a faithful woman training the next generation of godly offspring. He understands when you are weary…bring it to Him. He understands when you are tired and don’t want to pray and pray for Him to grant you the desire. Remember the apostles fell asleep in the Garden with Jesus. They were tired….awfully tired. Did God take their ministry away because of their short comings? Did He change His mind on the face of their seemingly lack of…well….interest in Him? No. Because He called them knowing they would fail at times.

We may fail at times but He who called you is faithful.

Love Him where you are at, with what you have and He will take care of the rest. No your life right now may not look as tidy as the woman who doesn’t have small children but that doesn’t make you less spiritual or a failure!

THAT makes YOU a woman who is in a different season in life. That’s all!

DO NOT compare yourself to other women who seem to “have it all together”…I do that too much…Give yourself some grace while going through a difficult season…if God readily gives you such grace why do you deny it to yourself?

Confession: I AM NOT SUPERWOMAN, I AM NOT INVINCIBLE…I am a fallen human being, saved by God’s amazing Grace trying to navigate this thing called the christian LIFE, being as faithful as I can to my God and Savior and THAT’S OK! I don’t need to be everyone else. I don’t need to be super anything for God to love me! I am a super nobody that a Great, Majestic, Beautiful God raised from a life of dirt to proclaim His truth and set His people FREE. Free from sin, free from comparison, free from guilt…and ONLY the abundant LOVE of the savior can do that! God didn’t choose people who “had it all together” to call to be the greatest men on earth (the apostles). He called broken, nobody’s that needed His grace and knew that without HIM they are nothing. THOSE are the kind of people God uses. The broken, nobody’s that depend on His mercy and grace!

Whatever you did yesterday, however you may have messed it up….today is a brand new day. Ask for forgiveness ( 1 John 1:9) and move on! Peter asked for forgiveness, he didn’t walk around beating himself over his past sin. He would have missed the great things God had in store for Him and perhaps you are too sweet friend!

I love you all and that’s what’s been going on in my little world… I am glad to get it off my chest! LOL 🙂 I feel much better now!

My <3, Laire

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Chip Ingram ( one of my favorite parenting teachers) series on Love, Sex and Lasting Relationships. What it looks like from a biblical standpoint and what hollywood’s message is today. The difference between LOVE & INFATUATION. If you have a pre-teen/ teen this is a MUST!

These are the first two videos of the entire series. You can listen to the entire series on Chip’s site below. 🙂

Living on the Edge by Chip Ingram.