For the Men

Fathers, love your daughters, because they will marry someone like you.
Fathers, teach your sons, because they will be men.
Men, do not say I love you to a woman unless you are ready for that commitment, words bind and if not ...spoken in truth can wound.
Husbands, love your wives, lead her with a gentle hand, cover her with your prayers, comfort her with your arms, let your words be edifying, build her up, do not tear her down, she follows you as you follow Christ, do not lead her astray.
Men, do not let your hands become idle or your family will be hungry.
Men, follow hard after God, you will need His strength as you lay your lives down daily and you will need His wisdom as you lead.

Remember who you are and who He is and who He has called you to be and trust that He has equipped you for your purpose. Do not slumber, be vigilant. Watch over your house or the thief will come in and steal what is yours. Rise up, men of God and take your place. Do not look for an exit or an excuse, you made a commitment when you put that mantle on. Trust God to finish what He has begun in you. Let Him love others through you. Bring healing, not wounds.

For the Women

Women, remove your mask and be the woman God has called you to be. Do not be independent, but be dependent on God. There is a difference between independence and strength. Let your strength be that inward quiet beauty that God loves; let it radiate through you.

Quit demanding respect. God has a plan and a purpose for everyone; men and women. Do not usurp the man's position by dem...anding yours.

If you are single, do not look for that perfect man... he does not exist. Work on you and let your Heavenly Father, who is perfect, bring your husband to you. Do not awaken love before it's time. Remember, you were purchased at a great price, the blood of Jesus has redeemed you. You are a precious treasure, not a cheap trinket. You are to be cherished. Do not give your body and your heart and your soul away to a man who is not your husband. In God's time He will bring that man to you. That man will only find you if he is chasing after God. So, be so hidden in Him that you will not be deceived by the counterfeit. God wants much more for you. Trust God's standards.

Mothers, teach your daughters to be women. Let your speech be gentle, truthful and non-demanding. Do not belittle your daughters father, build him up. Be grounded in Gods Word and not the world.

Wives, honor your husbands. Build your home to be a refuge for him. Keep the fire hot, the world is a cold place, he needs your warmth. Respect your husband, he has the responsibility to be head of your home. Do not take lightly his burden of accountability to lead. Be his helpmeet. Stand beside him, watch for his blind spots and cover him in prayer.

It is not the paycheck that determines the head of the home, it is God. Because He loves you, He has designed the blueprint for marriage. Trust Him.

You cannot change your husband, only God can do that. Your husband needs a wife, a helpmeet; not a mother, a boss or a competitor.

Know who you are and Who He is and who you are in Him.

Let your family rise and call you blessed.

Hope

The orphans have a Father - Psalm 68:5 
The widow has a husband - Isaiah 61:10 
The sick are healed - Psalms 103:2-3 
The oppressed are now free - Galatians 5:1 
The hungry have bread - John 6:33-35 
The thirsty have water - John 4:13-14 
The mourner has comfort - Matthew 5:4 
The blind now see - Psalms 146:8 
The deaf now hear - Isaiah 35:5 
The mute now sing - Luke 1:64…
The lame walk - Matthew 11:5-6 
The weak are made strong - Isaiah 40:29-31 
The lost are found - 1 Peter 2:25 
The condemned are saved - John 5:24 
The depressed are filled with joy - Isaiah 49:13 
The rejected are now accepted Isaiah 53:5

Secrets That Kill

I am thankful to God for sending a man into my life to speak a truth to me. Sometimes we say ouch, but if we allow God to do His work in us and understand that He disciplines those He loves, we can learn and grow from it.

Of course, this brought me into some repenting and God spoke to my heart. Thank you, Jim, for pointing out what should have been the obvious, there is no protection in a lie.

Assaults come from every direction. We try to do right, but in our own strength, we cannot. In reflection, we have to ask, what is the root cause.

So, here is what I heard this morning during my quiet time with Jesus.  

John 11:39,40

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Do you see it? Jesus said roll that stone away. But, he will stink, they said. Roll that stone away!

When we do a spring clean in our house, we open the windows to let the light in and to let the fresh air in to get rid of that staleness. Is it time to do some house cleaning? I am not talking about our house, I am talking about us.

What have we hid in our tomb? What secrets do we have that we do not want to expose, because it brings shame? Do we think that if we pretend it does not exist that it will eventually be forgotten? Our sins are forgiven when confessed, not with time. You have heard that time heals all wounds? In this case it is not true. Denial does not mean it does not exist. Let us not ignore the elephant in the room.

There is no place for shame (which is really pride) if we want deliverance. There can be no secrets, what is hidden must be exposed.

Hidden secrets are lies. Satan is the father of lies. Hiding in shame (pride) is partnership with the devil. Whose child are you?

We must expose the darkness. Secrets are always kept in darkness. We must let the light in. We stumble in the dark, Jesus brings light so that we can see and not stumble. We must remove the stumbling block of sin. If we hide our sins, we hide from God.

If we refuse deliverance, we do not accept the healing only God can bring.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

Even sins committed against us can be used as a hindrance to deliverance. We must release the offender to Jesus so that we can be free of injuries against us, to be healed. We must trust that God is the judge.

We cannot hold onto insult, hatred, offense, or grudge. God is the defender of the offended. He will bring recompense  We heap coals on our enemies heads when we choose to forgive and walk in love.

Sins that we have committed must be confessed. True repentance is acknowledging AND admitting a wrong (sin) and then turning away from it.

If we hide our sin, our foundation is built on a lie. What is built on a weak foundation will crumble. Confession brings healing, forgiveness brings strength and truth will set you free.

Be Free & Stay Free

Good works aren't good enough

It is not being good that will get you into Heaven. Try as hard as you may, but in your own strength and given to your own devices, this will not do it. Your goodness is not the ticket to Heaven.

Nor is:

• going to church
• singing in the choir
• taking a vow of poverty
• being wealthy
• giving all of your money to causes
• not drinking, smoking, or any other thing you view as wrong
• not stealing
• being kind
• volunteering
• working in ministry
• preaching to thousands
• being faithful to your spouse

The list can go on and on, but you get the point.

Our own righteousness is like a filthy rag Isaiah 64:6.  When we hold ourselves to the law  we will always fall short. There is no way we can fulfill the law. If we break one, we are guilty of breaking them all. There is a price for violating the law and the judge is a just judge and He can not let the guilty go free.

But there is a way!

Thanks be to God, our fine has been paid. Our debt has been paid. It is through this free gift that we can be sure of our salvation. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me."

Let everything you do be to the glory of God. Don't let your good works be for nothing.

For God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Be Free and Stay Free

Freedom!

Have you ever wanted something so much that you were willing to pay any price to get it? Make any sacrifice and give all you have for this one thing? Maybe it was a relationship, an object, or a position?

When we have obtained something at a great cost, we cherish it and protect it. It is valuable to us, even if others do not see it's value.

We display it and we guard it so that it will not be lost, broken or stolen. Because we know the price that we have paid for it, we will not be convinced by anyone, or anything, that it is not worth it.

Stop! Before you continue to read this, pause for a moment and think about this.

Then read Ephesians 1:3-14.

I have wanted many things. Some I have obtained and some I haven't. I was willing to sacrifice much to take hold of what I saw as valuable. But, I was never willing, nor did I consider, laying my own life down, or the lives of my children, to receive what I thought was valuable.

Yet, this is what God did for us. He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son, Jesus. We belonged to sin and the end results would lead us to death (or hell, if I can speak bluntly). But because of His redemption, His grace and His mercy, we belong to Him now. We are His treasures and He paid a great price for us.

Death no longer has a hold on us. Fear has been evicted. There is no more condemnation. We have only assurance that God loves us so much that He gave His only Son for us. Who the Son has set free is free indeed.

So...open your eyes and raise your hands and stand firm on this truth: I am blessed and highly favored and nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, can separate me from the love of God.

Be free and stay free!

Real Love

If we have not experienced the unconditional love and affection of our fathers while growing up, we may find ourselves in toxic relationships; or unsatisfying, at the most.

As little girls we yearn to be loved and protected by our fathers. If that need was not met we become women who will accept anyone (or anything) who will offer to fill that need. Often, what they offer is a counterfeit and before we realize it we are sucked into another relationship that heaps coals onto our fire of doubt, insecurity, fear and self-hatred.

This is not an issue of intelligence, but a matter of the heart.

A wounded heart that is unable to self love will struggle with boundaries. Our mind may know that a person is not right for us, but our emotional need to fill a void will tolerate almost anything.

Do you find history repeating itself? Are you giving more to a relationship than you are receiving? Is your fear of being alone greater than your courage to walk away?

I have heard women say "love has eluded me." Honestly, I admit, that I too have echoed these words. I have wondered if would ever experience love and I have found myself settling. It is not a good feeling, is it? What I have learned, and am still learning, is there is no man out there that can fill this void.

When we have not experienced the love of our fathers, we have no standard to measure the love of a man. Without this, we set our standards low, and because we do not value ourselves, we find ourselves with men who devalue us. We fall in love too easy and we are crushed when it is not reciprocated. We, unfairly, demand that a man love and value us, when we can't even love or value ourselves.

We mask our insecurities with false independence. We brush off assaults and "act" strong. We cry, we become bitter, untrusting, and then we hop into another relationship. With each new relationship we have hopes and illusion that 'this time he is the one'. We ignore red flags, we stifle our fears, we act on impulse and we become foolish women.

Do not awaken love until the time is right - Song of Solomon 2:7

When is the time right? You will know you are ready for love when you have first fallen in love with yourself. To love yourself you must first meet the true love of your Father. I am not talking about your earthly, biological father. I am talking about your Heavenly Father. Your real Father who you can cry out to as 'Abba, Father' (Galatians 4:6) He is not a man sitting in the clouds somewhere and unapproachable. He is with you right now and He cares for you.

We must first know who He is and who He created us to be. We must accept His unconditional love and receive His affections toward us.

Dear woman, you are His creation, His daughter. He does not love as man does, His love is flawless. He is faithful. He is strong. He is patient. He is kind and He sees you as beautiful and worthy.

Cultivate your relationship with Jesus before you attempt a relationship with a man. Until you fully understand how much He adores you, and trust Him, you will continue in one empty relationship after another.

You are so worth it! You are beautiful! You are the precious daughter of the King, take your position.

Be Free & Stay Free!