Marriage

Marriage

Why is it that so many people stay in relationships for long periods of time or have children, but don’t get married? Why is it so prevalent amongst my generation in general? I have actually been wondering this for a little over a decade now, but never cared enough to spend time thinking about it.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Value of a Friend

⁹ Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
¹¹ Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I am surprised at how my generation has almost completely diminished the sanctity and importance of marriage. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t hear someone say “why get married you’re already with the person.” Or “If you get married you’ll end up in divorce .” When I hear all of this it makes me frustrated because I believe marriage is an important and beautiful commitment that anyone can make, of course after getting saved.

If you are one of those who think that marriage is a set up for divorce, think about your relationships, how many times have you broken up with someone whether you are still with the person or not…now replace the word ‘breakup’ with ‘divorce’. Isn’t divorce a separation of two people? Well then technically you’ve been divorced several times over, so why not get married? What’s the worst that can happen…you breakup with the person.

If divorce/separation is your biggest fear, then make better mate decisions! No relationship is ever going to be perfect so stop thinking that marriage is only for those who ‘think’ they have a perfect relationship or were trapped into getting married.

Ephesians 5:25-29

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Commitment is necessary in life and in Christ. You can’t run away from marriage forever, you will have to choose to be equally yolked with someone or be in and out of relationships like you did in elementary school. 

Success

Luke 12:15

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

Success is measured by where you live, what you drive, how big your house is, how much money you make, where you work, how you speak and how you dress….according to society.

However in the Kingdom of God NONE of that matters-the homeless man laying down under the bridge of the inner city is EQUAL with the man who designed and funded the bridge. We are all equal in Christ. Only in Christ can you take advantage of the equality because outside of Him you are being ranked in importance and taken out ruthlessly if you don’t pose a benefit or as a threat to the world system.

Because the world is so materialistic driven it can be hard,more so for the younger generations to go through life without falling pray to the wants/yearns for the latest ‘things’ that everyone else has. Myself included, it can become an addiction for some-that they want so much to be accepted by others that they would go in debt or even steal just to attain those ‘things’.

suc·cess  

/səkˈses/

Noun 1.      The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

Success in the Kingdom is walking in your purpose with peace, joy and abundance. No where in that does it mention all the ‘things’ you bought for show…

Rich Man

Luke 12:16-17

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

In the world wealthy men in movies and television shows have been depicted as evil and conniving people. We all know that this not entirely true, however the abundance of money, things, and notoriety can get to anyone’s head whether saved or unsaved. This is why not all Christians are wealthy-this is for one of two reasons: those Christians haven’t learned or mastered the promises of God in which “You have what you say” and that you will have witty ideas and inventions OR God knows that if He blessed them in such a way that they will abandon Him and fall back into sin thus destroying themselves at the hand of their blessing.

No one can lie and say that whenever they get paid, are gifted or sold something for money that they don’t feel good. Now imagine that feeling times a 100! This is why those who are still in the world struggle with balancing their humbleness and their new authority which ultimately turns into greed or arrogance automatically. It’s harder for an unbeliever but it it’s still hard for those who are believers in Christ because along with such a large financial gain comes with people that want to sing your praises in order to take from you or those who want to tear you down at any cost.

There is NOTHING wrong with being wealthy! It’s the fact that you have to be prepared for the temptation and arrogance that will try to creep in. Keep God first and be yielded to His spirit and you won’t be led astray by the money and all the things that follow after it.

Leaving your father’s teachings behind…

In Genesis chapter 12, Abram (Abraham) was told by to leave his father’s teachings behind to move forward into his purpose.

This still applies today. This implies both literally and figuratively, our parents do their best to teach us things that will help form us into law abiding citizens and well-rounded people. However, when it comes to the things of God, we can rely on our parent’s teachings alone, we have to follow the word of God to.

A lot of times those things that our parents have taught us are errors and we cannot accept those errors just because that’s what you were taught. I use to say “well how was I supposed to know,I wasn’t raised like that…”  When I look back at that sentence I realized that I was allowing what I was taught by my parents prevent me from maturing in God.

Mama and Daddy aren’t always right,even though we still have to respect and obey them as long as it does not interfere with what is right in God’s eyes. You can not be limited to what you were taught by others, you have to be able to learn and adapt to new things because in order to walk the path to our purpose everything is not going to be familiar. For someone who doesn’t like surprises and likes routine and familiarity like me, God will help us branch out little by little according to what He knows we are capable of handling.

I believe that it is important to know that your walk/purpose may not be revealed to you until you are 90 years old, so don’t let the fact that you haven’t discovered what you purpose is discourage you, just know it will be revealed in due time and just stay focused on the Lord. I used to think that I was so behind in life and in my walk because I wasn’t sure what my purpose is, even to the point of anxiety that I wouldn’t find it. It was reassuring to hear in church today, that we have no need to be in hurry or feel left out because we haven’t found it yet.

Don’t give up hope and don’t let previous teachings of our loved ones hinder our growth.

Why?

John 9:31

New King James Version (NKJV)

³¹ Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

I have heard people make comments about “if God exists why would he allow children abductions and natural disasters?”

It is never God’s will for a child to be abducted or natural disasters to rip through the land, HOWEVER if those who ask these questions would believe in Him and read His word, you would see that man has free will, has power in their tongue, demons exist, we are born sinners, and must repent/bind/cast down thoughts/imaginations.

For example if your child runs towards a lit fireplace and there is a small see through barrier in front of it,  knocks it down and sticks their hand in the fire and gets burned, do you blame the barrier for allowing the child to be burned? Or do you re exam your approach and make change in the way you teach your child about safety?

God is that barrier in front of the fireplace preventing you from being harmed by life’s circumstances, yet unbelievers and some believers knock Him out of the way and then blame Him for not protecting them when they were ‘running’ towards danger -even though they have no relationship with Him and ONLY call on Him when they are in trouble.

On another note…children under the age of accountability are at the mercy of their parents or guardians, it’s up to the guardian to protect them, pray over them and guide them by the word of God, if the guardians doesn’t do these things let alone believe in Jesus they have left several ‘doors’/opportunities for ANYTHING to happen to their family-the child automatically goes to heaven while the guardians are left to get themselves together.

He LOVES us soo much that He gave His only begotten son to die on the cross for ALL of us and yet people sit up murmuring and complaining about Christianity and how God doesn’t prevent ALL the bad in the world. We all have to take accountability for the world that we live in and bind the enemy and close every demonic door-but until then we will have crimes happen natural disasters in which the enemy uses to his advantage. 

Guard Your Tongue

Proverbs 13:3

New International Version (NIV)

³ Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

Watching what we say is one the most challenging tasks to do as a Christian, but it is so important to do. The Lord has given ALL of us, as human beings, the ability to speak forth things in to existence, because of this-whatever we will come to pass.

Phrases like….

“It’s to die for”

“I’ll die without…”

“I’m going crazy”

“I was worried sick about…”

“I can’t live without…”

“I always have a problem with…”

“I can never figure out how to…”

“I’m always broke”

“No one appreciates me”

“I can never fall asleep”

“I will never be good at…”

“I’m just a weakling”

“I’m such an idiot”

“I always get anxiety when…”

“I’m so sad that…”

And so much more…

All of these words speak ‘death’ in to our lives, because these words represent the things we don’t want to happen or become a part of us. Who would actually give their life up for a fudge brownie?? Then why say “this brownie is to die for”

We must catch ourselves and even others, whether they are believers or not. We can’t be the reason that we have reoccurring issues in our lives because we jokingly or nonchalantly use words that we don’t believe.

Tongues

Acts 11:1-27

New King James Version (NKJV)

Peter Defends God’s Grace

¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

There are different ways to receive the Holy Spirit. Some churches may say you can only get it by saying “Jesus,Jesus” nonstop until you start speaking in tongues, others say you have to lay hands on the person, and some say that you already have the Holy Spirit in you when you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

You have to openly invite the Holy Spirit to come in you and the initial evidence of it is the ability to speak in tongues. Some people may not want the infilling for the Holy Spirit, but they have to know that with the indwelling comes power-power to perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead, to pray the things that you don’t know to pray and so much more. There is no reason not to yield to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill you with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

Acts 13:1-3

King James Version (KJV)

13 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

² As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

³ And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Another way to become filled with the Holy Spirit is to have someone like a pastor or another believer to lay hands on you and pray for the infilling. This is just another way to receive the Spirit.

Others may receive it when they’re alone in their room praying. Just know that the Holy Spirit has to be invited in in order to have that power and to speak in tongues, which also leads to the development of the fruits of the spirit…