Monday, August 31, 2015

The Exception Clause and Permanence of Marriage


This was a difficult post for me to write. I'm still not certain that what I write here is biblically sounds but I am always searching for Truth. Sharing Truth is MUCH more important to me than sharing my opinions. I am a Truth-seeker. I don't want to give my opinions in areas of eternal significance. I want to examine Scriptures carefully to see what God's Word teaches concerning godliness, not mine. Here is what John Piper had to say about opinions verses speaking Truth:

Don’t just spread opinions, but yes, do give careful, well-reasoned, biblically saturated, well informed, compassionate, Christ-exalting, humble convictions about the issues of our day. There is not enough of that. There is plenty of opinion, but there is not enough of that. Then let the chips fall where they will. If you get criticized, you get criticized. If we stop speaking because we are afraid of criticism of stirring up people’s slandering us, we will never communicate in any public forum. Don’t be intimidated by negative feedback.
Don’t stop speaking and living the truth. Do stop the buckshot of opinion scattering, but don’t stop the well-aimed rifle bullet of truth at the stronghold of error.

The exception clause that Jesus gave about divorce "except it be for fornication" baffles me. The verses in Mark 10:2-12 concerning the same words of Jesus on this issue don't give the exception clause. Luke 16:18 doesn't either. In fact, in Matthew, when asked by the Pharisees if a man can put away his wife, Jesus plainly answered that from the beginning He made them male and female; a man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife becoming one flesh, thus rejecting Deuteronomy 24:1 which the Pharisees had brought up. He ended by saying that whatever God has joined together, let NO man put asunder. Paul, along with the other New Covenant writers, never gives adultery or any other reason as an excuse for divorce.

Consider Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 7. 

And unto the married I command, yet not I but the Lord, Let not the 
wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. He goes on to write, But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. 

There's still no word about divorce here and he could have easily used it since he has used the word before but always in connection with sin. A believing spouse must let an unbelieving spouse leave if they want, but they don't pursue divorce or remarriage, since they are vow keepers regardless of what their spouse does.

Since I continue to seek Truth in this area, I listened to Voddie Buacham's sermon on "The Permanence of Marriage." He teaches that the Bible doesn't give any reason for divorce or remarriage. Some will argue that the innocent spouse whose wife or husband divorced them should be able to remarry. However, if the spouse who leaves and divorces the spouse who stays, I'm NOT convinced that the abandoned spouse can't remarry. For those who have been divorced and remarried, Pastor Baucham makes it very clear that they should confess their sin, but then commit to the permanence of the marriage they are presently in. This is the kind of God we serve! He forgives ALL sin. 

Did you notice that in the exception clause, Jesus used the word fornication in this verse instead of adultery? {KJV version} The definition of fornication is "sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons." If Jesus was talking about married people here, it seems He would have used the word "adultery" {voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse} since He used it in other parts of Scripture. Whosoever puts away his wife, and marries another, commits adultery: and whosoever marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery. {Luke 16:18}. He used the word "adultery" in this verse from Luke but NOT in the exception clause. Why would He use the word "fornication" in the exception clause? Matthew was written mainly to the Jewish people who were still living under the Law. This is why the book of Matthew is filled with Messianic prophesy. 

Remember when Joseph and Mary were betrothed and she was found pregnant. This is what was written about this situation since Joseph thought she had committed fornication; then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily {Matthew 1:19}. "Put her away" means "divorce." They weren't even married yet; how could this be?

During the betrothal period, before the marriage ceremony and consummation, if a soon-to-be wife is found to be "unclean," the man is allowed to divorce her. Perhaps Jesus is giving the exception clause for those who find that their wives have fornicated before the actual ceremony. I believe He would have used the word "adultery" if He meant they had already gone through the marriage ceremony, consummated their marriage and became one flesh. Besides all this, this exception clause is in only ONE book in the entire New Testament, yet many give it too much weight. We must always take the Bible as a whole; not give one little phrase much weight weight but measure it against the entire New Covenant which was written for us and teaches us to forgive and love one another. Nowhere else in the other Gospels or books of the New Covenant is divorce allowed.

Voddie Baucham gives many examples of marriages that are NOT biblical reasons for divorce: imprisonment, alcoholism, drug addiction, adultery, gambling, etc. He admits this is hard teaching, but Truth is hard. It's a narrow road we walk on. His church does, however, help protect women and children who may be in harm due to a disobedient husband; as all churches should do and even call the authorities when needed. {If a woman ever came to me who was married to a truly evil man like a murderer or a child molester, it would be VERY difficult for me not to recommend her getting a divorce.}

According to the book of Hebrews, all God cares about is that we keep our faith in Him until the end. He will use trials and sufferings in our life to refine our faith and cause us to depend upon Him. Only those who endure until the end, will be saved. The ONLY unforgivable sin is unbelief. MANY have suffered horribly for their faith.

Others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; Of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. {Hebrews 11}

Yes, life down here is hard and some of you are married to very disobedient husbands. If these people could endure being stoned and tormented for their faith, surely you can endure a disobedient husband with the help of godly people in your life. Your husband may be just the thing that God will use in your life to refine your faith and make you more like Jesus. This is NOT our home. We have an everlasting home that will be perfect. Cling to this hope, which will be a reality one day soon.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: 
for he that comes to God must believe that 
He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6

***Next Monday, September 7th, I'm going to be starting a 10-week series using Nancy Leigh DeMoss' study guide called "Interior Design: Ten Elements of Biblical Womanhood." You can order it HERE if you would like to follow along. Some of the chapters include: Discernment, Affection, Discipline, Virtue, Disposition, and Beauty. It will be an encouraging and convicting study. Please join us!

The picture is my son, Steven, with his bride, Emily. They continue to love each other
 deeply. They plan on being in the "honeymoon" phase of marriage all of their days!

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Infanticide ~ 40 Years of Child Murder on the Altar of Sanger


{This is a guest post by Andrea Roltgen. She's madly in love with her husband and a mother to ten children. The oldest is a homeschool graduate and in the USAF and the youngest are twins with every age in between. She's anti-feminist and relishes her role as wife, mother, homemaker and most importantly, a follower of Christ!}

In January, Margaret Sanger's disciples and abortion lovers have much to celebrate. It will be the 40th year of legally sanctioned abortions in the United States. At the time I am writing this, the death toll of murdered babies via abortion methods is 55,110,996, and it climbs every few seconds.

These murdered babies are predominately black babies. Where are the crusaders for social and racial justice, for the worst racist genocide in human history?

Whatever the intent of the abortion industry may be, by functional standards, abortion is a racist institution. In the United States, black children are aborted at 5 times the rate of white children and Hispanic children don't fare much better. Abortion is the leading cause of death among black Americans. We can debate the racial intent of Planned Parenthood past and present, but we cannot debate the results. Abortion is by no means an equal opportunity killer.
-AbortionFacts.com

After understanding the racist drive of abortion, we can also understand that abortion also kills white babies. It kills babies of Asian descent, Middle Eastern, and European. The murdered are of every race and economic parentage. They are every gender. They were growing in the wombs of teen mothers, single career women, married women and women who were "done" having babies, and therefore didn't welcome the surprise of a pregnancy.

These babies were created by the Lord God with a soul and a purpose. These babies are all denied their right to life:  given to them not by their mothers, their fathers, the government or anyone or anything else, but by their Creator. They will never take a breath {unless, of course, the abortion is botched, and then they will be gasping for air until their lives are extinguished after birth}, they will never make a choice of their own. These children will never bless the heart of another with their smile, their inquisitiveness or their giving hearts.  While the woman and man who were instrumental in the pro-creation of the baby may not want what God calls a blessing, it is a guarantee that there are hundreds more mothers and fathers willing to love and raise the child. That baby, that abortionists call a "blob of tissue," is only a short time away from merely wanting to be held, loved and cared for. Instead, they are burned alive, dismembered, and their skulls crushed.

Women are lied to in our culture about the effects of abortion on their own souls.  While they can be forgiven for their murderous activity if they humbly desire to be, our culture teaches there is nothing to be ashamed of in abortion, and therefore they find nothing to seek forgiveness for. However, their hearts will forever carry an imprint of a tiny life they chose to extinguish. They are lied to when they are told that abortions are "safe". They are lied to when they are told they will "be just fine-like nothing ever happened", and they are certainly lied to when they are told that what and who they carry within them is not a person at all.

Women who have had abortion and regret it, find it difficult to move beyond the abortion. For the remainder, they often become the statistics that show that most women who undergo abortion, will have more than one in their lifetime.  Statistics show that 45% of all abortions are for repeat aborters. The claims that abortions are a "one time rescue," a)  aren't true, and b)  don't make the death of any of the babies any less heinous.

In our time of great apostasy, many lie about the truth of what abortion is, what it does, and the dangerous ripples that flow generations from it's sinful core. Many distort or reduce it's vicious and vile violence that is perpetrated on the most innocent among us. Many simply close their eyes. Many laugh at parallels to ancient cult followers and devil worshippers who kill their own children.  Like the ancient worship and child sacrifice to the "god" Molech, our sons and daughters are sacrificed on the altar of self worship.


 Moloch was one of the false gods that Israel would worship during its periods of apostasy.  This false deity is associated with Ammon in 1 Kings 11:7, "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon."

One of the practices of the cult that worshipped Moloch was to sacrifice their children.   Of course, this was forbidden by God's word: Leviticus 18:21 says, "Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord."  {See also Leviticus 18:2120:2-52 Kings 23:10Jeremiah 32:35}

In some passages the reference is clearly to a deity to whom human sacrifice was made, particularly in the Valley of Hinnom on the SW of the Jerusalem hill {2 Kings 23:10Jeremiah 32:35} at a site known as Topheth {‘fire pit’ in Syriac}.1

The ancients would heat this idol up with fire until it was glowing, then they would take their newborn babies, place them on the arms of the idol, and watch them burn to death.  I can't help but compare today's abortion massacre to the sacrifice of children by these ancient pagans.  In both, innocent life is destroyed for the gain of the parent.

I can't help but compare the 40 years of "legal" infanticide to the sacrifice of children to pagan 'gods', either. While the abortion supporters celebrate their freedom of choice in January, be assured, God is not going to remain silent on the slaughter of the innocent forever. A nation who sacrifices it's children is a nation who has lost God's protection and favor. Thank God we are judged according to our own hearts, and not as a collective nation, for those among us working to end abortion, and crying tears for the innocent lives lost, we can feel hopeless in a sea of murder. Fear not, God sees the hearts of those who are repulsed at the culture of murder of the pre-born. Their wicked celebrations and altars of false gods of self, will not last forever.

He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, 
even they both are abomination to the LORD. 
Proverbs 17:15

..lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Proverbs 31:5

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Isaiah 5:20

And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
2 Peter 2:2-3

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Nine Tips for Enduring Pregnancy


As many of you know, I have four children yet I’ve been pregnant five times. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage so I was thrilled to finally be pregnant again. All I ever wanted in life was to be a wife and mom. Since I hadn’t been too sick with my first pregnancy, I was happy I was sick with my second one since I had heard that the sicker you are, the healthier your baby is going to be. {I don’t think this is the case for all women, but for me it seemed to be.}

 I didn't go for a doctor's appointment until I was almost five months since I felt the less intervention, the better. I only had one sonogram and that was with my first live pregnancy since I had had a miscarriage prior to this one. Back then, doctors didn't do much or require much testing during pregnancy which I liked since I would have never had an abortion any way. We didn't know if it was a boy or girl until the moment the baby was born and was flipped over! I worked during this pregnancy and the next so this was difficult but I do have some tips for all of you who are thinking about getting pregnant or are pregnant.

1) Make sure you get plenty of rest. Even when I was working, during any break, I would rest my head on the table and then when I got home. A lot is going on in your body while you are pregnant. You are creating another human being! When I was home full-time with my last two pregnancies, I would put the children down for a nap, and then I would take a nap or rest while listening to praise music.

2)  Make sure you are eating as healthy as you can. When I was sick during the first few months, I would live on raw almonds, baked potatoes with avocado and bananas. It was about all I could stomach but at least it was all nourishing food. It’s important to nourish your body while you are pregnant since a baby is being created in you! Eat healthy fats {olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc. since these will prevent stretch marks}, protein from healthy sources, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. These should be your main source of nutrition.

3) Stay away from junk food: sugar, caffeine, processed foods, and white flour. These are not nourishing at all but actually health destroying. I never had a problem with retention of water {edema} since I didn’t eat any junk. I gained around 20 pounds with each of my children and they were all around the seven pound mark. I remember reading this journal {highly recommended} of a woman who had ten children. She noticed that each child was getting bigger and she got gestational diabetes which she didn't get with her earlier babies. She concluded it was due to eating too much junk!

4) Drink a lot of water. Since the volume of blood and water is going to be much greater while housing a baby, you need to make sure you are drinking plenty of good, filtered water.

5) Always wear comfortable clothing and shoes. It is not worth backaches and being uncomfortable to look in style and fancy. You don’t want to do anything that risks the health of you or your baby by wearing something that is too tight or uncomfortable.

6) Try natural remedies for sicknesses or pain. I have used many different treatments for my illnesses and pain that didn’t include drugs and were not harmful to my health. All drugs are toxic to the human body and anything you ingest will also go to your baby. For example, zofran is sometimes used for morning sickness but did you know about all the side effects from using it? Therefore, if at all possible, use essential oils, supplements, foods, etc. to deal with what ails you, but make sure they are safe for pregnant women before taking anything.

7) At the end of a long day, try putting your feet up at night. My feet never did get swollen since I never retained water but pregnancy is still hard on feet; carrying the extra weight. Find a comfortable place, get a lot of pillows and rest. Read a good book or watch an uplifting television show. Dwell on the lovely and the good. You don't need to know all about the bad things happening in the world!

8) Take one day at a time. Pregnancy for most women is not that easy with morning sickness, back pain, contractions, etc. Try to not worry and rest in the Lord for strength. I was very sick with my fourth baby and I had three young children but the Lord brought me through. He is faithful to do this for His children.

9) Try to keep your joy! I know pregnancy can be difficult; after all, it is a result of sin that it is hard. However, there is joy when you hold that precious baby in your arms! There is NO greater joy that to have children walking in Truth. All four of our children are walking in truth and they have been our greatest joy in life!

Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
John 16:21

***Remember, I'm NOT a doctor. I'm just a homemaker who loves to research 
natural cures and have found many that have worked for my family and me. Information I have given is for educational and informational purposes only and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or course of treatment.

Friday, August 28, 2015

A Greater Way to Approach Infidelity


With the tragic news of Joshua’s infidelities at the forefront of so much speculation, I wanted to research what godly men and preachers teach about divorce since I will never encourage anyone to get divorced. I believe the vows through good times and bad times, sickness and health cover about everything that may strike a marriage. Plus, marriages are an example of Christ and His church and He will NEVER divorce His church. Here are some of the words John MacArthur had to say about divorce from a sermon in 1979.

Where you have self-centered, sinful, carnal people who cannot sustain right relationships and where you have a society with toleration for divorce, you're going to have divorce on a rampant, pandemic level and that's what we have in our society.

And that's why when you come to Malachi 2:16 as we did in our last study you hear God say, I hate divorce; I HATE divorce. I don't care for what reason; divorce always violates the imagery God has designed for marriage, as well as violating the marriage itself…I hate to think of the next generation of emotionally imbalanced people. I hate to think of all of these little children in broken homes that are going to grow up and no sense of security, no concept of authority, no sense of morality, no standards to live by, etc. I hate to think of the societal effects of divorce. But that's down the line for me; what I really hate to think of is the fact that divorce and remarriage is a violation in many cases of the Word of God and that's even a more important issue to me.

Now, the Old Testament lays down a standard and it never changes. Let me add this, divorce, now get this, divorce is NEVER God's way to resolve a conflict, never. That's why God never com­mands divorce and God never really condones divorce in the Bible. God knows it'll happen, and God tries to regulate its consequences, but He never commands it because it's never the solution.

God's design was no divorce; God prohibited divorce; God hated divorce. However, God knew in a cursed world where sin existed and relationships were strained because of the curse itself that divorce would be a reality and so God simply permitted that when divorce happened there had to be certain things followed to insure what would come about as a result. {He is speaking about these verses from Matthew 5; "It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, {or divorce his wife} let him give her a writing of divorcement; But I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."} 

 God was trying to regulate the consequence of divorce. Nowhere will you ever find on any page of the Bible God condoning or commanding divorce. It never has a divine sanction; it’s just that God knows it exists, and Jesus recognizes that it exists. It was basically a sociopolitical feature to give a writing of divorcement to regulate the inevitable results.  There had to be some legal process because marriage was a legal contract, and so when people were shedding their wives and men were becoming adulterous or women becoming adulterous, when the innocent party was turned loose, they could make no claim for anything; no one would know what the circumstances were. They would not be able to explain their situation. And so to ease that and to regulate future behavior, there was a writing of divorcement.

What was its purpose? It was a testimonial to the woman of her freedom from the marital obligation to the husband who divorced her. In the bill of divorcement was a statement that the woman was set free by the man so that she wouldn't be accused of being a harlot, she wouldn't be accused of having forsaken her home, or run off from her husband.

Let me summarize; listen, what have we learned so far? God made man; God made woman to marry and be permanently one. God wanted an absolute commitment of body and soul for life. God hates divorce; not some of it, all of it. It is never His will, but He recognizes that it will be a part of human society because of sin. In certain cases God will allow divorce as a technicality in a case of adultery only, but it is not necessary because a greater way to approach it would be to love as Christ loves the church and as God loved Israel and as Hosea loved Gomer. The scribes and the Pharisees had perverted this absolute divine standard, and Jesus clarified it, and in so doing pointed to them as sinners; for they had defiled and lowered God's standard.

I must end this post with a wise comment from my Breathe Fire post written by a woman whose husband was unfaithful to her.

 If no one knew who Anna and Josh were they wouldn't have to answer to anybody while they sought God. I have tried hard to live by the standard of lifting my husband up at the City Gate which means I do not tell others the ways my husband fails me. So I have had the luxury of standing by my husband without the ridicule of others who think I am a fool. God wants to redeem Josh, not condemn him! He is getting plenty of condemning. I have a feeling Anna doesn't want to condemn him either. She just wants the husband and marriage that God had planned for her. I have looked at my husband and enjoyed seeing the work God has done in his life, even though his sin has hurt me and hurt me badly. He is God's child and deserves to be redeemed and built up by God to be the man He wants him to be. 

I would hope that my husband would stand by me if I was sinning in our marriage. Okay, who are we kidding? Of course, I sin in our marriage. Do I do all my husband needs of me as his wife all the time? Nope! In fact, his pain in my not fulfilling his needs probably matches mine when he has gone outside our marriage to have those needs met. Sure, my husband has had choices. But so do I! Who am I to throw the first stone? If Anna wants to stand by Josh and be with him during this time {perhaps a long time} of becoming the man God wants him to be, then good for her. Let her be. I will be praying for her strength and devotion to her husband and God and that the scoffers are silenced.

Anna, along with all the women out there who have disobedient husbands, there are a “cloud of witnesses” of women who have walked in your shoes yet stayed committed to their wayward husbands and many have won them without a word. Stay strong, precious ones, and cling to your faith and the Lover of your soul.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1, 2

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Should Women Be Taught to Breathe Fire?


"I'm not sure if you've read this, but this article shows you how far off the mark girls are being raised. It also goes to show what Debi Pearl has often said, which is that our society falsely believes that women are spiritually superior, but, as you can see by this article that has gone viral, we are much more easily deceived. This is shockingly heartbreaking. It goes against absolutely EVERYTHING the Bible teaches a woman to do. How sad. Our society is not better when women rely on men less. In fact, because we have told men we no longer need them we have taken away much of their desire to take responsibility for the woman and children in their lives." 

These words were texted to me by TheJoyFilledWife whose husband was addicted to pornography in the past and caused her much pain, yet she responded in a biblical way, not a worldly way as this article she refers to suggests. This is the last paragraph of the article.

 As a mother of daughters, this makes me ill. Parents, WE MUST DO BETTER BY OUR DAUGHTERS. Boys, men, are born with power. Girls have to command it for themselves. They aren’t given it. They assume it and take it. But you have to teach them to do it, that they can do it. We HAVE to teach our daughters that they are not beholden to men like this. That they don’t have to marry a man their father deems “acceptable” and then stay married to that man long, long after he proved himself UNACCEPTABLE. Educate them. Empower them. Give them the tools they need to survive, on their own if they must. Josh Duggar should be cowering in fear of Anna Duggar right now. Cowering. He isn’t, but he should be. He should be quaking in fear that the house might fall down around them if he’s in the same room as she. Please, instill your daughters with the resolve to make a man cower if he must. To say, “I don’t deserve this, and my children don’t deserve this.” I wish someone had ever, just once, told Anna she was capable of this. That she knew she is. As for my girls, I’ll raise them to think they breathe fire.

 Psalm1Wife emailed me her response to this article also ~

 In the wake of the Joshua Duggar adultery confession, a blog post empowering women to teach their daughters that they can "breathe fire" has surfaced and went viral. The problem is that the woman who wrote the post has Anna Duggar's priorities all wrong.

 She says, "Anna Duggar was taught that her sole purpose in life, the most meaningful thing she could do, was to be chaste and proper, a devout wife, and a mother. Anna Duggar did that! Anna Duggar followed the rules that were imposed on her from the get-go... While she was fulfilling her 'duty' of providing him with four children and raising them. She lived up to the standard that men set for her of being chaste and Godly and in return, the man who demanded this of her sought women who were the opposite. 'Be this,' they told her. She was. It wasn't enough."

 This woman purports that Anna has cultivated a submissive spirit in order to please her husband or "men who demanded this of her" and this is not so. Anna is not seeking to only be beautiful to her husband, but to God. Anna is not seeking to honor just her husband, but God.

 Joshua is fallen and although men were created in God's image, there are no promises that a meek and gentle spirit is beautiful at all times to all men. We are promised, however, that it is beautiful to God. There are no promises that we will win our disobedient husband without a word, but we are promised that we are honoring God by doing so. We are not promised that if we stay with our husbands instead of divorcing them that they will stop sinning against us, but we are promised that God will find favor with us through our steadfast commitment to the finality of our marriage vows.

 This woman thought Anna was let down by "men" because they led her astray but Anna is not following "men", she is following the Lord's trajectory for her life and she has a promise that God will never lead her astray.

 Teaching our daughters to act like men and be empowered through mantras like, “You can breathe fire” is NOT what God has called Anna to do and so we can all pray for her and support her in her decision to honor God through her actions and be a witness to this lost nation through her continuation to honor and obey Joshua, because that is what the Lord would have her do and He will never leave her nor forsake her.

 This article was also posted in the chat room and Robin, who is being faithful to a wayward husband, responded to this “breathe fire” article this way ~

A wayward husband “cowering in fear” of his own wife isn’t going to benefit his soul, or her heart. Cowering in contrition in the fear of the LORD? Maybe, unless he IS already repentant, and then we don’t need to keep beating him up; we are called to strengthen him and encourage him as he rebuilds relationship with his wife and family and community. This article is disgusting. Utterly disgusting. "Woman Power"..."You go, girrrrrl"....YUCK! All this does is place the woman in a position of perceived power, instead of Christ as the center of their marriage. There's my .02 for what it's worth, as a wife who is surviving her husband's porn use and sexual addictions. I'm not a victim of him; HE'S A VICTIM OF HELL. If men repent, we are to stand by them. Even if they don't, we're to intercede for them and be firm with truth spoken in love toward them, and call for men of God to stand with us!

My conclusion: God wants us to live and breathe faith; complete dependence upon Him and believing that what He says is Truth, NOT to breathe fire and the foolish, selfish ways of this world.

 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. 
1 Corinthians 3:19

***I don't expect this post to go viral since most women can't handle the Truth!

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Should Anna Separate from Josh?


Women have been asking what my advice to Anna would be concerning separation if I were mentoring her. I have mentored women in similar situations but I will begin with quoting several verses about this topic first since I try to give biblical counsel and not my own.

And the woman who hath a husband that believes not and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy {1 Corinthians 7:13, 14}

Therefore, I would encourage not separating from Joshua since while she is living in the home with him, Jesus is living in this home and he is being sanctified by her, as the verse states. If she separated, her children would visit Joshua where Jesus may not be and this is never good. We don't know whether or not Joshua is truly a believer but his actions say he is not and he needs to have a heart transformation by Jesus. Even if he is a believer, he has been living in sin and the fruit of his life isn't consistent with how a true believer should live.

If she separated from him, he would probably live on his own and would be left to his own devices which is a bad idea. If she loves Joshua, which I believe she does, she wants more than anything for him to walk in the Spirit and to have saving faith in Jesus. There's nothing more powerful than a transformed life in convicting others. Yes, he's probably seen this in her life ever since he married her, but there will likely be a lot more accountability in his life from now on since he's proven he can't be trusted.

I would hope that godly men will surround him, hold him accountable and speak Truth into him. I pray godly women are surrounding Anna with encouragement, support and helping her in any way she needs help. This family is going to need a lot of prayer and support from the family of God and I am sure they are getting it.

Paul rebuked the church in Corinth because there was a man attending their church who was having sexual relations with his stepmother {1 Corinthians 5} and warned them that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. The church then kicked him out and he became repentant. Then in 2 Corinthians, Paul exhorts the church to bring him back into the fold so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him {2 Corinthians 2:7, 8}. If a church can forgive a man who had sex with his stepmother, a church can forgive Josh. Also, since we are commanded to forgive a repentant brother 70 X 7 times, surely a wife is supposed to forgive a repentant husband who she is one flesh with this many times .

Many will cry "Divorce" since he cheated on her and Jesus said it is okay to divorce if there's adultery. No, He did not. He said that Moses allowed it due to the hardness of the people's heart. He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let no man separate. Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery" {Matthew 19}. He's not telling anyone to divorce in these verses. No New Testament writer wrote that divorce is the right thing to do; that it was good or acceptable. Jesus was just saying that if the unfaithful man or woman divorces their spouse due to the hardness of their heart and the faithful spouse then remarries, the faithful spouse is not committing adultery. He is certainly NOT promoting divorce; quite the contrary!

The whole book of Hosea is about a man who marries a prostitute who continues to be unfaithful to Hosea, yet he remains faithful to her; illustrating the fact that God remains faithful to us when we are unfaithful. God hates divorce. Two wrongs never equal a right. Their children will suffer much more if their parents get divorced than if they stay together and work it out. We must all pray that Joshua will repent and stay faithful to God and Anna until the day he dies. This is what we, as the family of God, are called to do; to pray for complete healing and restoration of this family. God is in the business of transforming hearts and bringing beauty out of ashes.

Our life down here is about our faith in God and believing unto the end. It's not about our happiness, our success or anything else. God uses us when we are weak, broken and fragile to test our faith and see if we will believe Him and His many promises to us in spite of our pain and suffering. As we cling to Him by faith throughout our lives and do the hard, obedient and difficult thing, He is glorified. For faith is believing those things which are unseen but we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that He keeps every single one of His promises to us. We are nothing without Him.

Thank you Jesus. We are humbled as we stand in awe of your majesty. 
Help us to endure until the end.

But without faith it is impossible to please him
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, 
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Get Off the Couch and MOVE!


There are many reports saying that sitting too long is unhealthy. Dr. Mercola has written many articles about it. I was thinking that this may be a great motivator for those of you who care about your health but hate housework. Since housework isn't done while sitting down and we know sitting too long is unhealthy for us, this is great motivation to get up off the couch and get to work cleaning your house for your health!

Many very old people will say that one of the healthiest things they do is to move a lot and keep busy. I remember one man who had a tragedy in his life and couldn't stop grieving. Finally, he made a list of all the things that needed to be done in his home and did them. As he began working, he began feeling better emotionally and physically! 

God created us to work. He put Adam and Eve in the garden to work. He never intended for us to sit around all day at computers and in front of televisions. Even standing is much healthier than sitting. If you don't use your muscles, you'll lose them; along with your health!

This also got me to thinking about all the hours children in the public school system sit all day long and we wonder why there's an obesity problem. As the hours and days of school increase, so does the waistline of the children and their health declines. Children were made to be out running, jumping and playing; not sitting in a chair for many hours each day. None of us were made to sit all day.

Therefore, if you are a homemaker, get OFF that couch and start cleaning your home. Make sure your kitchen stays clean and tidy. Clean the bathrooms often, sweep or vacuum the floors, organize a cabinet or two a day, and shop and fix nourishing food from scratch. You can't do any of this from the couch! Get off of the computer or phone and get moving for your health. It'll probably help with your depression if you're depressed or have other health problems that come from sitting too long.

Maybe begin to hang up a load or two of laundry outside on a warm day. Wash dishes by hand if you have too much time on your hands. Take a walk around the neighborhood with your children. Bake cookies with them when you get home. Train them how to work hard and keep a home clean and tidy since the skills you train them in when they are young will most likely stay with them until they are old. Idle hands breed trouble.

Get rid of clutter and hold a garage sale. Research ways to clean with all non-toxic products. Learn to bake bread from scratch and make your own salad dressing. Stand up whenever you text someone or are on the phone with someone; walking around while talking. Find ways to move!

We have become a nation of sitters and it's hurting us terribly in many ways. Hard work is good for us! Never be afraid of it. It will help you to sleep better and to think clearer. It will help to get you out of your pity party if you're in one since you'll be too busy to think about yourself and your problems. Homeschool your children so they don't have to sit all day. Put on worship songs and sing and dance around the house; just get up and move! For this is the day that the Lord hath made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, 
But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
Proverbs 13:4

Monday, August 24, 2015

Dressing Immodestly is Being Prideful


Most women like attention. They like to have others look at them, give them compliments and tell them how pretty they are since this builds up their "fragile self-esteem." Is this what godly women should be looking for? Shouldn't we be looking for others to think of us as being kind, generous and caring, instead of trying to draw attention to ourselves?

We are told that many women in today's society have a problem with their self-esteem. If their self-esteem is so low, why are so many of them showing off their bodies in tiny bikinis, low-cut tops and short shorts and dresses? No, their problem isn't one of self-esteem; it is one of pride. They want others to look at their bodies and even have men lust after them. It's a huge ego thing and this isn't what godly women should be after.

Women also have a tendency to spend a lot of time on themselves by shopping for clothing, shoes and makeup. They spend a lot of time fixing their hair and in front of the mirror making sure they look perfect. They seem to think it's a "sin" if they aren't "loving themselves enough" and spending time for themselves, instead of loving God and others more by living lives of unselfishness, humility and thankfulness for the way God created them.

God commands women to be modest in ALL areas of our lives; in the way we dress, in the way we spend our money and in the way we act. When we spend a lot of time and money on ourselves, we are filled with pride; only thinking about ourselves and our needs. I am 56 years old and in about a week, I'll be 57 years old. Women seem to age quickly after the age of 55. I've been through a lot physically and this, along with my age, is showing. I'm not thrilled about taking pictures of myself anymore. However, growing old doesn't bother me. This is a part of God's plan and I am content with it! {I'm actually happy I've even reached this age!}

Ken still finds me attractive and he is the only one that matters to me. I want others to find Jesus in me to be attractive. As our outer man is decaying, our inner man should be being renewed day by day. I do this by spending time in the Word, praying, listening to godly teachers and preachers and trying to dwell on the lovely and the pure. Yes, I blow it but my desire in life is to be like Jesus in my attitudes and actions. Yet, no matter how old or young you are, how beautiful or not so beautiful, the only thing others remember after being with you aren't your looks or the way you dressed, but if you were kind to them and interested in their life. I have learned to be interested in other's lives and to stop focusing upon myself. I love asking people I meet questions about themselves. I don't try to get them to be impressed with me anymore. The Lord has disciplined me enough to know that life isn't about me but about serving Him by loving others and teaching them His ways.

Women, please stop being immodest in your dress and in your behavior since the root of this is pride which began with the enemy of our souls. You are going to age and get old, if the Lord blesses you with years but in the meantime, use the years you have to bring glory to Him. The greatest fruit you will bear will not be all the time you spent on yourself trying to look beautiful and sexy but in giving yourself away to your family and others. Your looks will fade. You will get gray hair and wrinkles. The best antidote to this I have found is to stand up straight and tall and smile warmly at others.

Here is a picture of Ken and me a few days ago at a friend's wedding. The key to taking pictures at my age is to not take pictures too close, up higher, and try to make them a bit fuzzy; not that I'm prideful or anything! 



For which cause we faint not; 
but though our outward man perish, 
yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16

***On Monday, September 7th, I'm going to be starting a 10-week series using Nancy Leigh DeMoss' study guide called "Interior Design: Ten Elements of Biblical Womanhood." You can order it HERE if you would like to follow along. Some of the chapters include: Discernment, Affection, Discipline, Virtue, Disposition, and Beauty. It will be an encouraging and convicting study. Please join us!