Monthly Archives: November 2012

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Heart to Mouth

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,

Psalm 19:14

The culture of a home also reflects grace when parents refuse to speak judgmental words about people in their community, church, or extended family.  If we have sharp tongues and critical spirits in the privacy of our homes, our children soon recognize our hypocrisy.  We can declare that we live in the love of God, but our words are a compelling witness that the gospel of grace does not yet rule in our hearts and homes.

~ from Organic Outreach for Families

 

I read this and I went “Ouch”. I wonder how many times I have spoken words of judgment about others in the privacy of my home in front of my children? I am sure that it was worse in the “baby days” of my walk with the Lord. I remember when I first wholly surrendered to the Lord, my Jesus had a lot of junk to clear out of my heart and mind in order to make room for His Word and Spirit. My heart was a dark and scary place filled with brokenness and lies and filth and hurt and unforgiveness and hate and bitterness. I look back now on my life and I can see that the words of Christ are true. As a matter of fact it is so true that He repeats it several times.

You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good?

For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

Matthew 12:34

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart,

and those defile the man.

Matthew 15:18

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good;

and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil;

for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

Luke 6:45

We could go on through the Scriptures and see time after time the warnings concerning our heart and its connection to our mouth and actions. The simple fact is… listen to what comes out of your mouth. It will show you and others what is really in your heart.

Now before you collapse under the condemnation of the above quote from Organic Outreach let me add my two cents to it…

The culture of a home also reflects grace when parents refuse to speak judgmental words about people in their community, church, or extended family.  If we have sharp tongues and critical spirits in the privacy of our homes, our children soon recognize our hypocrisy. 

 

Both hypocrisy and evil depend on lies. Hypocrisy is a lie in deeds rather than in words. And evil always uses lies to cover its oppressions. Only with truth can we stand up to deception and manipulation. For all who hate hypocrisy, care for justice and human dignity, and are prepared to fight evil, truth is the absolute requirement. ~ Os Guinness 

 

No I do not want my home to be a place of hypocrisy. I don’t want my kids to see me as one person in church and as another in our home. I don’t want them to hear me speak one way in church and in other in my home. However, my children need to see me be real. There will be times when people irritate me. There will be times when I question a plan, a motive, a person, a place… and if I simply smile and stay silent due to the fear of appearing “judgmental” and “ungracefilled” well then is that not hypocrisy as well?

I believe our children need to see us work through our questions and concerns… our judgments.

I would be lying through my teeth if I said that I had never entered my home frustrated with the actions, decisions, and choices of people in my church, community, and family. The fact is I have. I have opinions and thoughts and concerns and I should be able to express those and have a safe place to work through the emotions that come with them… my children need to see how that works.

The bottom line is… does grace underline it all. In the emotions, the opinions, the thoughts, the concerns, the judgments… does grace overrule and mercy triumph?

If you come in with judgments and a sharp tongue and critical spirit… do you leave out with grace and love?

As you work through the frustrations do you remember from where you came?

Look to the rock from which you were hewn, 
and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Isaiah 51:1

In the Hebrew text, the word quarry actually refers to “a hole.” The old King James Version doesn’t miss it far: “the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” 
Never forget “the hole of the pit.”
What excellent advice! Before we get all enamored with our high-and-mighty importance, it’s a good idea to take a backward glance at the “hole of the pit” from which Christ lifted us. 
And let’s not just think about it; let’s admit it. Our “hole of the pit” has a way of keeping us all on the same level—recipients of grace.

~ Chuck Swindoll

My children need to see me love people who irritate the living dog out of me. They need to see that love and grace and mercy are a choice and an action that should be extended in any situation. They are not just an emotional response to things and people I like and agree with at all times.

I believe our children need to hear us question, hear us judge, hear us measure what we see up against the Word of Truth. They need to see how we may respond at times in the flesh, see our sin in it, crucify it, and choose to walk by the Spirit.

If we walk around speaking false kindness and shallow southern hospitality over everything… what will they do when they discover this bile flesh rising up in their own hearts and spewing out of their own mouths? Will they consider themselves self-condemned as they weigh themselves up against the fake condescending smile of mom?

Is this not how prayer was taken out of school? Abortion made legal? The Ten Commandments removed from courtrooms?

Just smile, don’t speak, don’t judge, its all good.

No its not.

All is not always good.

I get upset. I get frustrated. I get downright angry. I don’t always understand… so I question. As I speak my mouth shows me what is in my heart and as I hear it I weigh it up against the Word of God… and then I question myself…

Am I upset for selfish reasons?

Am I frustrated because it’s not my way?

Am I angry only because of the way it affects me?

What are the words coming out of my mouth revealing about the current condition of my heart?

Am I repeating the thoughts of God or the lies of Satan?

As my husband and I have battled though our thoughts and judgments and concerns and opinions with each other in our home many times. Our children have seen us come in judgmental and sharp and critical… but they eventually always see us leave with true grace and genuine mercy extended. They also have seen us finally declare something as wrong and when we do they see us choose to do or say something about it.

Kindness is supposed to lead to repentance. Kindness was never meant to cover up the thoughts of the heart. If our words of kindness never address exposed  issues of true concern… then it is not kindness at all. Just being nice never saved anyone and just being nice is not extending grace.

Kind acts of service in various shapes and forms are not the gospel. All of these acts of compassion are important, and Jesus calls us to engage in them. But these actions in and of themselves are not the gospel. They are the fruit that grows in our lives when we have embraced the good news of Jesus.

The gospel is the simple message of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for the sake of our sins. This message, communicated with words, has always been the gospel. It will always be the gospel. Our acts of mercy and compassion can be thought of a pre-evangelism, opening the way for the gospel. but our acts of service, no matter how compassionate and lovingly motivated, are never enough to save people.

~ from “Organic Outreach for Families” by Kevin and Sherry Harney

 

So the question is… when your mouth reveals to you what is in your heart… and when what it reveals is ungodly… what do your children see you do about it?

 

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Iesous

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This will be our last Names of God post until after the new year… I do pray that as you dig into these names with me you are growing in your relationship with our God and Christ. The study of this name today falls in the midst of our Holiday Season. Most of us have just experienced Thanksgiving, have headed out for our Black Friday shopping, and now the streets in Alabama are about to be cleared for the infamous Iron Bowl. We are in the midst of walking through our family traditions…

 

Traditions can be good… they can make us feel safe and loved and close to loved ones that have since passed away… but sometimes there comes a time for traditions to fade away.

Before we get into the name of Christ that we will be discussing today lets first go back. Let’s go back to a day when God had called out a people, a nation, to be His. A day when He set up a way for His people to commune with Him, to worship Him, to honor Him… a day when the temple in Jerusalem stood in all its beauty and the glory of the LORD filled the Holy of Holies.

The “I AM” had set the nation of Israel apart to be His and to be His witness to the world… but as the nation passed from generation to the next something happened in the hearts of the people… they forgot their God. They became more intrenched in following tradition instead of just following their God and as they did so their hearts grew cold. They had kings over them that did not honor God… and one day God reached out to one of them, King Ahaz.

Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”  But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”  Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 

Isaiah 7:10-14

Ahaz was a king who followed the traditions and rituals of the Law, but he did not love God. He also worshipped idols and he put his trust in other nations and kings, not his God. God gives Ahaz an open door to cry out to Him, to seek Him, but Ahaz refuses… and he refuses with a nice “churchy” answer… God is not happy. He gives His sign… Immanuel, God with us.

Here was the problem of Ahaz and the nation of Israel as a whole…

Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, 

Isaiah 29:13

Their hearts did not belong to their God. They trusted in their tradition not in Him. So God would now send them the sign. He would send the One who would remind them that He alone saves… He would send Iesous.

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

Luke 1:30-31

Iesous is the Greek form for Jesus.

Iesous would come and He would rock the traditions of all of Israel and of all the world. He would come and His very presence would cause everyone to question why they did what they did… whether it be good or bad, tradition or religious, His sincerity and truth and grace and glory would cause all to look in places of their heart and mind that they would just as soon have lived forever ignoring.

He would cause those who called themselves sons of God, sons of Abraham, son of the promise… to ask: Who do I really love and who do I really serve?

And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Matthew 15:3

When God asked for a sign from Ahaz, I believe he wanted Ahaz to respond to Him as the psalmist responded…

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.


Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive
 to the voice of my supplications.


If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?


But there is forgiveness with You, 
that You may be feared.



I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait,
 and in His word do I hope.

 My soul waits for the Lord
 more than the watchmen for the morning;
 indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

 O Israel, hope in the Lord;
 for with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
 and with Him is abundant redemption.

 And He will redeem Israel
 from all his iniquities.


Psalm 130

And when Jesus came… He wanted the same. God has always wanted us to know that forgiveness and redemption belong to Him alone… and this is why when He came in the Word made flesh… His name was Iesous, Jesus.

Now here’s the thing… all the other names of Christ we have studied thus far have really been titles… but this name, Iesous, is His given name.

The Hebrew origin of Iesous is Y@howshuwa. We translate that as Joshua or Jehoshua.

Now let me ask you…  who led the children of Israel into the promised land?

Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it.

Deuteronomy 1:38

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.

Deuteronomy 31:14

Moses did not lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua did. Moses represents the Law.

For the Law was given through Moses;

John 1:17

Precious one do you see?

Moses, representing the Law, could only get Israel to the border of the Promised Land. It would be Joshua, Jehoshua, Iesous, who would take them in.

Jehoshua, Jesus, is broken down into two syllables:

JE the first syllable, means Jehovah

SUS or Oshea the second syllable means help, deliver, salvation

Jesus, Iesous, means Jehovah Salvation. The name of Jesus means the Salvation of God.

Before our Savior would go to the cross He stand on what we call the Mount of Transfiguration. He would stand there and Peter and John and James would see Jesus standing there and Moses and Elijah would stand there with Him.

Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Matthew 17:1-3

Just as Moses commissioned Joshua before the children of Israel before he would take them into the Promised Land, Moses would commission Jesus before He would go to the cross. Moses representing the Law and Elijah representing the Prophets, would stand there on that Mount with the One to whom all the Law and Prophets pointed… AMAZING! The Salvation of God had come! Iesous!

So when the angel looked at Mary and declared “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” He was saying the Salvation of God is here. Here He is and there is no other name, none other to come, only Jehovah saves. Jehovah is Salvation… Jesus.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

So precious one every time the name of Jesus rolls off of your tongue you are declaring Jehovah is Salvation! Every time you say the name of Jesus you are declaring that only Jesus saves! The declaration is in His name.

So this Christmas season be sure to say His name…  Y@howshuwa. Iesous. Jesus.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

 

Proven Path Ministries

Thankful for Satisfied Desires

 

This Thanksgiving morning in the Year of our Lord 2012 I am in the Psalms. It’s where I usually begin every morning. I highly recommend it. God is always able to get my attitude adjusted and my eyes cleared and my mind right and my heart cleansed here in these beautiful psalms of praise and thanksgiving and hardcore truth. This morning I began in Psalm 144 and the Lord began to speak to my heart with the first verse….

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle…

Psalm 144:1

I, as a believer, as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, am at war. I battle against the spiritual forces of darkness and the powers and principalities of wickedness (Eph 6:12). There is only One who can train me for this war… that is my LORD. The Lord trains us up before He sends us out to battle. He gives us each a weapon that is designed just for us… we cannot win in battle using a borrowed weapon. It has to be the one fit and measured perfectly for us. David could not wear Sauls armor. Attempting to do so would have sent him out to the slaughter. God had trained David to battle with a slingshot and a stone…

The weapon of warfare that God has trained me in…

well, since I was a child I wrote and since I was three yrs old I gravitated to caring for little ones.

I remember when I was around nine or ten years old my aunt and uncle had a cat who had kittens. These kittens were wild as all get out. They could not be caught and they had no desire to be held or petted. They were afraid of everyone.

Now I just was not having it.

I remember every time I went to my aunt and uncle’s my desire was to catch that cat. I spent hours just being still. I would take food. I would walk up to “Paper” as I had named him as easy as I could so as not to scare him. Each day he would come closer and closer and closer and closer. Someday’s he would not at all and some days he would run but I never gave up… and finally one day he came close enough to me that I was able to swoop him up in my hands and my fingers ran through his soft white and gray fur… and he purred. I was ecstatic!

God had satisfied my desire to show that cat that I loved him and would never hurt him.

And also I can recall when I was around this same age of nine or ten at my own house there was a wild rabbit that would come up in our yard… my desire was to get that rabbit to come to me. Once again I took carrots out to the yard when I would see him. I would walk slow and easy and stand perfectly still for what seemed like hours to me… and each day the rabbit would come closer and closer… and one day the rabbit took the carrot right out of my hand! I was ecstatic!

God had satisfied my desire to show that rabbit that I loved him and would never hurt him.

I look back on my life and I can see over and over again how God has been training me for this spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. Absolutely nothing in life is without purpose with a sovereign God. When David stood before Saul, ready to take down Goliath with just a slingshot and a stone, he stood there confident in his God because God had been training him up for this moment… God had already showed him how to take down a bear and a lion and who knows what else. Therefore, David could face Goliath with confidence in the weapon that he knew as well as his own hand.

David wrapped his hand around his slingshot and his fingers around the stone and with them and his confidence and boldness in the promises of his God… well Goliath went down. David’s weapon of training defeated the enemy that God allowed to come before him… David’s desire was to bring the loud mouthed Philistine down with the weapon that David knew, so that all Israel would see that God loved him, and them, and they could and should trust their God.

Now as for me… if I tried to stand before Goliath with a slingshot and stone or even wearing Saul’s armor… well I would be setting myself up for the slaughter. God has not trained me in those weapons and He is not training me to fight that enemy with those weapons.

My hands have been trained with patience for the hurting and fearful of the human touch… my hands have been trained to wait for hours and days and maybe even years and offer small bits of nurture and commitment and stability to the little ones, both in faith and age (1 John 2:12), so that they might see that I love them and would never hurt them so that they might see that God loves them… My hands have been trained to stay and to come back for more even when I am hurt, ignored, or mistaken.

My hands have been trained to want that one…

       yes, that one whose eyes are filled with doubt…

that one whose hands reach out timidly and with uncertainty…

   that one whose frustration is evident and whose hurt runs deep…

yes, my desire is for them to see that I love them and would never hurt them.

So whether it is “Paper” who would scratch and claw and hiss and bite at the coming hand that just wants to hold them and comfort them and love them… or whether its the “rabbit” that just is unsure and shy and timid…

My desire is that they would know that I love them and would never hurt them… and most importantly, that they would know that God loves them and they can indeed trust Him.

  You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Psalm 145:16

My hands have been trained for war in the trenches of fear and doubt and uncertainty and my fingers have been trained for this keyboard… God knew that my desire was for missions… I fight with my hands on the front-lines and with my fingers around the world.

So today, this Thanksgiving in the Year of our Lord 2012, I am thankful for satisfied desires.

I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.
All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;
To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.
You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

Psalm 145

So today as you look reflect on the greatness of our God and give thanks for all things… consider the weapon of your warfare and consider your desires… look back and see all the ways He has been training you for this battle that you are in today… how has He trained you to face the enemy that stands before you mocking you and your God…

What weapon is in your hand?

Are you ready to step out in faith and use it?

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Numphios

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As we continue in our study of the names of God we are going to be looking at Numphios…

Numphios is the Greek word for Bridegroom.

Many times through out the gospels Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a wedding and Himself to the bridegroom at that wedding. It is no wonder that the enemy of our souls has waged such an attack on marriage. If we distort marriage then we distort the interpretation of the parables of Christ with it.

 

He who has the bride is the bridegroom;

but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,

rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.

So this joy of mine has been made full.

John 3:29

And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them,

the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they?

So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,

and then they will fast in that day.

Mark 2:19-20

Now if Jesus is the Bridegroom who is His bride?

We are.

That is we, the church.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that 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.So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:25-32

As we look at this name of our Christ. We have to look at what the wedding looked like to the Jewish family in that day. When we do we see how beautiful this word picture that Jesus painted for us truly is.

The first major step in a Jewish marriage was betrothal. Betrothal involved the establishment of a marriage covenant. By Jesus’ time it was usual for such a covenant to be established as the result of the prospective bridegroom taking the initiative. The prospective bridegroom would travel from his father’s house to the home of the prospective bride. There he would negotiate with the father of the young woman to determine the price (mohar) that he must pay to purchase his bride. Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was thereby established, and the young man and woman were regarded to be husband and wife. From that moment on the bride was declared to be consecrated or sanctified, set apart exclusively for her bridegroom. As a symbol of the covenant relationship that had been established, the groom and bride would drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction had been pronounced.

After the marriage covenant had been established, the groom would leave the home of the bride and return to his father’s house. There he would remain separate from his bride for a period of twelve months. This period of separation afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and to prepare for married life. The groom occupied himself with the preparation of living accommodations in his father’s house to which he could bring his bride.

 

Do you see the beautiful picture? Our Jesus left His Father’s house to claim His bride. He negotiated the price for His bride…

 For you have been bought with a price…

1 Corinthians 6:20

The price for the bride was high… the price was high because the bride needed redeemed… and the redemption price was death.

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things

like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 

but with precious blood,

as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, 

the blood of Christ.

1 Peter 1:18-19

At the moment that the price was paid and the dowry accepted we became His by betrothal…

 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy;

for I betrothed you to one husband,

so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin

2 Corinthians 11:2

Our Bridegroom left His Father’s house, betrothed His bride, He has sealed her with His Sprit of promise and now He has returned to His Father’s house to prepare the place for His bride…

“Do not let your heart be troubled;

believe in God, believe also in Me.  

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places;

if it were not so, I would have told you;

for I go to prepare a place for you.  

If I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again and receive you to Myself,

that where I am, there you may be also.

John 14:1-3

There he would remain separate from his bride for a period of twelve months. This period of separation afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and to prepare for married life. The groom occupied himself with the preparation of living accommodations in his father’s house to which he could bring his bride.

At the end of the period of separation the groom would come to take his bride to live with him. The taking of the bride usually took place at night. The groom, best man and other male escorts would leave the groom’s father’s house and conduct a torch light procession to the home of the bride. Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the exact time of his coming. As a result the groom’s arrival would be preceded by a shout. This shout would forewarn the bride to be prepared for the coming of the groom.

 

During the time that the bridegroom was away preparing his place for his bride, the bride was busy making herself ready. Now imagine that you knew that your wedding day was coming… it could come at any second… but you didn’t know when… and you knew that you wanted to be perfect for this day… you want your hair done, your nails clean and clipped, you want to smell wonderful, you want your teeth bright and your breathe sweet… you want your eyes clear, your face unblemished, your clothes spotless…

Would you not be mortified if your beloved called out and knocked on the door and said, Baby I am ready to take you to meet my Dad!, and you were still in the bed after not showering for three days, with bed head, dried drool on your face, cheesy teeth, funky breath, stained and ratty pj’s, with chipped nails and crusty eyes?

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come

and His bride has made herself ready.”

It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean;

for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he said to me,

“Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’”

And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

Revelation 19:7-9

Oh precious one are you making yourself ready?

If the Bridegroom came tonight to claim His bride would you be ready?

The Wedding Day
A Personal Yom Kippur

The holiest day of the year is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

It is a fast day on which each person reviews in depth all of his past actions.

Since on the day of one’s wedding G-d forgives the bride and groom of all their previous transgressions, it is seen as a private Yom Kippur for the couple.

They fast until the ceremony; add Yom Kippur confessions to their afternoon prayers; recite the Book of Psalms, asking for forgiveness for the wrongdoings of their youth, committed knowingly or unknowingly, before starting their new life together.

Previously, each had been but half a person.

Now, with the hour of marriage, they resume their original wholeness, a new and pure soul is again to be theirs.

Standing under the chuppah their life destiny is set, all past reckoning erased.

Jewish Wedding Guide

 

Have all your past reckonings been erased?

Have all your transgressions been forgiven?

Are you ready to begin a new life with your Bridegroom… finally whole… finally complete in Him?

 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 

and in Him you have been made complete…

Colossians 2:9-10

*(I cannot remember the online link that I found the info in green)

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

It’s Not Just Me

 

So I hopped on over to Ann Voskamp’s website where I always receive a blessing and I read one of her post and I shook my head in agreeance as I read through her words… because they were the same words that have gone through my mind a thousand times…

My calling.

Not my calling as in my vocation… but my calling as a follower of Christ… my calling as a Believer… as a Christian.

This calling… I don’t wanna miss it…

I can’t count the times that I have asked God if I am doing enough… not so that I might earn His salvations, but that I don’t miss an opportunity to be obedient to what He has created me for and saved me for and purposed for this life that He has given me.

Ann I understand your frustration in middle class Kansas… It can be frustrating here in the safety of middle class Alabama too. I was glas to hear that it was not just me… that I was not crazy for thinking these thoughts, for having this internal struggle.

And even in that statement… guilt… ugh… this is the worst I have to be frustrated with? Really?

I hear of my brothers and sisters in Christ going through torture for their claim to Christ and guilt rises up my spine as I know that I have never experienced that… and I waver between thankfulness and jealousy… yes… jealous that they have the joy of suffering for His sake.

Is being a wife and a mother and doing the laundry and keeping the house and ministering in my church and giving of my time and my money enough… is my sad attempt to teach what I know of the Word to anyone who will listen enough… it just doesn’t seem like it to me… Am I smiling enough? Loving enough? Encouraging enough? Building up enough? Pouring out enough?

It’s a weird place here in American christendom to me… so many unwilling to even sacrifice a Sunday morning to sing praises to Him while others in another time zone sing praises to Him even in silence because they lost their tongues for doing it out loud.

So please forgive me if I am not sympathetic to your apathetic excuse for forsaking the assembly.

The hardest thing God asks of us here in America is to sacrifice a few hours one day a week… the church has even made it so easy for those of you here in the “biblebelt”… there is one on every corner… they meet morning, noon, and night… you can find a service somewhere… a Bible study… a small group any day of the week.

So when was the last time you whined about God not answering your prayers?

I sit and I whine that I feel like I am in prison here in middle class America… bound by the chains of affluence… suffocating under these temporary moth ridden treasures… and the apathetic response to a gospel rejected so many times that people neither love nor hate it.

I struggle here.

I am weird I suppose. I struggle as I sit all curled up in my nice cozy home with my beautiful family while I know that outside my door there are children being abused and neglected and abandoned and unloved, while I know that my brothers and sisters in Christ are truly suffering for His name, and I have to admit for the first time ever I am not even stressing over Christmas shopping… there are souls facing the eternal fires of hell and saints being set afire for the glory of His Gospel… there are people who will breathe their last breath tonight… and where will they spend eternity… and what part will I play in their eternal destination?

This is where I scream for freedom from this falsehood and scream out for what is real and true…

Jesus.

Black Friday is coming up… it’s this week I believe…

People will go without sleep,  people will bite, slap, claw, stampede, stand in lines for hours to get more stuff… and well why not… people have Sunday to sleep in.

 

 

 

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Proven Path Ministries

Tech Crutch

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.

Genesis 15:1

Have you ever noticed that it was “the word of the LORD” that came to Abram? It was the word of the LORD that said “I am your shield, your very great reward“. Genesis 15:1 is the first time that this phrase, “the word of the LORD came” is used in Scripture (according to the NASB). This exact phrase will be used at least one hundred two more times in Scripture. The word of the LORD came to Abram and to Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Solomon, an unnamed man of God from Judah to Jeroboam, Jehu, Elijah, Isaiah, David, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jonah, Haggai, Zechariah, and then finally the word of the Lord came to us…

And the Word became flesh,

and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory,

glory as of the only begotten from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

The Word of God has been given to us in many ways… The heavens declare it, the prophets exclaimed it, Jesus fleshed it, the Spirit yields it, and God recorded it in written form through the pens and quills of men who obeyed it.

We have it. We have had it for thousands of years… and now in todays western world we have it everywhere.

These days, the Bible is more accessible than ever— both in print and online. Because it is often at our fingertips, we may overlook our need to internalize it. Why not consider finding a verse or phrase to memorize. Invite God’s voice to speak to you and through you by the power of His Word.

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt 

There was a day when I had tons of phone numbers memorized. I can still tell you my parents old number and my grandparents phone number… However, with todays technology of having a cell phone address book write at my fingertips… I must confess that I don’t even know my daughters cell numbers by memory. All I have to do is tap the letter of their first name and boom there they are… no need to waste brain files to commit the number to memory… right?

One of the ways we can begin to take things for granted or consider them lightly is when we have an abundance of it.

Here in America we have an abundance of the Word.

Oh, I don’t have to memorize Scripture… I have a Bible app…

Oh I don’t need to study… I have Biblegateway and Google…

If we are not careful our ability to memorize Scripture and its address will leave us as quickly as our ability to memorize our loved ones phone numbers. We cannot guarantee that our tech gadgets will always be with us… so I say let’s take Jennifer’s advice and choose today to find a verse or phrase to memorize. Invite God’s voice to speak to you and through you by the power of His Word.

Don’t let todays technology be a crutch that keeps you from learning to walk on your own.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God

as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,

accurately handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

 

Let us never forget the word of our LORD from the mouth of our LORD…

 

But He answered and said,

“It is written, ‘ MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE,

BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

Matthew 4:4

 

Proven Path Ministries

Gonna Be Jealous

1 Comment

 

The last couple of days have not been the greatest for me… well really the last couple of weeks. I have been stressed, under spiritual attack, pressures within and pressures without. All of the stressors are then multiplied by 100 plus because… yes… it’s that time.

Hell Week.

I thought this might get easier as I got older but instead it is worse… hormonal depression seeps in like a fog on my mind and emotions. I become cloudy and the adhd in me becomes ridiculous. Then the physical pain creeps in with a dulling back, stomach, and thigh ache. Next creeps in the hormone headaches that I will wake up with every morning that will go toe to toe with most migraines. I actually have that sucker now as I try to focus to see this keyboard. Take this and add hot flashes, freezing chills, and well good grief why would you be shocked that I am irritable and on the verge of tears or in full fledge tears…  because life doesn’t stop because this time has showed up.

I apparently am in this place of swaying between menstrual and menopause… It’s not always a happy place… but I still would never go back the other way.

Yesterday was not a great day. Yes it was Sunday. Yes it was the “Lord’s Day”. Yes I am the Children’s Ministry Director. Yes, I love Jesus more than my own life… but yesterday was not great. However I choose to worship Him in the not so great day even more… it just rekindles the truth that this is not my home. This hot flashing, irritable, aching, foggy brained, emotionally wrecked body of flesh is only TEMPORARY.

I guess you’re reading this now and you’re wondering “why on earth would I be jealous of this?”

Well, let me tell you…

There was a day that this week would be increased in its turmoil due to the response to it by me and my wonderful husband… he really just did not get it and well I really didn’t help him get it because I didn’t get it either. As a matter of fact I thought I was just fine and it was all his fault (all ladies over 35 feel free to laugh out loud now because I know you feel me)… but after years of choosing to stick it out… or fight it out… well younger ladies, let me just say, don’t give up on him or each other so soon or so easily.

My man had to work yesterday. He knew that I was here in this week. And when he called to see how my day was going I believe I was either crying or complaining every time. I was hurt or hurting for others. I was flustered and overwhelmed and having a day where I felt like a complete failure in all things. I felt under appreciated and unworthy and not fit to breathe air all at the same time. It was a day where the enemy was whispering in my ear… just quit… no one cares… no one will even notice you’re gone… why do you even bother to get out of bed… no one needs you anyway… you are in the way… you can’t do anything right… just quit.

My husband was patient with every phone call… even the ones that came later than they were supposed to. He was patient with the text hang ups due to distractions and he was patient with me leaving church at least 20 minutes later than I originally suggested… and he asked me to call when I was half-way home because he was fixing dinner for us because he got home first.

Well guess who forgot to call… so when I am 5 minutes from the house I remember I forgot to call, so I called him then adding one more of the enemies “great there’s one more thing you have screwed up for the day, just add that to the oh crap I forgot list”

So I pulled in the driveway, then walked in the house loaded down with bags and purse, and my man said, “Put down your stuff.” So I just dropped everything there at the door heading to him for the hug I so desperately needed… my safe place is wrapped up in his arms. He is almost a foot taller than me so I can bury my head in his chest and he wraps his arms around me and I can stand there buried in the warmth of his embrace and for that moment all cares and worries and stress are gone and I just breathe and rest. It’s my favorite place to be…

But last night he didn’t wrap me up… I didn’t get that hug… he held me at arms length and said “I didn’t want to stress you out more on the way home, but we have a problem in the bathroom, the toilet must have been running since you left and we have a mess…”

Of course, I am thinking… Great, one more thing…

He is behind me as I walk up the stairs to survey whatever mess we have… and I enter our bedroom and then turn to the bathroom and the door is opened… and immediately I am crying again.

Behind this bathroom door my husband has just created the most amazing mini retreat I have ever seen. The tub is filled with hot milky water, cut limes, and rose petals. There on the side of the tub is a cup of fresh fruit, a drink, a half dozen roses (the rest of the half have been sacrificed for the tub), and a little booklet that reads about Mom’s finding moments of peace. The lights are dimmed are candles are lit around the tub… and then coming from the counter is the beautiful songs of our courting and life together. He has created a playlist on his kindle that is nothing but songs that remind him of me… and me of him.

See… I told you that you were gonna be jealous.

He then holds me tight as I stand there in my tears of amazement and tells me that the kids are fine, and I am not to come down the stairs until I am completely relaxed.

Oh my goodness… I LOVE THIS MAN!

I fall in love with him over and over and over and over again.

So Mr P.L. Vaughn know that you have rocked this girl’s world and stolen her heart a thousand times over… and I down right out just simply adore you.

 

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Krites

 

The last name of Christ that we looked at was Artos. Before that we have dug into the character of our Savior through His names, Aletheia, Phos, Xulon Zoe, Eschatos Adam, and Huios. The name of Christ that we will be digging into today is Krites. Krites is the Greek word for judge. This word in its form in 2 Timothy 4 means one who passes or arrogates to himself, judgment on anything, an arbiter.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the righteous Judge,

will award to me on that day;

and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-9

One of the names of Jesus is Judge.

For not even the Father judges anyone,

but He has given all judgment to the Son,

so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.

John 5:22-23

God the Father judges no one… and when God the Son, Jesus, came in the flesh neither did He judge any one. However, when He returns… that will be a different story. You know we can complain and whine about the “fairness” of God all we want… but the truth is you will never meet nor know nor be able to comprehend a more just person. So let’s take a moment and look at the why behind my last statement… why do I believe God is just and why has all judgement been rightfully given to the Son? What makes Jesus the only righteous Krites?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word,

and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life,

and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is,

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

and those who hear will live. 

For just as the Father has life in Himself,

even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 

and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.“

John 5:24-27

Ah ha… did you see it?

Did you see the qualification of Christ to judge all things?

We live in a day of worshiped tolerance… no one wants to be judged for anything by anyone. From the professing Christian in the church to the vilest sex offender in the prison. Don’t judge me. How dare you judge me. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I have been through. You were not there when… and so on and on and on.

Here’s the thing… you can’t say that before Christ. You might can guilt another fallible, flesh of man into feeling unqualified to stand before you in rebuke, correction, and judgment… but before Christ? Nope He has all right and authority to judge you. Yes it is true, that no other fallible human being has ever walked in your exact shoes… no other fallible human being was there when… and that’s why our eternal judgment is not dependent on any man. We will all stand before Christ.

We will stand before the one who is the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is the One who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is the One that put on this flesh and walked and lived on this earth tempted in every way that mankind can be, suffering all that mankind can suffer, and yet He did not sin. No one can ever look at Jesus, the righteous Krites and say, how dare you judge me, you don’t know…  because He does know. He was there. He saw. He sees your heart. He knows.

How greater is the knowledge in those of us who profess to be His. How dare we ever attempt to open our mouths before Him with excuses or accusations… because not only is His presence around us but His Spirit within us. This is why He says judgment will begin with the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).

When we go to human court we have a plaintiff and we have a defendant. We have the accuser and we have the accused. We then have a jury and a judge. Below is a little snippet of an old kids tv show called Kids Court…

 

 

 

As these two kids stood there, they each wanted their will done. They could care less about the opinion or will of the other, they wanted the outcome to be their way, their will, in their favor. Then as the moderator took the case out to the jury what you saw was each person picking a side.

This is what we usually do… we stand up wanting our will done and we come up against someone else wanting their will done… and then we recruit people to take our side… and then a judge stands there and decides whose side will win or we simply divide and never unite again.

Jesus is a righteous Judge because He is not picking sides… He is not here to pick between your will and my will, your way and my way… He is there to bring us all under the authority of God’s will.

“I can do nothing on My own initiative.

As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just,

because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 5:30

Jesus stands before us all, as fully God and fully man. He knows exactly what it is to be God and He knows exactly what it is to be man. So He stands there in full knowledge and authority and right to judge, to mediate, to arbitrate, between God and man.

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world…

John 9:39

 

It was for judgment that Jesus came into this world. Now hang on to that verse, that thought, that truth as we look at  another passage of Scripture.

 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,

but that the world might be saved through Him. 

John 3:16-17

Ummmm wait a minute. John 9:39 says that Jesus came into the world for judgment and here in John 3:17 it says that God did not send Jesus into the world to judge? Is the Bible contradicting itself?

No it’s not. Jesus did not come into the world as a man to judge it… but he did come for judgment. Let’s keep reading…

He who believes in Him is not judged;

he who does not believe has been judged already,

because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world,

and men loved the darkness rather than the Light,

for their deeds were evil. 

For everyone who does evil hates the Light,

and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 

But he who practices the truth comes to the Light,

so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

John 3:18-21

 

Jesus came for judgment. He came as the living breathing Law of God. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. And when the world beheld His glory, when men beheld His truth and love and light they could not help but see their sin in comparison… so they either cried out to God in their sinfulness and cried out for His forgiveness… or they wanted to destroy the One that exposed their sin… because they loved their sin and would not accept any condemnation concerning it.

You see Jesus didn’t have to open His mouth… His presence was enough. His presence on this earth exposed and exposes the presence of Satan and his darkness and his lies and his deeds.

Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

John 12:31

And guys here’s the thing… pay close attention… this is huge.

Jesus gave us His Spirit, His Light, His love, His grace so that His presence would remain on this earth always casting out the ruler of this world.

 

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

If the world is judged by you,

are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

Do you not know that we will judge angels?

How much more matters of this life?

1 Corinthians 6:2-3

Now precious one, I don’t believe this means that in the end days we who believed will all have our own little thrones and give out our “I told you this would happen if you didn’t believe in Him, see He was the only way! Now you are going to hell just like I said you would, so there!” 

Here’s the thing… does your presence make the ungodly uncomfortable without you ever saying a word? When you walk in the room do the dirty jokes stop? If someone speaks a profane word in front of you do they apologize or catch themselves before they say it? Does the gossip and the tales of the weekend club/bar hopping stop when you walk into the discussion?

This is how the saints judge the world.

This is how the saints judge angels.

Does your life shine the Light and expose the death and darkness of the evil one and his deeds?

If not… why?

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Removing the Gray

By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established.
Proverbs 24:3

 

As the “after election” posts and thoughts continue I see a trend among the people of God. I see a renewed fire to be about their Father’s business. At first I thought I was seeing a little “well great, there goes the country, at least we still have heaven awaiting“.

But maybe I was being a little too critical in that assumption.

God has a way of removing the gray in our lives.

In the beginning He separated light and darkness. He then separated Israel from the rest of the nations. Then He separates the sheep and goats, the tares and the wheat, the believing and unbelieving… God is not a God of the gray.

To the gray He says…

  So because you are lukewarm,

and neither hot nor cold,

I will spit you out of My mouth.

Revelation 3:16

The outcome of the election did not shock me. As the heart of our nation darkens in its understanding as it turns away from its Creator to worship the created… God is removing the gray. You simply cannot serve two masters.

No one can serve two masters;

for either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and wealth.

Matthew 6:24

I believe God is drawing His line straight through the heart of America. He stands before the hearts of the people of this nation and He says…

Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth;

and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt,

and serve the Lord. 

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord,

choose for yourselves today whom you will serve:

whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River,

or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living;

but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15

We have lived in an America that has had a blurred vision of what it means to be a Christian for way too long. Did we actually think that God would continue to allow the graying of the gospel of His salvation? He gave us His Law, His Word, His gospel, His Son, and His Spirit that we might know Him and those who belong to Him.

 To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God;

there is no other besides Him.

Deuteronomy 4:35

We know that we are of God,

and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 

And we know that the Son of God has come,

and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true;

and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. 

This is the true God and eternal life.

1 John 5:19-20

As the people of God we have to learn the difference between gray and grace. We can’t live in the gray… but we can live in grace.

Gray is trying to ride a fence between truth and lie, between godly and worldly, between sin and righteousness, between serving God and serving ourselves. There is only room on a throne for one. If God is not on that throne then someone else is… you.

Grace is trusting in God to be there when we choose to step out of the gray and into the light.

For every house is built by someone,

but the builder of all things is God. 

Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, 

for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 

but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—

whose house we are, 

if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

Hebrews 3:4-6

The proverb declares that by wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established. If we are to be His house then we must grow in our wisdom and understanding and we must do that through growing in His Word and stepping out of the gray and into grace.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Titus 2:11-15

 

Living in the gray makes you weak in authority and boldness… it leaves you wishy washy and swaying with every wind of man. However living in grace gives you power and strength and confidence and boldness and authority.

So let us become His house. Let us grow in wisdom and understanding. Let us hold fast to what we know. Let us step both feet in the Light and set our faces like flint to Him. Let us stop playing games at the foot of the cross. Let us step out of the gray and into His grace.

This election result is a gift from our God. Let us receive it as such.