PERFECTION

Written by Allison Sylvester-Conliffe

Jesus admonishes us that we should be perfect!

Matt 5:48 – Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Have we ever stopped to consider what God means when He calls us, His followers, to be perfect?  Some may think that God expects us to do everything in the right way always – making sure that the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed – never giving way to making a mistake – and by doing so, that would be God’s ideal example of walking in perfection.

Others may think that a perfect person has to be knowledgeable in all things and appear to all as intelligent. Oh really?  Remembering that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts … let us look a bit closer of God’s idea of perfection.

God is Love and God’s love is perfect, complete and unconditional.

A PERFECT EXAMPLE

1 John 4:16-17 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love; and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected in this, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”

God wants His creation to be as an extension of Himself. In other words, He has also called us to love completely and unconditionally, so that we would appear perfect in His eyes.  He has sent Jesus, His Son, to show us how to love like He does.  We cannot achieve this on our own.  Jesus came to show mankind how to live with one another in harmony and how to become one as the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One.  In other words, God wants His people to be of one heart, one mind and one spirit as we mirror Him in our interactions.

We are familiar with the verses quoted below from 1 Corinthians 13. Let us with honesty examine our own attitudes and behaviour against the Word of God, and see how we line up with God’s idea of perfection. 

HOW’S MY ATTITUDE?

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 
   

2.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 
3.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned but have not love, it profits me nothing. 
4. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 
6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 
7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
8. Love never fails.  
9. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 
10. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 
11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 
13. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

These verses speak clearly of God’s meaning of perfection and we must mirror God’s Word if we desire to make it to His Heaven.  There is no compromise in this regard because God commands us to love.

John 13:34 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

AM I FOOLING MYSELF?

However, we have to be mindful of what I choose to call, “false perfection”. 

If we see ourselves as the epitome of perfection, and see everyone else as below that bar, the chances are that we will also find ourselves walking on the thin line of pride and thereby become displeasing to God! We could be duped into thinking that because we are proficient in what we do, whether professionally or in ministry, that we have attained to a high level of “perfection” and may even gloat on the fact that we are a cut above the rest.

This kind of thinking could trap us into promoting ourselves to an exalted position, and into believing that we are incapable of making a mistake. If we actually made a mistake or falter in some way, we would stand amazed, pondering the fact that a mistake actually occurred at our hand.  This kind of thinking borders on pride – a sin that God abhors and is the first one listed among the six things that He hates.  (See Proverbs Chapter 6).

To guard against this spirit of pride, God warns us in His Word to be careful not to think too highly of ourselves.  We must look, at all times, for the goodness in others rather than seeing their faults and making it our business to point them out.  When did Jesus point fingers at His disciples when they failed? We are followers of Jesus aren’t we?  His way is the Perfection that we all have to attain to.  What we often label as perfection is really prideful false perfection.

Phil 2:3 – Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Rom 12:3 – For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

There is a saying that goes like this… “Imperfection is intolerant of Imperfection”.  This is a loaded statement which, when expanded, says that we display our own imperfection when we have low tolerance for other people’s short-comings … according to what we bench mark as perfection. 

If God would judge iniquity, who would stand??  Perfection … which is God Himself … is restorative.  You may ask, what does that mean?

TRUE PERFECTION RESTORES

As I mentioned before, God, as Perfection, is Restorative.  God’s perfection requires patience, tolerance and kindness. He never seeks to condemn mankind as we continue to walk in our folly.  When the Apostle Peter made mistakes Jesus showed Him the more excellent way… and He did it in love. 

If our motive for pointing out mistakes is void of love and void of the intention to restore to wholeness, then we are walking in imperfection. If our motive in pointing out the short comings of others is to put down another in order to exalt one-self, then we are imperfect in God’s eyes.  God always seeks to encourage the saints and does not go about flaunting Himself in His Perfection.  Rather, He takes the lowly place and works with His people in love to bring us all to the level we ought to be in Him.  In other words God’s love toward us is to bring restoration so that we could be perfect as He is perfect.

How do we measure up to His mark of perfection?  Let us go forth and work out our salvation before it is too late.

Blessings to all.

SHOW US THE FATHER

Written by Allison Sylvester-Conliffe

Many of us can relate to an earthly father as we would have had the opportunity to be nurtured and grow under his leadership.  We may have been disciplined by our fathers, and some of us may have been ridiculously pampered by him.

Yet many of us may have been under our father’s explicit counsel and strict guidance.  To others, he may have been the sole provider in the home, and yet some of us may have even been raised by father as our sole parental experience and thus saw him as mother and father.

On the counter-side, many of us can relate to our father in a negative light.  It could be that he may have been abusive to us or was never involved in our lives, and therefore he had no involvement in our upbringing.   We may even not know who our father is, or maybe he died before we had the opportunity to know him.  Some have witnessed their father’s backs as he abandoned the family.

Allow me to introduce the Father of all fathers, especially to those who are experiencing a lack in this area of fatherhood.  God the Father is not only Father, but He is also Mother, as one of His attributes is The All Sufficient One – El Shaddai.  This refers to God completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His children with all their needs as a mother would her child.

Philip, a disciple and Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, once asked Jesus a question – “Shew us the Father” – John 14:8. Jesus’ response to the request was

“……he that has seen Me has seen the Father” John 14:9

Therefore it stands to reason – as we expand what Jesus was really saying – that if we know Jesus, then we would know who God the Father is!

So what are Jesus’ attributes that would personify Him as His Father? 

The very Name of Jesus as Emmanuel meaning “God with us” speaks volumes.  If Jesus is Emmanuel, then so is Father. For some of us this is a comforting thought since our earthly fathers may have deserted us, leaving the rest of the family to manage on their own. The Bible reminds us of God’s promise in the following words –

“…and be content with such things as you have: for he has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you”. Hebrews 13:5

God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah also reminds us of His staying power in the following Scriptures–

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: Isaiah 41:10

and again –

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Isaiah 49:15

Another attribute of the Father as seen through Jesus Christ is that of Provider. There was a time that Jesus and His disciples needed money to pay taxes and Jesus instructed Peter specifically what He should do to get the money needed.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Matthew 17:27

Jesus, being their Lord, did not leave it up to the disciples to figure how they should have their needs met.  Acting as His Father would, He provided for them in the same way that God the Father took care of the children of Israel in the wilderness.  He was showing the disciples who the Father is. 

In the Book of Exodus Chapter 16, we read of God’s provision of food for the Israelites as they went through their wilderness.  We too, as children of God, will have wilderness experiences, but our Heavenly Father will continue to provide for us in order to sustain us through the periods of what seems to be famine.

So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. Exodus 16:15

Jesus showed the disciples the Father by the way He protected them in times of great physical storms that rose up in their midst. He demonstrated God’s protection, as Father would have protected the Israelites from their enemies. God Almighty fought on their behalf and gained the victory for the Israelites as they walked in obedience before Him.  Gideon’s army was but three hundred persons and they won over the army consisting of thousands of Midianites and Amalekites.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. Judges 7:7

Jesus was never an accuser, and in the same way God our Father does not accuse us when we commit sin.  Jesus came as the Restorer to bring us, sinners, back into right relationship and with fellowship with God the Father.  See the account of the woman who was caught in adultery, and Jesus’ response to her.

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Jesus was showing this woman who the Father is – He was showing off a Father who is ready to forgive as long as we come to Him in repentance.

Most of all, Jesus exhibited the attribute of love and compassion to those with whom He was in contact.  Love is who the Father is.  Jesus showed us how to love our enemies. 

Judas was the betrayer of all betrayers, and Jesus knew it all along. Yet when Jesus revealed to all the disciples that one of them would betray Him they were in a quandary, wondering which one of them was the one to betray Him. Jesus did not treat Judas in any way differently from how He treated with the other disciples.  He loved them all in the same way.  He was exhibiting the Father’s Love.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

……God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. 1John 4:16

God the Father longs for us to know Him as Father.  He created us for His good pleasure, therefore we have to know what pleases Him in order that we become His pleasure!

For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent] Ephesians 1:5

… for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Why not take time to learn of the Father through his Son, Jesus Christ?  When we all take a step back and look at our lives, from the past into the present, we must conclude that we must have a Heavenly Father who watches over us to protect us and to provide for us.  All Father wants in return is for us to love Him through His Son Jesus.  The Word of God says, if we love Him, we would do what He says.

If you love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

As we come to know Father, we would learn how to forgive our earthly fathers who may have abandoned us or hurt us emotionally or physically.  Jesus told his followers to honour our mothers and our fathers.  Our Heavenly Father had given this same decree to Moses when He gave him the Ten Commandments. 

Honour your father and your mother. Matthew 19:19

Jesus was showing all of us the Father.

Jesus forgave all who would have hurt Him as He hung on the Cross.  He even forgave the thief who was repentant.  So is Father toward all of us who need forgiveness. 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God! Romans 3:23

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25

I invite you to come to know Father through His Son Jesus.  

He is desiring a meaningful relationship with you.

7 FINAL WORDS: 3 – WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON

Written by Audrey E. Charles

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, 

He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 

Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” 

And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

John 19:26-27

It would stand to reason that His mother was Jesus’ greatest earthly treasure. After all, she raised Him and taught Him about His miraculous birth. She sacrificed the pleasure of having her first born Son with her because she knew of His awesome calling.

Jesus’ love for His mother is evident in that, even while He was suffering on the cross He thought about her well-being. He knew she would miss Him terribly and wanted to make provision for her welfare. With that, He placed His mother in the care of His close friend John, and John in turn became Jesus’ substitute as Mary’s son.

This was not the first time that Jesus would leave His mother. In fact, starting at age twelve, He was about His Father’s business, and that entailed being away from her for extended periods of time.

There were times when it even seemed that He was ignoring His family. We read in Matthew 12:46-50 that Jesus’ mother and brothers were standing outside the place where He was ministering, desiring to speak to Him. When Jesus was told that they were there and were asking for Him, His response must have puzzled the onlookers. Instead of excusing Himself and going out to greet His family He posed a question. “Who are My mother and brothers?” He asked. Then He answered His own question. He pointed to His disciples and said essentially, “Look at My mother and brothers right here. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my mother and brothers.”

Jesus is not insulting His family here, but rather using their visit as an opportunity to teach a principle about the Kingdom of God. Unlike the world system in which family is often limited to those who share the same DNA as you, Jesus removed those limitations. He didn’t deny that those waiting outside were His family, but rather He included those who were grafted in also.

There will be times when you will have to make the choice between your biological family and your wider spiritual family – the Body of Christ. Your biological family may expect certain things from you, especially if they don’t share in your enthusiasm and commitment to the Lord. If you are not careful and discerning, guilt and a sense of obligation can often play a part in your decisions. Please be sure to choose wisely, seeking the Father’s will for you, and then doing it.

Sometimes friends are closer to you than your biological family. Like the people in Jesus’ day, they have become your brothers, sisters, mothers etc. However, there will be those who God places in your life for a season, and you must discern when that season is up and be willing to relinquish that loved one to go on to their next assignment.

It is so important to remember that no one should be held in higher esteem in your life than God Himself. Learning to hold loved ones with an open hand and not a closed fist is no easy feat, but it is absolutely necessary in this journey to freedom. Because of the emotional connections that we have to our loved ones – be they biological or otherwise – our emotions can wreak havoc during those times when we must separate from them in order to usher in a higher good.

Jesus promised, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” – Mark 10: 29, 30

If a beautiful butterfly landed on the palm of your hand and stayed there for a while, you would probably admire it and savor its presence. However, if you noticed that the butterfly was about to fly away you wouldn’t close your fingers around it to trap it in your hand, would you? Doing so would mean certain injury or even death to the innocent creature. We are to treat each of our treasured relationships like that butterfly, holding them close to our hearts, savoring the fellowship, but at the same time allowing them the freedom to move on as God requires.

Who or what are your greatest earthly treasures? Are you willing to take up your cross of walking alone without them? If so, then declare to whoever or whatever that treasure is, “________________________ (insert the name in the blank), I give you over to the Father. Father, here is my greatest treasure.”

DO YOU LOVE ME?

Written by Allison Sylvester-Conliffe

Jesus said these Words to His disciples, 
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

This is an awesome truth and most believers may stop right there with their Christian walk – diligently looking for the “greater works” to be manifested. 

Jesus also said to His disciples,
Matthew 17:20  …If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Other believers camp at this scripture and live there believing God for their physical needs, and exercise all their efforts in getting from God according to their faith.  Both portions of Scripture, as mentioned above, mainly pertain to our faith in Jesus Christ, and this we must possess – but may I introduce us to a higher position that we should take in Christ?  This indeed refers to the Commandment given to Moses in Deuteronomy 6:5 and as re-iterated by Jesus Christ when He came to the earth in Matthew 22:37…

Thou shall love the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. 

We could summarize that if we believe and have faith in God, we will see the blessings of God manifested.  However, if we love the Lord, we could have Him and He could have us – blessings included.

As believers, we could say many times over, that we love God.  We could worship Him and get very emotional in expressing to Him that we love Him – and we believe with all our heart that we do love Him.

As we worship the Lord, we remember the number of things that He has already done in our lives

• the many times that He had delivered us from physical death – 
• we remember the fact that by His Grace, He has led us to salvation –
• we remember the times that we got the financial break-through that we were praying for – 
• we remember the times that we were severely sick and that we received a miraculous healing from the Lord 

We are so thankful and indeed grateful as we express to Him that we love Him for the many things that He has done – but do we really love God?

We measure our love for God mostly by the gratitude that we feel after we see the manifestation of the goodness of God toward us.  We do not remember, however, that the goodness of God is supposed to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Repentance means feeling remorse for offending God and  turning away from sin.

God has placed for us in His Word, the measuring stick that He uses to determine whether we love Him or not.  He said through His Son Jesus, the following words in John 14:15  – If ye love me, keep my commandments.

As believers, we must walk in obedience to the principles and the laws of God our Father, if we profess to be lovers of God.  Do you know that our motivation to do the work for the Kingdom of God, in whichever sphere, should be the love that we have for God? Whether it be work as the pulpit minister, or as the choir member or as the sanctuary worker or intercessor, our motivation should be the love for our God!

Yes, we have been born in sin and brought forth in iniquity (Psalm 51:5), but Jesus came to bring restoration to us with the Father.  He has made the way for us to be reconciled with God the Father.  As a matter of fact Jesus is THE way to the Father.  Jesus has gone back to the Father, but the Holy Spirit is available to all believers as our Helper, to assist us in putting off the lusts of the flesh and so live according to the Commandments as laid down by God Almighty. 

He gives us the ability to walk in the love of God because we cannot do it on our own efforts.  All that is required of us is to ask the Holy Spirit’s help as we choose to do the Word of God, and He will help us in the areas where we fall short.  He is faithful to come to our assistance and is always readily available to us.

I therefore leave you with this question that Jesus Christ still asks His disciples today –

“Do you love Me?”

SNATCHED FROM DEATH – MY TESTIMONY

I sat on the edge of the bed with a handful of Valium in one hand and a razor blade nearby. A glass of water to wash down the pills sat on the dresser waiting to do its duty. Night had fallen and my heart was as dark as the sky outside. There was nothing left to live for I thought.

Earlier that evening my estranged husband had brought our 2 year old son back home after spending the afternoon with him. Their parting usually was a happy one, but this time little D cried uncontrollably as he watched his dad’s car drive away. Nothing would console him.

“Wanna go with Daddy and my other Mommy!” he cried. Those words hit like daggers. D was the one ray of sunshine left in my life since the sudden separation had occurred several months before. Now he, too, wanted out.

Something snapped in my mind. I heard myself assuring him that from tomorrow he would indeed be with his dad. As I prepared him for bed D was giggling and happy once again. I rocked him to sleep and when his little body was completely relaxed I kissed him, and gently placed him in his crib. He was a child who slept through the night…and slept very soundly at that, so there was no way he would awaken before morning.

Methodically, mechanically and completely drained from months of trying to hold things together, I began to prepare…packed D’s bag with the things he would need for daycare…put his breakfast dishes on the table…laid his clothes out for the morning…took the lock off the front door so that there would be easy access to get in….poured the glass of water….went to my bedroom…closed the door…found the razor blade…uncapped the bottle of pills…sat on my bed.

Thoughts swirled in my mind – a jumble of memories. All efforts to make life “normal” had added up to one word – failure.

I heard my own voice saying, “God, if you want me to live You’re going to have to stop me.” I waited a brief moment. Nothing. With that I poured out a handful of pills and raised my hand to my mouth. The razor blade lay nearby to be used right afterward. Then suddenly the stillness was shattered…

“MOMMY!!!”

It jolted me! I dropped the pills, raced to D’s bedroom and flipped the light switch. There was my two year old…the same one who never awakened, even during a recent earthquake. There he was, wide awake, standing up in his crib with that disarming grin, hands outstretched for me to pick him up. As I grabbed D and held him ever so close a flood of unexpressed emotion flowed from me.

God had heard my heart, and He had answered! He did care! He did want me to live! And He had used my little treasure to let me know that!

That night marked a turnaround in my life. I came to know God, the Father, who valued me so much when I couldn’t see value in myself. I was soon introduced to His Son, Jesus and discovered that He, too, loved me so much that He willingly gave His own body to be battered, bruised and then crucified….all so that I could have true life – eternal life with Him!

Several decades later I am a mother and grandmother. But most importantly I am Jesus’ messenger, telling those who are lost and hurting and devoid of answers that there is One who has the answer to any and every problem. He even used me to lead my ex-husband to Him!

I can tell you that He is the only Answer, because before that fateful night I had tried so many other “solutions” – so many religions…attempting to fill the void inside me. But the emptiness always lingered ….until Jesus.

He knows the way out of your prison. He can heal your deepest pain. He will calm your greatest fears. He is with you when you think you’re all alone. He gives you hope. His plans for you are for peace. He knows all about your weaknesses, yet loves you with total abandon! He says…

 ““Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.“

Matthew 11:28

Whatever you need Jesus to be, He will be…

• If you need someone to confide in – He is the Friend who sticks closer than a brother
• If you need healing – He is the Great Physician
• If you need guidance – He is the Way, the Truth and the Life
• If you are in turmoil – He is the Prince of Peace
• If your world is dark and dismal – He is the Light of the world
• If you’re plagued by guilt and shame – He is ready to forgive you and receive you as His own.

Will you ask Jesus to take control of your life, as He did mine? Will you ask Him to help you pick up the pieces? I can assure you that He is right there with you as you read this testimony. Just as He used D’s voice to snatch me from death, He is using this article to bring you back from despair…back to Him. The Lord loves you desperately, and wants you to know His love………a love like you have never experienced before. He created you just so that you could have intimate fellowship with Him!

He can take your mess and turn you into His messenger….just like He did with me!

All you have to do is call His Name….

JESUS.

Mourning into Dancing. Ps. 30:11

All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. 

Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar 

because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.  

And this is what God has testified: 

He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

1 John 5:10-12

AWESOME!

Our God is truly Awesome!

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/tz8BgLSC24E

MARRIAGE

Thanks to Allison Sylvester-Conliffe

for another powerful article

God instituted Marriage, therefore it is a holy institution and it is sacred … just because it came from God.  He in His Wisdom saw that man should not be alone, and that he should have a help meet, a companion … someone to share himself with, someone to be intimate with, someone who he could love and from whom he could receive love in return.  It should be noted that God made the selection of a wife for Adam.  Adam did not have a choice in the matter at all … and God expected Adam to love her and to be intimate with her … and she with him … regardless.

As I pondered Adam and Eve’s relationship, I realized that God was also included as a part of their relationship.  He was in the midst of it.  The Bible tells us that in the cool of the day God visited them.  Both Adam and Eve were free in God … no secrets, nothing hidden.  You say how do I know that?  The Bible said that they were naked.  That means that all was exposed with nothing hidden. They were free beings in God.  Until … the serpent, our enemy called satan, visited one of them.

We have an enemy folks, and his name is satan.  He is alive today, just as he was alive in the Garden in the day of Adam.  Now whether you choose to believe that or not, would not alter the truth.  Our enemy’s intent and sole purpose is to take us away from close communion with God and from being free in God.

Back in the Book of Genesis Chapter 3 it captures for us, what happens when we refuse to harken unto God’s Word, and when we choose instead to harken unto another voice and so yield to it.  That “other voice”, people, is always the voice of the enemy which is used to entice you to want to please self rather than to be pleasing unto God.  That voice causes you to ignore God’s Word, yield to temptation and do what appeases your flesh. 

In the husband/wife relationship, the enemy just has to whisper into the ear of one of the parties, either the husband or the wife … present a scenario which would appeal to his/or her senses (which is fleshly) and it’s up to the subject to take the bait or not.

It really doesn’t matter to the devil which one accedes to the challenge you know, because he’s looking toward the end result, which is to cause the couple to displease God.  He wants to make a breach in the union which God had sealed.  That is his motive and that is his job … to convince us of his diabolical plan by deceiving us into believing one … just one … of his lies.  Then it would be mission accomplished. All it takes is for him to whisper into the right ear, and so cause that vessel to waiver in his or her faith and he would have his hook firmly set into your jaw and then he yanks it.  This way, you would be totally under his control.

If we take a look at broken marriages, or even divorced couples … you would see a common thread.  In the majority of cases, the reason for the separation was because one of the party’s self dis-satisfaction.  The other person was not doing this right.  It was because the other person was not bringing enough into the relationship to satisfy me.  Not taking me anywhere … not buying me nice things … not making me happy.  But did God’s Word not say that you ought to esteem others more highly than yourself? (Philippians 2:3)  Believing otherwise, or contrary to that Word would tell me that you are disobeying the Word of God. 

It is also recorded in the Word of God as a command, that the husband should love his wife as Christ loved the church … and in return the wife should submit to the husband.  Read Ephesians Chapter 5 again.  The parties who are involved in the covenant of marriage are supposed to concentrate on esteeming the other more highly than their own selves.

Each one should concentrate on loving that other person, cherishing the mate and not looking with expectancy for the mate to esteem and cherish us.  The latter would eventually happen, but it should not be the focus.  The husband’s energies are to be placed in loving the wife and the wife’s energies are to be in loving the husband.  That is the key that we miss as married couples.  In truly loving the other person, we would indeed be pleasing God.

The reason why we were created was to be pleasing unto God.  We were made for God’s pleasure.  We are to please God in our relationships, marital or otherwise.  Loving each other as God wants us to love will bring to each individual the ultimate benefits in God. 

We cannot assume that what we call love is what God calls love.  We have to seek God to know how to love our spouses. Our prayer should be “What should I do Lord, to bring satisfaction to my partner?  Please show me how to love him/her!”  Because what you may call love may not appeal to him or her at all.  Your prayer should never be “Lord, change my partner to be this or to be that so that I could be satisfied”!  Do you see the difference?

Love is selfless, it is a giving of yourself to another, unconditionally.  Just as God loved us so much, even in our wretched state, that He gave the Son that He loved to die in order that we should live.  True love, is really a dying to self.  It is a deep expression towards another.  Love is never selfish, nor does it seek its own.  Love pours outward unto another.

That other thing which caters to self satisfaction, and fulfills me is called some other thing, but don’t call it love at all.  Love is a sacrificial giving of oneself to another.  The pleasure is the joy in seeing the other person happy and fulfilled. Think what would happen if we all approach our marriage relationships in this manner.  In this way, when your spouse feels hurt you will feel hurt too.  Love would seek the welfare of the spouse and this will spill out unto the children too, and they will follow the same pattern in their own married lives.  God will indeed be pleased.

We have to get back to loving God first as He has commanded, before we even attempt to get ourselves a husband or wife and committing to marriage.  Pleasing God should be our motive and this would be reflected in our relationships.  What I have seen is that we go after the physical attraction and breach God’s laws by hitting the sack, then maybe we will get married and because we go after pleasure for our individual selves, there are all sorts of friction and head butting being experienced in the marriage.  This arises because God is not our focus.  We instead, make ourselves the focus and this is wrong.

For those of us who are experiencing turbulence in the marriage, stop for a while and purpose to do things differently.  Instead of wanting to get “whatever” out of the relationship, try putting something in.  Try treating your spouse differently.  Now I did not say that the spouse was deserving of anything.  We are going beyond that. Ask God to show you exactly how to go about it.

Let your creativity loose and start by giving the spouse maybe a granola bar, a box of chocolates, some flowers, a new shirt or a pair of socks.  It may be that you would give of yourself by watching a movie with your spouse, especially if that is not what you would normally do. Be creative and give, because you want to please God.  Remember, that you even have to love the unlovely! Therefore you are without excuse.

Daily, purpose to do some good act in order to bring pleasure to your spouse … no, not to you … to your spouse!! Try this method for the first month.  God in His Wisdom will break down barriers and heal wounds and cultivate a newness in your marriage that cannot go unnoticed.  It is supernatural because it will be all God’s doing.

Visit Romans 13:10 which says –

“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law!”

I summarize by saying that just by expressing love as God wants you to love, will cause you to keep all of the Commandments … in which case you will then be pleasing God … you will also be pleasing your spouse and your spouse will in turn be pleasing you.

God Bless You!

IN SEARCH OF HIS BRIDE

If you were asked, “What are you looking for in a husband/wife?”, you would probably respond with a list of qualities that you think would be ideal in the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Do you know that Jesus has done the same thing? He has a list of qualities that He is looking for in His Bride. With this in mind let us look at a Scripture that may seem unusual for this topic at first.

You see, with God everything is “black and white” with no grey areas. The reality is that you and I will either spend eternity with Jesus or forever separated from Him. To live with Him forever means that you will be a part of His Bride. Those who spend eternity in hell, separated from Him and heaven, will have done so by the choices they had made.

Rev. 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

This verse lists those who will spend eternity apart from Jesus, having disqualified themselves from being a part of the Bride of Christ. We can therefore discern the characteristics that Jesus seeks in His Bride by identifying the opposite of each quality.

1. Fearful – Those who easily give in to intimidation from the enemy of the Gospel

The Warrior Bride of Christ

Jesus’ Bride – FEARLESS

• knows that Jesus always protects His own
• courageously spreads the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• does not water down the Gospel because of pressure from detractors

2. Unbelieving – literally those who are unfaithful; cannot be trusted

Jesus’ Bride – TRUSTWORTHY

• Faithful to do the will of the Lord
• Can be trusted to obey His directions, even when they don’t seem to make sense

3. Abominable – those who do things that are disgusting, distasteful and loathsome in the eyes of God

Jesus’ Bride – DELIGHTFUL

• Lifestyle is pleasing to the Lord
• Practices Philippians 4:8 – thinks on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy

4. Murderers – those who kill physically and/or with their tongue – by speaking ill against brothers and sisters

Jesus’ Bride – HONORS OTHERS

• Forgives those who offend
• encourages those who are weak
• corrects those who have fallen – in a spirit of humility and love

5. Whoremongers – those who engage in illicit sexual behavior

Jesus’ Bride – PURE

• If married – faithful to his/her earthly spouse
• If unmarried – faithful to the Lord

6. Sorcerers – engaging in witchcraft and false prophecy; seeking answers from spirits other than the Holy Spirit

Jesus’ Bride – GUIDED BY HIS WORD

• in constant communication with Him
• spirit is sensitive to His voice

7. Idolaters – those who put people or things before God in order of importance

Jesus’ Bride – PUTS JESUS FIRST

• Jesus is the first love
• Everyone and everything else is secondary

8. Liars – those who practice deceit and hypocrisy; say one thing but do another

Jesus’ Bride – TRUTHFUL

• Consistently truthful in communicating with Him
• Not hiding anything from the Lord or pretending about anything
• Everything is out in the open before Him

 Rev. 19:7-8 (Amplified Bible)

Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! 

Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor,

 for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, 

and His bride has prepared herself.

She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white–

for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God’s holy people).

Do you qualify to be part of the Bride of Christ?

MAINTAINING ONE’S INTEGRITY IN GOD

This powerful article was written by Colleen Davis.

And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).

And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-35 Amplified)

As the days go darker, as the depths of the degree to which human beings could be evil and self-concerned plummets to new records, I find myself reflecting on what it means to maintain one’s integrity in God.

I am reminded that once we have accepted the amazing work on the cross as the supreme sacrifice for the redemption of our souls, and have become born again after the spirit of the living God, it is incumbent upon us to live each day from the new nature that is available to us and to shun at every possible opportunity the earthly spirit that so easily consumed us before that joyous day when we came to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

Turning our backs on the “old man”; the one controlled by emotions, pride and ego is not an easy task when in the face of evil people, loved ones who continuously give offense, and extremely difficult circumstances, we are tempted every day to resort to manifestations of our baser selves.

Like Job, when life comes at you with all bats swinging you could be tempted to leave off your integrity and curse God and die. However, would like Job, we would have the wisdom to know that no calamity, no degree of stress, no conflict is great enough to make us exchange our heritage in the Lord for short term satisfaction of being shown to be in the ‘right’.

We must always remember that once one has been accepted into the family of God by embracing the mighty work of salvation that Jesus wrought for us on the cross, one’s main purpose is to be involved in the ministry of reconciling men, women and children back to God the Father, not just through what we may say of Him but how our lives represent the beautiful aspects of His divine nature. The fruit of the Spirit must always be evident in us – His love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, (Galatians 5:22)

The Word of God says that man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. As we meditate on God’s word, the Holy Spirit is able to bring alive His Spirit in us, gradually doing away with the imperfect nature of the selfish man which so often besets us. In so doing we are therefore become increasingly able to move as dead men among the forests of multiple offence (unaffected by the many hostile barbs that come our way. Then armoured in the unfailing love of God, our living witness will draw many, currently struggling with lives full of strife, unforgiveness, bitterness, lack of purpose etc. to the One in whom all true hope lies.

Where’s The Line To See Jesus?

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/godtube/resource/mediaplayer/5.6/player.swf