Standing on the Promises of God/ Women Submit to Your Husband Part 6

"...but he will rule over you."

That means that he (the husband) should stand with a whip in his hand so that she will obey his every command, no matter what. Right?

Wrong.

 Despite the fact that there are men that would love that, it  would at best lead to so much anger and resentment towards him  and at its worst, would be spousal abuse and sometimes even death.. Neither which  would be condoned by God.

In the New Testament, God explains to us his own qualities  of what marriage between husband and wife, should be. Starting with how the woman should willingly submit to her husband in the home, which was in Genesis 3:15. And following up in the New Testament, there it is again in Ephesians 5: 22. "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as unto the Lord."

But in Ephesians 5:21, it says "Submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God." And on down in verses 25 and 28, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and lastly in verse 33, husbands are to love their wives as themselves, and wives are to reverence their husbands.

Admittingly, there can be problems with that. Character/sinful flaws in an overbearing husband that makes a wife hate him much less want to submit to them or revere him. Or the husband whose wife makes her duty to control every aspect of his life. God is not going to condone the behavior of those that are not willing to really love and support them and be guided by his Spirit. 

In verse 32, Paul calls it a "great mystery." Yet, he likens the relationship between the husband and wife, as the relationship between Christ and the Church. Because he loves the Church, he also loves the marriage relationship. After all, it was he that created it all.

After the fall from grace that happened in the Garden that day, there have been no one that has come after that who have experienced God's blessing, like they did before they sinned. And that was why God had to send his Son to die for the disgrace that humanity brought on themselves. Our humanity. 

But thankfully, he was willing. And so was his Son who went to the cross for those of that believe. Because though we have not known that kind of blessing yet, we will. It is waiting with God and Jesus on the other side. It is waiting there for us.

June 22, 2019 Promise: The Lord is good to those that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Lamentations 5:25

Thanks for stopping by Friends. I plan to be here tomorrow. I hope you will come back. God Bless!

Standing on the Promises of God/Promise to the Woman Part 5

...and thy desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you. Genesis 3:16

Ah, our desire will be for our husband. Isn't that a good thing?  Maybe not so much that second part. He will rule over us. How many woman can actually rejoice at that statement?

So what does God mean by those two statements anyway?Are they meant to be a blessing? Or a curse? What?

Let's summarize a bit. God had given them the perfect of all perfects settings.Each other. A beautiful garden to call home. Food to eat. Above all, his companionship. 

Surely, there was harmony within their own relationship as husband and wife as well as all the above.

His only rule with which to keep it, was to not eat from that one pesky tree. And then all of it was gone in an instant. All because Eve's eyes were too big to see the consequences of what she was about to do. 

If we put that in to context with what has happened since that time, it is perhaps easy to see. Husbands and wives, men and women that battle over the control of the opposite sex. Women don't want to be controlled by their husbands by nature. Rather they would want to be the ones that do the controlling. And some are very good at it. Likewise, men feel that it within their right to control their women, and some of them are very good at it, as well. (Albeit, neither is good at all.) 

I have in my 60 plus years of life, seen how negative and damaging that they both can be. The woman that is so out of control that in her attempt to control her husband or even others, she makes everyone miserable. Or the neighbor, who years ago used the Bible as his excuse for trying to make his wife do everything he wanted. Which laughed in the face of God, because he didn't even go to church, much less know what the Bible said about how husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.(And believe me, he didn't) Ephesians 5:21-30 teaches us that we are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Be that as it may. The battle has raged on since from that first bite that Eve took in the Garden. Discord between the sexes that God had created to live in peace with. It was never his intention for us to control each other or anyone else for that matter. He gave us all minds to think with. He does not want us to be his  puppets. Neither does he want us to be each others puppets. 

Instead, we are to take our wedding vows seriously. To love and honor each other as Christ loved His Church. When we do that, our relationships are a blessing. Not a curse. 

But perhaps that while this all makes sense, what about this "he will rule over you" statement? 

Maybe tomorrow we can make some clearer understanding of it as we study a bit more. Please come back to find out. 

June 19, 2019 Promise: Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19.

Hi Friends. Wow! What a promise. We need the Lord to come and refresh us, don't we?  We need his presence in our lives every day! Have a blessed day!

Standing on God's Promises/ Promise to the Woman (Part 4)

To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children..." Genesis 3:16.

After God's promise to Satan, he came next to Eve. His promise to her was actually two-fold that day in the garden. 

Most any woman that had gone through labor, knows what it means for it to be painful. And for some, very painful. 

It is not a gentle reminder that every woman that would go through childbirth,  

 (Eve included) and came after her, would indeed have to go through suffering for what Eve (and Adam) had done that day. 

Not only had it been a promise to her, but it was a judgement for her sin. Because sin does not leave us off the lease of allowing us to get away with it scott free. No, just the opposite. It becomes the lease that can be so wound so tight around our necks that we can strangle from it. And or lead us straight to the pit of hell, for those that do not confess that Jesus is Lord. 

 To be sure, labor pain and childbirth can be very painful for most women. But it is very very little in comparison to the pain that will be everlasting once our time is up on this earth. 

Which do we choose? Obedience or rebellion? Blessing or curse? It is our choice.

June 18, 2019 Promise:And there shall be no more curse but the throne of God and the Lamb of God shall be in it and his servants shall serve him. Revelations 22:2.

Hi Friends. I look forward to the day when there will be no more curse and we can be with God around his throne. 

Up tomorrow, the second part of that verse in Genesis 3:16.

God Bless!

Standing on God's Promises/ Promise to Satan (Part 3)

The question for today is, in the Garden of Eden, when Satan had conned Eve into eating that fruit, where if anywhere, does Jesus come in to it? Because after all, it would be eons before he would even be born.

I happened to find a quote that someone made on Pinterest about that very thing and I am going to print it for you here because I really like it. It simply says this:

God was promising that the serpent (Satan) would receive a head crushing blow (he will be defeated forever) and Jesus would receive just a "snakebite" (his death on the cross resulted in resurrection and victory.) God promised a Savior who did come. And He's  promising eternal life for you, which started with Jesus.

God had made his own move on Satan's game board that day. And even though throughout the ages Satan has kept playing and trying to win, and surely we can look around and see that he has in the lives a lot of people. 

And yet as we go back to the Garden, and see that God had given them a choice in whether to obey  him or not, he has continued to give everyone the same choices. To obey his word or not to. And because some have decided not to, so they have not been given the blessing of eternal life. 

It really is not that hard to figure out. Do we? Or don't we? Obedience? Or Rebellion? It is up to each of us to make that choice. Just as it had that day in the Garden. God will win the game in the end. And that is the greatest promise of all!

June 17, 2019 Promise: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow or crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4/

Hello Friends. Talk about a promise! That one just says it all for those that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior! We can look forward to that day because it will come. We have God's Word on it!  God bless!

Standing on God's Promises/His first Promise Part 2

God had created Adam and Eve and had given them the most perfect life they could ever have. He had one condition for them. And that was not to eat of the fruit of that one tree. Did he know that they were going to disobey that command for them to not violate his word? Of course he did. So if that is true, why then didn't he just let them enjoy all the garden and not create a tree that they could not eat from?

An interesting question but not a hard one to figure out. God loved them. But he did not want robots that would just do everything he said without giving them a choice to do it or not. He gave them a free will. Just like all creation has had every since right down to you and I.

When we choose to obey God, we reap the benefits and blessings he has for us. When we choose not to obey him, we must pay the consequences because now we have sinned.

Satan had been cunning when he offered Eve a deal she couldn't resist. All it took was a piece of fruit from a tree that God had said "no" to. And she fell lock, stock and barrel for it. She was a pawn on his game board that he had wanted to flub up God who he hated. Of course, it hadn't worked. Not entirely because God had other plans. After all, he is God above all gods. He was not going to let Satan get away with his  evil game plans.

Here though I want to let you know that I did not quite quote that scripture right in yesterdays blog. I really apologize for that. So here is what the KJV says:

And the Lord God said unto the serpent. "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:14-15 (KJV)

This was the promise that God had made to Satan that day. But what did it mean and who was it for?

By "thy seed and her seed" it probably does not mean Satan's literal offspring. Instead, God's promise which is really a curse, likely means all fallen angels, demons, and those humans which would be the seed of the woman that have come to follow the devil. Those that do not repent and take Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

But, Jesus wasn't even born yet. How could this have anything to do with him?

Come back tomorrow for part 3. Or in the mean time, you may also take a look at the following website for more on this subject.  What does Genesis 3:15 mean?

June 15, 2019 Promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault and it will be given to you. James 1:5

Hi Friends. Again, I apologize for incorrectly quoting Genesis in yesterdays blog. I try very hard never to do that. I pray God's blessing on your life today!

Standing on God's Promises. Really God? Part One

Since the beginning of 2019, I have been posting a promise that God has given us in his word-everyday. Or at least most every day.

We like to learn them depend on them, look forward to some, and believe them. They are all parts of the good things that God has for us.

However, can we say there are some, that are not so good for us? Some that we hope do not come to pass in our lives? Some that come with unbearable consequences.

Why do we call God loving and forgiving, when sometimes he is not?  Why did we sing his praises or teach our children even at an early age that he is our protector, our provider?

What right does he have to say he is all these things when in fact, he doesn't even start off his Word giving us a wonderful promise but instead gives us one that threatens our very future with him?

And what was the very first promise he made anyway?

Consider Genesis 3:14-15 So the Lord God said to the snake, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all the wild or domestic animals. You will crawl on your belly. You will be the lowest of all animals as long as you live. I will make your descendants hostile toward each other. He will crush your head and you will bruise his heel."

So there we have the very first recorded promise in God's Word. As we know, it all started with his creation of the world, it's animal inhabitants, and of course more than all else, his creation of the human race.

But who was this promise for and what had happened that he had given it?

Well, it all started out with the sin that Adam and Eve had just committed in the Garden. God told them not to eat the fruit of a certain  tree. That they could eat of any other tree, just not this one, because if they did, they would die.Along came the snake (Satan) who lied to Eve and said that they would not die. In fact, their eyes would be opened to good and evil, and they themselves would become as gods. Well Eve couldn't resist eating that fruit because it looked so good and after she had, she had then gotten Adam to eat it as well. Genesis 3:6.

For mankind, it was the beginning of the end. The end of God's blessing on man's life that is. And so he had had to make promises to them for their sin, and those promises held consequences. Of course, that first one was for our enemy Satan the snake.

But what had it meant? And who was God talking about?

Come back tomorrow for part two.

June 14,2019 Promise: How Amazing are your thoughts concerning me. How vast is the sum of them! Psalm 139:17


Hi Friends. It is another busy week and again I am late. I am still asking God for his blessings on your life however. Not only his blessings but his richest ones. Thanks for coming as always. You are important to me, but more than that, you are important to the God we serve!

Sharing Christ With the Lost

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  Galatians 1:6-9 (KJV

They mean well for the most part. Those people that usually two by two show up on Saturday mornings to tell you their version of the "good news." They can be irritating to some Christians because it seems they often know more of the bible then we Christians do.

You can usually spot them even as they are going down the street as we did two men one day last week. 

The problem is they just don't have all the truth. They haven't come to our house in a long time because a couple years ago, my husband answered the door, and told them we are Baptist and well...they left and never came back. 

If it is like it used to be, they want to "give" you their pamphlets.....for a donation. Or they would love to start a bible study in your home, but they will lead it. If you invite them in and tell them you would like to pray for them, they will leave scuff marks on your porch trying to get out of their as fast as they can. I know because while I made up the part about the scuff marks, that almost did happen at our home years ago when two men came to our door.  

Another time many many years ago, I started asking them questions that they could not answer about the 144,000 that are supposed to go to heaven to rule with Christ one day. They didn't stick around long, and never came back. I hope I planted a seed or two that day because sorry to say though these people are basically trying to do what they think is right, they are very much missing the mark about what real Christianity is about.

I talk a lot about things of long ago in my blog, and here is another one. Back in the 1980s while attending a church, we were often given the chance to give testimonies of what God had been doing in our lives. One day a member (I will call her Barbara) stood up to tell how thankful she was that as a Jehovah's Witness, she and another member had gone to the door of what turned out to be a born-again Christian. To be sure J.Witnesses do not like to be found at a Christians home to be themselves witnessed to. Their goal is to get people into their church etc. and will take those from their lists never to visit them again, should they find out they are said born again Christians. Anyway, this lady and her friend did end up on a Christians door step one day and the Christian that answered the door witnessed to them, and having planted some seeds the two ladies came to know the real Jesus Christ. And that is why Barbara had gotten up thanking God that day, for showing them the truth. Had it not been for the Christian that shared with them that day, Barbara and her friend might have never come to know Jesus.

The thing is this. Those people need the light of Jesus Christ to be turned on to them. Often people do get irritated when they show up. Christians sometimes do not know how to talk to them because they really do dig in to their doctrine. And their doctrine misleads them, using only certain scriptures which are usually and most always out of context. And they have their own version of the bible. 

But again they need Jesus. And if they show up on our doorsteps, we need to be able to share with them the truth. Even if it is just to plant a seed or two. They may not come back to our house again, but if all Christians would even plant one seed in their mind, and also be praying for them, eventually and God willing, he can and will open up their understanding to who Jesus Christ really is. 

They should not be thrown off the porches of people that don't want to hear their gospel as a some have done. Just like any other sinner, they need Jesus too. And we may be their only hope of finding him. God forbid we turn them away without a second thought to sharing the love of Christ with them. 

June 12, 2019 Promise  Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and will make our home with him." John 14:23.

Thanks for coming by Friends. God bless your day!