Marriage Prayer

Marriage Prayer

Phil 1:27, 2:2-4  Eph 5:25,33

 

May _____and _____’s conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ. 

May _____ and _____ stand fast in one spirit; with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel. 
May _____ and _____ be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

May _____and _____ do nothing through strife or vainglory but in lowliness of mind may they each esteem the other better than themselves. 

May _____and _____look not on their own things, but each of them also on the things of the other.  May _____(husband) love _____ (wife) as Christ loved the church and gave His life for her. 
May _____ (wife) honor and reverence her husband _____.

 

 

Exit Strategy

There is a book our family loves to read called Created for Work by Bob Schultz.  We have read it many times over the years.  My children are all hard workers and this book is an encouragement to keep the right perspective on work.  Mr. Schultz is a great writer!  He helps the reader keep their focus on God.

The chapter we read last week talked about having an exit strategy before you begin anything.  When you fly on a plane, they first tell you how to exit if there is an emergency.  In the same way, he recommends you plan how to get out of a job before you begin it.  It has to do with finishing strong.  You need to end with a good reputation, a clear conscience, and no regrets.

One thing he touched on, which I was very blessed by, was his exit strategy for marriage.  Every marriage should have one.  Does yours?  You must know before you get married how you plan to end your marriage.  This is an easy plan because God has already told us in His Word exactly how to exit marriage - through death.  Death is the only exit strategy for marriage!

When you go into a marriage with this in mind, your actions and attitudes will be greatly influenced by this decision.  If you know that "till death do you part" then you will work harder at having a good marriage, but when divorce is an option, you'll never be motivated to do the right thing.  Honestly, who wants to be stuck in a bad marriage?  But when death is our only exit strategy, we will, by our own selfish desires, naturally want to make our marriage work because we all seek happiness.  If the husband you have is your husband for life, you will figure out how to get along with him.  When the options are be happy or miserable, you'll make the right choice! :)  And in that process, you will be blessed beyond your dreams.  There is nothing better than a good marriage!  It is a blessing beyond words!!

I have a friend who was very afraid to get married.  Most of the married couples she knew had bad marriages, and she did not want to end up miserable like them.  I told her that I knew dozens of couples who were very happily married, and if she went into marriage with the right plan, she did not have to worry about ending up like those people she knew.   The exit strategy makes all the difference!!!! 

A Prayer For Self-Control

I wrote this prayer this morning for someone who is struggling with self-control and has asked me to pray for them.  We can pray it for ourselves or change the wording and pray it for others.  In my opinion, the best prayers are those written with God's own words!  Have a blessed day!

Prayer for Self-Control

Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:11;  Galatians 5:16-18;  Proverbs 16:32, 25:28; James 1:12-15; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 2:12-14; 1Corinthians 6:20 

 

Thank you, Lord, that the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

May I hide Your words in my heart that I might not sin against you, Lord.

Help me Lord to walk in the Spirit, that I would not fulfill the lust of the flesh.   For my flesh lusteth against my Spirit, and my Spirit against my flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other, but help me to be led of the Spirit.

You have said in Your Word, that he that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.  And You said that he that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without wall.  Help me to rule my spirit, Lord.

For You have said,  blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Let me not say when I am tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Give me the strength, Lord, to flee youthful lusts and temptations: and to follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

May I deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and my Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for me, that he might redeem me from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

May I always remember that I have been bought with a price: therefore may I glorify God in my body, and in my spirit, which are God's.

 

Do You Eat "Normal"?

Here is a question for you. Was Jesus normal?  Well, it's pretty easy to see from scripture that He was not.  He told us to love our enemies, to do good to those that hate us, and to pray for those that despitefully use us and persecute us. (Matthew 5)  That certainly is not normal!  So I guess it's safe to say that as His followers we shouldn't be normal either.

So what is normal?

Normal: conforming to the standard or common type

If we wanted to live a normal life, we would simply do what most everybody else does - follow the crowd, but as Christians we chose a different path (through repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ) because we know that the normal life (wide road) leads to death.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:14

As Christians our thoughts on marriage, raising children, relationships, dress, finances, speech, social activities, music, and how we choose to spend our time are all different than those who do not love God.  So why is it that Christians overlook taking the narrow road when it comes to food?  We Christians eat like the world, look like the world (overweight), and have the same diseases as the world.  Why?  Shouldn't we be different in this way too?  Instead when it comes to food, we indulge ourselves just like the heathen do, eating whatever looks good, tastes good, or is satisfying in some way to our flesh.  Eating is America's number one sport!  It doesn't even matter if it is food.  If someone (FDA) tells us it is edible, then we are all in.  Like dumb sheep, we just follow along. 
Do you know what the definition of food is?

Food (from Wikipedia) is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.

Do the foods we eat really provide nutritional support for our bodies or produce energy, maintain life, and stimulate growth?  Most of what Americans call food should be classified as art supplies or chemical concoctions, not nourishment!  How can a product that can sit on a shelf for ten years be classified as something that maintains life?  Does dead food maintain life?  We have been so deceived!  We listen to the FDA and others who tell us that these "foods" are safe to eat while everyone around us is dying.  Wake up Christians!!  The devil it trying to kill you (I know that sounds really stupid, but it's true!) and instead you are killing yourself.  It makes his job really easy!  You are a complete fool if you think that what you are eating is not affecting your health!!  As the old saying goes, "You are what you eat".  Eat dead foods and you'll soon be dead.  It's that simple.

As believers in Christ, our goal is to be representatives of our Lord.  Every area of our life should be under His control.  We must learn to control ourselves and eat what is nourishing for our bodies, not only for health sake, but because of a responsibility to care for what God has given us - our temple.  Our emotions will draw us to just eat what we feel like eating or are lusting after, but we must eat to live, not live to eat -there is a big difference!

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1 Corinthians 3:16

This may seem obvious, but if your temple is dead, the Spirit of God will NOT be dwelling in it.  God has a work to do through you!  Don't waste your temple on some lethal garbage that someone calls "food"!  Give yourself fully to Him!  Eat what He has created for you, not some concoction thrown together in a factory or lab.  Nourish your body so God can use it!  This is a heart issue.

With that in mind, I don't want to leave you hanging if you are someone who has no clue what eating for nourishment means.  Pleeeease....it is SIMPLE!!!  You DO NOT need to be on a special diet!  Eat whole foods. (No, that doesn't mean a whole donut or a whole pizza.) :)   Whole foods are God's foods.  He has masterfully put them together with everything that is essential for your body.  You will have no need for supplements.  God is the Master Chemist!  These foods do not come with an ingredient label....no secret codes to decipher, no chemicals, no altered genetic codes, no fortification necessary.  Enjoy them all....fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, meats, eggs, beans, and dairy!   They are delicious, satisfying, and most of all nourishing to your body!

Longing for the best for my "abnormal" family in Christ... :)

P.S.  Yes, there are times when I eat non-foods.  Those are usually times when I do not want to offend someone, am making an exception for a special occasion, or am in a pinch.  Still it's a heart issue.  For the sake of our Lord, we must see the need for a strong body and have a desire to care for our temple.

The Master of Messes

I like to clean.  I guess I'm kind of odd that way. :)  Ever since I was a little girl, I can remember the enjoyment I found in cleaning and organizing.  But I have to say, my house does not always look like I enjoy cleaning because I have learned that when you home school, and you have a house full of people every day, it is hard to keep up with the cleaning.  But once I do get to cleaning, I enjoy the rewards of an orderly, sparkling house. :)
This morning, while having my prayer time, I was praying about a mess, a devastating situation.  It's the kind of mess that sin makes in a life.  The mess from sin affects many people.  Lives get stained by it, hearts get broken, and it can seem like the mess will never be able to be cleaned up.  But the Master of messes spoke to my heart..."no mess is too messy for me!"  In the same way that I like to tackle a mess in my house, our Lord likes to take on our messes in life.
When it seems like we have gotten too dirty, when we have lost all hope, Jesus is there to clean us up.  There is always hope, and His love is so great that no matter what situation may arise, He is able to clean it up!
Praise God for His love!  Praise God for His hope!  Praise God that He can pull us up out of the muck and mire of life and wash us whiter than snow!!!

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. "
Psalm 51:7

Adrenal Fatigue and Temperance

It has been a long time since I have written on my blog. There have been so many things that I have wanted to write about, but I needed to let some things go, and this was an easy thing to let go. My body really needed a rest from our crazy busy summer and fall, and for me, blogging takes a lot of time. I put a lot of thought into what I write and am kinda slow. :)

We have made some big changes in our life, and I am excited to be cutting back and slowing down. Although, I am not sure if life on a farm is ever really that slow. :) Nevertheless it is always good to cut back. Americans are not very good at that. We usually get everything we want, and just continue wanting more...until we break down. We collect more and more stuff until we have so many things to manage, we are about to go crazy. Then we eat and eat and eat "rich foods" until our bodies break down with disease, and we add this event and that event to the calendar until we are so exhausted and stressed out that we cannot function anymore. Gluttony - greedy or excessive indulgence, that's our problem! Some doctors call it Adrenal fatigue, I call it gluttony.

"Adrenal fatigue is an epidemic in our country", a friend, who is a doctor, told me. Why? Because we cannot tell ourselves "No!" Sure there are physical causes like too much caffeine which can wear out the adrenal glands and cause all kinds of problems, but I think the root of the problem lies in our inability to deprive ourselves of anything.

The worst part is that we often can't fit God into our lives because they are so full of other indulgences. If we are too busy to pray and read our Bibles, then we are not doing what God wants us to do. Self- control and moderation are marks, or should be, of the Christian life. If we do not conquer ourselves, we will become a slave to self and suffer physical consequences.

"Temperance is the best medicine - for it is a preventative and a preservative, as well as a cure."
-C.H. Spurgeon

Aware of His Goodness

This afternoon customers arrived at our farm to pick up the chickens we butchered for them this morning.  One couple that came today, started coming out a few years ago.  We see them twice a year - once for chicken pick up and once for turkey pick up.  We always look forward to our visits with them.  But today was even more enjoyable for me! 

When they arrived, there weren't any other customers waiting, so there was no reason to rush.  We had a great time with them laughing and visiting as we bagged, weighed and loaded up all their chicken. (They had over 40 of them!)  As our time together was drawing to a close, a thought popped into my mind, "Ask them if they know where they will spend eternity."   I glanced at the tracts sitting on our counter, ignoring the prompting.  We talked a little more.  The thought came again, "Ask them if they know where they will spend eternity."   More thoughts came.... "They won't be interested in the things of God....but what if they were?  What if they have been talking about Him?  What if the Lord has been wooing them?  What if he wants me to be an encouragement by confirming what He is doing in their life?"  Suddenly we were thanking them for their business and saying goodbye.  Out the door they went.  "No!," I reasoned, "I have to ask them!"  So I grabbed a tract and rushed out the door. 
When I got to their car, the wife was standing facing me.  I said, "Do you know where you will spend eternity?", as I handed her the tract.  Then her husband looked at me and said very sincerely, "You are my sister, aren't you?"  And he gave me a big hug.  Then he went on to tell me that just this summer, someone witnessed to him at the State Fair, and he got saved.  He is now going to a good church and taking an evangelist course.  My eyes filled with tears.  When he got saved, his wife was in another country, visiting relatives.  He said he has been sharing with her and trying to help her understand what happened to him.  On the way out to our farm he was telling her that we were a Christian family and that we knew the Lord too.  Growing up Catholic, they had learned religion, but had never found the Savior.  I asked her to read the tract and told her that I would be praying for her.

I was blessed beyond measure by this incident in my day.  Our God is such an awesome God!  He is alive and working in the hearts of men!  He uses different events and people to help us to understand His love for us.  He wants this woman to know just how much He loves her!  And He will orchestrate all kinds of situations to show His mercy and grace to her because it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. 
Praising Him! :)