We’re always very quick to say we have faith, and even to tell others to have faith when going through some difficult situations. It’s definitely great advice to give and to receive. The question though is what really is faith? What does it mean to have faith? How do we walk in it? How can we see a persons faith at work? The goal is to answer these questions and get a better practical knowledge of this very important key to living a truly righteous life that pleases God.
So, what is faith? Lets look at Hebrews 11:1 where we typically get our foundation for what faith is supposed to be, ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. What does this really mean? Faith is the Greek strongs word 4102 which means firmness, steadfastness, faithfulness, confidence and steadiness. Faith in western culture is defined as ‘knowing that God exists and that He can do anything if He wants to’. Though this is absolutely true, there is an even deeper definition we need to know which is more practical, and involves us actually applying it to our daily lives. Faith is therefore better defined as a person who walks firmly towards Gods will. This means faith or faithfulness is seen in the actions taken. The prerequisite to walking towards His will is knowing what His will is. His will is never outside of that which is revealed, neither will He ever tell us to do anything which is outside of His revealed truth which is in His word.
Now we know what faith is, we need to determine how to walk in it and make it a part of our lives. Real faith produces action – James 2: 17-22 and is aways in the promise. A key example  is with Sarah our mother, who had faith in the promise of a seed in her old age. Because of her faith, she went to the the lengths of allowing her handmaid conceive through Abraham, her husband, so as to make the promise of an heir a reality. Her faith was seen in her actions. When Sarah also conceived, it was a miracle for them both. Also, we see faith in action with Noah. He had faith in the promise that he and his family would be saved, and thus firmly and steadfastly built the ark. Even through the obstacles of being ridiculed by those around him (who did not understand the promise), and even though it took 120 years for the rain to finally come, Noah was steadfast till the end, and saw the promise come to pass. Faith is a personal commitment to follow, observe and obey the words of God. It is also for the most part between you and Him. Faith is not blind trust, rather observable proven trust which is seen all through His written word. It is absolutely impossible to please God without faith, Hebrews 11:6 ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him’. In Matthew 15:28, the gentile woman had faith in the healing power of Christ. She left her home and sought out Christ and asked him to heal her daughter…that was faith.

As we continue to journey through this perverse (faithless) wicked world, we have to become intentional about standing firm and steadfast all the way to the end. Our purpose is to help others also to stand steadfast and steady all the way to the end. We are pilgrims in the world and should daily walk by not being attached to anything. Rather, our eyes and focus should be on the promise of our names being found in the book of life, if we endure to the end, and we are in His presence forever – Revelation 22:3 “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”

If a seed is not willing to push through the soil, it will plain and simply die. Faith is the willingness to work through all the obstacles in ones path to get the promise. When it comes to the father and having faith in His promise, no matter how long it takes for it to manifest, we must stay steadfast till the end…that is faith! 

Till next the next time, shalom!

Nikki.

When we pick up the bible, and read the new testament, we all know it starts with what is called the gospels. We have the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Gospel simply means good news…the good news of our Lord and savior Christ! He brought the good news about the coming of The Most High’s kingdom, and he shared many parables about it. While here on earth, he performed many miracles, taught and fed thousands of people and prepared them for the kingdom of heaven which is at hand. Each one of the four disciples that wrote a book, did it from their own point of view. They watched Christ day in and day out as he maneuvered the never ending crowd, how he spoke, what he said, how he said it, how he dealt with others and wrote their account of how they perceived his life. 

I feel its safe to say that all of us living in this day and time only know about Christ based off of what we now read about him. However, those living during the time of Christ knew of him based on the works he did, and he also challenged his disciples to walk as he did. Therefore, to be considered one of his disciples even today, we must walk as he walked. In John, Christ gives his disciples an example of what he expects them to do. John 13:12 -17, So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. To be Christ’s disciple, we must realize that we are here to serve and not to be served, but more importantly, when serving…do it happily. 
Furthermore, to be called his disciples we must understand this commandment given in John 13:34-35, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Firstly, the word ‘new’ is the Greek word ‘kainos’ which is the Strong’s number 2537. The definition of this word is newness or to renew qualitatively, to renew, the act of renewing. This shows that the commandment to love is not a new one, but was a law originally given back in the old testament, Leviticus 19:18. Christ was telling them that to be his disciples, they needed to refresh themselves, go back and practice that which was an everlasting commandment. Secondly, in verse 34, love is the Greek word ‘Agapao’ which is Strong’s number 25. This is God’s love towards man which is the highest kind of love there is. We are far from ever being able to love like God does, but Christ still urged his disciples to aim for this kind of love. As we move on to verse 35 however, the love here is ‘Agape’ which is Strong’s number 26 and is translated as charity, i.e.benevolent love. What makes this special is this benevolence is not shown in doing what the person who is loved desires, but rather what is deemed that they need. This takes a total mindset change and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Being Christ’s disciples means we must show benevolence with no thought of getting any back in return. It means going out of your way to ensure your brother or sister has what they need when they need it. It means being happily and readily benevolent without grumbling. It means no matter how much or how little you might percieve that you have to give, you can still find a way to be benevolent. This can be a simple phone call, a soft touch, a listening ear or an encouraging word, to name very few. To love is a commandment that Christ felt was extremely important to mention, and we have no choice but to obey. Time is of the essence, and its imperative that we turn a new leaf and turn away from our love of self and be about the business of serving and doing that which our savior has called us to do.
Finally, it does not take a whole lot to be charitable, just a determined mindset. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and show you new ways to exhibit your benevolence. Start at home with your spouse, children or anyone within your household. As you walk out this simple commandment given to us by Christ, you may be the closest resemblance to Christ others may ever get to see. By this, they can come to know Christ by the gospel according to ‘YOU’.
Till the next time, shalom and blessings.
Nikki.
 

We are all human, I get it. As we wade through this maze called life, we are bound to knowingly or otherwise step on each others toes. As many times as your brother steps on your toes is as many times you will step on his, if not even more. Why is it then that we feel one offense is greater than another, to the point that we are never able to forgive? – James 4:12. The Most High never gave us a list of offenses in rank order of how bad one was compared to the other. An offense is an offense…period! As a matter of fact, Christ himself said in Luke 17:1 that it is impossible for there not to be offenses, but woe to him through whom the offense comes. Offense is the Strongs concordance number 4625, which means ‘things which lead others to turn away from God’s salvation, thus leading to their ruin’. The offense will come, no doubt, but it is our responsibility to make sure we are not the ones causing the offense. Anything we do to another to cause them to turn away from God will surely be counted against us.
In the old testament, there was always a form of punishment exacted for any act of wrongdoing. These ranged from an eye for an eye, to a person being banished from his abode to live in another city for a time, to death in extenuating cases. No matter the wrongdoing, there was always a corresponding punishment. However, in the new testament, we are instead urged to love those that offend us – Luke 6:27. Christ goes even further, and tells us to pray for those who despitefully use us – Luke 6:28. To be able to pray for someone who has offended you means you have to forgive that person. When Christ tells us to forgive someone, its not enough to simply say in your heart or even to the person that they are forgiven and move on. Rather, we are to pray for that person and ask the father not to exact on them the corresponding punishment they deserve. When you can truly and sincerely pray to the father to show that person mercy, to that degree have you truly forgiven. The flip side of all this, and the benefit to you, is that to the degree that you forgive, is to the degree that the father will not exact the punishment you in turn deserve for offending someone else – Matthew 6:12-15

Rather than hold a grudge, Christ gave us the remedy in Luke 17: 3-4. He tells us to confront the person who has offended us, letting them know their fault. If they repent and are contrite, forgive them. Simple right? Well, what makes it not so simple is the way we confront. We tend to confront in anger when our emotions are all over the place, which tends to make matters worse. Its okay to separate yourself from the situation for a while, then come back when you are calm to have the said discussion. Nine times out of ten, when this approach is adopted, the end result usually is reconciliation. Where we really start to miss it is when we keep count of the offenses against us, which means we really never truly forgave when we said we did. Christ tells us that if your brother were to trespass against you seven times a day, and he repents seven times for those offenses, we are commanded to forgive – Luke 17:4.

The fact of the, matter is that no person is worth you missing the kingdom of heaven because of unforgiveness. Even Christ, while on the cross prayed for those same people that persecuted him, rather than hold bitterness in his heart. Forgiveness is a gift to you, it liberates and removes the blinders off of your eyes, so you can see – 1 John 2:11. I’m not saying we won’t get angry, because we will. However, the bible says we should be angry, but sin not – Ephesians 4: 26-27. Unforgiveness is a sin that gives the devil a foothold! Forgiving on the other hand does not mean keep yourself in a perpetual state of allowing yourself to be offended. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves is what Matthew 10:16 tells us. Always allow the holy spirit to guide you out of situations so you are not in a position to be offended. Romans 12:18 tells us to steer clear of the possibility of being offended by living peaceably with everyone as much as is within our power. It takes faith to forgive because you have to trust the father to completely remove the hurt from your heart. Exercising that faith is one of the best things you can do for yourself to get you closer to the kingdom. It is time to clean house and forgive!

Till the next time, shalom!

Nikki.

There’s a song that goes…’let’s start at the very begining, a very good place to start. When we read we begin with a,b,c, when we sing we begin with do, re, mi. When we pray we begin with…Our father which art in heaven…’ Okay, so I added that last part, but I truly believe that’s what would have made the song the most powerful and effective song of all time! But, on a serious note, in regards to prayer, I am taking us back to basics to start at the very beginning, the very best and only place to start. When Christ was asked by his disciples how to pray, his answer was not a suggestion, but actually a command! He knows everything we need even before we ask it, and so Christ made it simple for us. Everything you need…ever, is in The Lords prayer. My question therefore is why have a lot of us departed fom this endearing prayer and no longer acknowledge it in our daily prayer lives? It is amazingly effective when truly prayed from the heart and not just mindlessly recited. It was given to us in love and should be prayed continuosly in love.
When we pray this prayer, this is what we are essentially saying- Matthew 6: 9-13, After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Our father, the one true father, the creator of heaven and earth. The one true God whose throne is heaven and earth your footstool- Isaiah 66:1.The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it-Isaiah 42:5. Your name I AM, (Exodus 3:14) be hallowed forever.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Let your orderly kingdom that is in heaven come and reside with us here in our earthly vessels. Before you formed us in the belly you knew us; and before we camest forth out of the womb you sanctified us, and ordained us prophets unto the nations-Jeremiah 1:5, therfore let your predestined will be done.

Give us this day our daily bread. Since man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God-Matthew 4:4, please provide every physical provision and spiritual need that is a necessity to carry out your will today.

 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. To the degree that we Judge not, and we shall not be judged: condemn not, and we shall not be condemned: forgive, and we shall be forgiven:” is the degree to which we ask that you also forgive us of all our transgressions towards you -Luke 6:37

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Detour us from all evil by way of the Holy spirit, most especially those that come in the form that does not seem evil. There hath no temptation taken us but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer us  to be tempted above that we are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom -Psalm 145:10-12. Amen! So shall it be.

What else do you need to ask or say? The Lords prayer is so rich and full of everything we could ever need. Let’s get back to the basics of praying this beautiful prayer, and watch God honor every hearfelt utterance as we obey His son.
Till the next time, shalom!
Nikki.

Wow! You start a series on marriage and guess what…every attack possible is unleashed against you and your marriage. It has taken the grace of The Most High God, many many prayers, obedience along with “humble” submission to have made it through so as to still be standing on the other side of the flood. It is through this experience that I learned what true submission is and the reason why I am sharing this message. My hope is that this might help any couple out there that just might be going through any turmoil in their relationship, and possibly steer them back on track.

God has provided a way to have great marriages. His design is fully trustworthy. Marriage is much like a ship trying to enter the harbor on a stormy night. Everything is guesswork. Mistakes are fatal. We see marriages failing all around us. When we trust in God’s design, we are in fact putting our faith in God Himself. God wants us to live in hope. Putting our trust in God’s design for marriage is a safe harbor. God’s marriage design is fully trustworthy. First we need to learn how it works and then put it into operation in our lives. Many have questioned the Lord’s intention for calling the woman to submit to her husband. These suggestions breed all sorts of revulsion to Christ’s command. Clearly this is not what the Lord intended. He paved a path of gold and called her to walk on it beside Him. At the end is the castle. The secular world has taken hold of the media, and the average wife is hearing much more world than God. The wife is being tempted all the time to deny the authority that God has placed over her. This happened in the Garden of Eden when Eve heard a clever voice calling her to ‘freedom’ or ‘independence’ – Genesis 3:6.
Lets play a game of hypotheticals and consider some other possibilities from the garden of Eden. As we know God had already given Adam the instructions on what to eat and what not to eat. The serpent shows up and sells Eve an untrue story, she becomes curious, however, if she were submissive, she may have done things differently. Possibly, she would have taken that information to her husband who would have reinforced the instructions from God, and together they would have stood firm and warded off the devil. There would have not been a downfall of man with all the curses that are still in effect to this day. Unfortunately, we know the true outcome of the story, and since that temptation had such a good effect, Satan still uses it today! Satan first questions God’s good will. The evil one subtly suggests that the wife is missing out on something better, that God is withholding something good. Then Satan draws her mind away from God to something that pleases her. Lastly, he attempts to snag her by enticing her to obey him. Sadly, by doing something different than God said, she is actually coming out from under the authority of her husband and placing herself under another authority. The scripture says that Eve was deceived. In her deceived frame of mind she still believed that her opinion was better than obeying God. Now let me ask, “Is it not true that wives are often tempted, by thoughts and feelings, to do what she feels is right rather than what her husband asks her to do?” sadly, the all too often answer is yes.
So, the question that begs to be answered is what does humble submission actually look like for a wife? Ephesians 5:24 says this – But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything”. Note that the scripture does not give wives an out to choose when to submit, it simply commands that we submit in everything! I am so guilty of this one, I totally ignored the everything part and would decide when I felt I needed to be submissive depending on the topic in question…not scriptural at all. Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord” tells how to submit…as to the Lord. We are to submit to our husbands just like we would if it were our Lord and savior Christ himself speaking to us. Is this easy to do?…no, is it doable?…yes, with the help of your father in heaven. Remember the age old adage “God won’t give you more than you can handle”? Well, that holds true in this situation too, our father knows what He equipped us with, we just have to look to Him. A genuine loving power will blossom in a woman with a quiet and submissive heart. Her roughness will become tenderness. This is what makes women genuinely beautiful. As long as there is competition or contention, the man will naturally struggle to win the argument. Now, lets make one thing clear, becasue I see all those eyes rolling and hear the loud inhalation of air as you suck in your teeth. Being submissive is not a call to do evil or anything immoral because your husband tells you to, or to allow yourself to be abused in any way. In any of these situations, communication is needed as you take a stand and let him know you won’t participate in the said activity. Remember, if needed, get help! Also, being submissive is not about being a bubble head that simply agrees to everything and has no say or suggestions. Submissiveness is not to deny any of her gifts or abilities. She is assigned to the husband because she is gifted in several ways. The Lord has designed her gifts to function best in complement to her husband’s leadership. Submissiveness is simply the proper thing for a wife to do. This is God’s calling for her.
Ideally, a man would faithfully love his wife and the wife would open her heart to her husband by being submissive to him. They should function as one, fully complementing each other. Our world, however, is not ideal. Our spouses will not be in complete harmony to God’s will. But even in these situations, the wife who is dependent upon God can still faithfully subject herself to him. Women are not to be haughty but humble. There is no room in a marriage for two lords. If a couple is to harmoniously work together, then one must stand as leader and the other as follower. The fastest way to fall is when a house becomes divided. While the husband is to imitate God’s love to the church, the wife is to emulate the church’s response to her Lord Jesus Christ. By trusting God and being a faithful wife, she in fact is responding to God’s great love and mercy. This hope in God becomes a powerful tool to bring forth extra grace and love from God. Even if a wife does not have perfect love from her husband, she is still responsible to respect and submit to him. Colossians 3:18 says Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” and shows us that we need to remember that our responsibility as wives is to subject ourselves to our husband. He needs to make the decision that he deems best. It might further help to understand that when the husband is wrong, he usually already knows that. He is just looking for excuses. If a wife contends with her husband, then he normally becomes defensive. If however, she follows God’s pattern, it allows the best situation to occur. In these cases, and I have personally experienced this numerous times, the quiet heart of the wife allows the Spirit of God to work in his heart. We as wives need to learn to be patient and allow Gods timimg to be the best.
This is by no means an exhaustive examination on the subject of submission, but rather a surface scratch. As a start, a wife needs to first respond to God’s love by agreeing with Him. Acknowledge that He knows the best plan for your life and that you will trust Him to lead you to fulfill this plan even when it includes submitting to a selfish husband. If a wife is consumed with God’s love, she will not insist or even ask her husband to follow her opinions. Instead, being deeply satisfied in her heart and trusting herself to God, she submits to her husband. As she trusts God, her heart swells with God’s love and overflows to those around her. God’s love is so awesome that it is sufficient for our every circumstance. We might be perplexed and sometimes hurt, but the Lord is carefully watching over us. When we can submit to His love in these situations, a great testimony goes forth. This is the response to His sacrificial love. When the wife responds first to the Lord and then from the abundance of that relationship serves her husband, she is ready and able to meet her husband’s spoken and unspoken requests. As she responds to the Lord Christ, so she responds to her husband. In closing, I trust this scripture will lighten your heart, Proverbs 31:10 “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels”. You are a Queen whose worth is more than jewels, so let’s get back to the business of serving our Kings to the glory of The Most High God!
Till next time, shalom and stay blessed.
Nikki.

Resource
http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Marriage/Great_Marriage/GM03_Principle2_Submit.html

The understanding of marriage and what it represents comes directly from the bible, believe it or not. Marriage is honorable and has always been about family, and the bible even teaches us what to look for when it comes to marrying the right person. Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” tells us that the image of everything we see here on earth was already in existence in heaven. Genesis 1:26-27 shows us that male and female were created in The Most High’s image, meaning the female was also part of God’s creation from the beginning and this feminine spirit is the Holy Spirit, who is a reflection of Him. So, it began with male and female, and then came the son…Christ. This is the image of the heavenly family which the father expects us to mold the earthly family after. Genesis 2:23 shows that a man must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and go and establish his own independent family. The leaving of the man is expected to be before he gets a wife, so he becomes sure of himself and grows to become the natural leader of his family that he is expected to be. Hebrews 13:4 tells that overall, marriage is honorable and its the natural progression for procreation. The bible also tells us in Proverbs 18:22 that finding a wife is a very good thing, because the man obtains favor of the Lord, and avoids fornication and sinning against The Most High. Also, Proverbs 19:14 tells us that a wife that is prudent, wise, and diligent comes from the Lord. This is all cause for the man to give thanks to The Most High for the gift of his wife sent to him. 

Now, the goal is to determine how that wife that starts off as a good thing remains as such….this I admit is the challenge. A wife is a gift in many ways and God expects her to live up to her expected potential of being discreet, chaste, obedient to her husband, and a teacher to her children, according to Titus 2:3-5. The end goal of her honorable attitude is to avoid God’s name from being blasphemed. This tells us that a lot rides on the attitude and behavior of the wife! The behavior of the wife is to exhibit holiness at all times, not be a false accuser, neither is she to be a drunkard, but rather a teacher of good things. She is to teach her children and other young women within her sphere of influence. She is to be a keeper of the home, be obedient to her husband, love her children and teach them the ways of their father as he himself walks in the ways of The Most High. Proverbs 31:10-31 also describes how being a virtuous woman leads to trust from our husbands which causes them to bless us and ultimately, so will The Most High. A husband is blessed when he has a virtuous woman as his wife and this allows him to fulfil his life in peace. A woman that is silent and loving is also called a gift of The Most High so, controlling our tongue sometimes is actually beneficial, and an honor to our husbands. 

Society teaches us that we have the right to do whatever we want with our bodies, before and even after marriage. However, 1 Corinthians 7: 3-5 warns us that after marriage, neither the woman nor the man have any power over their own bodies any longer. As a matter of fact, we are urged to do our due benevolence and not defraud each other. The only exception is when there is consent between the two for fasting and prayer, and its only for a time. Another biggie is that we should not be considering divorce as a solution to any of the marital problems we may encounter. There can be separation for a while if needed (in extenuating circumstances), but then the wife is to return to her husband, otherwise she is to remain unmarried until some qualifying situation occurs. Such a situation could be the death of or the adulterous affair of the other spouse. One other extenuating situation is where either one of the spouses is an unbeliever of the truth, if they love each other and want to stay together, so be it. However, if either one of the spouses wants to leave due to this difference in doctrine, then The Most High will honor such. In this generation, divorce is very rampant and it seems like the system actually endorses it. We find that couples have divorce as a plan “B”always on their mind, but this is not the way The Most High commanded it to be. 

Outside of the home, as wives, there are some boundaries that also need to be kept. The scriptures commands that women not be teachers in the church setting and not to usurp her husband’s authority. According to Ezekiel 34:31, the flock of the Most Highs pasture are men. Husbands should be washing the wife with the word at home anyway, so if she has any questions she can ask him there. Of course this does not mean a woman should remain mute in the church, in decency and in order, she can ask whatever questions she needs to. Wives can absolutely teach, and some of the best teachers are women, but it cannot be in the church where other men are present and available. On the contrary, she can teach in a one on one setting, teach her children, other children or teach other women. Its this common usurping of the husbands authority that is causing a lot of the confusion and break up of a lot of homes in our society today. Since the husband is the head, the expected order should be that wives be in subjection to them as he also submits under Christ – Ephesians 5:22-33. As he continues to stand in obedience to Christ, the wife must also reverence her husband. As the man follows Christ, so the wife follows the man. Of course, for this to work seamlessly, there must be open communication between the husband and wife at all times, where they both listen to each other, share ideas, and together agree on ways to solve issues. Absolutely, yes the man is the head and at the end of the day it is his responsibility to ensure that the house runs properly. However, this does not give the husband the right to put his foot down on issues without talking it through with his wife. The man still needs to listen to her. The God we serve is a God of order, therefore there must be order in the home according to 1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” If the husband cannot rule his house, how then can he be a leader elsewhere? As the husband follows and honors Christ, so the wife too will follow and honor her husband. In 1 Peter 3:1 we see that Sarah was in subjection to her husband, to the extent that she called him Lord. Its evident that Abraham was following the Most High, hence the reason why Sarah honored, respected and looked up to him. We are Sarah’s daughters! We must be in one accord with our spouses at all times so our prayers can be answered.

Finally, the lesson in all this is that both the husband and the wife have a huge role to play in ensuring that their marriage is intact and represents The Most High at all times. Sorry to break it to you brothers, but a majority of the burden of success lies on the husbands shoulders. He is the head, and as the head goes, so does the body. If the head is not under subjection to Christ and is completely out of order, well, so will the wife and children also be out of order. Generally speaking, there should not be any woman who would be trying to usurp the authority of her husband, as she sees him tirelessly serving The Most High God. Rather, she too will and should do all she can to ensure her husband has all that he needs, because she understands the benefits and blessings that come with having a home that is ordered by a husband who is under authority. 

Till the next time, shalom and blessings!

Nikki.

As promised we are going to spend time discussing the roles we have in marriage according to scripture, in an effort to hopefully dispel any myths we might have about what marriage is. Based on statistics, fewer and fewer people are making their marriages last forever, which is quite sad. My goal is to help us get to the bottom of why this might be, and hopefully begin to steer those marriages that might be going the road of this statistic back on the right path.
Lets start at the beginning by defining love which is used by so many but understood by only a few. In marriage, love is used to describe a feeling a man has towards his wife or vice-versa. However, herein lies the the core issue of this institution. We love tossing the word back and forth with each other based on how we feel, but the reverse is the case when we don’t feel as if we love our spouse (especially after they just got on our last nerve). The bottom line is that love is not a feeling, it is a verb which is an action word. Therefore, love requires action and is displayed through action. The word cannot be used alone without actually showing it. Here is the core of the matter…how can either of us show our spouses love if we ourselves don’t even know what love is? Without this knowledge marriage is simply not going to work…period! In a marriage, its the husbands job to love and the wife’s job to submit. We learned in school that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Well, knowing that love is an action, when that action is displayed, the equal and opposite reaction should be submission. This is not saying that the wife cannot love, neither is this saying that the husband can’t be submissive, especially in a situation where your wife needs you to agree with her about the color of the drapes in the bedroom. Men, you know you don’t want to go toe to toe with your wife on this matter, and quite frankly, neither do you care to, so you gracefully put your hands up and submit. The roles are interchangeable depending on the situation. In Ephesians 5:22 wives are implored to submit themselves to their husbands as unto the Lord. And, verse 25 implores the husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. So husbands are to love their wives as Christ did the church, and give themselves for her.

Lets start with the husbands first, since that is the order of The Most High. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 discusses charity. Charity pronounced ‘agape’ is the greek word G26 in the Strong’s concordance (a very highly recommended resource if you truly want to study and understand the bible). It means love, goodwill, benevolence, esteem, to properly love which centers in moral preference, it typically refers to devine love. This means charity and love are synonymous. If you substitute charity with love in the above passage, it makes it more personal. So when husbands are loving their wife according to what the scriptures say, they must be patient and kind to them. Husbands cannot be envious of their wife neither can they boast about how much they have done for them. You cannot act in a dishonorable or selfish way towards her. You should not provoke her in a way where you are deliberately trying to press her buttons. You cannot think any evil thoughts about her (you know those self thoughts you have towards her), neither should you rejoice in her faults or shortcomings. Rather we should rejoice in the truth of what marriage is according to scripture, bear all things, believe and hope in all things for the sake of the marriage. Husbands should endure all things because…love never fails! These are the actions that must take place when you love your wife. Its this love that The Most High showed to us when He sent His son to die on the cross for us. Therefore, its this same divine love that a husband is to show to his wife.

The terms and conditions in this deed called love is non-negotiable and is unconditional. You are to love your wife…period! Again, divorce rates are high, and the main reason is because of the lack of knowledge about what the scriptures say about marriage. To further bring it home, husbands are not loving their wife according to what the scriptures say that love is. This is a huge responsibility. How can a wife know that her husband loves her if he is not properly showing her what love is? She has issues, and guess what…so do you. The only way to conquer all is to love, which is an ongoing situation that we have to continually work on. 

In marriage, there is a strong possibility that you may rub each other the wrong way from time to time. Husbands, the only way to begin to negate this is to have knowledge of your wife. 1 Peter 3:7 – Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered, shows that a husbands, prayer life depends on this. As you give praise and honor to the father, and He sees that all is not right with the other side of you, how is He supposed to bless that prayer? Dwelling with your wife according to the knowledge means the knowledge of the word as well as the knowledge of her. How well do you know your wife? What things make her laugh, what makes her cry? It takes time to understand these things, but it’s important to know because she is a part of you. How can you love your wife if you don’t know her? How can you exercise patience if you don’t know her weakness? You are to give you wife honor as the weaker vessel. Husbands, while examining yourselves, consider what Eccelesiasticus 26:23 (in the apocrypha) says… “A wicked woman is given as a portion to a wicked man: but a godly woman is given to him that feareth the Lord.” It starts with you, if you are wicked, you will attract a wicked woman. On the other hand, if you have a righteous woman, know that at some point the father will consider you to be righteous, even if you are not so presently…this is a gift. If your wife is not acting according to the expectations the scriptures set for us, you have no choice but to love your wife through it, remember…love never fails.

The other position of the husband comes from Ephesians 5:26-27 26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” which is saying that the husband may make his wife holy, treat her as holy, set her apart as holy by continuously cleansing her with the word of The Most High. That means you have to take the word and read it to your wife and bring understanding to her. This is a need your wife has and is absolutely necessary in a marriage because as you wash her with the word, which is Christ, Christ too is washing her, and she becomes an object of beauty to you. You the husband begin to see your wife differently and the word removes all faults from her character. She begins to speak like you and represent you, and the whole order of one flesh truly begins to come alive. Verse 28 says your wife is a physical attachment of you, you are one flesh, so when you hurt her you are hurting yourself and vice versa, Genesis 2:24. Along those same lines, Mark 10:9 “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” warns us that even husbands that are included in the ‘no man’ is not allowed to break up his marriage. Love lasts forever because love never fails, and this can only be achieved by the continuos renewal of our mind

The truth is The Most High hates divorce as Malachi 2:10-16 shows that through our actions as a nation, being stiff-necked and disobedient He still did not put us away. Also, Matthew 19:3-9 shows how Moses was hit with the but if’s and he was forced to put certain things in the law due to our hardened hearts, which was not so from the beginning. According to scriptures, formication is the only reason why divorce is permitted. However, when Israel committed spiritual fornication back in the old testament, the father took us back every single time. Jeremiah 3:6-10 shows that the father was upset with us time and time again for playing the harlot, but He showed mercy on us and did not divorce us and put us away permanently. Therefore, the same degree of mercy that the father has given to us as a nation is the same mercy husbands should show to their wife’s.  

In summary, the scripture clearly shows us how to deal in marriage. Husbands need to be patient with their wife, know them, wash them with the word and show her mercy. Love her like Christ loved the church, which he has never stopped loving. To wash her with the word means the husband has to constantly be in the word studying to show himself approved 2 Timothy 2:15, so his mind can stay renewed as he leads his family. Also, husbands might need to find accountability partners in another seasoned brother or couples that have been walking this road for a long time, to help see them through whatever struggles will come. We are not to walk this road alone.

We will bring some understanding to the wife the next time. Till then, shalom and stay blessed!
Nikki.

Please enjoy this repost that is based on a personal request. Marriages are being attacked more and more each and every day. In the next coming weeks I will be sharing perspectives on the roles we individually have been called to play in our marriages in hopes to possibly shed some light on some of the issues we may be facing in our homes and how to scripturally combat them. The overall goal is to hopefully cause husbands and wives to begin to dialog again and by the power of the Holy Spirit begin to heal their marriages.
Enjoy!

What we know for sure is that satan always attacks marriages because he knows its the image of The Most High. If he attacks marriages and makes them weak, we will have a weak nation. Vice versa, strong marriages leads to a strong nation. Ephesians 5:22-33 is the foundation for all marriages, wives are to submit unto their husbands as unto the Lord, and husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Simple right? Well, the truth is, it reads easier than the actual ability to walk this walk…trust me, I know. I’ve been with my husband for eighteen years, and I’m still figuring this thing out. The funny thing about the whole situation is that when I think I’m submitting to my husband, he tells me I’m not, and when he feels he is loving me, that’s when I feel the least loved. This has made me realize that there is way much more to this whole marriage thing than we actually give it credit for. What makes grasping this concept so hard for both parties?…we’re about to find out.

To understand the situation we’re in, we need to start at the beginning with our father and mother, Adam and Eve. Genesis 3 tells us the story of the serpent and how man fell. In verse six, we see how satan uses desire, deception, visual lust, pride, curiosity and verbal persuasion to carry out his evil, and this was how our trouble started. These are the the tools of the devil that we need to steer clear of. Because Eve was unable to resist satan, she succumbed to the temptation, and did the one thing that she was told not to do…eat from the tree of life and death. By verse sixteen, The Most High is wroth with anger and reads them their rights by virtue of curses upon them. The woman will go through physical pain when bringing forth children, but she will also go through pain as she raises them up. This is evident today with missing children and kids being disobedient and running wild. Who typically shows up at the school when the child is behaving badly…yep, the mother! The curse continues with the desire of the woman being to her husband and her husband ruling over her. As you can see, the whole concept of the husband being the head of the woman started with conflict. The whole paradigm came out of a negative and sad to say, we are stuck in this position.
Let’s switch to the man. Verses seventeen through nineteen tells us that the ground is cursed for his sake. The significance of this to Adam was that he was to till the ground as a farmer for food. Fast forward to 2015, mans job is the tilling of the ground and how he ultimately gets paid to take care of his family, cursed is it! Through the sweat of his brow will he get his substance and anything he puts his hands on to take care of his family is now cursed. In modern day, this applies to jobs, opportunities, and business. The woman is rearing her children in pain, the man is tilling the ground to no avail, overall, there is anger and frustration all around. 
What does this mean? The first thing a man and woman needs to recognize before they get married is that there are curses attached to it. Therefore, each party needs to be sympathetic to the other and understand the state we are in. These curses still stand causing women to be in a situation where she is married to a man who cannot provide for her or its difficult for him to provide due to the curse. The end result is resentment on both sides, she is resentful because he cannot provide, and he is resentful because he cannot provide for her. The man is constantly reminded while he is out fending for his family that he is cursed, and wants to come home and be the authority he feels he should at least be in his own home. This causes the man to overcompensate for his feelings while in the home because he wants to at least feel he is in charge of something.
In the Apocrypha, the book of Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach in some bibles) 25:16-20 and Proverbs 21:19, clearly we see there were marital issues even back then. How did the woman get this way, where she is being described as contentious and angry? To get a better understanding, let’s get some insight into how a woman is wired and the type of men she is attracted to. Typically, a woman without even realizing it, goes for the man that she feels needs fixing. An example of this would be the bad boy persona. The attraction here is the protection she feels she will get from him while she is fixing him, the whole time there is a lack of trust because neither truly understands the other’s true agenda. Therefore, the biggest problem in marriage becomes the issue of being able to properly coexist with the head of the wife structure, the whole time dealing with a lack of trust. The woman does not trust the man because she feels he is going to take advantage of his position. The man does not trust the woman because he feels she is not going to submit to his position. Therefore, we end up in a Mexican stand down and eventually something has to give. The man begins to feel he has to establish his authority in the home because he does not feel as if he is in control. 
What is real interesting to understand is when a man and woman relationship begins, it unconsciously, but naturally takes on the position of a mother and a son. What do I mean by this? Well, women only know how to naturally express love from a mother to a child. This is all they know because they have not been taught any other way. So, when they express and fall in love with a man, the first thing they want to do is to take care of him…fix his shirt, tell him to pull up his pants, because that is the only way she knows how to express love. The man on the other hand who wants to be the boss of his home and does not feel like he needs any fixing, takes on the role of a rebellious son. Therefore, the whole atmosphere of the home becomes that of a son rebelling against his mother, and of a mother trying to fix her son. If this perception can be removed, then both parties can begin to settle down.
The way to remove this perception is to strategize independent of each other first on how to keep peace in the home, then together. Understanding these curses should also cause us to be more mindful of the undertones and how we relate with each other. We should be sympathetic towards one another. We also need to break down the wall of perception to allow each other to naturally be who we were created to be. Women, the best way to a mans heart is through his ego. Reverse psychology works in society and will work in marriage. It is our responsibility to create an environment where our husbands do not feel threatened. Men, allow your wives to grow in their greatness and don’t be afraid of losing your authority because you won’t . Satan is creating an environment that is anti-scripture and it is our duty together to ensure he does not destroy what we are building.
In closing, we need the fruit of the spirit in our marriages. Galatians 5:16,22 tells us we need love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. We are not to provoke one another, neither are we to envy our spouses position. Women, we cannot envy our husbands position of authority. Men, you cannot, misuse your authority and more importantly, you need to become the man your wife will want to follow. Overall, lets all make the sacrifices needed to ensure our marriages work and build a strong nation!
Till next time, shalom and blessings.
Nikki.

We’re all running the race of life with our eye on a prize or reward for those who endure to the end or till Christ returns. Some believe that the reward of this race is simply the riches, accolades, fame and material things they have picked up along the way. Others think this reward is only the promise of eternal life in heaven or better stated, the new kingdom. And yet others don’t even believe they are in a race at all and can’t seem to understand what the hype is about. So, first things first…we most definitely are in a race! Hebrews 12:1-3 urges us to run the race set before us with perseverance so we do not faint and can endure to the end.

Now, to understand the promise and who it was given to, we must go back to the old testament and pick up with our father Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3 describes Abraham as the father of the promise on this side of the flood.Terah who was Abraham’s father was an idolator following the idolatry of Nimrod (a well respected and feared leader of his people) who ordered the death of Abraham when he was born. Terah presented a baby of one of his servants to Nimrod to be killed instead of Abraham, and sent Abraham to live with Shem. Shem is also known as Melchizedek and he was both a king and a priest. Shem taught Abraham about the one true God, and when he died, Abraham became the king and priest. As a quick side note, Before Melchizedek died, Abraham presented his priest with a tenth of the spoil he acquired after battling the kings of Sodom. This was when the tithe was established before it got put into the law, and thus is not done away with. The position of the king and priest was always supposed to be a one person position, but it got divided during the division of the twelve tribes, and the Levites held the position of priest. This order of Melchizedek is what Christ came to restore by bringing the priesthood and kingship back under him – Hebrews 6:20.

As we all know, Abraham married Sarah and she was barren. By trying to help her husband out, she gives her Egyptian handmaid named Hagar to him to conceive a child with. The handmaid gives birth to Ismael, the first born of Abraham, the father of the Saudi Arabians, and he has always stayed in his land of promise in the middle east. However, he was not the child of promise. The child of promise was to come through Sarah, who later conceives a child with Abraham and gives birth to her own son, Isaac. Isaac gave birth to two children, Jacob and Esau, and the promise was to be established with Jacob through his twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.

In Genesis 15:5-21, Abraham was told that his seed would be innumerable as the stars and would be in slavery for 400 years. After this, they would come out with great substance, and posses their land. Verse 18 through 21 describes the vastness of this land, many, many, many miles of land. The promise given to Abraham includes actual physical land! In the new heaven and earth, the children of Israel will have their land that was promised to them. Deuteronomy 7:6 tells us that God chose Israelites to be a special people over all the people of the earth. While Deuteronomy 10:15 confirms that the promise is not in the past and still stands for His people today. The bible tells us that God never changes, neither will the children of Jacob be destroyed – Malachi 3:6. Therefore, we have land to claim when we make it to the end. That is the promise we have to look forward to! Whatever you think you have acquired here before Christ’s return is peanuts compared to what God has in store for us 1Corinthians 2:9.

Finally, the good news according to Romans 9:4-5 is that even though we sinned and continue to sin, The Most High has not forgotten us. There are two covenants, the one in the old testament and the one in the new testament and they both belong to us. Our forefathers are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we are the children of Israel  through bloodline, (not spiritual Israelites, since there is no such thing in the bible), we are the children of the promise. All other nations have received their promise on this earth, and when Christ returns the children of the promise will finally claim theirs. Keep your eye on the prize, run the race set before us with perseverance, there is great reward on the other side for those who endure!

Till the next time shalom and blessings.
Nikki

Now that the whole hustle and bustle of the merry seasons are over, and the majority of the world is rudely being whipped back to the reality of life, its time for some much needed self reflection. Though the reality is that in God’s calendar, now is actually not a new year that He intended for us. According to His calendar, the new year is signified by the springing up of new life after the long winter, and is called spring. So, as you can see, the father’s new year actually has a purpose, but I digress. Lets get back on point, since this is a new year for most, its time to get to work.
In John 8:31-32, it tells us that if you believe on Christ, and continue in his word, then and only then can we be considered his disciples. That means the reverse is true, we are not considered his disciples if we are not continuing in his word. In order to know the truth, we must continue in his word and in order to be free we have to know the truth. Freedom from what? The shackles of religion, man made doctrine, traditions of man etc. With that freedom comes responsibility, what are we going to do with what we know? If we know the truth we would continue in the word. How do we continue in his word? Matthew 16:24-25 tells us we are to deny ourselves, carry our crosses and follow Christ. To deny ourselves means we no longer do the things we want to do, but recognize them to be of no benefit to the kingdom growth, no matter how good it makes us feel. By taking up our cross, we are putting our sins on that cross, washing our hands of those sins and turning away from them. As true disciples of Christ, this is considered our reasonable (absolute very least) service – Romans 12 :1-2. Our reasonable service and duty is to obey the written word of God by daily transforming our mind to be in alignment with His, as we put what does not belong on the alter.
While self reflecting, its important to remember this warning given to us by Christ. In Matthew 16: 26-27, Christ rhetorically asks what the benefit would be for a man to live on this earth for as many appointed years that he has, only to lose his soul at the end of it all? What are we exchanging our souls for? Are we exchanging our souls for what the world is giving us, forgetting that the world has absolutely nothing to offer? Is our time and energy being put into the world with nothing to show for it? Christ says he will come back with his angels and reward everyone according to their works. The question therefore is what are you going to be rewarded for? I urge you to take as long as you need here to answer this question, because its your honest, soul searching answer that will guide your steps for the rest of your life! James 1:21-23 categorically tells us that we have to be doers of the word and not just hearers. We can no longer hear the word, but then pass the buck to someone else as if it is their responsibility and not ours. We cannot serve two masters, so we either believe the bible or we don’t, its that plain and simple! As James 2:17 tells us, faith without works is dead. How can we say we have faith, yet do no works? If we have faith, we will believe what God says, roll up our sleeves and get to work!
Let’s get down to some true talk, and the issue the majority of us have and need to overcome. Firstly, we expect to be warmly received by everyone. Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news and break it to you…that will not always be the case. However, well received or not, does not give us the excuse to get angry to the point of wanting to destroy a mans life, neither does it give us the right or excuse to stop doing the work. In Luke 9:51-56, we see that Christ was not well received, and his disciples James and John were ready to rain fire down on the so called culprits. However, Christ immediately rebuked them saying theirs was not to destroy mens lives. Likewise us, we being Christ’s disciples don’t destroy mens lives or behold grudges. Secondly, we unfortunately indulged in a double helping of lies from satan, and have been led to believe we have all the time in the world. Therefore, we figure we have to get our lives in order first, get the career, the marriage, the kids, the kids education, their weddings, their kids education and so on and so forth out of the way first, then we will have time to do the work. Ha! and good luck is all I say to that! Why does something else always have to come ahead of what Christ is telling us to do? The bible calls those that put their hands to the plough and look back, unfit for the kingdom – Luke 9:57-62. The kingdom comes first!
In conclusion, there is plenty to be done, but very few willing to do it. We have the homeless with us daily (not only in December) that need food, shelter and raiment -Isaiah 1:17. We have our youth that are void of the knowledge of the truth and need to be taught – Deuteronomy 11:19. The sick need to be healed – Matthew 10:8. Our brothers and sisters need encouragement and prayers so we don’t get weary along the way – 1 Thessalonians 5:11. The work is plenty! Consider what you have been exchanging your soul for, and what you now want to be rewarded for, then, roll up your sleeves and get to work!
Till the next time, shalom and blessings.

Nikki.