Wednesday, December 21, 2011

I Think I've found “The One”, How Do I Know?


That special someone, it seems like a lifelong search.  From the time we were children, we’ve heard stories of Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.  Stories of love, surviving the grimmest odds.  Now that were Adults, and reality has set in.  Uncertainty surrounds us; and it is sometimes difficult to know if we’ve found that special someone.  
 
 When making the decision, that hard decision, it seems as though the ability to decide “with certainty” eludes us. 
















 So we seek the advice of love one’s, family, friends, magazines, co-workers, and any one that might be able to shed some light on the subject.  All along, never really seeking the direction of “GOD”, and what he has to say about the matter.  












What’s Love Got to Do with It?

As children of God we are commanded to love one another, but when it comes to selecting a “suitable mate”, we should expect and even look for certain personality traits.  Paying attention to certain red flags, which are revealed from our observations.
God has instructed us to trust him, and allow him to direct and aide us in the decision making process of choosing a mate. 
First of all”, to clear the air, Ladies you should not be actively looking for a mate.  In fact, you should be actively waiting on the LORD, and asking GOD to prepare you to be “found”.  For it is Written: 
 
Proverbs 18:22 (NIV) He who finds a wife finds what is good
   and receives favor from the LORD. 












Once involved with the person we perceive to be “the one”, we should observe to see if certain things are present in the relationship. 1. Is there an unconditional love extended towards you?  Or is the person easily angered, and holds on to grudges?   For it is Written: 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV) 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 



2. After a misunderstanding is forgiveness extended quickly towards you, even if they’re right.  Is there an attempt to keep the peace, or are you made to pay for the discretion by days of silence or constant fighting? For it is Written

Colossians 3:12-13(NIV) 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

 



3. Is your opinion regarded as important?  Can you talk to them and truly feel their listening, or are you disregarded, and made to feel as though your opinion doesn’t matter.  For it is Written:

James 1:19 (KJV) 19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

 

Proverbs 18:13 (KJV) 13He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.







The point of the matter, simply stated is….. Take the time to really see if their confession of Christ is real.  Is their life style in line with the word of GOD?   Also, are they” living to please GOD”?   For it is Written:

Matthew 7:16-18 (NIV) 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 

 







Sunday, December 18, 2011

Choose you this day…Who you will serve… Your Marriage or your Career!

In this fast pace world we live in, divorce is on the rise, homes are being wrecked, and marriages disregarded. No one seems to want to slow down; we’re too busy making the next deadline at work, chasing the next promotion, and working hard to beat the next guy or girl to the top. Our relationships suffer from this, and our marriages are falling apart. All the while the alarm is going off inside of us, and all around us, telling us our marriages will end if something isn’t done quickly. Unwilling to listen, we ignore that still small voice, thinking I’ve work so hard for this (fill in the blank), and choose our careers over our marriage. This grieves the heart of GOD, for it is written:

Mat 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man 
 not separate."
This refers to places and things as well, not just another person!! It amazing the excuses we come up with to excuse our behavior…








 
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is; there your heart will be also.

The above passage denotes, we will pour our hearts into the things we consider to be important.  If we deem something to be important, we will make the time for it.  


 
As children of God, we need to understand that promotion comes from GOD, and he will make a way.  Marriage was created by God... He’s in our corner, and will join in with us and help to make ends meet.  He will provide!!  For it is written:



 
Deu 8:18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.









So let’s honor our marriages, and relationships, they are a blessing from the LORD.  Recall the days of your courtship, the endless time spent talking on the phone, the days you felt like you wouldn’t make it through the day unless you seen or spent time with that person. Remember the joy you felt, just being in that person’s presence.   Now return to your first love… Go back to doing the things you did to get the spouse your married to today… Let’s fix our priorities and our marriages!!




Thursday, December 15, 2011

Communication....The Key to Success, A Vital Piece Of the Puzzle


Genesis 3

The Fall
 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
   The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

 Clearly we have a definite example of non communication.. God gave ADAM a clear cut directive not to eat of the tree from the middle of the garden..  Surely Adam was there during the whole conversation between the serpent and his wife Eve.  If you choose to think otherwise , surely you would  agree that he was fully aware of what God told him before he ate of the forbidden fruit.  Being the one that was designated by God as the Head of what God created, and the Head of the woman he gave him.. It was the responsibility of Adam to uphold the command of God, and forbid his wife against disobeying God.


 
What are some of the things Adam should have done to prevent this from taking place?  Communication for one is a very vital and necessary piece of the puzzle.


 Obeying the advice of a Loving Father is another...

















We are not much different today in our own
 relationships.... Broken, Disobedient, Speechless..
But it doesn't have to remain this way... IT IS WRITTEN.... AMOS 3:3
3 Do two walk together
   unless they have agreed to do so? 


 
Let's work on getting into agreement with our spouse, and love ones.  Working on being more agreeable.  Just the change in our attitudes, will make a world of difference!! 
  Working on our methods of communication is also important, there a many ways to communicate.  But most important of all, is the method of verbal communication.. FOR IT IS WRITTEN... GENESIS 1-31
AND GOD SAID......
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
 6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.  Lets learn to effectively communicate with our spouse, and love ones.. And watch the healing that will take place in our marriages, relationships, and lives. 


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Why are so many Marriages in trouble, and relationships failing?

Genesis 2:18-25

New International Version (NIV)
 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
   But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
 23 The man said,
   “This is now bone of my bones
   and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
   for she was taken out of man.”
 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.



My Question is... Are we doing it God's way?