Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord...

“[Do Not Love the World] Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 John 2:15

To My Daughters, 

I am reading through the bible chronologically with a friend.  I am in Exodus...she is already in Leviticus.   As I read through Exodus and about the wilderness wanderings of Israel, God's chosen people, I am encouraged.  They are so much like us.  God had prepared a wilderness experience for His people to teach them about his character and His nature and He has prepared one for us also.  Egypt is a picture of sin...it is a picture of the world.  God took His people and He takes us, upon belief in His Son, out of the world.  He then uses all the tribulations and trials that we face in this life as a means to take the world out of us and in exchange, He gives us Himself.   As he does this, through the power of His Spirit using the word of God, we are transformed into His image...our character, nature, walk and life begin resemble that of our Father in Heaven. We learn to love Him more and begin to hold lightly to the things of this world.  This is not usually a pain free experience. As humans with a sinful nature, none of us really let go of our pride and our illusion of control very easily.

If we do not understand this, we will be thrown off balance when the sea billows roll.  We will forget that, if it is well with our soul, there is nothing else that can really be wrong.  We will forget that our hope is sure and steadfast and that we have an anchor, Jesus, for the storms of this life.  We, as the hymn says are fastened to the Rock which does not move and is grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

Unfortunately, what should have taken the Israelites a few weeks took forty years.  God's people failed to enter the Land of Promise because of disobedience and unbelief.  They wandered until the entire generation of those who were 20 years of age and older when they left Egypt had passed away.   Even after all the miracles they had witnessed they refused to surrender and trust God to fight the giants that were in the land.   SIGH!  We do the same things.  

There is so much to learn from the wanderings of the people of God!  Here is what I took away for myself through this particular reading.  

I am here as a testimony to His grace, mercy and love...I am to live for Him and point others to His Son. My life is not about me or anything that I might go through.  It is about Him. I am to live my life in a way that brings glory to Him. 

God is MY shelter, MY very present help in time of trouble and MY guide through it all.    Just as God was with the Israelites in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, His presence goes with ME, also.  The Book of Acts says that it is in Him that I live and move and have MY being.  The cloud of his presence provides shade from the sun and the heat and the fire warmth from the cold winds of life.

Three verses came to mind as I read...

For this is God, Our God forever and ever;  He will be our guide Even to death.--Psalm 48:14

They shall neither hunger nor thirst,  Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;  For He who has mercy on them will lead them,  Even by the springs of water He will guide them. I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated.--Isaiah 49:10-11

For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress,  A refuge from the storm,  A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. You will reduce the noise of aliens, As heat in a dry place;  As heat in the shadow of a cloud,  The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.--Isaiah 25:4-5

Praise God!!!  The song of the terrible ones will be diminished and He will be our Guide even unto death.  We are not meant to go through this journey by ourselves.  Believe and His presence will go before you and be with you...He will be your Guide even unto death.  There will be times that you will feel exactly as the Israelites did at the Red Sea...trapped with nowhere to go...in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.  You will want to murmur and complain against Him....but here is the thing...through it all you will begin to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.  You will begin to trust and depend on God and not  yourself.  Understanding our need for God does not come in good times...it is wrought in the darkness of despair.  Salvation, as E. M. Bounds says, issues forth from these forces:  

1. The strength of weakness

2.  The power of self-despair

3.  The energy of perseverance

4.  the elevation of humility

5.  and the victory of surrender.  

How beautiful to my heart these words are!!!!  My very name, my character and my destiny were changed by the strength of weakness and the power of self despair.  Looking back it is the elevation of humility that took me to heights I could not imagine. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!!!!!

You will not see His plan because in the midst of the trial you will not have the perspective you need to see the end from the beginning. (Only God has that)  You will only see the mountains surrounding you and the "Egyptians" behind.  Take courage...the Lord fights for you.  Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.  

I will end with the words of both the Israelites and Moses from Exodus 14.  These are some of my favorite verses in the entire Bible. 

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have beenbetter for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” 

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” --Exodus 14:10-14

Love

Mom

Notes on Revelation 12

Revelation 12:1-2 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

Who is this woman?  She is a symbolic picture of Israel. The OT pictures Israel often as the wife of God.  Isaiah 54 tells us this:

5 For your Maker is your husband,
 The LORD of hosts is His name;
  And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
 He is called the God of the whole earth.
       6 For the LORD has called you
 Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
      Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. 7 “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you,  But with great mercies I will gather you.  8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
 But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
 Says the LORD, your Redeemer. 

There are three other symbolic women that appear in the book of Revelation.  These are worth noting here.  

1.  Jezebel representing paganism  2.  the scarlet woman representing the apostate church and 3.  the wife of the Lamb representing the true church.  

This woman is clothed with the sun perhaps because Israel is the chosen of God. (Genesis 37:9-11)  The moon under her feet according to John MacArthur could describe Israel's covenant relationship with God (1 Chronicles 23:31) and the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel.  

Israel is often pictured as a mother in travail.  She has waited long for the promised Messiah and has suffered much.  

Revelation 12:3-6 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 

This woman's enemy is Satan. Red speaks to bloodshed and the seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems represent his domination and rule over the seven past kingdoms and the ten future kingdoms of the earth.  (Read Daniel Chapter 7)

Revelation 12:4-5 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 

The great fiery red dragon that stands before the woman ready to devour her Child is Satan.  He is the mortal enemy of the woman.  Satan's original fall from grace brought 1/3 of the angelic host into his camp...You can read about this in Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 and Luke 18. Satan rules the world until the sound of the seventh trumpet.  

Revelation 11:15-18 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power oand reigned.The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

God's plan from before the foundation of the world was for Jesus to die on the cross taking on our sin and paying the price for them.  He was to be the sacrificial lamb slain on the 14th day of Nisan at the hour when the Passover lambs were slain.  Jesus' resurrection assures us of God's approval and our salvation is secured when we trust Him for our salvation. Sin, death and Satan were all conquered at the cross.  We live the life we live in the here and now through Jesus always from victory.  

Satan's first goal was to keep Jesus from ever being born and thus thwarting God's plan.  One of the major themes of the Old Testament is God's supernatural protection of the royal line of Judah through which the Messiah would come. There is also evidence of this in the genealogy of Christ through the line of Joseph and the line of Mary in the New Testament.  (See Coniah's curse)  It is also helpful to read the book of Esther, specifically Esther 3:6-15.  Haman was used by Satan to target the entire Jewish race for annihilation and thwart God's plan for redemption. Destruction fell instead on Haman and the gallows he constructed for Mordecai were used by the King Ahaseurus for Haman's demise.  

When that didn't work Satan's next plan was the destruction of the Son of God. Remember Herod's plan to kill the babies?  Or how about the tempting of Jesus in the desert to skip the cross and take a shortcut to glory?  If he could destroy Jesus, than he could destroy mankind. None of these plans worked and as this fifth verse in Revelation says Jesus was caught up to God and His throne upon His ascension into heaven...securing our salvation! 

Revelation 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Israel will be supernaturally protected by God during the last half of the time of the tribulation in a place specifically prepared for her by God. 1,260 days = 42 months = 3.5 years.  At the midpoint of the tribulation the AntiChrist breaks his covenant with Israel and sets up the abomination of desolation.  (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15.  Jerusalem will be devastated at this time and many Jews will flee for their lives.  

Revelation 12:7-And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them[a] in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 

There is a spiritual battle and it has been going on since the fall of Satan.  (See Daniel 10:13 and Jude 9)  The battle in heaven is intensifying perhaps reflecting the chaos and tribulation occurring below in the earthly realm.  Job 1:6 and 2:1 tell us that although Satan was cast down from heaven, he still has access to it.  His access will be denied here in Revelation 12 forevermore. All days in heaven are good ones but maybe this will be a paricularly good day. 

Satan is not our friend...He is called the accuser of the brethren. He may appear as an angel of light but his desire is for the destruction of mankind.   Satan has been described biblically as the serpent, the adversary, the devil, the prince of demons, the unclean spirit, the evil one, the author of all evil, a murderer and the father of all lies, the prince of this world, a demon, the god of this world, Belial, the prince of the power of the air, the angel of the abyss, the great red dragon, the accuser of the brethren and the dragon, the serpent of old.  Whew!!!

Fortunately, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who ceaselessly intercedes for us before the throne of God.  

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.--Hebrews 7:25

and from Romans 8... 

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.--Romans 8:33-34

Praising Jesus for His unchangeable priesthood and looking forward to the time when Satan is cast down forever and quelled permanently!!

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

How was the dragon overcome?  The same way we overcome...by the blood of the lamb.  We claim the victory that was won at the cross.  By our testimony for Christ...our belief and our obedience to the word.  And lastly we live our lives for Him not for ourselves.  

Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

If you are in heaven, rejoice!  And a big Uh oh for those on the earth...watch out.  Satan efforts will intensify during this final period. 

Revelation 12:13-17 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 

Verses 13 and 14 speak to Satan increasing the intensity of his persecution especially toward Israel and of the woman's (Israel) supernatural protection by God. She will be given the wings of eagles.  Time and times and a half speak to the 3.5 years remaining in the tribulation.  I think of Psalm 91:4 here and Isaiah 40.  

He shall cover you with His feathers,

         And under His wings you shall take refuge; 

         His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

         Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

         Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

If you have the time don't stop reading Psalm 91 hear...read it in its entirety.  God's providential protection at its best!  

 28 Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. 
      His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak,  And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,  And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD  Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 
They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

NOTHING...NOTHING happens to us that is outside of our God's sovereign control. Isaiah 54:16-17 says this:

16 “ Behold, I have created the blacksmith

      Who blows the coals in the fire,

      Who brings forth an instrument for his work;

      And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

       17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

      And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

      You shall condemn.

      This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

      And their righteousness is from Me,”

      Says the LORD.

Revelation 12:16-17 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  

Again a picture of God's supernatural protection of His chosen people, Israel.  No weapon formed against them would prosper.  Satan is enraged at being thwarted and goes against the rest of the woman's offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  

Believers are marked by their obedience to the word of God and their testimony to the truth of God's word.  

Note: A big thanks to John MacArthur's study notes on Revelation 12.  Much was gleaned here from his diligence to rightly divide the word of truth.  

Divine Documentation - 2 Cor 3

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? ² You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.--2 Corinthians 3:1-3


To My Girls,


Paul is being sarcastic here...and is carefully choosing his words.  Paul's ministry and his competency as a minister of God by the false teachers in Corinth was constantly being attacked.  The believers of Corinth knew and had first hand proof of Paul's sincerity and godly character...they had seen the Spirit of God work in their life as a result of his ministry of the word.  


Do we commend ourselves...are we boasting?  Do we need letters of commendation from man to show you that it is God who calls us to this ministry?  Do we need man's word to validate our ministry? Paul tells them that they are his epistles of recommendation...known and read by all men as they watched them live their lives.  You are our proof!  Look at the work that has taken place and look at the fruit among you!  Our ministry, Paul tells them, is reflected in your life!  


The bible tells us not to judge others but we can look at their lives and judge the fruit.  Remember that it was Aaron's rod that budded and blossomed...bore fruit...because it was Moses and Aaron that God chose.  


And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.”--Numbers 17:5


Jesus says something similar in regards to both fruit and choosing in John 15:16:


You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.




Again in Matthew 7, Jesus says this:


“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

and further on in chapter 7 this:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

Not only that, Paul says, our letter of commendation to you is a living one...not written by human means but by the Spirit of the Living God on the tablets of your heart.  Paul's documentation was divine!  God's law was no longer on tablets of stone, but was written on tablets of flesh and was now of the heart.  The false teachers of Corinth claimed external adherence to the law of God as the basis for salvation.  The changed lives of the believers in Corinth, however, was proof that salvation was wrought by the Spirit of God using the word of God to effect an inward change of the heart.  


Praying that each of our lives would be a testimony to His grace...an open letter to those around us of God's love, mercy and faithfulness.  


Love
Mom

Losing Sight of the Cross...

Dear Girls...

It is so easy to see another's sin.   It is also very easy to remember that the other guy is the sinner especially when you are the one being hurt by his/her sin.  Not so much when it comes to seeing our own sin. The same is true for forgiveness...we accept Christ's forgiveness for our own sin (as we should) but do not deal out our own forgiveness to others so easily. Why...again...because it is so easy to understand the consequences of sin when it is happening to you! When you are not the perpetrator. When you are the one being offended. OUCH!! HOW DARE HE!! Not so much when we are the one doing the offending.  Then we can find a 1000 reasons to justify our actions so we can deny our sin and continue to do that which is right in our own eyes.

I think the biggest danger for me if I dwell on an offense is the risk of becoming self-righteous.  The risk of being unforgiving. The risk of forgetting my own depravity.  I am a victim of sin, yes, but I must also remember that I am also a perpetrator of it. We all are...you do not have to look far into the news to see the tragedy and the utter depravity of man.  There are mountains of hurt inside one person due to their own sin and the offenses of others; never mind thinking on the avalanche that occurs when we think of it in cosmic terms. Sin is devastating, cruel, vicious and enslaving. God would truly be justified in making nothing of us all.  He, however, chooses the way of love.  He dwells there, in fact.  So much so that He took our sin upon Himself and paid the price.  You have probably heard stories like this one before but I think it really paints the picture we need to see.

It would be like one of you going before a judge because you are guilty of murder...the gavel comes down and you are declared guilty. The sentence...death.  Your world closes in on you...but then the judge comes around the bench...takes off his robe and tells you that he will die in your stead.  He will pay the price.  You are set free.  Continuing the picture...what if when the judge came around you despised his offer...telling him that you would not accept his offer and that you thought it was harsh and that his sentence was unfair.  No one would feel sorry for you at your execution...the offer was there and you rejected it. 

Thinking of it in those terms makes it so much more meaningful to me. We are not able to keep the law.  We already stand condemned before the judge. Maybe you are not guilty of murder, but with the law it doesn't matter.  The purpose of the law in Galatians 3:24 is to bring us to Christ. In fact, Galatians 3:31 says that through faith the law is established.  Belief in Christ accomplishes the very purpose of the law...to show us our need for a Savior.  James 2:10 says this: "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."  Not good news!  The mercy seat covered the ark of the covenant.  The ark of the covenant contained the law. The mercy seat came between us and the law.  Christ is our mercy seat...He is the propitiation for our sin. He comes between us and certain death...He took our sentence on Himself.  Wow!

Dwelling in mercy and love as Jesus truly did, is so where I want to be....to remember always the cross...to remember the pit in which He lifted me out of. To remember that all that stands between me and hell is Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. I never want to esteem it lightly by the sin of unforgiveness. God poured out His wrath on His Son, who knew no sin, for my sin and yours.  To lose sight of the cross of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and redemption bought there, is to lose sight of EVERYTHING you believe. You can only be one of these two things girls...forever grateful that Jesus Christ stands between you and your sin...or self-righteous thinking that you can stand before God in your own righteousness.

The antidote for this is what the antidote always is...immersing yourself in His word daily and allowing it to penetrate.  Allowing Him to gaze deeply into your heart by His Spirit.  There are no shortcuts...our walk with Jesus is daily...fruit is grown slowly over time. 

Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Love

Mom

How to Handle Heartache and Sorrow...

Dear Girls...

We all will face sorrows here on this earth...the difference is we either face them with Him or without Him. As a believer God works all things together for your good.  As a believer you know that He uses our trials to make us more like Him.  With that said the following verse might seem like a strange verse to begin a devotional on handling sorrow but read on...

"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ"...Galatians 6:2

Bearing one another's burdens is so beautiful to think on...the only way we can actually do it is in living a life surrendered to the Spirit of God.  There are so many verses in the Bible that speak to this but the bottom line for all of them is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ...put on Jesus...His nature and His character and then walk in His love. 

The more I live this life the more I see that the only solution is to fix our eyes on Christ and pour our lives out for others...just as He did.  Anything I am not sure how to handle in this life...all I need do is look to Him who lived the perfect life and yet was tempted in every way to see what to do.  What an example He gave us!! Jesus had no other agenda but His Father's in heaven.

I am struggling and have been struggling with deep abiding heartache and sorrow...the only answer is Christ.  How did He handle sorrow? He was a Man of Sorrow and acquainted with grief.  He bore my grief and sorrow on the cross. He poured out His life for me and for you. He was despised and rejected...and yet He was not overwhelmed in His sorrow as I often become.  In fact, in His greatest sorrow He poured Himself out for us in the greatest display of love mankind has ever seen! He suffered for us and died so that each one of us would have the opportunity to live forever with Him! So what is the difference between how I handle sorrow and how Jesus handled sorrow...I think it is pretty obvious...even in His sorrow Jesus' concern was for others. On the cross burdened with the sin and grief of all the world, His focus was for the thief beside Him, for His mom's well being, and for forgiving those who were crucifying Him. Seeing His example and KNOWING His love for me how can I wallow in my own sorrow.  In fact, He tells me to cast my burdens on Him because He cares for me...His word tells me that He has borne my sorrow and grief and that He is my strong tower and refuge.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” --Matthew 11:28-30

Lord, give me Your strength even today to live for You despite my circumstances.  Help me to look to You and as I look to you change me and conform me into the image of Your Son.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.--2nd Corinthians 3:18

Love

Mom

Conflict and the Desire to Dominate, Control and Win...

Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife [is like] releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. 

Prov 20:3 [It is] honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. 
Read a few more to get warmed to the subject. :D

Proverbs 21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Proverb 21:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.
Proverbs 27:15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;
Prov 13:10 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised [is] wisdom.

Are we getting the message? The Lord repeats this theme in a multiple of ways over and over again in His word. (Kinda like we do with our kids, sometimes) He must really want us to hear it.

If only we could remember just at the beginning of a conflict what an impact we have on our families by the way we respond. Many of us respond to our husbands in ways we wouldn't even consider responding to a friend or someone outside our home. It is not a question of knowing how to respond...I think most of us know how to respond. Sometimes, however, with those closest to us we get lazy. We forget God's purpose for us. We were created to be helpmates for our husbands and the caretaker of the home and children. Responding with anything other than a humble and gentle spirit then is rebellion against God's perfect will for us.

Hear this next part...it is important. What you communicate to your children through your relationship with your husband will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That should be a sobering thought. Children will learn all the fundamental lessons of love, forgiveness, joy, humility, compassion, patience, self-sacrifice, virtue, sin...I could go on...from observing their parents interact. What YOU teach them right or wrong will be rooted deep in their hearts. If you are patient, your children will be patient. If you are loving and compassionate, your children will display these qualities. If you turn to Jesus for help, so will they.

As wives do what you can to send the right messages to your kids. Don't say...but my husband...change your behavior...NOW. Don't look back...press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. Answer your husband with grace and humility. Let your gentleness, as the bible says in Philippians, be known. Are you known as a gentle woman in your household? I am not, but oh, how I long to be.

Humility as John MacArthur says is the perfect antidote to the self-love that poisons human relationships. Meekness is the willingness to suffer injury or insult rather than inflict such hurts. It is what Jesus was at the cross. He had the ability to retaliate but instead He allowed Himself to be led as a lamb to slaughter. Meekness is the opposite of being out of control as we might think. John MacArthur says that meekness is not weakness, but rather supreme self-control empowered by the Spirit. Think then of meekness as power under control. Meekness makes a decision to put the other first. This type of attitude heals and edifies.

Don't look at what the cost of behaving this way will be to your pride. Yeah, it will be humiliating ... and for some even scary....trust Him and focus on the results. What will be the outcome or fruit of your changed reactions. Sometimes we can get so embroiled in conflict that we can no longer see the big picture. The next time a conflict starts try to step back and view it as a play in which you want the godly outcome. Look fully into the faces and eyes of your children. Really see the damage and the hurt you are causing. By the power of the Spirit who dwells in you, put aside your own offense and make the sacrifice of righteousness. Again do not concern yourself with how others in your household react....YOU respond rightly...You be the first to change...and see what the Lord will do with your obedience and faithfulness.

NOTE: I wrote the above in my car while waiting for one of my daughter's classes to finish. I was tested as soon as I arrived home on this. I failed miserably. It is clear to me that this is an area that Satan does not want us to persevere and will do what he can to condemn and thwart our efforts. Look up! Press on! Make a practice of having a gentle and quiet spirit. Most of all remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Be convicted but not condemned.

Our own selfishness gets in the way of the relationship we want to have with our husbands. Look to His word and His Spirit for help. It is not about what your husband said or did...it is about glorifying our Father in heaven in our words and deeds. Worship Him through your right words and deeds. Teach your children how to respond biblically. Pouting, manipulation, outburst of wrath, selfishness and nagging are all learned sinful behaviors. Change them using Scripture to show you the more excellent way.

In closing, you have one time around with your family to do it right. If you are behaving selfishly and causing conflict or increasing the conflict with your bad reactions in your home, repent. Surrender to the God's Spirit in your heart and diligently apply these qualities in your day to day marital relationship with your husband. You will be amazed at how your obedience will not only be a blessing to those around you, but to you as well as your family follows your lead and begins to respond with these attitudes also.

PICTURES OF CHRIST IN EXODUS 12

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. --Exodus 12:5-6

Beloved Daughters,

First Peter 1:19 tells us that we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  Girls, Jesus was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world.  What a foreshadowing we have of Christ, our Passover Lamb, sacrificed for us.  

A blemish is an acquired defect.  A spot is an inherited defect.  Jesus was without inherited sin and he was without blemish...He was the sinless One.  God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. For the Passover lamb to be a picture of Jesus it had to be without blemish and without spot.  

Exodus 12:6 says that they were to set the "perfect" lamb apart on the tenth day and it was to be kept for four days and then slain on the fourteenth day. I have read that many brought the lamb into their house where it was probably treated as a pet.  What a picture they had of atonement before their eyes as they looked on this innocent little lamb that would die in their stead for their sins.  

Jesus was presented to Israel as their Messiah and King on the tenth day...which was Palm Sunday and crucified on the fourteenth day for the sins of the world. There are so many pictures like this one in the bible that were written beforehand and have the signature of God on them.  These never fail to shore up my faith and strengthen my belief.  The bible is a book that writes history before it happens. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.  Our God is amazing.  

There is one more picture in this chapter that I want to bring out.  Look at verse 15. 

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

In the bible leaven represents sin.  Why...think about what leaven does...a very little bit of leaven will cause an entire loaf of bread to rise.  Sin does the same thing.  A little sin in your life left unchecked will eventually permeate and fill your whole life.  That is why the bread was to be unleavened. 

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.[c] 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.--1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Jesus says in John, chapter 6, that He is the bread which came down from heaven...He is the bread of life.  That year the true meaning of the Passover came to light.  Through Jesus' death on the cross (the lamb slain) we have obtained a refuge...a place safe from judgment by the shed blood of God's Son.  It was at the Passover feast that Jesus said these words:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;[b] this is My body which is broken[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same mannerHe also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.--1 Corinthians 11:23-26

It is not the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt that we are to remember but it is our deliverance from the bondage of sin and death that Jesus wrought on the cross by His broken body and shed blood.  AMEN!

Love
Mom

Be Strong and of Good Courage....

Beloved...

Be strong and of good courage....I usually so dislike when someone says this to me, but that is because I forget that our God is not like the world.  In Him, I do not have to pull myself up by my bootstraps and, as the King James says, "quit like a man."   Beloved believer...Our God does not ask us to be strong in ourselves and in our own power...He asks us to be strong in Him!  He is the one who does it all.

We walk by faith and not by sight.  It is so easy to think we know better than God....especially when our circumstances look impossible and we have not been washing ourselves daily with His truth.  Faith does not look at what is seen.  Faith obeys no matter how things look from a human perspective.  Faith puts its trust in God.  It surrenders all!  Psalm 27:14 tells us to wait on the Lord and be of good courage and He shall strengthen our heart.  What a place of rest we come to when we can truly place all the issues of life in His hands.  No fretting...no matter what happens we are trusting God.  We are standing fast in Him!  Immersed in His word and aware of His presence we cannot be thrown off balance by anything the enemy might throw at us!  We fight from victory and it is not our battle...it is the Lord's. 

Read the following verses from Joshua, Chapter 1, verses 6,7,8,and 9. 

Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

The key is in the last few words...for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  The presence of the Lord eradicates fear and faint-heartedness.  It is His courage and strength that we walk in.  He is there.  He is with us.  He upholds us and bears us up.   

Our God prepares us for whatever we will face as we diligently study His word daily.  He arms us with His strength, His knowledge and His presence.  It is only in Christ and His strength  that we can "quit like a man"! 

Read with me some verses from the book of Daniel, Chapter 10...

Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength.  For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”

Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.  And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”

So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 

How beautiful is that?  The awareness of God...His voice, His touch, His presence with us and His love for us strengthens us and brings us peace.

Be of good courage...be strong, stay in the word and stand fast for the people God has placed in our lives.  We are in a battle...eternity is at stake.  Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.  And may the Lord do what is good in His sight!

Love

Mom

Pride and the Wrath of Abandonment - Exodus 7

To My Daughters,

We read some sad words in Exodus 7.

And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.--Exodus 7:13

The words and Pharaoh's heart grew hard or But Pharaoh hardened his heart are read several times over the plague portions of Exodus.  There will come a time, however, when we will read the verse that says this:

"The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh." 

Uh oh.  After reading some commentaries and looking into the meaning of the word "hardened" I understand that there are two Hebrew words for the word we know as hardened.  The first is used when referencing the conduct of Pharaoh.  (Pharaoh's heart grew hard or Pharaoh hardened his heart)  This Hebrew word implies a stubbornness, an act of rebellion.  Pharaoh made his own heart heavy and insensible by his stubbornness and refusual to obey the voice of God. The other Hebrew word means to make firm as a piece of clay that is hardened in the fire  This is what God did to Pharaoh's heart. Here is the chain of events.  Pharaoh rebelled against God and in doing so, repeatedly hardened his heart against Him.  God then came along and made His position firm.  He gave Pharaoh exactly what he wanted.  He left him to the fruit of his own way. This is the wrath of abandonment. (See Proverbs Chapter 1:24-31)

God is stepping back and leaving Pharaoh and all of Egypt with him to the consequences of his own sinful choices.  They will be filled with their own way and their sin will be their ruin.  Genesis 6:3 tells us that God's Spirit will not strive with us forever. The price for Pharaoh was staggering.  Egypt was destroyed,  All the first born males of Egypt met with death and both Pharaoh and his army drowned in the Red Sea while pursuing God's people.  

Sometimes God has to break us and bring us to the end of ourselves in order to bring about true repentance. How much easier would it be for us if when we were in sin and had walked away from our Father, if we would just come back.  Put aside our pride and turn.  Take ourselves off the throne and put God back in His rightful place.  How much easier for us...how much easier for God...how much better for those around us.

Swallowing your pride gets easier and easier the more you do it.  It gets harder and harder the more you put off doing it.   When you put it off the lump you need to swallow gets larger and larger and looms hugely in front of you gathering ammunition whenever and wherever it can to fortify its own position.  Don't be its victim.  The answer is simple...just go back...face your own sin...God's love and forgiveness will be there and make the crooked places straight again.  Cut your losses and put aside your pride.  As you move and do this by faith, God's grace will be there...the balloon of self will burst and you will see the Father's love for you with eyes no longer obstructed by your pride...turning will bring the peaceable fruit of righteousness. If you have never done this...do this today.  Our pride is the biggest obstacle between us and God...it is the difference between an eternity spent in hell and an eternity spent in heaven with Jesus. Acknowledge your sin...acknowledge your need for Him and come to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think.

Love

Mom 

Notes on Exodus 4-6

Dear Girls,

Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” --Exodus 4:10-13

This is Moses' fourth argument to God in response to God telling him that He wanted him to go to Pharaoh and lead His people out of Egypt. (Don't miss the irony in that statement, please) Moses focuses on his weakness of speech....he is not eloquent, he is slow of speech and slow of tongue.  I can completely sympathize and identify with Moses ...I so often feel this way.  Here, however, is what I have noticed.  When God truly wants to make a point and deems to use my mouth for that purpose, I do fine.  He is with my mouth and does teach me what to say.  

I love God's reply to Moses:  "Who has made man's mouth."  This should be a huge comfort to each of us.  God has a purpose and plan for even things in our make up that we view as weaknesses and disabilities.  God takes responsibility for them all and uses them for his purposes. 

After more argument Moses does wind up going before Pharaoh.  

Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”--Exodus 5:1-2

Pharaoh asks what many of us have asked in our arrogance and self will...Who is the Lord and why should I obey Him??!  I will do what I want...I will go my own way.  The Bible tells us in many places that there is a way that seems right to man, but it way leads to death.  God has given us everything we need in His word for life and godliness.  The Scripture is filled with exhortations to obey and be blessed both in this life and the next.  Unfortunately, most of us ignore both God and His word and in doing so court disaster.  THAT is what Pharaoh is doing here...courting disaster.  God will answer his question.  He will show Pharaoh who He is and I am pretty sure Pharaoh will not like it.  There will come a day for each of us when, like Pharaoh, our desire to live for ourselves and do as we please will reap eternal consequences.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD[a] I was not known to them. 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’” --Exodus 6:1-8

An awesome passage of Scripture.  God establishes His word and His covenant with His people.  He is doing as He said He would do.  "I will take you as My people and I will be your God." (See Genesis 15:1-21 and Genesis 17:1-8.) 

As you read this passage you cannot help but notice the personal pronoun "I" used by God here.  God is directly and intimately involved in the affairs of Israel.  He is directly and intimately involved in your life. THAT IS SUCH A COMFORT.  Look at just verses 6-8 alone.  Notice the 7 I will's.  

I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, 

I will rescue you from their bondage, 

I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 

I will take you as My people, and 

I will be your God. 

I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; 

I will give it to you as a heritage:

Need help?  Need comfort?  Need salvation?  Need rest? Need an advocate?  GO TO HIM!

The rest of the chapter goes on to identify Moses and Aaron's Levitical heritage.  Aaron's son, Eleazar and grandson, Phinehas, both of whom would become Israel's high priest are also named.  And just in case you are still questioning who this Moses and Aaron are....God makes it clear in the last verses of this passage.

"These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.”  These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron."

Just in case there was still any doubt....smile.

Love

Mom