Arise and call her blessed

Faith, and fear as bedfellows I think not !

 I was recently blessed with an understanding that I would like to share with you. I have always known that The Lord has blessed me with the spiritual gift of faith . “Well how do I know”, he told my spirit it is that simple. I have always been the “glass is half full” , If the sun is not shining for the Sunday school picnic just wait a minuet.  through this faith I have seen incredible mountains moved and healings and prayers answered than can be explained by nothing but God . When I speak of faith, it is by no means faith of salvation but a faith in the miraculous fulfilled, evidence of the impossible in your life and in mine. So you can see now how faith and fear can truly have no bedroom fellowship as fear totally incapacitates all faith, choking out its very life. But I have always felt a block in my faith, stopping me from accessing more of His faith through me . Ever since I  was a little girl as far as I can remember I have been attacked  by  an incredible fear and it has haunted me. The first memory of it was probably when I was four. This was the lie “when I married that my husband would die young leaving me helpless will children”. Satan has used this fear against me, and even when my husband miraculously recovered from several near fatal incidences, I was still griped by the spirit of fear. This fear made me insist he get life insurance  , I would not let him go anywhere without me just encase something happened at least we would be together, if he did go anywhere of a distance I was traumatized until his safe return. You could safely say that I was willingly believing a lie that I hated, yet willingly allowed its place in my heart. Had I given this to Jesus? Yes, several times, I had even several times given my husband to God to be used in whatever the Lords will was even if that meant his death For his glory. In my heart, I was still tormented by this huge fear. In our ministry we have stood in faith against the enemy several times together, always overcoming, and receiving the benefits of faith obedience.   It seamed that as much as I wanted to grow in faith I could not get past this wall barricading my growth. Even when faith was tested by the death of our child, I regretfully say that I conquered , the battle yet In my heart I felt my faith lost the ground that was needed for the next journey, the birth of Blessed~Grace . The father in His mercy still gave me the victory, as I called out to Him in my fear trodden anguish, birthing me back into a renewed sprit .

Wile watching a teaching on faith the lord gave me a new revelation that I knew, but had not grasped the essential reality of it. Fear is a spirit “a demon”! If I am battling this spirit of fear all my life, this demon has been allowed its way. Even thought I did not like it, I let it stay by musing its thoughts, and I dwelled on them. Scripture says I have not given you a spirit of fear. So why was I letting this spirit have dominion over my thoughts and heart.  It was because I  was treating it like a feeling, an emotion that I did not like, and could push away, when I should have been battling it like an enemy. Would you go up to a giant and say “oh please Mr. Giant leave me alone you make me feel so sad” if I cover my eyes maybe I wont see you any more. No David went up in power, and authority, overpowered it, and destroyed it. You seen I had been willing it away, and praying it away, instead of taking the authority over it, that was already given me, and rebuking it, not cuddling it,  But instead casting it off of me. And you know what that is all it took after so many years of torment and fear. Instead of crying and praying like the Israelites, I just pick up some stones of the word, and started chucking them , and in a moment the giant fell. At once, I actually felt the releases, feeling his presence gone and in the next few days witnessed an incredible new boldness I had never had before, and new freedom in the spirit, and renewed all empowering faith. You see mountains cannot move without it!

 “Sometimes you just have to see the bull for what he is, and take it by the horns”

 – Melody 

Letting your foolishness shine His Character!

It only takes a moment to screw up and yet even in our most ashamed state we can use those mistakes to shine Gods character! it seem we never run out of foolishness and character flaws always falling far below the goals we set for ourselves as Christians. Some would say God has no mark , you are good enough just as you are yet that is a lie as He says “we are to strive towards the mark of the high calling, and be ye holy as I am holy ,” so how can we turn our shame into His glory? Well I know of another man who did a lot of terrible things committed adultery, murdered, had ungodly children, and yet the father called him “a man after God’s very heart” So what changes you from a sinner into a person of flawless character that sins on occasion. Well the answer is simple yet not the easiest to do if you are proud. It is repent, but not only to God as that would not shine His character, but confess and apologize to those around you, that you sinned towards by your poor example . You see we are responsible for how others see us and see Christ in us. If they are seeing a hypocrite, they are not seeing Christ. Yet if you are caught enjoying a off color joke, and then come back and apologize for your lack of discretion, than even though  they might not know Christ, they  see him in you .

We have experienced so often that what happens is they will often shake there head and say something like “you really take this God thing seriously don’t you, wow” and walk away. You have humbled you self and not only made up for your blunder but have also shared Christ. This is not just for the work place it is for your kids when you loose it in  font of them it is for you marriage when you slip, it is for your congregation when you fall. God sees you heart, when others do too, they see him no longer just your stupidity .

Is Porn OK for Christian couples?

Every relationship has its ups, and downs which shows in levels of intimacy. Stress, work, kids, babies, and bellies. All have there role in the levels of well functioning intimacy. For couples who are devoted Christians, and are not looking out side there own bedroom for spice, what can be done? Porn?

Well I can tell you this; this was something that was suggested to us in the early years of our marriage by two different Christian couples, one younger in their thirties, and one older in there 60s.  Frankly, I had a problem with watching the T&A in pink panther the original. But hmmm maybe it is ok for Christian, if you’re married, and not doing it alone so that makes it alright, RIGHT?
Well I can first hand tell you. “It was the worst piece of Christian advice we ever received”. So maybe it’s just not for everyone! Well your right there, it in not for Christians, those proclaiming Christ.

Well it did just as they said it would, it spiced things up! Instead of thinking about each other, our eyes where focused on the TV, and in all reality we were not spicing with each other but with the actual people in the show. Getting aroused by them! In actuality bringing them into our bedroom would be no greater sin than there presence through our TV.

So ya figure that’s taking it a little far you say! “There not real, they are acting; you are not actually touching them”! 
 They are real! They are real men and women having real physical sex not love, and they are in your house, no different, from having a visit say, with your mother on skype. 
So what does the bible have to say about it well a lot actually prostitutes both male and female, and loose women were pretty common, every temple had them as part of there worship to their god’s. Proverbs constantly says stay away!

Proverbs 6:25Amplified Bible
Lust not after her beauty in your heart, neither let her capture you with her eyelids. Plus there are a whole lot more!
But the best example is Jesus as he said; Matthew 5:28

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
 So in actuality we were actually committing adultery with all the people, in the show, all the shows, ouch! I am sure glad we have an incredible father who loves to forgive His children when we confess and seek his face.

What are the lingering consequences of porn for couples?
When it is continued, you start to feel especially for a woman that you are just the release for his needs. As he, gets off by watching them, you are not much more than a tool that is used as a substitute, and release. The deeper you go, the more you will need, and the actual fiscal sides of your relationship will show its presence. Such as pubic shaving or shaping extremely skanky jammies ;) to make you look like them, toys, the list goes on and on.

The deeper unnoticed side effect is spiritually as you give yourself over to Satan in a very real way by committing adultery. Even as a couple together, we unleash a hoard of demons into our home our bedrooms. Not just any demons, but sexual demons, to attack everyone under our spiritual protection. One of the first things they attack is your mind in self-pity, doubt, un-trust, sexual suggestions, masturbating alone and private porn...
In addition, even after you stop, even if you evict the demons the long lasting strongholds are extremely hard to chip off, literally giving him a strong hold in your life and marriage. Porn is one of the hardest addictions to break off, even for those who hate that they do it!

How to stop?
You just do! You burn your shows; you throw away anything that is not of God, You seek His wisdom in this, He will show you! You confess, and seek His face; you apologize to your mate, both of you! Then you turn around and love in a pure manner without the worldly abhorities and unnatural practices. Love is not sex! Sex is self-satisfying and self-gratifying love is selfless, passionate, and pure in a God like manner. I will let God teach you the details of his definitions of pure in your own bedroom J, But know this it starts in your heart first to him, and then to each other. Hmm just a thought Adam and eve had it all, right there all the time!