Find A Christian Man

Tag: Spiritually preparing for marriage

  • Give God Something to Work With

    Give God Something to Work With

    The process of going from single to happily engaged, and then walking down the aisle, can provoke a series of emotional highs and lows. It will require you to acknowledge whether you’re prepared to leave the peace and tranquility of single life to the oneness and complexities that come with partnership. Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT) tells us, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” So this good news is a sound basis for assessing the possibilities for what lies ahead, but there’s also another very important aspect that this verse reveals. When it comes to choosing, we can’t forget that the goal according to Ecclesiastes 4:9 is that we choose someone that will not hold us back or stifle our aspirations to make the most of ourselves, but will in fact help us to succeed.

    Let’s be honest, the population of single women continues to grow, and to a lot of them, it might look as though the number of single Christian men continues to dwindle. I would argue that it isn’t that they are dwindling, but that our vision is limited. Opportunities are revealed where preparation has finished its course. We think that because we don’t see a thing, that it isn’t there. This isn’t always true.

    Everything that exists comes from God. He is the Creator of all, and everything belongs to Him. Ephesians 1:3 (NLT) declares, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” The Creator of everything has blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings because of our union with Christ. Just because you and I are not able to see ALL spiritual blessings with our physical eyes, it doesn’t mean that they are not ours to claim and activate. God has given them to us. Even though we may not necessarily see them, we are commanded by God to trust what He says in His Word and take them by faith.

    2Corinthians 5:7(NLT) tells us that we should walk by faith and not by sight. We can’t depend on our physical eyes to see all the blessings that God has in store for us. Many of them remain in the embodiment of faith, and will come into full view in the season of manifestation. It is a season that is ushered in by our continued commitment to trust Heavenly Father even when conditions and circumstances seem dim. The perception that good men are dwindling is not an accurate one. If we continue in this line of thinking, it means that we have limited what we choose to believe about God’s provision. We will always see less in the areas where our vision is small.

    So why don’t we give God something to work with? We can begin by changing our attitudes to line up with the blessing He wants to give us. He has made it clear that He is pleased when two people work together to succeed. If we ask, He will certainly help us to cross paths with a man that is the right fit. He is the man that will extend to you the kind of partnership that moves you forward and upward in God’s divine plan and purpose for your life.

    There is no lack whatsoever in God. Many of us have a ready-made-up heart and mind about what we want and need. We make this assessment with limited knowledge. We don’t see what God sees, and we don’t know what He knows. If we want to make good decisions and choices, we must be willing to spend intimate time with God in prayer, and study His Word more. We need His wisdom. Proverbs 4:5-7(NLT) says, “5 Get wisdom; develop good judgment. 6 Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. 7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.”

    In the past, our plans haven’t worked out. Our way of thinking did not yield the results we sought. Now is the time to seek God for counsel, to inquire and confront where we might have gone wrong, and what we can do to partner successfully. We shouldn’t continue the practices that are not helping. A change in our minds and hearts is needed. Give God the wiggle room He requires to help you change the way you think, to empty out the negative and replace it with faith and love. Then, you will be able to transition out of being single with wisdom and grace.■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

     “Give God Something to Work With”, findingchristianman.com©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

     

     

  • Stand in the Uniqueness of YOU!

    Stand in the Uniqueness of YOU!

    Have your insecurities sabotaged past relationships? Are you beating yourself up constantly for your shortcomings and shortfalls? Are you confident that you won’t bring self-condemnation and self-doubt into a new relationship? These questions are important to ask ourselves because the answers will help us to deal with stuff in our hearts. Some of us are still struggling with issues that we had before we even began to pray about marriage or crossing paths with the man that is to be our husbands. These things are heart issues that we need to confront, because  Jeremiah 17:10 tells us, “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” God looks at our hearts, and He rewards us based on what’s going on in them.

    We know that God doesn’t like arrogance, and that a prideful attitude greatly displeases Him. He loves humility, and Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 18:4 that the way to be great in God’s eyes is to humble ourselves like little children. In our effort to avoid a prideful heart, some of us go to the extreme opposite. We allow ourselves to be punching bags because we don’t value ourselves the way God intends us to.

    Heavenly Father knows that we’re going to make mistakes and missteps. He knows our proclivity to injure ourselves and sometimes injure others in the process. We all have our issues, there can be no doubt about this, but we must remember what the scripture tells us. Romans 5:8(NLT) says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Jesus Christ came on the scene when humanity was at its worse, and he did so because of God’s overwhelming love for us all. So, God’s love isn’t dependent on our performance, because as soon as we get one issue resolved, another one will surely pop-up. The quest to hold up the standard of Christ is never-ending in this earth experience, but we have the wonderful pleasure of waking up each day aspiring to meet it. This is what God’s love is all about. It is understanding our potential and capacity through His love, and having the commitment to aspire to be better today than we were yesterday.

    We are works in progress. As we seek God and open our hearts to Him in prayer and through His Word, Philippians 2:13 affirms that He will work in us and give us the desire and power to do the things that please Him. It’s God through Christ doing the work, not us. Our responsibility is to let Him be at work by asking Him to show us what needs to be addressed. Then we need to trust Him, as we are led and guided through the indwelling Holy Spirit to overcome and move forward.

    God also has a special work for us to do. We have a calling to fulfill, because we are a destiny people. This means that we have neither the luxury or time to look at what others or doing and what is happening in their lives, but often this is what we spend our time doing. On our jobs, we’re envious of those getting promotions. We’re trying to rush God to bring that man across our paths so we can be engaged because all our other friends are married or engaged. We’re too occupied with trying to be like everyone else, when God has called us to be unique.

    We may not be a social butterfly. People in a room may not light up when we enter it. Some of us have a quiet spirit, and we’re compassionate and tender in a way that is very special to God, but may not be to others. Our responsibility is to stand in the uniqueness of what we are, and what we’ve been given; because God has a purpose for it. No one can do YOU the way that you can.

    Ecclesiastes 6: 10 (NLT) says, “Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.” Your destiny is revealed moment by moment as you embrace the reality that you are wonderfully and masterfully made. You’re God’s masterpiece. There will never be another you!

    We must remember at all times that the love of God is the benchmark for our every endeavor, especially when it comes to marriage. This isn’t just the love of which we invest in others. It includes the love we have for ourselves. Self-love is the appreciation we cultivate for our own uniqueness as it is used in service to others through God’s love. It is an understanding that we are ever growing and developing into the very best version of ourselves. We may not be there yet, but if we continue to trust God, we’ll get there. Our confidence in this very truth causes us to stand in the reality of our Christ-identity, and this is the person our future spouses deserve to meet. ■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    FindingChristianman.com copyright © 2017. All rights reserved. All done for the glory of God in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • Are You Expecting Him to Bring His “A” Game?

    Are You Expecting Him to Bring His “A” Game?

    A virtuous woman is a woman of great moral character. She has integrity, and her love for God through the Lord Jesus Christ is always apparent, and it is reflected in the decisions and choices she makes every day. Proverbs 31:10 (KJV) is probably the most well-known scripture regarding a virtuous woman. In this verse, King Lemuel asked, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Now, if you gathered a number of Christian women together in one place and asked those who considered themselves virtuous to raise their hands, I think it’s a pretty good bet to say that most of them would have one hand in the air. We must keep in mind that this scripture stands out in our minds because it conveys that a virtuous woman is not so easy to find. In fact, in our day and time, it is increasingly challenging to find such a woman. This is one of the reasons why God is calling on Christian women everywhere to raise up our standards.

    No one can argue against the fact that we’ve allowed the standard that God brings forth in Proverbs 31 to fall. We’re hearing a lot about valuing ourselves. It includes a commitment to not be tricked into lowering our standards when it comes to the men we date. This is a good thing, but we can never escape or neglect the responsibility and accountability that is baked into the premise of expecting the best. If you expect the best, you’ve got to present the best; and presenting the best has nothing to do with the externalities of designer threads and kicks.

    Expecting a man to bring his “A” game, when your game isn’t tight will translate to the definition of insanity. It’s not realistic—doesn’t make sense. It isn’t possible to live, dress, act, and behave like the majority of other women and then expect that we’re this rare-as-rubies kind of special that draws an extraordinary brother in. That’s not going to work, and the Father has made no bones about it. There must be a Christ-kind of integrity that flows through our everyday presentation. It’s not spoken, but communicated by the heart we have for God. The more committed you are to His standard, the greater impression it makes and the stronger it’s reach will be to the man that is ordained to be your husband.

    There are certain characteristics that men have by nature. God created them to operate a certain kind of way, and nothing that a woman can do will change this. It rings true for women as well. There are things that we come equipped with. Our flawed thinking, feeling, and acting has crossed wires incorrectly and interfered with the way God designed unity and attraction factors to work, and this is why we are witnessing what seems at times to be an epidemic of singledom. God wants us to know that it isn’t a problem without a fix.

    A fierce woman is a noble one. She has cultivated within herself honorable personal qualities of high moral principles and ideals. She may not be perfect, but her number one priority is to please God and her every intention is to walk by the example of Christ. If we didn’t have this capacity baked in our makeup as Daughters of Zion, then God wouldn’t have instructed men to look for it. He instructed men to seek this kind of woman because He’s made it available through the Lord Jesus Christ for us to BE this kind of woman.

    There’s a saying that tells us when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Said another way, when the woman is ready, the man shows up. It works every time. We doubt this because many of us are not committed to the work that we must do to get our souls right with Jesus. We’re not letting the Spirit work in us the way he desires. It must be settled in our minds that a person cannot profit from zero effort. Life doesn’t operate that way. Where there is little effort, there is little profit.

    When a ruby rock is cut, it is polished to the point that the star within it shines through. We don’t have to be perfect to partner, but there must be an understanding on our parts that the ruby within needs refinement, so that the light of Christ shines brighter in our lives. His example is the solution for not being single longer than we’d like to.

    Jesus Christ said in John 14:12 (NLT), “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” Through him, we’ve been uniquely qualified to love, care, share, support, nurture, calm, sooth, and minister in a way that activates unity in our relationships. We’ve all seen this with the virtuous women we’ve been privilege to have in our lives. We’ve received more than many of them could have hoped to, and our standard of Godliness must be greater and shine brighter, as we strive to be the virtuous women Heavenly Father has called us to be.■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “Are You Expecting Him to Bring His “A” Game?”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • His Eyes Are Always On Us

    His Eyes Are Always On Us

    Like many of you, I had the privilege of being reared around strong Christian women. They demonstrated on a daily basis a relentless faith in God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They didn’t have it easy and dealt with some heavy-duty challenges. Many of them raised their children alone, at a time when child support was unheard of. I remember times when their estranged husbands would drop by every now and again. They’d make a small contribution that wouldn’t even be considered a tip for the struggles these women endured. But they were not deterred or discouraged, at least not that I could see. They kept it moving, and created for all of us a safe and loving haven. They couldn’t have done this had they not known that God’s love is real, and we can depend on it come what may.

    In 2Corinthians 5:7, God tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. He doesn’t expect us to walk around with our physical eyes covered, but He’s letting us know that living based only on our five-sense knowledge will not take us where faith can. When it comes to dealing with adversity, sometimes we interpret having strength as maintaining a certain amount of control over things. We think we have to know all the facts or know what’s going to happen before we can trust. Well, God tells us to trust first! He wants us to depend on Him to lead, guide, and direct our steps. Not only must we have faith in His divine direction, but we must have faith that we will hear when He speaks.

    Ephesians 3:20(NLT) tells us, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” How many times have people told us that we couldn’t do this, or couldn’t accomplish that? How often have people tried to put us down, or to influence us to quit pushing when the odds were stacked against us? We serve a God who has no barriers! His power is limitless! Our Heavenly Father is in the business of blessing His people beyond anything we could ever ask or think. He far exceeds our expectations, but you and I are not left out of the equation when it comes to this verse. God tells us that His mighty power is working on the inside of us. He wants us to know that some important spiritual work is happening deep in our souls. Even though we may not sense it, we are commanded to trust it. Our responsibility is to bring what He’s placed on the inside of us out in the open, by trusting His love and walking in it.

    Hebrews 2:1 (NLT) tells us, “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.” When we have difficulties in life, we are sometimes tempted to tighten our rein on a situation and try to steer it our way. This is one of those old patterns that we had when we walked by sight. Again, God’s standard is that we walk by faith; there is no greater way to live. Is it always easy? No. It requires dedication, discipline, and a made-up mind. We have tremendous examples in God’s Word, and in our own lives, of people that have demonstrated that God’s way is always best.

    We serve such a loving Father. He grants us grace and mercy, and He forgives us for our sins, stubbornness, and unwillingness to abandon our worries and trust faithfully in Him. Many single parents face tremendous challenges, and it can seem at times that they come from every direction. You can feel like all hope is lost when you have mouths to feed and not enough finances to take care of your obligations. The enemy wants to use these trials to zap your strength and convince you that God’s not going to handle the situation, but this is not the truth. God is working in you! To see His power flourish in us, we need to turn our thoughts and feelings to what Christ is doing, not what the devil is doing.

    Hebrews 11:27(NLT) tells us,“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” This is precisely what you and I must do! We can never make the mistake of drifting away from God’s truth, not when the struggle is heavy, and not for the sake of a man’s companionship. Our responsibility is to saturate our minds and hearts with God’s love, to let it be activated in us, and to let it flow through everything we impact and touch.

    Psalm 95:7(NLT) assures us, “for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!” Don’t just seek God when your life starts to unravel, or when tragedy knocks at your door. He is our Protector, our Refuge…our Everything! This is the way we must see Him all the time. He tells us to listen to His voice, and we should never take our eyes off of Him, because we can be assured that He never takes His eyes off of us. He watches over us, and He will reward us when we place our trust in Him. ■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    “His Eyes Are Always On Us”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • Desire A Pure Heart

    Desire A Pure Heart

    Romans 12:2 (NLT)
    “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

    I was flipping the channel one day and came across a new reality show. Typically, I pass on those, but this one caught my attention. The young men and women were on the show to find their perfect match, and were given a test called ‘Don’t judge a book by its’ cover.”  The women were shown a picture of an average-looking guy who loved God and had Christian values. When asked whether any one of them would date a man like him, surprisingly, all were emphatically against the idea of being with this average-looking man who had a strong Christian background. When a more attractive man with the same values was revealed, all the women were on board with dating him.

    Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The willingness of these women changed based on the appearance of the man; there was no consideration given to the kind of heart he may have had. The world has a completely different standard when it comes to what makes a quality mate. Some women are uber focused on looks, others on what’s in his wallet. Romans 12:2 (NLT) warns us not to copy the world’s patterns, but to change the way we think and model our thoughts after Christ; then God will transform us from the inside out.

    You might have it settled in your mind that you want a certain type of man, but it is quite possible that the major characteristics you desire are completely opposite from what God knows you need. Any time that we place limitations on how, what, when, and where God blesses us, we are not operating out of faith, but out of fear. We have fear that God will not meet our expectations, or we fear losing control over this area of our lives.

    One thing is for sure, God wants us to have hearts that are pure towards Him and His Word. When we talk about God’s Word being rooted and grounded in our lives, we’re talking about the commitment we must make to stand on God’s principles, promises, and statues. This means that we are required to change our thoughts to honor the lives of those who have hearts that are pure towards God. That’s what’s important to Him, and it should be to us as well.■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    “Desire A Pure Heart”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • Undercover Love

    Undercover Love

    Moses taught the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy 6:3-4 (NLT), “3 Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”  This is God’s commandment, and it has not changed. Heavenly Father tells us in Numbers 23:19 that He does not change His mind, His nature, or the way that He operates. At times, we make the mistake of allowing this truth to slip to the back of our minds.

    God is a sure thing. His Word is unbreakable and unshakeable. He is faithful to it beyond our comprehension. So when He tells us to do something, or that something is required of us in order to sustain and maintain our relationship with Him, then our complete allegiance is necessary. In the Old Testament, Moses made it clear that the way we’re supposed to love God is the highest and greatest degree achievable; it is total, and it requires our whole being. In Matthew 22:37 (NLT), when Jesus Christ was asked what is the greatest commandment, he reiterated God’s commandment and replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

    With all that we are, we are to love God. Lip service is not going to cut it. There must be an acute flavor of goodness that wreaks of His love in everything that we do and touch. God’s love transforms darkness to light and brings harmony, and we are the royal ambassadors of it. This level of living is not a fantasy; it is our reality as God’s divine offspring. We are supernaturally endowed with power on high to live and influence this way. Our only responsibility is to trust that we can do it through Christ.

    Our souls belong to God, but when we become born again, our souls are not made whole. We often confuse these three and think they are the same, but the Holy Spirit, the human spirit, and the human soul are all very different. They are not the same. The Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead, and God gives him to us as a gift to lead, guide, teach, comfort, and direct us as we navigate the earth’s terrain and train to become like Christ. We are made in the image of the Godhead, and are therefore three-part beings; spirit, soul, and body. Because of the work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary, we become a completely new creation. This is because our human spirits, which were dead to God before we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, are recreated through Christ. Becoming born-again means that our human-spirits become alive to God.

    God created humanity and all other living creatures in such a way that seed produces after its own kind. This seed is given through the father parent, and not the mother. In order for a human to be reproduced, the seed of a biological father is required. God set this pattern, and He is faithful to it. So it stands to reason that in order for us to be His spiritual and eternal children, we have to have His seed. His seed is higher than the physical, corruptible seed. His seed is spiritual, and it cannot be destroyed.

    1Peter 1:23 (NLT) tells us, “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.”  Through the Holy Spirit that indwells us, we have God’s seed. He, the gift of Holy Spirit, lives inside our human spirit. Because of Christ, our newly recreated human spirit is a clean place for the Spirit to hang out, but the soul is another story. The soul is transformed as we put on the Word of God in our hearts and minds. And the degree to which we put on the Word and WALK in it proves the depth of our obedience and allegiance to God. Our soul work testifies of our love for Him. So the degree to which we put off sin and put on the love of Christ proves our love for Heavenly Father.

    God will not do this work for us, because He will never violate our free-will. He has told us in Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10 to put on the new man. This means we are to make sure the old man ways vacate the premises. These old ways are those mean and nasty attitudes, negative thoughts and behaviors, and bad judgment we had before we accepted Christ. They’ve gotta go so we can walk in the newness Christ offers, and put on his love in our minds and hearts. Again, God wants all of us. He tells us in Romans 12:1 that our whole being is to be presented as a living sacrifice to Him, but a lot of us sisters are holding the most private part of ourselves back, and we’re trying to be undercover about it.

    Some of us are involved in a kind of undercover action, and we’ve tricked ourselves into thinking God neglects, overlooks, or doesn’t see it. It’s this covert business of sexual promiscuity, where some sisters are robbing God of the love He deserves from the depths of their souls. Some of the sisters that we’ve counseled in this area are hardened in their resolve to continue to sex outside of the union of marriage, and they have not seen this as a violation of God’s commandment to love Him with their souls, but indeed it is.

    In Romans 6:6, God tells us not to serve sin. In 1Corinthians 6:18 (NLT), He tells us “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” You want the kind of man that will deserve a woman who does not have a fragmented soul, a soul that is cut off and chipped away because of multiple sexual partners. We lovingly beg you sisters, let the Lord into your heart in every way. Give Him the time and space to heal your soul by abstaining from sexual sin. Let God love you to life, and don’t continue to fall for the enemy’s plot to trick you to death. ■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “Undercover Love”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • Perfect Love Will Never Disappoint

    Perfect Love Will Never Disappoint

    Psalms 59:16(NLT) tells us, “For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.  17 O my strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.” Where on earth will you ever be able to say this about another human being? You won’t and you can’t.  Psalm 59:16 speaks of God’s unfailing love, and there’s nothing like it. Heavenly Father loves us so much, but many of us question God’s love. A broken relationship, the loss of a loved one, or the disappointments we face in life can leave us feeling broken and depleted. It is possible to experience a level of pain that takes us so low it feels like death, and we have no idea how to pull ourselves out of its hurt. Everywhere you turn, there’s emptiness and lack. When you go through this—when you are so severely disappointed and heartbroken by people and situations in life, you might wonder why God would allow you to endure it, or why He didn’t prevent the situation from happening.

    Hosea 4:6 tells us that people are destroyed because they don’t know enough about God’s Word to keep themselves out of harm. The knowledge about the Good News of Jesus Christ that we do not have in our arsenals is the very information that will usher in our victory. Our ignorance gives the devil what he needs to wedge a crack in the exterior of our existences and reap havoc. When we don’t know enough about Heavenly Father, and we don’t understand His ways, we often assume that He does things that He does not do, or that He doesn’t do things that He in truth does do. We have assumptions about what love is and how it operates, and often those assumptions are not in line with God’s Word.

    The Love of God is perfect. This is truth! There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this one. God’s love cannot fail, but the love that you and I put out there sometimes has a few holes in it. We come to the table with our share of shortcomings, weaknesses, and imperfections. Failed relationships of the past teach us that no matter how much you wanted to please someone, there were areas of the relationship where you fell short.  Not for a lack of trying, but merely for the simple reason that we can’t be everything to everybody. From this, we should learn another very valuable lesson, and it is that words alone are not enough to prove or back our love.

    Love is the greatest action word there is. Love is a commitment that requires consistency, honesty, communication, and faith. These are qualities on which our relationship with God through Christ must be built before we can successfully execute them in a relationship with anyone else. We need to train ourselves to view love through God’s lens, because when we do, we understand better the commitment to the example of Jesus Christ that He requires. We’ll hold ourselves to a higher, greater standard. And holding ourselves to a greater standard also develops within us the courage and unwavering commitment to only accept a love that equals or exceeds the love we are able and willing to give.

    Last week, while walking downtown, I witnessed a man belittling the woman he was with. It was as if she retreated in a corner like a trembling puppy. It broke my heart to see this.  What stood out was this man’s demeaning tone and repeated question to her, “Why don’t you ever listen to me?” His tone conveyed an attitude that she was inferior, and incapable of responding as the mature and strong woman she looked to be. She tried answering him calmly, with a docile voice, but it didn’t seem to deescalate his behavior in any way.  As a matter of fact, it seemed to anger him even more!  I thought to myself, “If only this woman knew how true love behaves.”

    Our identity is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:3 tells us that we are hidden with Christ in God. This means that when God looks at us, He sees the love of Christ that covers our whole being. God is so patient and kind to us, and He is waiting for our COMPREHENSION of who we are in Christ to catch up with the REALITY of who He’s made us. The more we get to know God’s perfect and unfailing love through His Word, the more we will know who we are in Christ.

    Knowing who we are in Christ allows us to love strong, and not love wrong. We need the love of God in our hearts because only God’s love can hold a relationship together beautifully. Not only this, but God wants us to learn to love Him well, so that we can love ourselves well, and then love others well. This process can take quite a bit of time, and it is not without its bumps and bruises, but we will get better as we are perfected in Christ. As we grow and learn to love God’s way, He will be our refuge. He will be our Protector, the safety net we can run to when things do not turn out as we expect, but we must trust that learning to operate through His perfect love is our mission, and it will not fail us. ■

    Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

    “Perfect Love Will Never Disappoint”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

     

     

  • A Seasonal Shift

    A Seasonal Shift

    Spiritually preparing for marriage, Christian Advice for Singles, Growing in the Holy Spirit, Growing in Christ, the Mind of Christ, Spiritual Encouragement for Christian Women, Christian Women Ministry, Christian Women Organization

    Proverbs 3:5-9The Message (MSG)
    “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.”

    We can’t help but look seriously at all that is happening around us. It’s occurring at a rapid pace. The weather patterns are beyond unpredictable, people are in panic mode, and the urgency of change is almost palpable.  We went from the excitement of a total eclipse to the fear of dangerous hurricanes.  These events seem to be out of order because they are such deviations from what we’ve come to know as the norm. The contrast and immediate transition in our emotional response to these events is stark. It should cause us to recognize that things are lining up, and through this contrast between excitement and terror, God is preparing us for an even greater shift.

    God tells us in Genesis 8:22New Living Translation (NLT), “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” He makes it very plain that there will be changes, so we should expect that change is going to be a part of life. Seasons of life will shift, and you and I do not decide how, when, and where those shifts occur. People may blame one thing or the other for these changes, but the truth is, it’s all in God’s hands. He does not cause calamity or the devastation that we see, but make no mistake that He is in control, and His timing is perfect.

    Through everything that is happening the message is clear, we can no longer count on the certainty of our comfort zones.  I believe many Christians are coming into this realization, and we’re going to have to make some changes to plan for what is to come.

    In Genesis 11, the bible tells us that the whole earth spoke the same language. The ‘Sons of Men’ came together and decided to build a city and a tower, so that they would be gathered together in one place, and not scattered about the earth. This sounded like a good plan to them, but it was not the plan that God had in mind. Genesis 11:6-9 tells us that God garbled their speech so they would not understand each other. Then He scattered them all over the world.

    For a person who does not know the Redemption Plan of Christ, they might look at this record, and be totally confused by what God did. Proverbs 3:5-9 (MSG) is always going to be the remedy for any confusion we have about God’s mysterious ways. We must trust Him with all our hearts, and not try to figure out all the details on our own. We need to lean on Him and allow Him to direct our paths.  As Christians, we must also understand that Christ was destined to come to the earth to redeem humanity. God has so orchestrated creation that every detail, plan, person, spirit, and thing will ultimately bow to His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing will prevent this, and we must be eternally grateful for it, because His Son is our Savior.

    Romans 8:28 assures us that all things are working together for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purpose. This verse is speaking directly to us, God’s people. We are His elect! We are His called-out ones! So, we don’t have the luxury to cower in a corner, or to allow fear to paralyze us to inaction. We must wake up to the reality that nothing in life just happens. God is giving us a glimpse of what occurs when we allow fear to run the show. He’s revealing to us what the absence of love looks like. Some people will see this as doom, gloom, and apocalyptic. Other’s will see it as an opportunity to mobilize. They will use it to cast off the dust from life as it has been, and usher in something from the Lord that is amazing, fresh, and exciting.

    We cannot behave as if God’s Word hasn’t warned us of certain things. In many ways, we let our guards down. Now is the time to pick them up. How do we do this? In Matthew 22:37-40 The Message (MSG), Jesus Christ tells us exactly how to go about it. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”

    It isn’t about the big things that we do. Very often it is those little acts of kindness that show the greatest love. God is combing through the earth looking for men and women whose hearts are pure towards Him. These are those that will not allow their need to dictate how they love God. They will not put up religious acts as a sign of love for Him, and think that their giving equals love. These are saints that have a genuine desire to obey His Word and serve Him.

    We need to get to a place where we crave fellowship and communion with God, where we desire to talk to Him often, to meditate on His Word, and to listen for His voice. This season we’re in will be like no other we’ve experienced, and it is just the beginning. We don’t know all the details, but we do know that like everything in God’s creation, this shift will make room for a greater revelation and revolution of Christ!■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    “A Seasonal Shift”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • Not by Faith Alone

    Not by Faith Alone

    James 2:21-24 (NLT)
    “Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[g] He was even called the friend of God.[h] 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”

    Regardless of what your past may look like or what your current set of circumstances may be, nothing can compare to the love of God being activated by right actions and faith in Him. It’s like what happens when we put the key in the ignition and turn it; the motor begins to run and we start moving in the right direction. Trust and believe, it will never be enough for us to go to church on Sunday, pray, and then go back home inactivated. We should be learning to activate our faith through doing what God requires of us. This is such an important step to tapping into the flow of His blessings. Many of us are becoming disillusioned and disappointed, and it is because we are looking to others to do what God has assigned as our responsibility. It’s unpopular to say, but we are not hitting our stride by coupling our doing with our faith. This is one of the reasons why we’re not seeing things move in the direction we want.

    Any time that we go near subjects like this, sisters will tell us, “God accepts me just the way I am. I’m not perfect. He made me, and He looks beyond my faults.” His grace is amazing and all of us know it, but at what point do we look honestly at our lives and figure out that things have stalled. Heavenly Father is our sufficiency. He provides for us, but obedience is non-negotiable. So, when it comes to monuments of unity and love like marriage and family, God is beyond on point. No, He doesn’t expect us to walk around like zombies with the bible in our hands 24/7, but He created us with a purpose in mind. He expects us to be an on-purpose, proactive, vigilant people with a loving attitude when it comes to honoring Him and His Word. We expect this from all our relationships, so if we expect it, we’ve got to present it to our Creator first and foremost.

    There is no way we can lose out if we put all our trust in God. In Psalm 91:1, David invites us to sit down in the presence of the Almighty God. Just the thought of this really knocks your socks off. To think that we can come before the throne of the Most High God and stand in His presence is almost too much to take, but because of Christ we have this great privilege and honor. David said that when we sit at His throne and hang out there in our minds and hearts, we’ll be enveloped by His shadow; and in His shadow, blessings fall like apples from a tree. There are more blessings than we would know what to do with. You want to make the most out of your life, this is how you do it. You stay at the throne.

    In Psalm 91:2, David encourages us to declare “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!” Trusting Heavenly Father is everything, and we can’t say that we do, and then flake out on His Word. He wants a very intimate relationship with us, and tells us that the way to build this intimacy is to simply trust Him and what He says. Abraham was called a friend of God because of the honor he had for God’s Word. He received divine instructions, and followed them. What about you? Are you listening to God’s instruction? Are you following where He leads? Are you doing the things in your life that will crystalize your efforts and turn them into magnets for the blessings you seek?

    This is not the kind of encouragement that is for those who are satisfied with things as they are. This is for the sister that knows there is so much more available to her and she won’t stop until the manifestation of her efforts are realized. Just remember that your faith must be mixed with the love of God, and love is the greatest action word in the human vocabulary. Love is not stagnant. It is active, and when you are activated in God’s love, things cannot help but change.■

    Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

    “Not by Faith Alone”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

  • The ‘Wandering’ Syndrome

    The ‘Wandering’ Syndrome

    The “Wandering” Syndrome

    The Word of God teaches us how to live in a way that keeps God’s blessings flowing in our direction, but sometimes, we do things that hinder the flow. This is a critical truth that can be very helpful for single women. We hear from many of you. You tell us how exhausting it is to keep pressing, and how disappointed you’ve been with the men you’ve dated. Many of you talk of giving up the quest. You say that you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, and you can’t figure out why the Lord hasn’t blessed you. It’s too frustrating to keep trying, you say.

    We all know the verse in Matthew 6:33 (NKJV), where Jesus Christ tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” God wants to add to you. He wants to increase you, and He wants the truth of this scripture to sink deep within your heart. When it does, a revelation will be deposited in your soul.

    This revelation will be so consequential to your journey forward because it holds a key piece of practical knowledge that will aid your faith, and turn your exhaustion into fuel. In Deuteronomy 2:3 (NLT), God told the Israelites, “You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough;” The people of God were wandering about aimlessly, and it is clear that it did not please God. Think about that. Let it marinate a bit.

    Heavenly Father is an on-purpose God, and He created us to be an on-purpose people. Wandering without purpose, direction, and conviction should not be a part of our make-up. We should steer clear of this kind of lifestyle because it isn’t pleasing to the Lord.

    God reveals much about Himself through His promises. Our response to His promises not only requires our faith, but it requires action. Salvation is a free gift. It is not based on our works, but faith is a response of gratitude to God for all that He’s given us. He expects that it will be backed with the energy of our conviction and a demonstration of our love.

    James 2:26 affirms and reminds us that faith without works is dead. We forget sometimes that ‘dead as a doorknob’ is how God views a faith that isn’t backed with good works. The people of Israel in the Old Testament wandered aimlessly in the hill country because they refused to execute God’s provision. He gave them the promise of inhabiting a land of milk and honey, but fear kept them bound.

    In Deuteronomy 1:22 (MSG), Moses reminded them of how it all went down. He said “But then you all came to me and said, “Let’s send some men on ahead to scout out the land for us and bring back a report on the best route to take and the kinds of towns we can expect to find.”” This was a stall tactic, and it is what some of us do when our commitment and faith isn’t where it should be.

    Moses then said in verses 29-33, “I tried to relieve your fears: “Don’t be terrified of them. God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you. You saw with your own eyes what he did for you in Egypt; you saw what he did in the wilderness, how God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here. But now that you’re here, you won’t trust God, your God—this same God who goes ahead of you in your travels to scout out a place to pitch camp, a fire by night and a cloud by day to show you the way to go.””

    To encourage you in your quest to be married is an extreme privilege for us. We keep at it even though sisters don’t always respond the way we hope they will. We’ll never let up as long as the Lord tarries, because we are solidly convinced and fully persuaded that you can be who He says you can be, you can do what He says you can do, and you can have what He says you can have. It’s God great pleasure to see you happily married, and it is absolutely available to you. The truth that many sisters have a hard time facing is that, when it comes to partnering, you are either your best friend or your worse enemy.

    The record in Deuteronomy 1 shows us that God’s people lacked the gumption to move with sheer determination and intention to claim the promise. Even after Heavenly Father had done so much for them, their minds and hearts were not elevated to a level of supernatural expectation. We live from the inside out. A lack of faith caused God’s people to have a wandering mind-and-heart-set. Because of it, they were scattered on the inside; therefore, they were scattered on the outside. This is the condition a lack of faith produces.

    God’s reaction to their disobedience and lack of trust was equal to their fumbling and inaction. He told them in Deuteronomy 1:36 (MSG), “Not a single person of this evil generation is going to get so much as a look at the good land that I promised to give to your parents. Not one—except for Caleb son of Jephunneh. He’ll see it. I’ll give him and his descendants the land he walked on because he was all for following God, heart and soul.” This is the question that all of us must ask and answer for ourselves. Are we all for following God, heart and soul? Because if we are, we will never give up. We’ll keep pressing ourselves to back our faith with good works, and do so with the confidence that God will fulfill the promise. ■

    Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

    “The “Wandering” Syndrome”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!