Author: Jodie

Be Fruitful & Multiply

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Genesis 1:28

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply…

After creating everything in the universe, God proclaimed it “good”- until He formed man. He knew that it was “NOT good” for him to be alone. So, as only God could do, He created a helper that was suitable for him; spiritually, emotionally & physically.

Far too often, couples find it difficult to be fruitful & multiply in all 3 of these areas.  To further complicate matters, when the physical union of the relationship is broken, it can greatly affect the spiritual and emotional aspects of the marriage as well, making it almost impossible to become one.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”[a] 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

18 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. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

The enemy is crafty. He beings to prey on us when we are young, tempting us to submit to the yearning of our flesh, instead of the yearning of our soul. The fact is, God created us to express our love in a physical manner with our spouse, but our bodies begin to prepare themselves- as He designed- years before we say, “I do.” Satan knows that sex can be a powerful form of worship between a husband and wife who are submitted to God and one another. Therefore, he will do anything he can to ensure we never experience the euphoric union that God intended for us to share with our spouse. Unfortunately, his schemes have worked on far too many couples, leaving them feeling numb and full of spiritual, emotional and physical scars inflicted by sexual sin.

-Pornography

-Masturbation

-Fornication

-Adultery

If we want to live fruitful lives and multiply our descendants and disciples we must allow the Great Physician to gently pull back the scars, carefully clean out the wounds and lovingly heal our mind, body and soul.

God offers redemption and restoration for every person- every couple, if they will trust Him and submit to His commands. Only then can we experience true oneness, as God intended, with our spouse. And that my friends, is GOOD.

“Father, I repent for engaging in pornography & masturbation. I ask that you break the “oneness” with every image/person I’ve seen and fantasized about.”

“Lord, I repent for engaging in (any form of) fornication with _____________. I ask that you break the “oneness” between us.”

“God, I repent for breaking my marriage vows by engaging in (any form of) adultery with ____________. I ask that you break the “oneness” between us.”

Jeremiah 31:3-6

3 Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. 4 I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.
    You will again be happy
    and dance merrily with your tambourines.5 Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria
    and eat from your own gardens there.6 The day will come when watchmen will shout
    from the hill country of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalem[a]
    to worship the Lord our God.’”

In the Light

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1 John 1:5-10

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus[a] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Upon my salvation, I believed God forgave ALL my sins; past, present & future. Although this is true, as a new disciple, I was inadvertently taught that I didn’t need to repent -ever again.

Romans 3:23-24

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

By God’s grace, I HAVE BEEN SAVED from eternal punishment and my destiny in Him is secure! And now I know that when I repent, it is not to re-secure my spot in heaven, but to re-open the door to God’s light in my life. Choosing to rest on the laurels of praying the sinner’s prayer 14 years ago does not exclude me from living in darkness today. To pretend that I have not sinned since that day is foolishness. When there is unconfessed sin in my life, my relationship with God is hindered. The only way to uncover that darkness is to penetrate it with His light. As I pause each day and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal those places in my soul (some of which I may be completely unaware of because I am being deceived by the enemy), He is faithful to answer:

-judgment

-unforgiveness

-complacency

-doubt

-fear

Then, instead of offering a “blanket” apology, I repent in detail for these things:

REPENT = to feel or show that you are sorry for something wrong that you did and that you want to do what is right (Merriam-Webster)

-“Lord, please forgive me for judging ________. You know their heart, and you will judge according to your perfect will, not mine.”

-“I choose as an act of my will, to forgive _________. They owe me nothing.”

-“Father, remove the complacency from my soul. Help me to run boldly after you to further your Kingdom on this earth.”

-“God, forgive me for doubting that you are good- and that you will provide for me.”

-“Lord, please show me the root of this fear. I repent for being bound to my circumstances, instead of trusting in you.”

A “blanket” repentance can be likened to a “blanket” apology after a fight with my spouse. In the beginning, Doug and I were ok with just saying “I’m sorry…” to one another. But, as our relationship has deepened and the light has pushed the areas of darkness back, our souls long for greater oneness. Now, when we repent to one another, we are specific:

-“I apologize for yelling and disrespecting you in front of the kids…I wanted you to do what I wanted.”

-“Would you please forgive me for disregarding the budget you set in place? I made a hasty decision to buy what I wanted.”

-“I’m sorry I didn’t consult you before making plans with friends. I was only thinking about what I wanted to do.”

When we confess our sin- in detail- the other person knows the sincerity of our heart. It also shows that we desire complete restoration for the relationship. A quick “I’m sorry” is usually expressed to just get ourselves out of trouble, so we can move on with what we want to do (take the kids to their activities, watch the big game on TV, go shopping, have sex….). But our spouse is not fooled- and neither is God. He knows our hearts intent, even before our lips utter a sound. If we truly want to live in the light and experience a redeemed and restored relationship with Our Father, sincere repentance must be a daily act of submission for us.

The beauty of our willingness to humble ourselves before the Creator of the universe is that He is always faithful to forgive- and embrace us with open arms.

Luke 15:11-32

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[a]’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Table Teaching

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Proverbs 22:6

6 Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.

When I was a kid, I was expected to sit to the table and eat whatever my mother cooked- no questions asked. Some of the menu items, quite frankly, made my stomach role and my nose crinkle when I smelled them being prepared. But, I knew better than to speak a word of my opinion, for my father frequently reminded us; we did NOT live in a democratic household!

Since I had no control of what I ate, I decided I would be a “nicer” parent and give my children the opportunity to eat whatever they wanted.

Then I had children.

I quickly realized that my parents weren’t so mean after all. In fact, it was just the opposite! Because they loved me, they taught me the discipline of eating what was offered- and not complaining about it.

When our 1st child came along, she was an obedient first born, willing to comply with whatever Doug and I gave her.

When our 2nd child came along, she decided she wanted to snack every hour and a half instead of eating 3 full meals a day and 2 snacks in between. We had a decision to make: submit to her demands, or teach her wisdom that would last a lifetime. We chose the later, even though, occasionally, she would “frow a fit” when she didn’t get her way.

When our 3rd child came along with severe acid reflux and autism (which we didn’t discover until she was nearly 2 years old) no amount of discipline remedied her issues. But, when God gave me the insight of providing her with whole foods and a strict routine, her body and her mind thrived.

When our 4th child came along, he used his lawyer-like skills on Doug, me and his 3 older sisters to obtain his food of choice. However, the judge and jury were quickly made aware of his manipulation. He has since served time and is on parole- and being completely rehabilitated!

As our family sits down for a meal each day, Doug and I have the opportunity to teach them invaluable lessons that don’t just relate to food:

Lesson #1: Gratefulness

Lesson #2: Thankfulness

Lesson #3: Treat others the way you want to be treated

We do this by trying to follow a few simple “rules”:

-Thank God for providing the meal

-Thank the person who has prepared it (mom, dad, grandparent, friend, etc.)

-Eat what you take

-If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all (“yuck,” “I don’t like this,” “this tastes burnt,” “this looks gross” will insult the cook).

-You may give an opinion of something new, after we’ve tried it (as long as you continue to follow the “say something nice” rule!)

-If you refuse to eat, you may be excused without any other food until the next mealtime

-You may choose your favorite meal/dessert on your birthday (or when mom hasn’t prepared anything to eat and asks the family what they want! )

Even though mealtime has often felt like a battleground, instead of a relaxing time to fellowship and nourish our bodies, Doug and I are finally beginning to see the “fruit” of our labors. On multiple occasions, our children have been praised by complete strangers and those who have hosted us for a meal, for their willingness to try new foods and their thankfulness towards the cook. And that delights this mama’s heart.

Proverbs 29:15

15To discipline a child produces wisdom,
but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

Infinitely More

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Ephesians 3:14-20

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,[a] 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[b] 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

20 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.

I’ll admit it: when something breaks in our household, it ticks me off! The inconvenience of an item not functioning properly, the amount of time it will take to fix it, and the extra money invested in parts and repairs can sometimes turn me into Oscar the Grouch.

During the last few weeks, however, God has been showing me a different perspective of life’s little inconveniences.

Item #1:

After we installed a new deck, purchased a used hot tub and paid a licensed electrician to wire it, the dang thing wouldn’t turn on! Somehow I knew that God had a lesson in all of it, so I prayed: Lord, please help me not to blame the electrician…let this install somehow be a blessing to him. Would you pleeeeeease miraculously fix the wiring so we don’t have to hire anyone else.”

He didn’t answer my prayer exactly as I asked, but He did send a friend over who switched the wires and POOF! The jets turned on. As the kids (they too had been praying for the Jacuzzi to be miraculously fixed) and I went screaming into the backyard, shouting “Thank you, God! Hallelujah!” our friend smiled, realizing that God had answered our prayers.

infinitely more than we might ask or think…..

(I won’t go into great detail of the leak that started pudding inside the frame of the hot tub a week later…because God sent another friend to fix that in about 2 seconds and the rest of the night we sat encouraging one another, as we all are enduring an extremely busy and difficult season in life).

infinitely more than we might ask or think…..

Item #2:

When the 2nd time in 4 months that our fridge stopped cooling, I had had it! “Lord, would you pleeeease fix this supernaturally- or send us a new one FREE of charge!” After the repairman came to assess the damage, we realized we just needed to replace another part that had worn out. So, I changed my prayer “Lord, let us not have to pay for the repair- at all! (since the same company had worked on it 4 months before, I assumed this was their fault. Boy, was my heart completely wrong.) Two days later, once the part was replaced, the service man turned to Doug and said, “Hey, man- I hope you don’t mind me eavesdropping, but I overheard your family praying together the other day. It encouraged me. Normally, I only pray at meal time- but now I’m praying at other times too!”

“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!”

AND, if that wasn’t enough…..the repairman didn’t charge us for labor- just the part and the service call.

Adulterous Woman

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John 8

8 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

During my formative years, I was never part of the “in” crowd. I had friends of various stereotypes; the jocks, the musicians, the churchgoers, the honor rollers, but I never fit in with the kids on top. You know the type: the rich kids who are the prettiest, most popular, best dressed, homecoming king and queen. I always said I didn’t care to be in their “click,” but deep down I wanted to be accepted…I wanted to feel like I belonged with the recognized elite group.

When I became a culture-shocked teenager, after moving from Southern California to “Hicksville” North Carolina, I just wanted to blend in with the locals. Unfortunately, I never quite fit in- anywhere. Instead, I was labeled as the stereotypical valley girl; wealthy, arrogant, airheaded…you get the idea. As a result, the girls mercilessly bullied me in my school. I was followed like a prey before slaughter; cussed at, taunted and pushed around. On one occasion, a girl spit gum in my hair. They even went so far as calling my home- threatening to beat me up if I didn’t do exactly as they said. And so, I spent the next 2 years of middle school and 3 years of high school trying to be accepted. Unfortunately, the only ones who wanted me were the boys. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to them, and ultimately, death was the result of their attention.

This unhealthy cycle continued into college, until I met a man who asked me a simple, yet profound question: “Why do you continue to disrespect yourself like that? You are worth FAR more than what you believe about yourself.”

2 years later, I married him.

I can relate all too well to the adulterous woman in John, chapter 8. I understand the shame she felt as the religious elite gathered around her. I have been at the center of a crowd who ridiculed me for the sins they thought I engaged in- and for the sins in which I willingly committed. I have stared into the faces of the Pharisees, as they’ve mocked me, taunted me, and rejected me. The stones they’ve hurled have bruised my soul.

But, I’ve also stared into the face of my Savior and listened to Him say “You are my precious, expressive, bold, submissive, passionate daughter- you are loved…. you are forgiven. Go, and sin no more.”

Decades later, I sometimes still feel like that teenager girl- not a part of the “in” crowd in my city, my neighborhood, my church or my homeschool groups. Whether the rejection is actual, or just a ploy of the enemy in an attempt to destroy me, I know, that I know, that I know, that I belong to the only One that matters.

Perhaps you’re that girl- or guy who always feels like you’ll never fit in.

Perhaps you’re a sinner who feels condemned by the choices you’ve made to fill a void in your life.

Perhaps you’ve been badly bruised by Pharisee’s who seem to be “perfect.”

You are not alone. There is someone who knows exactly what it feels like to be an outcast, to be condemned and to be wrongfully accused. He died for you and His name is Jesus Christ. Accept Him as your Savior today, and be a part of His “in” crowd -for all eternity.

Control Freak

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Romans 15:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Doug and I have often been asked by couples seeking to rebuild their broken marriages to give them a 12-step program to fix it. Because, when you are in the depths of the valley, you just want a plan to get out—quickly. Most often though, God will lead us the long way home because there are life lessons that can only be learned along the road less traveled. Although we do not offer a 12-step program, we do offer them hope- IF they make their first step: Trust in Him.

As we’ve shared in our conferences, small groups and mentoring sessions, this is the step that changed our lives- and our marriage. In 2001, when all my hopes and dreams were shattered and Doug was desperate for help to be released from the bondage of sexual sin, we both had to make a choice. Were we going to walk away from our 5-year marriage with 2 kids or were we going to trust God- and learn how to once again trust each other?

The trusting God part was a tad bid easier for me, because I didn’t have any evidence of Him hurting or disappointing me. Doug, on the other hand, had repeatedly lied to me about his battle with pornography and consequently hidden much of his life from me due to the shame he was carrying.

Although I felt like it would be easier to run away, I decided to choose, as an act of my will, to give him one more chance. Hoping, beyond all hope that one day, I would be able to trust him again. I then gave him my list of demands:

-He had to go to counseling

-He had to get rid of all internet access

-He had to find a way to pay the bills (he was suspended for 30 days from his job, without pay because his company had been monitoring his internet usage, keeping record of all the sites he viewed).

After he agreed, I became a full-fledged control freak, forcing him to report every detail of his day to me. I convinced myself that is was for his own good because he needed to be accountable to someone, right!

I, however, was not acting as his accountability partner- at least not at first. Because I was the offended, I felt I had the “right” to be his warden, controlling everything he did…so I could ensure his perfection and rebuild the trust I had lost in him. What I didn’t realize, until God intervened, was that I had to trust God first. I had to trust that God loved me and would take care of me and that His plans for my life were for good. I also had to trust God with Doug. I had to trust that God loved him and would take care of him and that His plans for his life were for good. And so, I had to let go of trying to control my life- and Doug’s…and HOPE that God would heal our broken marriage, redeem what was stolen and use all of it for our good.

When I realized that I could not be Doug’s savior or break the power of sin in his life, I no longer had to hold on to his offenses against me and be angry all the time. I could have joy…and peace…even in the midst of my walk through the valley.

12 years later, as I look back over our journey together as man and wife, I am amazed at the awesome redemptive power of our Creator and I am honored to have a husband who is a man after God’s own heart- and a man of great integrity. I trust him, in all areas of our life together-completely.

Water Into Wine

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John 2 New Living Translation (NLT)

2 The next day[a] there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

As our son was sitting with me this morning, singing his favorite song: “water you turned into wine….opened the eyes of the blind…there’s no one like you….none like you…..”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkljgA5SQc8

he abruptly turned and asked “why did He turn water into wine?” We then had a nice little chat about Jesus’ miracle at the wedding celebration in Cana. The hosts had run out of wine, which could have been a HUGE embarrassment, because the guests expected, as was custom, to be entertained and fed during the week-long festivities! When I asked our 6 year old  “why do you think they needed more wine?” he replied, matter of factly “they wanted something to drink.”

Yep. It was a party. They wanted wine people! (no, it wasn’t grape juice – it was alcohol. And as any college freshman would know, it’s not a real party without a little alcohol, is it?!).

Now, running out of wine would not have meant the end of the world, but it was important to the hosts, the bride and groom- and the guests, so it was important to Jesus.

Sometimes I fail to recognize that God uses social events & small acts of kindness to advance His Kingdom. When people come together as a group, there is opportunity to build relationships & share the gospel (this is why small groups are SO vital for the church). Now, I’m not saying we should throw a keg party for the neighborhood and try to win people over for Jesus, but we do need to be willing to hang out with sinners and fill their needs (whether physical or spiritual), just as Jesus did.

If we are willing, God can use us to change a person’s life with just a small act:

-Invite some families over for a cookout

-Give someone a gift card

-Take a meal to a new mom and dad

-Repair a leaking pipe for a friend

-Take a homemade goodie to your local firemen/women

-Chop firewood for someone to heat his or her home

-Attend a baby shower for a single mom

-Listen to a friend share about their crummy day

-Bake a loaf of bread for a new neighbor

-Babysit kids for a husband and wife to go on a date

-Fix an electrical issue for a friend

These simple things are just a few ways we can show love to others…..and you never know, what we do for them may just be the miracle they’ve been asking God for!

 

 

(Please note: I am not advocating drunkenness in this post-I was just trying to make a point! I believe what scripture says about drinking in excess: Ephesians 5:18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit…)