Frogs from the Heart

And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:6)

We live in a time when random chance is the rationale for things that plague our land. We will not consider that these things are a result of God’s anger as a consequence of our failure to worship and obey Him. The proverbist asserts “for out of thy heart are the issues of life”. Pharaoh refused to obey God’s command to let Israel go. And when the hearts of an entire nation, led by their president, potentate, or king, have turned against God’s people and God’s word; the text said, “And the frogs came”. J. S. Exell exclaims of this second plague, “Divine commands... are not to be got rid of even by braving out the penalty. They come back and back to us, and always with the old alternative, obey, or incur new punishment.” America’s prosperous river of crude oil has turned to blood; sexual immorality and abortion have plagued the land with the frogs of unwed pregnancy, delinquent young men, and disease. Did those frogs come from the river or did they come from the leader’s heart? In the words of Isaiah “You are confused by leaders who guide you down the wrong path.” When the leaders submit to God’s word, the frogs stay in the river. 

 

Mental Medicine

 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. (Heb 12:3)

A student endures many years of college because of a mental focus to acquire adequate credentials. A mother endures painful childbearing because it ends in joyful expectations. An athlete endures a rigorous course of discipline because he considers it the cost of victory. Physical exhaustion is temporary and can be overcome with a good night’s sleep or perhaps a week of vacation; however, mental exhaustion is a horse of a different color. It is the result of a misfocus and consequently bad expectations. When people disappoint, plans fail, and Christian living brings painful affliction, we are not only given Jesus’ exhortation but His example to consider. He said unequivocally, hardship in the Christian life is certain. Moreover this sinless and perfect man suffered unduly and unjustly, trotting out the path before us. Endurance is not as much physicality as it is mentality. The Hebrew writer says mental rest and relaxation immediately occurs when we consider Him. What a paradox, one can labor and rest simultaneously if Jesus is on your mind. Whether preventative or cure for spiritual burnout: consider Him! For then your affliction affirms your destiny, your suffering soothes your conscious, and your pain prospers your spirit.

Yuri Solomon - Devotion 100813

Let patience have her perfect work

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:3-4)

We often overlook the fact that temptation and patience are opposites. Temptation is demanding immediate gratification of a desire; patience is but to except God’s delay. Yet temptation is set as a handmaid to the godly mind identifying the need for patience in the tempted area. Paul says on another occasion, "the resisting of temptation builds character". It is no different than weight-lifting or resistance training as an athlete. The heavy lifting of maintaining a Christ-like disposition creates spiritual muscle. Temptation masquerades as a short-cut to a legitimate desire. The answer to temptation is patience. A little patience will beget more patience for a greater blessing. Yet patience is not waiting in a vacuum; rather, it is preoccupied with both theology and prayer; that is, studying God’s ways and acquiring His wisdom. For what God desires to give you in all things is Himself and that through patience. Realize there are no short-cuts and let patience have her perfect work.

Yuri Solomon - Devotional 100713

From Suspension to Resolve

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (1Peter 1:6) 

It is human nature to evade avoidable suffering; and rightly so I should say. Yet it remains a fool’s quest to avoid what is inevitable, and folly to not prepare as much as possible.  Jesus insists that suffering is in the pathway of every Christian. However, we often find ourselves in suspension about suffering rather than resolve. Our minds are fixated on immediate deliverance and not so much on God’s will and purpose. Peter later in this chapter said, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end”. In other words, mentally accept where you are, and prepare to endure the journey in such a time. One may ask? And Peter gives four mental resolves about the believer’s suffering:  it’s a temporary situation; it’s a necessary path, it’s tough to endure, and it’s tempting to give up. When one comes to this expectation of those times of Christian hardship, it adds a confidence in the will of God, a view to suffering’s end, an awareness of the challenges, and a strength to persevere. A suspension is to leave hanging, in limbo, unsure, unresolved, but to resolve is to place it firmly on the ground: “This is what I have to do.” After much prayer and anguish Jesus resolved, “Not my will but your will be done”.

They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be their God

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

Herein is the ultimate definition of heaven, a perfect relationship, mutual in character on both ends. Heaven is less a place than it is the presence of a person: God, Himself. Heretofore we were absolutely God's people, yet there is that sense in which God was not absolutely our God.  In our immaturity, we still harbored alternative gods. The first commandment, thou shall have no other God before me, is violated again and again before we are glorified. But at that time sanctification will give way to glory, and we will know even as we are known: actuated, actualized, not positional but practical, not merely credited righteousness but personal righteousness. Matthew Henry describes the new human capacity, “and then He will fully answer the character of the relation on His part, as they [humans] shall do on their part.” For the first time in our relationship with God, without ambiguity or abstraction, without sin’s interruption, in both mind and body, He shall be our God.

-Yuri Solomon 100313

The Daniel Discipline vii

I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever Daniel 7:16-18

Daniel’s discipline and devotion has reserved him from defilement in chapter 1, saved him from death in chapter 2, brought him to distinction in chapter 4, rewarded him with his due in chapter 5, brought about his deliverance in chapter 6, and now rewards his devotion with divine insight here in chapter 7… Literally, the rest of time is revealed to Daniel In dreams and visions.

“DANIEL DISCERNMENTS” are a result of personal study, fasting, prayer, meditation, fellowship, confession, and serving… as a result of such devotion, God rewards one with stewardship over divine information and insight that can only be experienced and embraced by FAITH and PURITY.

Any dedicated Christian will tell you that the more purified and closer your walk is with God, the less you can be fooled by men and the more you know them. Hebrews 4:12 declares, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” But there is still a greater benefit and bonus in your nearness to God. Great Christian discipline leads to great insight not only about the affairs of men but the future and the end of the world. As Paul puts it in 1Co 2:9-10 …Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. BUT God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

It is our nearness to God that gives us an increased measure of His Spirit. The fact of the matter is the more I can think like daddy thinks, the more I can see what daddy sees. When you suffer with all diligence to scale the mountain of godliness when you get up high you can see all the way to the end of the world. I’m not talking about merely pharisaical study of the bible; I’m talking about sitting at the feet of Jesus like Mary. I’m talking about laying your head on his breast like John. To know and see this kind of stuff, you’ve got to really know Him. Jesus said, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15)

Daniel Discernments requires maturity because such wisdom and insight brings about tremendous sorrow for the people of God. It bears the reward of Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” It is an insight that cannot be shared with the masses or by the masses, for they cannot receive it.

In today’s grand confusion of eschatology, the answer is not in the speculation over the unchangeable complexity of details but in the simplicity of the big idea that our unconquerable, conquering King is coming to crush all of the enemies of the cross.

It seems here that the issue is not the details or what “will happen,” for such cannot be change, altered, nor thwarted in any way. It is but information, and for the devout saint, requires no adjustment in his normal devotion routine. Devotion brought about Daniel’s revelation and continued devotion will bring about ultimate salvation. The beauty and bounty of the revelatory reward granted to Daniel is a great surety in knowing, “We have a champion that is stronger than loin-like Babylon, and that will consume more than bear-like Persia, and will move swifter than leopard-like Greece, and will be fiercer than ferocious Rome – a fifth and final kingdom, the last emperor, Jesus Christ.

The Daniel Discipline vi

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:10)

Daniel is in the second empire and under his third administration since being led captive from Judah, and he always rises to the top, not because he smart, wise, or gifted, but simply for one reason: “because he believed His God”. Daniel gets all the favor of the world by taking none of the world: No packs, no compromises, no angles and backroom bargaining; He did not buy his way to the top… He didn’t play the “it’s-who-you-know” game… He didn’t make any back-scratching deals. Whenever a Christian reaches for what he wants he will lose what he has. It is ours to wait on God to place what we are due in our hand.

Daniel has the favor of God, the heart of the King, and a position of authority. Yet he had another key indicator of God’s favor: he was targeted by his enemies. You can’t have the favor of God and freedom from tests and trials. I’ve heard people say “I’m blessed and highly favored” as a type of colloquialism. Well I don’t know what they meant by that, but I do know what blessed and highly favored meant for the Virgin Mary; it meant that she was disoriented about the message, distressed about the situation, displaced from her home, distrusted about her purity, and almost divorced from her husband. Favor is a prescription for fiery trials.

His enemies first examined Daniel’s doings and only found an excellent spirit and a blameless life. Thus they decided to design a law against the law of Daniel’s God. Abiding in the character of Christ will ensure and assure that your enemies are always fighting God and never fighting you.

Constant and consistent devotion to God is indeed to live in preparation for every situation. The fact of the matter is if you are not devoted to God before the Lion’s den, you cannot be devoted despite the Lion’s den. Daniel shows us that deliverance is foster by devotion to God: devotion is how you win against your enemies every single time.

The conspiracy of his enemies did not distract Daniel. This enormous weight, intense trouble and severe threat, required no adjustment in his normal routine. What more in life does one need then devotion to God? What more can be done then absolute reliance and hope in God alone? Daniel, three times a day he went down on his knees in prayer and praise before his God, as he had done before.

Let me tell you why Daniel prayed anyway… because his time, his relationship and his history with God was more pressing, dictatorial, important, assuring, and securing than anything going on around him. The paradox is that while the threat of the Lion’s Den was meant to restrict prayer, for Daniel it demanded prayer.

The answer to every problem is devotion to God. The only thing that the enemy wants to do is distract you from devotion to God. I’ve been there, where the counsel was, “Doc you better watch her” or “Man, you better keep your eye on him; because, he does not mean you any good.” And thank God, the Holy Ghost said to me in that moment, “You better keep your eye on God.” You can’t take your eye off of God to watch your enemy. You’ve got to keep your enemy behind you and your eye on the prize before you. Your enemies are God’s business and not your business.

Daniel was in a crisis, but he did not pray a crisis prayer. When Daniel was praying about this law that had been passed, let me tell you what God told Daniel that day, (and I am not using my spiritual imagination either). He said, “Daniel you’ve been with me long enough; you’ve talk to me every day -- three times a day. Listen, Daniel don’t worry about those guys down there in administration. Don’t worry about that lion’s den. If they want you to go on in it, just walk on in. You know I can handle all of this; so just let me handle it. You’ll be alright!”

The Daniel Discipline V

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote... And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this. (Daniel 5:5 & 22)

It is ironic that Daniel and his friends maintained the lessons of their parents while here Belshazzar has failed to learn the illustrative lesson of God dealing with his father Nebuchadnezzar. How often it is that great lessons of one generation are many times left and lost in the next. How painful it is for parents to watch their children choose to do what they know will not and cannot turn out good. I heard one elderly lady remark about children, “When they are young, they are on your lap, but when they are grown, they are on your heart.”

The prevailing wisdom common to young people today is not unlike that of Belshazzar, “I’m young and have time…” “I have to experience the world for myself like my parents did, then I’ll see for myself…” “I should be out having fun right now, that’s for old people.”

On the other hand, what virtue, to simply pay attention, learn the hard lessons, do the hard work, and stand on the shoulders of those who have been through the trials and errors. There are some trips you don’t have to make. God has put a road-sign there, a warning, an example of its consequences. And if you choose to take a trip down that road, you just might not come back, and most certainly you won’t come back the same. They say “Experience is a good teacher.” Yet one must ask, “At what cost???” if mere inconvenience is the only price, then one might freely consider it as a alternate route to the same end; however, so-called experience often results in great loss, pain, deep wounds, scares, and even death. The fact is sometime experience does not give a second chance. The classroom of experience is often painfully unforgiving. Asked any single mother who is raising a child along, because she sold her body for an “I love you” instead of a wedding. Listen to the testimony of a young addict who felt that since his friends were doing drugs, he would try it just this once. Take the story from the graveyard of a fellow who thought a gang was security. Sin will always make you go further then you meant to go, make you stay longer then you meant to stay, and make you pay more then you meant to pay.

The frequently committed error is a failure to count observation as experience. Belshazzar chose to ignore his father’s experience with God. He saw his father come the know God and the change God made in him. And that counts too! God never wastes what he gives us. Whether taste, or touch, or smell, or sound, or sight, your every experience is jammed packed with meaning and significance to be examined in the light of God. Act 17 says, “God has determined your time before you were here, and the distance you would travel; That you should seek the Lord, if haply you might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from anyone: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being…” Your very existence is both proof and call to worship God. Rest assured, delay in pursuing and serving God is never profitable.

Belshazzar’s opportunity was greater than that of His father and so was his condemnation greater. He has more from the beginning, his father’s story. Instead he has to hear more, see more, smell more, feel more, taste more and then his end came into view. The handwriting was on the wall. There was no turning back.

If you have more, God requires that you do better. We presume upon God by assuming experiences are parallel. We are all dealt our hands from the same deck of life, but look closely, everybody’s cards are different. God judges each of us by what He has perfectly dealt to us. Nebuchadnezzar’s idolatry ended in his salvation while Belshazzar’s idolatry ended in his damnation. The person who says to himself or herself, I will go as far as I can until I see clearly, BE WARNED!!! By the time you can see the reality of your end apart from faith, it’s too late. -- The handwriting is on the wall!

The Daniel Discipline iv

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. (Daniel 4:34)

In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar was saved. He acknowledged that the God of the Hebrews was the highest God. While Nebuchadnezzar was trying to break the will of three young Hebrew kids that belonged to God, God saved Him. In his immaturity however, there were still other lesser gods. The truth of the matter is, when we come to faith in Christ, we all still try to hold on to our other gods. We simply try to add the name of Jesus Christ to a pile of old gimmicks, good luck charms and idle gods.

You may wonder why some folk do the things they do, things that seem senseless, unreasonable, even stupid -- why your Auntie keeps on giving herself to no good men – in her dysfunctional mind, she’s got to have a man at any cost… the problem is God is not her only God… Why your uncle gambles check after check away -- God is not his only God… You may wonder why it seems that some people love using drugs more than living life and soaking their sorrows in Alcohol -- God is not their only God. God will keep your mind!!! Isaiah 26:3 says “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” Moses is a picture of the law, and he is also a picture of what observing God’s law will do for a man. Deuteronomy 34:7 says “And Moses was 120 years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” I am no health, wealth, prosperity preacher at all, but I believe that really and truly loving God will preserve not just your soul, but your mind and your body.

We want God’s salvation without God’s sovereignty. We want God’s security without His sovereignty. We want God’s sufficiency without His sovereignty. We love to sing “Christ is my all and all”, but we really hate to sing “I surrender all.” Nebuchadnezzar was convinced that Yahweh-God was a fiery-furnace delivering God. He confessed and worshiped Yahweh as the “highest God”. Yet he was not converted to see God as the only God. He was not converted to the point of abdicating the throne of his life, that God might be the king’s King and indeed, the only King. Nebuchadnezzar had been inducted into the people of God, but he did not want to act like a child of God.

This story is tailored to teach us that God knows how to turn a “NO Lord” into a “YES Lord”. It’s not that you make up your own mind, but God is the cause of all Christian mind-making up, both voluntary and involuntary.

In chapter 4, God has determined, for His own accord, purpose and pleasure to snatch this man’s mind, drive him into seclusion from men, feed him grass like an animal, wake him up with the morning dew of heaven on his body, let his hairs grow to cover him like the feathers of a bird, and his nails like claws, WHY: to break his will and sanctify him unto Himself.

Some folk today have lost their minds; because, they won’t submit to God; some right feel secluded and lonely; because, they won’t submit to God. Others are homeless, eating out of the trash can, living in the elements, and you can’t help them (and I’m not saying don’t try); the issue is they will not submit to God.

You may think that this is a strange story and exclusive to Nebuchadnezzar. The truth is that the more you resist God, the more insane you become. Romans 1:28 says, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind…” Did you know that homosexuality use to be on the insanity list, until it has become so accepted today? But just because it is accepted today does not mean it’s not still insane. It’s crazy for man to have baby after baby and not sense a personal obligation to rear and raise that child in a strong family home. It’s downright crazy to lie down and have sex, become pregnant with a baby and go down to the abortion clinic and kill that baby talking about you got a right to do it… that’s insane. That kind of stuff is not only crazy, it makes one crazier.

The only basis for good ration and mental soundness is submission to God. The mighty hand of God disciplined this pagan king into a preacher of the Jewish monotheistic God; He testifies, “I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High.” Peter says, “Humble yourself...” That’s your chance to do it before God does it personally.

Effects of a Close Encounter with God

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, (Luke 1:46)

She was a young girl, born in an insignificant tribe, living in a detested village, betrothed to a poor husband, yet Mary is given a boast by God, “All generations shall call me blessed.”

Mary’s song is known as the “magnificat.” She comes to know the summation of her life as the mother of Jesus Christ. She needs nothing beyond that to be a satisfied woman and a fulfilled person. Her divine utility brings the greatest glory to God and God grants the greatest name and place among women to her. In her place, her soul became a magnifier of God.

The soul is the most primary aspect of a person: one's very existence, his reality. The place where only divine will and purpose can bring joy, peace, and contentment. It is in the soul that the deep roots of purpose feed on the nurture of the divine river. A tree must grow in three directions: first down, then out, only after that can it sustain the upward weight. Many people live in religious ritual but not relational reality. They talk big rhetoric at church but fold under minimal trouble because their soul is disconnected from divine purpose. Moreover, men hate the man's role and women detest their divine assignment of womanhood.

Yet when the soul has found its God-given purpose, one's life becomes a magnifier of God, and the soul is satisfied from all hunger and thirst.

Charles Kingsley says of purpose, “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about [at the core of our being]”

As one songwriter penned, “Use me Lord, in thy service. Draw me nearer everyday. If I falter while I’m trying, don’t be angry, just let me stand. Lord I’m willing to run on all the way.”

Mary encountered God through His holy Angel and discovered deep purpose, a full life, and a high place for time and eternity.

Who is This Baby

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

I read somewhere of a little boy and girl who were singing their favorite Christmas carol in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded "Silent Night" with the words, "Sleep in heavenly beans." "No," his sister corrected, "not beans, peas."

The fact of the matter is that many do not know the true meaning of Christmas. We do not understand its import, its impact, or its infinity. The import of Christmas is Jesus Christ, the sinless babe born in the manger, which grew up as a perfect man for the single mission of paying sin’s price of death. The impact was that through him believers are saved. Any man snatch from hell and bound for heaven is because of Christmas. Finally, its infinity: Christ is forever. The kingdom of God is populated with those who believe Jesus was born the savior of the world. And of that Kingdom, Isaiah says, shall be no end.

It is ironic that the word Christmas, literally means a “Worship Service for Christ” and it was the original tradition of Christians to go to Church every Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Yet today it seems that this is in large part a thing of the past. Christmas is celebrated without Christ. The import has become family and friends, the impact has been indebted shoppers and retailers’ bottom lines, and infinite treasure has been traded for temporal trash.

Why not become an agent of change in your own family? Before you open one gift, take a few seconds and share with your family the real meaning of Christmas in a very easy and simple way, by reading those Classical verses from Luke 2:7-14,

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Merry Christmas

Thanksgiving in Prayer

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4)

There are four aspects to devotional prayer. Someone created an acrostic that is very helpful in remembering all four aspects: A.C.T.S. "A" stands for "adoration"; "C" stands for "confession"; "T" stands for "thanksgiving," and "S" stands for "supplication."

The greatest facilitator of peace through prayer is not partition but thanksgiving; it is not leaving what concerns you at the altar, but the attitude in which you approach the altar. Thanksgiving means that one prays to God not with a comprehensive list of what He has done. That is impossible! Rather, one prays with an attitude of thanksgiving, particularly thanking God in relationship to your partitions. By thanking God in prayer, the believer will realize the joy, peace, and contentment of God by appreciating God’s grace and mercy; that is, expressing gratefulness for receiving so many good things and yet not experiencing so many not so good things that could have occurred. As a youth, I remember the elders praying, “Lord, I thank you that things are as well as they are.” Thanksgiving in prayer is to approach the throne of God with respect for His sovereignty, supremacy and sufficiency. Simply put, it is to understand that whatever you need or whatever you are going through is exactly what you need at that very moment. If it were not than God would never have allowed it to be. As Paul put it, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” This does not at all preclude expressing one’s subjective partitions, as such flows out of the desires of your heart; however, thanksgiving is the appropriate disposition by which subjects are to come in to the presence of the King to express those desires. It is to recognize the words of Paul in Romans 8, “For we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” I often say to my congregation the most important posture in prayer is not on your knees, but recognizing that He is God and you are not.

How much more effective is a child’s appeal to his parents, when he or she approaches them with genuine respect of whatever their final decision is and sincere gratitude for their loving-kindness as parents. This, to say the least, exhibits love, wisdom, maturity, responsibility, and submission.

I was talking to a lady about being thankful to God in prayer. She said, “I am always thankful. In fact, I thank God for giving me what I am asking for in advance.” I refrained from laughing at such a ridiculous notion. I said to her, “you cannot know what God is going to do. You can only truly thank someone for what they have done. Advanced thanksgiving is neither a logical or biblical concept. That is neither respect nor gratitude to God but an attempt at manipulating God.

While often we come to God in some sense of discomfort, feeling as though we really need what we are requesting, the surprise is often the comfort that results from simply thanking Him for what we already have or what He has protected us from. One should not pray about tomorrow without thanking Him for today. Thanksgiving in prayer often results in discovering that one's circumstance is not as intense as it appeared prior to prayer. One should not ask for more without thanking Him for what he already has. One should not pray for His help without first thanking Him for having kept him thus far. We should not only think about, but pray about, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report.

At all times especially in prayer we must, “Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.” After expressing genuine thanksgiving, one will always leave prayer time with joy, peace, and contentment, and no doubt having prayed more fervently, effectually and thus effectively.

THE VIRTUEOUS WOMAN - Her Victory (Prov. 31:28-31)

The problem of humanity is that which we want, we don’t know how to obtain it; and we don’t know what it takes to get what we want, and when we find out what it takes, we don’t want what it takes. We want victory without the distance. We want the strength without the discipline. We want the win without the race. We want the crown without the cost.

WHAT DO WOMEN WANT??? Women like to be praised. Yet today they are often repulsed and repelled by that which is praiseworthy. It amazes me how some women today will revel in not being able to cook, clean, or boast about not submitting to her husband, yet a woman wants to be praised as a mother and a wife.

Ironically, it seems that a woman virtually cannot live without a man and/or a woman who cannot have children often feels incomplete as a woman. This is not a negative thing as feminism has tried to frame it; rather, it is by design. A woman was created to be a wife and a mother; she is designed to be a wife and a mother. Therefore her greatest reward is found in being a submissive wife and a consummate mother. Whatever psychology you hold about the functionality of life that is acceptable, logical, rational, and in concert with the world is contrary to God. Only functioning as you've been created and designed to function will bring you the greatest fulfillment and satisfaction. The praise a woman desires is wrapped up in the packaging of wifeliness and motherhood.

First, the virtuous woman is praised by her matured children. That is, they have now become adults and what she has helped them to become: disciplined, prudent, honorable, ethical, and skilled, speaks well of her as a mother. The proverbist writes, "...he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him ...and she that bare thee shall rejoice." (Prov 23:24 & 25.) This is the reward of all of the long hard years of diligence and a wonderful fulfillment that can only be experience when it is done.

Secondly, she is praised by her husband. While this no doubt is inclusive direct tribute expressed by her husband, its primary meaning refers to her contribution to his life: his name, his home, his accomplishments would all be impossible without her. Yet she does not rave or boast in this fact, but she simply knows her contribution and rejoices in the fruit of her labor with a quiet spirit and the existential reward of fulfillment.

Thirdly, she is praised by other women. Another important area of reward is found amongst her peers. Just as men find tremendous nobility in excelling among other men, so does women find honor in excelling among women. “Excelling” is a term that indicates not vain-glory, but the ability to provide leadership to other women. Rest assured there is no virtue that does not result in mentoring others.

Fourthly, she is praised because she fears the LORD. Her virtuous life is a result of knowing her created purpose and how she has been fashioned by God to carry it out. She is a continue worshipper, not a fanatical cultural Christian, full of popular religious rhetoric, but frequently and subtly speaking of God as her guide, strength, and her master. This is what gets her through everyday and gets her to the wonderful rewards of life.

Fifthly and finally she is praised by her own works in the gates. It is one thing for your family to speak well of you or your peers to speak well of you; however, the virtuous woman is praised by the chief authorities of the community. Not because she has sought such, but because she sought to please God by submitting to and honoring her husband, diligently rearing her children, and teaching other women her ways. Thus her “homework” has ascended as a sweet smelling savor and rendered her praiseworthy, winning her the praise of all.

THE VIRTUEOUS WOMAN Pt II: Her Vigilance (Prov. 31:16-22)

This passage has been aptly deemed by classical Christianity, “The Virtuous Woman” or “A Good Woman.” And I’ve heard women who solicit accolades from others, wanting them to declare her as a good mother or a wonderful wife. Yet she fails at the motherly purpose and she lacks the magic of a wife full of wonder.

A good woman makes a house feel homely, she makes groceries into savory meals, she makes a husband and children feel like family. She keeps the whole thing together and running smoothly. She does not highlight family flaws, she covers them. She does not make wounds, she heals them. She makes boo-boos feel better with a kiss.

This woman has been taught what is right and good and how to function in a way that will prosper and benefit her life. Somebody once asked me a riddle, “What woman in the bible ate herself out of house and home?” The answer is Eve… because she functioned in chaos and disorder… but not the virtuous woman. This woman has zeroed in on what is important.

The fact of the matter is nothing can be good if there is not first a defined purpose and secondly a pursuit of that defined purpose.

Let’s look at her vigilance: First, she is “prudent,” a wise business woman, not at all a homemaker by the world's inferior perception and conception. Home is primary but not preventative in excelling outside of the home. She recognizes that the things which are good for her family are good for others as well. Secondly, she is “reserved.” She does not spend her strength foolishly. She reserves herself for her family and that which is beneficial to them. Thirdly she is “thorough.” She does not do things half heartedly or carelessly. She is concerned that whatever she provides to people are of the highest quality. Fourthly, she is “productive.” She is skilled and able to create goods. Fifthly, she is “charitable.” She’s kind and giving. Every child is treated as her child. She is utterly hospitable. She embraces the pains of others as problems for her attention. She is “protective. “ She gives diligence to the safety and well-being of her family. Finally she is “elegant.” She loves finery. She is no personal slouch. Her hair and her wear is always together.

Simply put the virtuous woman functions at optimal capacity, motivated by love for God, love for family and love for being a mother and wife in keeping with her design.