When Steve Irwin was unexpectedly laid off, he and his wife, Cindy, were faced with the fact that they had been depending on themselves and not on God. As they evaluated their situation and renewed their relationship with God, things began to change.
To answer whether polygamy is acceptable, we must go back to the beginning, before man sinned. The Bible says that when God instituted and ordained marriage, it took place between one man and one woman. When God created a helpmeet for Adam, He created one woman—not two, three or four—and He said that those two people would become one flesh (Genesis 2:21-24).
God has a work for each member of the Body of Christ to fulfill. As each one does their part, the work of winning the lost for the Lord will get done, and then Jesus will return and take us to be with Him for eternity.
Your spouse is an important part of this. We realize many times problems arise in a home where one spouse wants to actively serve God and the other does not. There seems to be no agreement and it is difficult. The temptation may come to give up and quit.
To understand generational curses, you need to understand spiritual laws. Spiritual laws—good or bad— become rooted in a person’s life when they are put in motion on a regular basis. Once rooted, these habits and thinking patterns get passed from generation to generation because children pick up these traits from their parents.
When you’re married, you have the honor of knowing your spouse more intimately than anyone else. This means you know all their good habits and character traits, as well as the not-so-good habits and traits. You also know more about your spouse’s hopes, desires and dreams than most. For all these reasons and more, you have a unique prayer perspective that allows you to effectively stand in the gap for your spouse in prayer.
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 that we are to avoid the very appearance of evil. Living together without being married gives the appearance of evil and therefore should be avoided. It suggests that the couple involved is willing to limit their commitment to one another based on current feelings, instead of long-term commitment based on God’s design for marriage and His laws governing the duration and nature of the relationship. It also invites great temptation for sexual immorality, which includes sexual relations before marriage.
Kellie Copeland Swisher, aka Commander Kellie, reflects on Superkid Academy and the effect it has had on children around the world.
Submission has to do with order—not subordination. In the spirit world, there is no difference between men and women. In the natural realm, however, God has established a rank of authority in order to maintain order and avoid confusion.
Ephesians 5:22 says, “For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” This is not elevation of the man above the woman in importance, power, anointing or revelation. It simply means that in the home, the husband is the leader.
Hebrews 10:38 (KJV) says, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
The Bible is clear that believers are to live by faith. Like many people, you may wonder where faith comes from. Some people may believe that faith comes from tragic experiences in life or it comes from some desperate hope not based in reality, but that’s not what the Bible says.
Second Corinthians 6:14 instructs us, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?”
We cannot express strongly enough how important it is to marry someone with whom you can be in unity and agreement according to God’s Word. Marrying someone who has not made Jesus Lord and Savior will pose more challenges for you than you may be thinking of right now.
No matter what you’re facing in your marriage right now, know this—God wants to heal your marriage. It’s His will for you and for your spouse. If you can have faith in Him, you can see a dramatic turnaround in your relationship.
Unity is vital to marriage, whether deciding on church attendance or any other important issue. God loves you and your spouse deeply, and His main desire is that you walk in unity with one another. Sometimes it may seem difficult to gain common ground on certain issues, but by the power of God you can both walk in unity if you will put your trust in Him.
First and foremost, God hates divorce (Malachi 2:14-16). It is never His best, and the damage it does to families and children are the evidence.
God created marriage and intended for it to be a lifelong union. The apostle Paul taught that the marriage relationship is a demonstration of the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). When we stray from His plan, the results are damaging. That is why Jesus emphasized the importance and sacredness of marriage in Matthew 19:6, saying “What God has joined together, let no man separate” (NKJV).
Yes, we will be able to recognize one another in heaven. There are many examples of this in the Bible. Jesus said we would be able to sit down with people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11). This would imply that we will keep our individual identities and be able to recognize each other.
Though the Bible does not answer this directly, it does tell us enough to draw an informed conclusion.
Adam and Eve were the first and only people on the earth right after the six days’ work of Creation. They were commanded to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). They had not only Cain, Abel and Seth but numerous sons and daughters (Genesis 4:1, 5:4, 6:1) over a lengthy lifespan (Genesis 5:5).
When you’re praying for a loved one to come to know the Lord, keep in mind that Satan who has blinded their eyes and darkened their understanding. So, your goal is to get their eyes opened, and that is something the Word of God will do. Try to get them under the sound of the Word, and it will open their eyes.
The family that lives out their faith together sees victory together! Even if you weren’t raised in an atmosphere of faith, you can create one for your children, your grandchildren and your entire family when you set out to create an atmosphere that puts God first place and pursues Him every day in every way.
Create your own legacy of faith, and make faith a family affair with these four fun and easy tips!
One night after a worship service a friend of mine and I stepped outside and were suddenly awed by the beauty around us. It was one of those crisp, clear winter nights when the brilliance of the moon and stars nearly takes your breath away. I said to my friend, "Tommy, will you look at that!" Then he looked up with one of those Holy Ghost whole-face smiles and with a voice full of tenderness said, "My Daddy made that!"
"My Daddy...." I'll never forget the way he said that.
Remember when...? That's a question we hear a lot this time of year. Reminiscing with family and friends, we browse through Christmases gone by, enjoying the memories until inevitably, we stumble across the memories we would rather forget.
Suddenly, the pain comes rushing back. The sting of a parent's criticism, the broken promise of a friend, the rejections, the disappointments, the heartaches....
What should we do with memories like that? Do we have to drag them along, like so much baggage, from year to year?
Living in a home filled with the love and the peace of God Himself is almost like living in heaven right here on earth. We all know that's true. And we long to live in such a home. Yet, time and time again, we shortchange our families. We spend our kindest words and our most winning smiles on those beyond our front door.
Have you ever wondered why?