Staff -founder / president Melissa Pearce
-copy editor Laurie Hamby
-contributing writers Jamie Clawson Katie Cline Pastor Chuck Hamby Toni Hembree Maureen Kurp Melissa Pearce Ronald Pearce Mary Beth Pecora
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As I was seeking the Lord for direction about Enduring Hope Ministries (EHM), He revealed to me that we have entered into a new season with Him. believe this word is only for Enduring Hope Ministries. you.
It is a season of growth.
Yet, I do not
I believe this is applicable to many of
God is changing our seasons and wants us to grow and flourish in Him.
We cannot allow fear to interfere with the call God has ordained for our lives. as a tactic to discourage us.
Satan uses fear
When we take the bait, Satan uses it to manipulate us from
forging ahead with God and the plans He has for our lives. We need to realize that fear is nothing more than false evidence appearing real. God desires for us to stand firm in His truth. In order for a plant to flourish, the root system has to be firmly planted in a healthy soil where it can receive the proper nutrients.
It will also need to receive water on a regular basis.
The
basis of our root system needs to be planted in the love of God. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (NIV- Ephesians 3:17b-19). When our hearts are rooted in the love of God and we are watered by His Word, we realize how magnificent He is and who we are in Him.
We understand His love for us is boundless, giving
us strength to endure, to stand and to maintain hope in Him.
In the end, our eyes are set like
flint upon Him, trusting Him to bring about the end result He desires within our lives.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is in the LORD.
For he shall be
like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit (NKJV- Jeremiah 17:7-8). When we are planted in the love of God, we will grow! matures.
Our relationship with God changes; it
God desires for each of us to develop into who He created us to become.
is now; plant yourself in the love of God.
The time
There are things God is looking to accomplish
through you! You are no longer going to be anxious, because your heart is going to trust God to work out the details.
Your heart is no longer going to be filled with dread and worry, because you realize
the plans He has for your life are for good.
You will no longer be manipulated by fear, because
He Who is love is greater within you! Stay rooted in His Word and watch how your relationship with Him blossoms. watch how the fruit of the Spirit flourish in your life.
You were called to fulfill a purpose, but
the purpose can only be accomplished when you are rooted to Him! In Him, Melissa Pearce Founder/President Enduring Hope Ministries
Grow in Him and
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two
he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one cried to
another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:1-7 NKJV) In Isaiah 6, God called Isaiah to be a prophet.
When Isaiah was brought into God’s presence,
he was overtaken with the fact that he was a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).
How can a sinful
man stand in the presence of Holy God? Isaiah’s reaction was probably the same as ours at times. As followers of Christ, we know God is calling us to do certain things for Him.
Too often, though, we get stuck thinking that we have
to be better – or perfect – before He can use us. to speak sinful things. sinful things.
I have a feeling that Isaiah’s sinful bend was
Maybe yours is the same; maybe it’s thinking sinful things or touching
God knew the area of weakness that Isaiah was aware of in himself.
God
spoke to that area; He cleansed Isaiah so that he could move on to be all that He had called him to be.
So how can sinful man stand in the presence of Holy God? He can’t – not without the touch of a Savior. The burning coal that touched Isaiah’s lips had a white-hot purity that purged his sin, thus allowing him to proceed in the direction God was calling him. Likewise, when we know Christ as our personal Savior, we can rest assured that our sin is purged and walk forward in all that He wants us to do. We may be “undone” in the awareness of our shortcomings and failures, but God has a purpose and a plan. He will continue to shape us and use us, even as He makes us more and more like Himself.
. 1. Think of the cross. There is nothing you can do to out-sin God’s forgiveness. 2. Remember that it’s God’s job to have it “all together;” it’s our job to follow and trust Him. 3. Make a list of things you do well, rather than focusing constantly on the area that you’re acutely aware you need to make progress in. 4. Let Him and others encourage you.
Accept positive feedback and don’t listen to the
enemy’s lies. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV).
You are being changed from glory to glory!
God will succeed in you! Believe it!
Changing continually with you, Jamie Clawson jamie@enduringhopeministries.com
You are making progress.
Each one of us was created for a purpose. Yet, do we fully comprehend our calling? Do we understand the gift that has been given to us, and do we operate in it? What gift am I referring to?
The gift is
Jesus Christ Who is love, grace and truth. Today,
too
many
wander
aimlessly
hearts around,
looking for ways to fill their emptiness. Hearts turn to futile possessions which only leave them feeling unfulfilled and vacant. Other hearts surrender to fruitless idols such as wealth, power, and position.
Each
offers
temporal satisfaction, but in the end, the heart goes on, restlessly seeking to find completeness, contentment and fulfillment.
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and
hewn
themselves
cisterns-
broken cisterns that can hold no water” (NKJV- Jeremiah 2:13).
send His Son because of the love He has for us. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (NKJV- Romans 5:8).
God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the people of Israel. Just like
God’s love is not defined by some feeling but is demonstrated through His action toward us.
Israel had abandoned the heart of God, our
The time had come for the Father to reveal His Son, Jesus, to all mankind – forever
culture is veering further away from God. Hearts are rejecting Him and the love He has given to us. We, just like the people of Israel, have turned to worthless idols, trying to obtain our fulfillment – only to be unfulfilled. God , who is love (1 John 4:8), will not deny His character. creation.
His very nature is to love His
changing the world. Movement toward God happened in the open hearts of people when Jesus came to the earth. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (NKJV- John 1:14).
Everything God does is rooted in
His love for us.
From the beginning of time,
God was compelled out of love to be in union with mankind. After the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, this same love drove Him to the Cross so mankind could be reconciled back to Him. He will continue to operate out of unconditional love until He returns for His Bride - His Church. God’s love is the core of everything He is and what He does. His love is what changed the world, and it will continue to be His love that forever impacts our lives.
We cannot
comprehend God’s love for us because His love has no boundaries or conditions. God knew every detail about us, and yet chose to
The people beheld the glory of God.
Jesus
brought the kingdom of Heaven to earth. Jesus brought His unconditional love to earth impacting those lives that chose to receive what He had given. Just as God had called twelve apostles to forever change the world with Him, God is calling you and me to step up and step out with Him to revolutionize the present world. The time has come for God to reveal His Son, Jesus, once again.
However, this time it will
not be done through His life but ours.
God is
calling each of us to live a life of love among those around us. “By this all men will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another� -John 13:35
momentum is as follows:: Strength or force
If we are willing to allow the love of God to flow through us, our individual lives will
that something has when it is moving; the
forever be changed, our homes will be transformed, and our communities will be
strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes.1 God desires that our love for Him
The question is this: Will you
continue to grow stronger and faster as time passes. God desires for our hearts to be
allow the love of God to revolutionize your heart? Will you go where He leads you?
fueled by His passion and unconditional love to the point that we become unstoppable,
reformed.
God is looking to build love into the lives of His people. Building lives in love builds momentum
for
the
Momentum
causes
Kingdom
What is your purpose in life?
You are called
God.
to lead a life of love among those around you.
Momentum
You are called to revolutionize the earth with His unconditional love flowing through you!
Will you
Take the challenge – let His love revolutionize
allow your heart to be so captivated by Him that you abandon everything just for Him?
your heart and allow Him to use you mightily for the kingdom of God.
shifts.
of
unmovable, and relentless for Him.
causes change. Will you be a part of the team?
In Him, The Webster Dictionary definition of momentum is as follows:: Strength or force
Melissa Pearce
Spring has arrived!
The
field, some seeds fell on a
rain and sun yield pretty daffodils, the birds are
footpath where birds came and ate them. Other seeds
singing and tending their nests, and our lawns begin
fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds
to look fresh and green!
sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow, but the
There is nothing like springtime, a season when we can appreciate the new growth around us in God’s creation, especially after a long, cold and seemingly endless winter!
plants soon wilted under the hot sun. Since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Others fell on fertile soil, and
Some of this new growth – trees
budding,
plants
bursting through the soil, flowers blooming –may come easy or may need some tending, nurturing and well….work!
they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Jesus ends this parable with “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Not all soil is
conducive to good seed.
If
the soil is hard and stony, or
So how does your garden grow? We will get back to
has weeds growing as well,
that question.
the seeds may never take root or will grow but not produce any fruit or flower.
see how the Lord explains the parable to His disciples.
First, let’s
Farther down in Matthew 13: 18, Jesus once again says
In Matthew 13, Jesus shares about sowing seed in various soils in “The Parable of the Sower.” He calls attention
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds. The seed that fell
Translation).
on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil
Jesus tells of the farmer who went out to plant some seeds. As the farmer
one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The
scattered them across the
seed
to this very important story by saying “Listen” in verse 3 (New
Living
on
the
rocky
soil
represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long.
They fall away as
soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s Word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s Word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
The seed that
fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even one hundred times as much as had been planted.”
The farmer/sower is God; the seed is God’s Word/message; the different soils pertain to the condition of our hearts; and the soil, which receives the seed (God’s Word) represents our heart.
As you read through
“The Parable of the Sower”, do you relate to any of the examples of the different soils? I did! I remembered a time when I went to church, just because I “had to” and for years I just followed some rules that I didn’t quite understand. I went for
years and years, but really did not retain much of God’s word in my heart. The
Here are some scriptures that affirm the importance of God’s Word in our hearts…
surely snatched whatever I was hearing. I had very little – if any – “fruit” or growth to show for the many years I attended church. God is so wonderful and merciful, because He loves us so much!
He had
someone invite me to a Bible Study. I listened intently about what Jesus had to say about living for Almighty God! As I asked Jesus Christ to forgive my sins, and to come and live in my heart, God began to plant new seeds. For the first time, I heard God’s Word in a whole new way! I was grasping the Truth of His Word and applying it in my daily walk with the Lord. My prayer life changed and my desire to know God increased daily as I spent time in His Word and in Bible Study. The soil
a few examples of good fruit! So…..how does your garden
seeds (God’s Word) were hitting the footpath and not taking root. The evil one
intimate way…..these are just
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus states that “man does not live by bread alone, but on every
grow?
119:105 - Your Word is a lamp
My prayer is that our hearts will be good soil for the “seed” of God’s Word to take root and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even one
to my feet and a light to my path. Hebrews 4:12 - For
hundred times as much as had been planted! May we
the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (making it active, operative,
tend the soil of our hearts with prayer, bible study and
energizing and effective); it is
may we be like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing
word that comes from the mouth of God.” Psalm
sharper than double-edged
any sword,
penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul)
worship every day.
And
fruit each season, where our leaves never wither and we prosper in all we do (Psalm
and the (immortal) spirit and 1:3).
Glory to God!
of joints and marrow (of the deepest parts of our nature), exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts an purposes of the heart. So here is a good equation for testing “how your garden grows:” God’s Word (the seed) + good soil (our heart) =
of my heart was becoming fertile soil) and (good
good
allowing God’s message to take root deeply and bring change into my life and circumstances!
loving service to God’s people and our desire to know the Lord in a more
fruit(the
product).
Our kind, sincere words, our
Maureen Kurp Director of Generation Hope
We have all quoted the “Lord’s Prayer,” but few have really prayed it. We often talk of the power of prayer, but seldom talk about the prayer of power. We will not have the former if we cannot do the latter. Let’s take a look at
One of the first things required is to believe and have absolute confidence in Who God is and what He can and will do. Prayer is rooted in what I believe about God. Some people believe God is a Santa Claus and will give us what we ask for. Others believe He is the “Cosmic Cop” Whose job is to dispense instant justice. And some will see Him as the “Universal Life Force” Who is transcendent and not knowable by mere mortals. God is the ever-existent Triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, world without end, Amen.
prayer. What is it? Why do we
He is the Creator of all things and the only true God. We are created in His image as
do it? How do we do it?
body, soul, and spirit. We are godlike in that
WHAT IS PRAYER?
we are “spirits” that have “souls” and we live in a body. The body we have now is
If we say that prayer is talking to God, we
temporary, but we shall have a new one that
are only partly correct. It is, more accurately,
is eternal.
a conversation. One is a monologue, the other a dialogue. The Pharisee, that Jesus
This is the God Who is worthy of our absolute confidence. Part of that “believe
mentioned, was praying by himself in the
thing” must be that he loves us –that
temple.
did indeed “…love the world so much that He
He was doing a monologue.
God
gave us His One and Only Son…” to bring us When we pray, how do we hear from God? How do we know He is speaking to us? It must be more than a subjective notion or idea. Everything we sense as coming from God must be put to a truth test because even Satan comes to us as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). What we receive in prayer must agree with God’s Word and God’s purpose. The agreement must be more than a single verse or portion of Scripture.
eternal and abounding life. This is the One to Whom we pray. When we talk to Him, are we aware of His awesome knowledge? Do we understand that He is working all things for our good? When we demand that He do such and such because He did it before for someone else and He’s no respecter of persons, we are asking to be treated as customers, not as sons and daughters. In a store, each customer should get the same
treatment. In families, sons and daughters
As we continue the “Prayer of Power,” we
are treated differently because they are different. If we are wise, we do not treat our
say, “…Hallowed is your Name…” His name is
children the same. Some are tender and need little correction, while some are more obstreperous and need a firmer hand.
Holy. In Him is no darkness at all. There is nothing but good in our God. He has Names to describe Him; I counted seventy-nine different names of God in the Old Testament.
This is the God to Whom we pray. He is omniscient. There is nothing outside His awareness or His power. So our thoughts are not, “Can God do this?” Our thought should be, “Is this what my loving Heavenly Father wants for me?” We are startled when we find out that God is not so concerned about our happiness as He is our “health.” He is far less interested in our comfort than He is our character.
All that He does honors His name. As we pray, “…Your kingdom come.
Your
will be done, On earth as it is in heaven…” that means we will obey the King of the kingdom Who calls us to love one another as He has loved us. He calls us to be contented. We ask and trust Him for our provision. One of His names is “Jehovah Jireh,” God Provider.
“Give us this day, our daily bread.”
In Matthew 6, Jesus assures us that the When we pray the prayer the Lord taught His disciples, we start with some very important words, “Our Father…” The word
Father feeds the birds of the air. There is a word of caution here.
Jesus warns us not to
father in Hebrew means the strength of the house. He is the guardian and the guide.
be slothful. We must be diligent in our work
When
diligence is to find out why God made us the way He did. Psalm 139 makes it very clear that
we
say,
“Our
Father,”
we
are
submitting ourselves to His authority. Many who read this do not associate the word “father” with someone who is strong, kind, and loving. Their fathers were selfish, cold,
and with our money. The first act of that
each of us is a custom design of our heavenly Father. Would He have designed us so carefully and not had a plan for us?
and cruel. They only experienced abuse and
“…And forgive us our debts, as we also
abandonment. So when they pray, “Our
have forgiven our debtors…” This translation
Father…” it brings feelings of fear or anger.
is a reflection of the Greek form of speech. It
That is why the first two words are followed by, “…Who is in heaven.” He is our perfect
is a continuing action from the moment it starts. How simple our lives would be if we
Father.
just forgave.
It would take care of so many
family problems, ulcers and loneliness. To
forgive a person does not mean that what they did was okay. It means that we no longer choose to do the Father’s work in the action that brought us pain. We will allow God to take care of the situation. Many times our bitterness and anger have been a road block keeping God away. When we forgive and let go, God has “a clean shot” at rescuing them. “…And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” God does not lead us into temptation; we go into temptation when we abandon His way and go our own. James tells us that God cannot be tempted nor does He tempt any man. Our temptations come when we are drawn away by our fleshly desires. He is our deliverance from evil (1 Corinthians 10:13). “…For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever (and ever).
He
owns us, He rules us, and He gets all the honor and glory. When we pray like this, our prayers will be powerful. We will be people of amazing strength and grace. The peace of God that goes beyond anything we can understand will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7) ~Pastor Chuck Hamby
.
I kept hearing repeatedly: Forgive and it shall be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over
(Luke 6:
38). As I kept hearing it, I thought--no--that scripture says "Give and it shall be given to you.. I then found myself telling the Lord: It’s about giving, you know, that 'money scripture that some ministries use at offering time. The Holy Spirit said to me, "It can mean giving forgiveness and giving away all that I told you to give away." Then He said, "Look up the verse and see what comes before verse 38..."
So I obeyed and I
saw the word forgiveness in verse 37, saying this: "Forgive--and you will be forgiven..."
I then asked myself a question?
AM I GIVING
FORGIVENESS?
It's interesting because in the same chapter in Luke, the Subtitle is "Judging Others."
We are then instructed not to judge and not to
condemn and are called to forgive!
They were all lumped together
bringing home a point! I had never seen it before in this way, all lumped together. all to be used together indicating that they are linked together in some way. Judging, Condemning, and Not Forgiving!
DO WE NOT FORGIVE BECAUSE WE JUDGE OR CONDEMN? We judge situations and we measure the hurt. We want our hurt to be justified!
So we withhold our ability to forgive. Why do we withhold
forgiveness? Who are we hurting when we purposely choose to NOT forgive?
I think we choose not to forgive because we hold onto the hurt; wanting them to pay. That's called revenge! We need to ask ourselves,: Is that healthy when we want revenge; when we want that person(s) to pay for what they said or what they did? When we do not forgive and allow that unforgiveness to settle within us--not dealt with--It turns to bitterness...
Warning! Bitterness is a poison that destroys the spirit of a person! Medically, when someone has a 'poison' in their bloodstream, it is a toxin that starts to affect other areas of the body...it affects organs--as the infection grows.
Think about this: Unforgiveness that has turned to bitterness, affects other areas of our life, it becomes like gangrene that spreads. There are so many illnesses’ that have manifested in the human body that are a result of unforgiveness, such as, high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic back pain, anxiety disorders, etc... Do I need to continue?
For whatever reason we justify and hold on to unforgiveness, thinking its right, but in truth it will only poison us!. If we choose NOT to forgive we are setting ourselves up for many years of pain and suffering.
I am not saying it's easy but we must strive to let it go. Jesus taught that, He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends (Prov. 17:9) How many relationships are ruined because an offense is not forgiven? families, friends, ministries are separated because we chose to 'repeat the matter’?
How many Meaning,
to 'get back' at that person by offending them in return. We repeat the offense and now we are separated from that friend and loved one, or that parent or spouse, that brother or sister in the Lord. We have held on to 'wanting to be right' or held on to 'proving they were wrong'. The ugly sin of pride comes in and gives the devil a wedge to put between us and the other person. Dividers and wedges are separating friends, loved ones, spouses. and we are choosing to give the devil permission to put these wedges in our lives by choosing not to forgive..
How many more families will be separated because of unforgiveness? How many more friends will we loose because of choosing to stay offended? Years are lost in fellowship with those people, relationships are severed and cut off, wounds go un-healed, pain goes un-healed, and now, bitterness has settled inside, releasing toxic poisons in our heart.
I can hear many saying, "You don't know what they said about me! - You don't know what they did to me!". You are right, I don't know what they said or did, but I do know who does! I know that God knows and understands your hurt; He knows and understands how you feel? He,
Jesus was falsely accused, He was hurt, wounded, spat on, so He understands hurt caused by people you love.
Choose to let go...and let God! When you do, it will set you free. For when we choose to 'hold on to the offense we are only hurting ourselves! When we choose to hold on to the offense, we then give the ‘offense’ power over us and we are enslaved to it. We are in bondage to it!
-Bitterness is a bondage -Bitterness is deep rooted and uglier than we think -Bitterness clouds our judgment the way we see things and in the way we see people -Bitterness hinders our relationship--First with God, then with others -Bitterness feeds into hatred
WHO WANTS TO LIVE IN ALL OF THAT? This is why Jesus said, In your anger do not sin; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry; and do not give the devil an opportunity (Eph. 4: 26-27). The word opportunity is power or place of operation, an area of legal control. translations say, "Do not give the devil a foothold."
Some
A foothold is a place--do not make room.
Simply put, Do NOT give the devil a way to defeat you! That's exactly what happens when we choose not to deal with the anger from an offense, or from a hurt! Somehow we think that when we choose to hold on to the offense, we are holding it against that person and we are "winning", when in reality we are letting the devil defeat us! We are not winning! We are loosing and it is causing destruction in our lives--inside and out!
Choose to take care of the offense quickly! Lay down pride and forgive. Forgiveness is healing for our lives, and for the ones involved, which can affect an entire family! When we release that offense, we are releasing that person to God and He will work in their lives, just as He works in our lives., to help us with all of those areas that have shut Him out..
Let go and Let God!
He can restore, heal and mend. For He heals the brokenhearted and
binds up their wounds (Ps. 147: 3).
For The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves
those who are crushed in spirit (Ps. 34: 18).
In our brokenness, our hurt, He is closer to us than
we think. Let Him help you - Let Him save you.
Forgive as we have been forgiven. For when Jesus cried out into the airwaves, on His last breath, He took upon Himself that offense, saying, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23: 34). Choose to forgive! It will free you...It will resurrect you...It will resurrect your life!
There is a parable that Jesus told : Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother, when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Then Jesus immediately goes on saying, The
kingdom of heaven is like a KING who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
(Mt. 18:
21-23)
The King is saying, "It's time to settle accounts!! The King wants our accounts settled with His servants! He wants us settled, well and healed!! It’s time to settle those things. time to settle those areas of unforgiveness. If the other party involved chooses to stay offended then your account is settled. We are responsible and accountable for ourselves.
We have been informed to Settle matters quickly with your adversary (Mt. 5: 25). For that's who we are fighting against anyways; the adversary (the devil), not the person. He is the one who has put wedges between us and our loved ones, or our friends. He is the one who keeps whispering in our ear saying, "Don't forgive them...You didn't deserve that!" Who are we going to listen to?
Love forgives again and again. -Above all, love each other deeply, because love 'covers over' a multitude of sins.
(1 Peter 4:
8). -Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs ( 1 Cor. 13: 5). -Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just AS CHRIST GOD FORGAVE YOU ( Eph. 4: 32). Sometimes the first place we have to start is with forgiving ourselves!!!
~Mary Beth Pecora
“My boyfriend and I both love God, so how do we keep our relationship pure?” For the most part, this question is easier to answer than the previous two.
If you are already at
this point – dating a Christian man who wants to live for God as much as you do – then you’ll probably be on the same page when it comes to honoring God with your bodies. Maybe you’re not there yet, and that’s okay.
God has a good, holy, and perfect plan for you,
and He wants you to walk out that plan with Him.
He will continually guide you to become
more and more aligned to His plan and purpose as you seek Him. say about this topic:
So let’s see what He has to
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his
body, but he who sins sexually, sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body is
a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NIV). When you give yourself away, you’re doing just that – giving up a part of you that cannot be returned.
God doesn’t want you fragmented; He wants you whole!
one (see Genesis 2:24). nothing is lost!
In marriage two become
Therefore, when you engage in intimate acts inside of marriage,
God knows what He’s doing!
because He can or just wants to.
He doesn’t just make up rules for the fun of it, or
He always has your best interests at heart.
If the goal and desire of your relationship is to honor God, He will certainly help you do just that! 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it it (NIV). always give you a way out if you’re willing to take it. want to physically express that.
God will
Naturally, when you love someone, you
It is, therefore, wise to set up boundaries and rules to keep
you on track with your goals. Here are some suggestions:
Have a serious conversation with your boyfriend/fiancé regarding purity.
Openly
discuss the goal of your relationship honoring God and what that means to both of you.
Make a curfew.
It may sound silly, but it works!
Whether you’re in the middle of a
movie or just wanting to say goodnight one last time…stop what you’re doing and part ways for the night.
Period.
Don’t bend your rules.
Once you cross a boundary that you’ve set, it will be easier to
cross it (and others) next time.
Stay accountable.
I had a friend who went to a Christian college.
When socializing
was co-ed, the college had a rule – one shoe in the door, two feet on the floor.
If you
honestly want to be pure, then whatever you’re doing during your time with your boyfriend should be able to be viewed by anyone nearby without worry.
Also, don’t put
yourself in compromising situations.
Remember that sin is fun for a time, but as long as you’re sensitive to God’s leading, you will always feel guilty later.
God’s Word says – Every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17 NIV). and it is a sacred and awesome gift from Him.
He’s not a prude.
God made sex,
He just loves you and wants
you blessed in every way – not fragmented and feeling guilty, but whole and holy! than just being moral for morality’s sake, and it can’t be based on your willpower.
It’s more When you
truly know the love and the One Who is behind the plan of purity, it makes all the difference. I pray that you see the value of honoring God in this way, and that your faith and trust are increased to seek Him in this area of obedience! Jamie Clawson jamie@enduringhopeministries.com