Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Dating

• His Name is Everlasting Father!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 29, 2020

  Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” NKJV

  

  Jesus loves the little children
  All the children of the world
  Red, brown, yellow
  Black and white
  They are precious in His sight
  Jesus loves the little children
  Of the world!

  his-name-is-everlasting-father_-1.mp3

  I learned this song in Sunday School, or Vacation Bible School, as a child! If you were brought up in a Christian environment, or, are raising your children in one, you probably have learned it, also! As children we are taught of the God who loves us, and as adults, we tend to forget how very much we are loved by Him. A father’s love has the power to bring security and peace of mind, while the lack thereof can bring dysfunction, insecurities and a host of other negative things. There is one Father, who will always be available to His children, Jesus! His name is Everlasting Father!

  Jesus told us that when we pray, we are to refer to God as our Father. On many occasions He called God, His Father! Now, we will look for the qualities of a Father in our Savior, understanding that He is the Everlasting Father! Pretty much, this verse in Isaiah 9:6 is saying that the Child born to us, would be God! Every aspect of God that we love and saw demonstrated in the Old Testament, has been made available to us through Jesus!

  In Ephesians 1, Paul wrote that we were predestined to adoption as sons by Jesus to Himself. As we believe on Jesus, because He is God, He is also our Father! In Hebrews 2, the writer stated that the captain of our salvation (Jesus) is bringing many sons to glory! Who has sons? A Father!

  My husband is an amazing dad! As I’ve watched him with our daughters, in their formative years, and even now, I can say that I envy them and their relationship. My father died early in my life, and even before he died, he had too many kids, and too many responsibilities to be much more than a provider. But my husband is such a great dad, that I have even heard my girls reference their relationship with God, to their relationship with their dad. It’s the picture God intended for them to have.

  One important quality in a dad, to me, is being present. My husband was a pilot in the Navy. When he left the Navy he could’ve been a commercial pilot, as many of his friends had become. However, he chose to forego that career because he wanted to be with his family. He didn’t want to miss out on anything in their life. Jesus said to us that He would never leave us, nor would He forsake us. He promised to be with us til the ends of the world. That’s staying power! That’s being present! Not just as we are growing, but until the world ends! No other father can make that statement, but Jesus does!

  My girls like to talk with their dad. They talk about politics, their jobs, and anything else that they want to, with him. He’s always listened to them. They know from years of experience that he is there for them. Jesus bids us to come and talk to Him. He said that if we are burdened, or carrying a load, to bring it to Him because He will give us rest! Day or night, we can go to Jesus! He is never too busy, or too tired; and any conversation we are willing to have with Him, He will have with us. He’s our Everlasting Father!

  Another quality of a good father, is that he is wise. My husband invests, and because of that, he has counseled our daughters to be investors. Their first job saw them investing, and when they have questions about investments, they talk to their dad. When they have major decisions to make, or even minor ones, they want to know what he thinks. Jesus is filled with wisdom. He tells us how to conduct our lives. He talks to us about our relationships with others. He gives us insight into what bad choices will do for our lives. He talks to us about our future, reminding us that our past doesn’t have to define us. He gets to the heart of the matter in a conversation, and tells us what we need to hear, and not what we want to hear. Just like a father! Why? Because His name is Everlasting Father!

  He is a great provider, that husband of mine. He wanted our girls to go to college without loans, or worry of how it would be financed. Each of them left undergrad debt free. We made the sacrifices for them so that they would have a healthier financial start in life. They had their own car in college so that they could come home whenever they wanted to. They even had their own room, when they asked for it, so that they would not have to worry about anything but school. They all had a part time job, and they respected and appreciated the sacrifices, but as their dad, he really wanted to do this for them.

  Jesus is the same way. Even better. He is a great provider. He said that we are not to worry about what we would eat, or drink, or even wear; because our Father knows that we have need of all of these things. He just encouraged us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and He promised that these things shall be added to us. In other words, material things were a simple addition to life, when our focus was on being with Him and working in His kingdom. Every great father, welcomes His children into the family business!

  Fathers can be great role models. Our children are a reflection of both of us. However, they are daddy’s girls to the max. I would even say that a lot of the love and attention that I get from him, they expect. Their daddy, to them is the measuring rod of any man looking for their attention. Jesus is an amazing example of all that is good and wholesome, and holy, and loving. We know what a Christian looks like, because we see what Jesus’ life was like. We live daily to let our lives be a reflection of Him. His example is so powerful in nature, that even people who don’t know Him try to imitate Him!

  Originally, when I started this blog, I was thinking on a different plane. But recently, I had a conversation with someone who remarked on how spoiled I am; and she asked me if my husband had spoiled our daughters like he has spoiled me? As I thought of their relationship, I knew the way this blog should be written!

  Did I forget to mention love! Any great dad has an uncanny ability to make each of his children feel loved and special. My husband certainly fills that role in our daughters lives. Did I mention that I am jealous? Only slightly, because the rest of me is thrilled beyond measure to see him love on our daughters. Oh how He loves you and me, this Everlasting Father of ours! His love sent Him to the cross! His love for us got Him up! His loves for us, sent us a Comforter! His love for us know no bounds! It is an unending love, that says nothing can change His love for us! What a wonderful Father He is!

  Let me just say this for those who need to hear it. My husband isn’t perfect, our girls aren’t perfect, our life isn’t perfect! But we have trusted Jesus, the Everlasting Father, to lead and guide our family. He is the Head of our household and we acknowledge that with no problem. Everything I have mentioned, Jesus is that and more! His Fatherhood is forever, and we can always count on it; for us, for our children, for our children’s children. I rejoice today in my loving, Everlasting Father, Jesus the Christ! What about you? Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in fathers, His Name, Jesus | 2 Comments | Tagged children, Dating, Everlasting Father, Heavenly Father, Jesus, love, Parenting, provision, relationships, Salvation, wisdom

• Put it to the Test!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 17, 2020

  1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 – “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. NKJV

  

  put-it-to-the-test_.mp3

  In this letter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul is full of advice. In actuality, his advice is more accurately called exhortations, or words of encouragement meant to push the believer into becoming more mature. The part that I want to look at today is, “test all things”.

  My husband shares the story of one of our first dates. He and I went to a pizza place to eat. When we placed our drink order, he asked for a beer. I didn’t say anything while the server was present, but afterwards I remarked on the fact that I was surprised he ordered a beer. To be perfectly honest, I told him that if a Christian friend of mine was to walk past us, I would be embarrassed. He said that he didn’t have to have the beer and that he wasn’t a drinker. Years later, when I mentioned this event, he said it was a test to see how I would respond in an uncomfortable situation. I can also honestly say that I never saw him drink beer again, so I can accept his explanation. He put me to the test, and I passed the test! One of many according to him! But I want you to know that I had some tests of my own!

  In life, we will find ourselves in many situations where we will have to put something to the test. During a courtship is a perfect time for testing. Having warm fuzzy feelings for an individual is great, but I can assure you that the feelings don’t last with the wrong person. It’s easy to take people at face value, when you think you are in love, but people can be pretentious. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people got married, only to later say, “I don’t know this person”! That advice was free!

  When looking into the word, there are a few things that we are to test, starting with ourselves! This test, according to the Vine’s is for the sake of “approving”. Paul is basically telling us that we get to give our approval of all things in this life. Many want us to believe that we should just take everything that happens, especially in the church, without having an opinion about them, but I don’t agree! And neither does Paul, for he said to test all things! When it comes to people, however, I think we should definitely understand what things we are testing!

  Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5 – NKJV

  Isn’t it interesting that Paul encouraged us to examen ourselves so that we would know if Jesus was really in us! We all feel like we can tell if someone is saved or not. I’m certainly guilty of this opinion. Here, Paul is saying, “examine yourself”. You know if you are the real deal or not, for the proof really is in the pudding. In the faith isn’t talking about how you believe God for things, but if you are a member of His family. Put it to the test! I can tell you one thing, this pandemic is helping us to “examine” ourselves, rather we wanted to or not, to determine if we are in the faith!

  Another thing we can test is our spiritual leadership! Yes we can!

  But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 1 Timothy 3:10 – NKJV

  In the church, almost anybody can be a deacon, it seems, today. Years ago, I was attending a church, when a deacon said from the pulpit that Mary was not a virgin. On that note, I found another place to worship. We can’t just attend church because of our soul ties and connections. If the word isn’t being preached, and the leadership isn’t living a godly life, they have failed the most important test! Put them to the test! Jesus commended one of the churches in Revelation for this very thing:

  “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; Revelation 2:2 – NKJV

  This isn’t being judgmental, it’s testing them. Not with paper and pencil! Not by being judgmental! But watch their life and listen to what they say! If that person can’t hold up to the test of the word, then you should pray about your next steps. I have been blessed through the years to have some really good pastors, but I put them to the test, without them knowing it! So don’t be ridiculous in the testing! Had the congregants tested Jim Jones and people like him, they would have been spared a horrible end!

  Then there are spirits! There are so many spirits that we have to test them and see if they are from God or not!

  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 – NKJV

  Yes! I believe in the gift of prophecy, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t test the spirits of the “prophets” or the spirits behind situations. Try the spirits! If it’s of God, it will stand the test, and if it’s not of God, then it won’t!

  God gives us permission to put Him to the test in the area of tithing:

  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10 – NKJV

  He is so confident in the blessing of the tithe that He said you could put Him to test with it! Go ahead and start tithing and see if He won’t bless you!

  And then there is the trying of the word! Everything that we are told that the word says, doesn’t necessarily mean that the word says it. This is where studying the word comes into play, to prove if what we are being taught is so:

  Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Acts 17:10-11 – NKJV

  Paul knew he was telling the truth, and yet he was impressed with the Bereans studying the scriptures to see if what he taught was true. I’m skeptical of people who get upset when they know people are checking out what they say in the word. One thing I love about the ministers I know, they get happy when they see or hear others studying the word. I can remember as a kid, that I saw Jim Jones throw the Bible on the floor. Ah! It’s time to leave! Why does this keep coming to my mind tonight? Is someone involved in a ministry that is questionable? If that’s you, put it to the test, and then do what God tells you to do!

  I have to close, but I leave you with the words of Solomon:

  All this I have proved by wisdom… Ecclesiastes 7:23 – NKJV

  Proving all things involves the wisdom of God. Whether you are testing a person’s character because you want to marry them, or testing yourself, wisdom from God will be your top priority. Don’t walk around thinking that you are being used by the devil when you privately “test’ something by the Spirit of God. Notice, I said privately! And as you seek wisdom from Him, He will help you to prove all things! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in encouragement, God’s Requirements, Prophecy, Prophetic, will of God | 0 Comments | Tagged bad leaders, Believer, Berea, blessings, church leaders, Dating, Marriage, Paul, prophecies, relationships, testing, Tithing, will of God, wisdom, word of God

• Flee Delilah!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on April 23, 2020

  Judges 16:6 – So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.” NKJV

  Let me begin by stating that Samson is mentioned in the hall of faith chapter in Hebrews. So even though he got it wrong, he got it right! That is an encouragement right there! But in today’s blog I want to address the single people who read my blog and what Samson got so wrong!

  In this verse, Samson is a grown man. He’s had many victories in his life as well as many defeats. He is judging Israel, defending them from the Philistines, over and over again, but he does some really “dumb” things along the way. Some of those things, scripture tells us, was divinely led even in their acts of stupidity, but it just goes to show that God can use us just as we are to accomplish great things.

  The thing I want to address today is Delilah’s and Samson’s relationship. I want to start out by saying, it was a horrible relationship! He is definitely unequally yoked. He has a calling on his life and she is a prostitute. That’s equivalent to the saved individual getting attached to the unsaved individual. This is the start of a bad situation that keeps getting worst.

  The scripture doesn’t enlighten us as to how long they were together before she started nagging him, but nag him she did. She was an instrument of the devil to bring his life to an end. And the really sad part of this whole scenario, she didn’t make it a secret! What’s up with that? How do you spend time with someone who makes no bones about the fact that they are truly not interested in your well being, whether it is by their words or actions?

  Delilah went straight to the heart of the matter. She first asked him to tell her what makes him strong and then how can he be bound that he might be afflicted? Shall I translate that it today’s vernacular? What makes you anointed and how do I destroy that anointing in your life that I might destroy you? Whoa!! Or, are you a virgin because my thing is that I like being the first of the women I date?! Or, do you have a house and a job, my women have to be able to show me that they don’t need my money? That’s pretty shocking to me to think that she boldly asks him this question and he doesn’t see it as a sign that he needs to run! Nope! Not Samson! Because he thought that he was invincible and that nothing could hurt him. He thought that he could toy forever with sin and still walk in the anointing. Again I ask, “what’s up with that?”

  Christian singles!! Don’t sell yourself or your God short! Yes, God used him and he ended up in the hall of faith, because in the end he humbled himself and died with his enemies. But I can’t believe that was God’s plan for his life! Something good came out of something ugly, but it didn’t have to be. You are precious to God and He wants to give you the best life that you can have. But you are going to have to trust your relationships to Him and live by His guidelines in the word to make that happen!

  I was dating a young man who asked me a question (of course this was many years ago). He asked, “What would you do if you got pregnant for me?” My response to him was, “I’m not going to get pregnant for you so there’s nothing to discuss!” He said, “No, seriously! What would you do?” See, this young man was testing me to see if I was open to the idea of having sex with him. He was letting me know this by his question. I had to shut that mess down! I told him that in order for me to get pregnant for him, we would have to have sex, and since we weren’t going to have sex, the question was pointless! I dissolved the relationship!

  I don’t believe that people fall into sexual sin. I believe that we put ourselves in a position to get involved in sexual sin. One young lady was asked by a guy to go out with him. She told him that people date for sex and marriage. She didn’t want either with him! Delilah told Samson what she wanted. His destruction. She spelled it out for him. And instead of him shutting it down by leaving and not returning to visit her, he just kept going back and playing the game until it got his eyes put out and eventually brought his demise. Dating the wrong person can be so detrimental to the believer. It is so important that male or female, as believers, learn to walk away from ungodly relationships that the enemy sends to bring destruction and devastation in their lives.

  Maybe your Delilah isn’t out to kill you. But your Delilah could most certainly be sent from the devil to destroy you. And your Delilah could draw you from the Lord. Evil communications still corrupt good morals. It’s interesting how the word repeatedly let us know that in a relationship that is unequally yoked, we would be more inclined to be led astray than for us to win that person to the Lord? Missionary dating is a bad plan. Watch the person get saved, live for God, then you can take a chance on dating.

  Your Delilah could use you, break your heart, leave with a child to raise alone, and never look back. Your Delilah could use you to take advantage of free rent, the benefits of “marriage” without the commitment, and then take your possessions. You just don’t know! But the saddest thing is that your Delilah is not God’s best plan for your life. He could turn it around and use it for His glory, He’s good like that! But He’d rather you just flee the Delilahs that come along.

  Over and over again, she let Samson know she was no good. When a person lies to you over and over again, that’s not a good relationship, flee Delilah! When a person hits you over and over again, that’s not a good relationship, flee Delilah! When a person stands you up over and over again, that’s not a good relationship, flee Delilah! When a person pressures you over and over again to drink, to do drugs, to have sex, to give them money, or any number of things these are your clues that you are in a situation just like Samson was with Delilah. This is your clue you need to run for the hills and thanking God for the strength to do so. It’s where your help is!

  You will not be the lucky one that makes it out on the other side with no side effects. You will not win that kind of person to the Lord. No matter how many Christian romance books you read that say differently. You need to break that ungodly tie and trust God with a mate that is for you.

  Is that hard? Yes! Does that mean that you might be without a mate for a while, or forever? That’s a real possibility! But it’s better to be single and whole, with your relationship with God in tact, then to be broken time and time again because you just couldn’t walk away anymore than Samson could. I don’t get Samson, and I don’t get staying in a relationship that’s a train wreck waiting to happen. Love yourself and God enough to walk away while you still can. He’s there to be your Way to a better relationship in Him. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Dating, Single Christians | 1 Comment | Tagged Dating, Delilah, relationships, Samson, singleness

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