Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Family

• A Heritage of Faith!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 24, 2021

  Proverbs 13:22 – A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children… NKJV

  

  a-heritage-of-faith_.mp3

  Solomon wrote that a good man will leave his children, and his children’s children an inheritance. Some may read this and feel as if they are obviously not good enough because they have nothing to leave their family. Well, here’s some good news for you! If you leave them a heritage of faith, you leave them so much more than money!

  When our ancestors were in slavery, they had it pretty bad. Some believe that when the slaves were brought to America, it was a good thing because they found Christ. Others believe that some were brought here knowing Him already. I believe they are both probably true. I don’t think God needed slavery and all the harsh things slaves endured to get Black people introduced to the wonders of His love. But He is a God that wastes nothing! And through the harshness of slavery, faith was anchored where hope was trying to be destroyed. A people who had no voice, learned to pray to the God who heard their cry. Songs of despair gave way to songs of faith! And the rest as they say, is history!

  Many slaves learned to have a deep, abiding faith in the Lord. Harriet Tubman, SoJourner Truth, Frederick Douglas, and others speak of their intense love for God. They speak of His leading them, of His comfort, of His love. These great men and women, who acquired their freedom, also acquired a rich heritage of faith that helped them to accomplish greater things than they had even imagined. This faith was passed on to the next generation.

  Faith that inspired men like George Washington Carver, who spoke of his quiet time with the Lord being the place where his many creations were downloaded to him by the Spirit of God. Faith that inspired a Black man to start a college for the sole purpose of educating black people. Faith that caused Black people to see themselves as something other than laborers for someone else’s benefit.

  Dreaming the impossible dream, led to Blacks like Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn who became scientists in NASA; who may have been hidden, but who couldn’t stay hidden. Whether it was their faith, or the faith of their parents, faith moved the barriers of racism for them to go to another level in a world that was previously closed to Black people.

  In the Civil Rights movement, faith was prevalent in the lives of those who were at the forefront of activism. In neither slavery, nor the civil rights movement, were Black people alone in their journey. God used many people who were white to assist and propel their causes to the forefront of humanity. So I understand that! But as Black people, those in the movement relied heavily on their faith!

  The Black church was a symbol of freedom, a podium of hope for a brighter day. As men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stood and preached God’s word about the kingdom of God, a desire and a strong faith was birthed to possess the kingdom, on earth! Many believed in the need for social justice, and they faced governmental authorities, mobs, and violence in their quest. But their trust, their great strength, their unyielding passion came out of their relationship with the God who created the ends of the earth!

  I was born into such a family. A family with great financial struggles, but deep ties to the things of God. We were a family that went to church without fail. We were taught to pray. We were encouraged to trust God. And today, many of us still embrace our faith-filled heritage as we sojourn through this world!

  Today, as I blog, I am grateful for the inheritance of faith that has come down to me through our people, through my family. Nothing could hold us back, and nothing could hold us down, once we came to know Jesus! Today we are doing amazing things. I have seen God take our people from segregated schools to running the schools, the cities, the states, and the nation! Look at God!

  Not only that! I have seen God use Blacks in spreading the gospel of the kingdom. From William Seymour at Azusa Street to the many men and women of God who are yet preaching the gospel from the pulpit, our heritage continues. Faith and love are key to breaking down the walls that yet divide us, but those walls will not stop us! We will continue to trust God to do what only He can do in us and through us, for His glory!

  My parents left this world early, and I wasn’t a recipient of anything material either. But they taught me about Jesus! I learned to pray and trust God. I learned to open my mouth and give Him praise. In teaching me about Jesus they gave me a hope and a future. I am so thankful that I tapped into my heritage of faith! I married a man whose family is also tapped into their heritage of faith! As I see siblings, in-laws, our children, nieces and nephews, and other family members serve the Lord, I know they will continue enjoying the blessings of our faith filled heritage and will pass it on! Why? Because they have been given a legacy of faith, that shouts loudly, with God, all things are possible! Wonderful Jesus!

  prayer-for-salvation-4.mp3

  Posted in Black History, Faith, Family, Heroes of Faith, Jesus | 4 Comments | Tagged civil rights movement, Faith, Family, freedom, George Washington Carver, God, hard times, Harriet Tubman, heritage, slavery, Sojourner Truth, trust in God

• There’s Power in the Blood!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on July 28, 2020

  Revelation 12:11 – And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV

  

  there-is-power-in-the-blood.mp3

  Lewis E. Jones wrote the hymn, “There is Power in the Blood” in 1899. It is still sung today. The questions he asked are:

  • Would you be free from your burdens of sin?
  • Would you, a victory over evil win?
  • Would you be free from your passion and pride? Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide!
  • Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? Sin stains are lost in it’s life giving flow!
  • Would you do service for Jesus your King?
  • Would you live daily His praises to sing?

  Then Lewis repeatedly answers the questions by saying, “There’s power in the Blood!” I’m sure you have heard, and know this hymn, but here’s the chorus:

  There is power, power, wonder working power
  In the Blood, of the Lamb!
  There is power, power, wonder working power
  In the precious Blood of the Lamb!

  Jones understood a basic, yet profound truth, that whatever you need, there is power enough in the Blood to bring it to pass. My previous post on the first line of defense being the Blood of Jesus, through provision of salvation is where it starts, not where it ends. The Blood of Jesus will not only lift your burdens of sin, wash you whiter than snow, and destroy the bondage of passion and pride; it will also give you victory over evil, empower you to live daily for the King, and enable you to serve Him. It’s in the Blood!

  I’m re-reading a book, written by Billye Brim, “The Blood and the Glory!” It’s one of the best books I’ve read on the subject. In her book, she gives testimony after testimony of the power of the Blood for protection. She writes about the principle of applying the Blood and pleading the Blood over our lives, our families, our properties, and our businesses. Basically, over everything!

  I want to share one of her testimonies. I will generalize it so that I am not copying from her text. This happened pre-cell phone days. There was a minister who had to go to Canada to conduct some services. The power of God was moving and people were getting saved and set free. The devil spoke to him and told him that he was going to kill his children. He responded by saying, “Devil, you’re a liar! You cannot kill my children.” The devil told him that he was going to use rabid foxes to kill his children. He remembered that someone had mentioned to him, they had seen foxes on his land before he had left. So he and some friends drew a blood line of protection around his property. A week later he received a letter from his brother saying that he had found five dead foxes on the boundary of his property and they were all tested and had rabies! Now that’s power!

  She also shares testimonies from Mrs. C. Z. Nuzum’s book, “The Life of Faith”. Mrs. Nuzum was a missionary in Mexico and she trusted the Blood of Jesus would protect her from violence, from a bulldog, a raging fever as she went to help a family, a drunk man who followed her to bring her harm, and a number of other instances. There is power in the Blood!

  I’ve already talked about the protection at Passover. Today, I will remind you of Rahab, who was protected with a token of the blood. When she hid the spies, she had a conversation with them about saving her and her family. The spies told her that if she and her family stayed in the house, they would be protected, as long as she kept her end of the bargain. As she lowered them from her window, using a scarlet cord, they told her that she should tie that cord to the window, and when the Israelites came, and saw the cord, her home would receive protection. That cord was a token of the blood. It saved her entire family from destruction when the walls of Jericho fell. As a matter of fact, her walls didn’t even fall. You’ll have to go back and read the story in its entirety, but there is power even in the token of the Blood.

  What does that mean for you and I. When we are born again, we have the Blood applied to our hearts, but we can also apply it, or plead it over us and our family for protection. I have done so on numerous occasions for myself and my family, and it works! I have gotten lax, but I am thankful for this reminder, during the coronavirus outbreak that there is power in the Blood to protect us.

  Let me say this! Smith Wigglesworth, a man whose life and ministry I greatly admire, was used mightily by God to heal the sick, and to restore life and limb to individuals. But when it came to health, he did the natural things necessary to stay healthy. When it was cold outside, he wore a coat, scarf, and a hat. When it was raining, he used an umbrella. He understood the authority he had over sickness and disease, but he didn’t give place to the devil. Jesus, the Son of God, said that we are not to tempt the Lord our God. Just because God has given His angels to protect us, doesn’t mean we go about defying death. So with the coronavirus, just because we are covered in the Blood, and can apply the Blood, doesn’t mean we need to walk around like we are untouchable. We don’t operate in fear, and we don’t run from life, but we walk in faith, trusting God, not trying to prove that we are invincible.

  How does it work? You say, “In the Name of Jesus, I plead the Blood of Jesus over my body against ___________________”! This is not prayer! It’s a decree, based on the Word of God, and done in faith! You can, by faith, apply the Blood to your vehicles, to your home, over your business. You can by faith, draw a bloodline, in the same way. As you go, the Spirit of God can prompt you, or you can operate by faith! I am out of space, but for more on the Blood, check out the scriptures in the Bible related to blood, and check out those books I mentioned. When you finish them, you will be more equipped to use this weapon, and to overcome the enemy, by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus! He cannot fail! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Jesus, supernatural, the Blood of Jesus, weapons of warfare | 4 Comments | Tagged apply the blood, Believer, coronavirus, Deliverance, draw a bloodline, Faith, Family, Jesus, plead the Blood, protection, Rahab, Salvation, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the Blood of Jesus, the devil, trust in God, victory

• Boaz’s Mom!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 10, 2020

  Matthew 1:5- “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse” NKJV

  

  Rahab is an interesting woman to me. She is often referred to, in scripture, and therefore by us, as Rahab the harlot. Today, I would like to take a look at Rahab, the ex-harlot, the mother of Boaz.

  In the second chapter of the book of Joshua, two spies are sent out to “look over” the land. In doing so, they end up at Rahab’s establishment. In my Logos commentary it is mentioned that Rahab’s place could have been more like a hostel or tavern, than a brothel, where visitors could have respite from their travels. I can’t prove that, but I am going to go with that! We know they did not stop for sinful reasons, but to check out what was going on in Jericho.

  Of course Rahab would be interested in these strangers in her place. They could have had a conversation, God could have given her a dream, or she could have just saw an opportunity and grabbed it. We don’t know for sure! But we do know that she hid the men in her home, lied to the king’s men about their whereabouts, and made plans with them to spare her life and the lives of her family members, as she had spared theirs.

  Rahab and her family were rescued and became a part of the Israelites, not as slaves, but as honored members of the Israelites, at least Rahab did. We know this because she later married Salmon, a leader of the Israelites and gave birth to Boaz. This is her summary that we all know, but now I want to talk about her as a mother.

  Salmon saw qualities in Rahab that surpassed his knowledge of her past. Although she may have been a harlot, by the time she was rescued, this was not the life she would continue with. Let’s look at some of her qualities:

  1. She was a woman of faith-Every action of hers involving the spies shows that she had already transferred her allegiance from what she was taught to what she believed! She heard about what the Lord had done for the Israelites and in essence laid her trust in Him when she assisted them. Great moms truly believe that they are to diligently teach their children about the Lord, and I believe that both Rahab and Salmon had many opportunities to share with Boaz the wonderful experiences they had in God.

  2. She was influential-She had a place of business, the king’s men trusted her word, and she was able to convince the spies that she could be trusted. She also convinced her family that leaving Jericho and placing their trust in the Lord and His people was a good thing. She continued exercising her influence over her son. This was evident by the fact that he later married Ruth, a Moabite woman, not a Jewish woman, whose commitment to God and family caught his eye.

  3. She was a caring woman-She could’ve just made plans for herself, but she didn’t. She saved her father’s household. This was instilled in her son, because it was Ruth’s care for Naomi that got Boaz’s attention.

  4. She was courageous-Lying to the spies and being caught was a possibility, and yet, she did what she had to do to save herself and her family. Again, it is obvious that Boaz had a great deal of respect for his mother’s courage because Ruth’s courage captured his attention.

  She was also a hard working woman, a no-nonsense kind of woman, and she appealed to Salmon. When he saw her, he didn’t see a harlot, but a woman of faith, of courage, of genuine concern for others, adaptable, and one who had the favor of God on her life. He saw the mother of his children. And today, I salute this mother, Boaz’s mother, as someone we can model our lives after.

  Just like Rahab, mothers today have a huge influence on their children. Our children will gravitate to our faith if it is a deep, abiding faith in the Lord. They will embrace our God and look for a mate who also embraces Him. When they see our love, our care for others, they too will become adults who care for others, demonstrating it to their family, friends, and even strangers. When they see our courage in the midst of the storms of life, they too learn to take courage and to not fear because it was modeled before them.

  We do much, as mothers, for our families, for our children. Some times we may feel it’s no big deal, and other times we may feel overwhelmed and not appreciated; but what we do is so important! It really is! Rahab didn’t start out with the best background for being a mother, but with the help of God she turned out to not only being a great mom, but being in the lineage of King David and King Jesus! She didn’t allow her past to dictate her future or her kids future. She trusted God and did the best she could and she was loved and honored for it.

  I hope this encourage you today. I hope you see how valuable you are to your children, to your family. And more importantly, in light of today, I hope they see it! Have a wonderful day with Jesus and your family and continue to be the best mom you can be for His glory! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Mother’s Day | 4 Comments | Tagged Boaz, children, Family, Mother’s Day, Rahab, Ruth, Salmon

• The Battle For Family!

  Posted at 5:58 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on February 8, 2020

  Genesis 14:14 – “Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.” NKJV

  Family creates an interesting dynamic to the lives of believers. Some of our family members keep us on our knees praying, confessing, and believing God for their deliverance. If it wasn’t for the fact that we know worry is a sin, some of us would live in the place of worry. But this is nothing new! And there is some great news ahead!

  Abram had been given a directive from God to leave his country, his family, and his heritage to go to a place chosen by God (Genesis 12). And he did! Kinda sorta! He took his nephew, Lot, with him. It wasn’t that Lot was some little kid that needed Abram to raise him, but when Terah left Ur, he had taken Lot, so maybe Abram felt responsible for Lot. Whatever the reason, whatever the case, they are together.

  Both men are prosperous. Verse 2, of chapter 13 lets us know that Abram was very rich in livestock, silver and gold. And we find that Lot is prosperous when the herdsmen of Abram and Lot begin arguing over the water and the land. Not only do they have to share with each other this land and water, but we are told that they have to share with the Canaanites and the Perizzites as well.

  This causes them to have to separate from each other. Lot was given a choice by Abram in verse 9, “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot chooses to go to Sodom. Some translations of the Bible states that Lot moved near Sodom, while others refer to him moving into Sodom. Which ever way it really was, he eventually ended up living in Sodom.

  In chapter 14, a battle is gearing up, and Sodom and Gomorrah joins with three other kings to fight, five agains four. During the battle, Sodom and Gomorrah are overtaken, along with Lot and his goods. Someone escapes and tells Abram, and he gears up for battle. If you have not read this in its entirety, you should do so, because I can only give highlights. In our key verse, Abram, with his trained men, go in pursuit of Lot to recover him and his goods.

  It doesn’t matter to Abram that Lot made his own choice to live in Sodom. It doesn’t matter to Abram that five kings lost to four. It doesn’t even matter to Abram that in helping Lot, he will end up helping Sodom and Gomorrah, whom I am sure he understood the nature of their lives. No! The only thing that mattered to Abram was that his beloved nephew was in trouble and needed his help!

  I’ve lived long enough to know that we all have that family member that can get into some situations. Not always of their own making, it just seems that trouble follows him or her. But family is family! And if you are a believer, your heart for your family is to see every one of them delivered from the enemy, as Abram felt. Abram pursued those kings, rescued Lot and his positions, and all the prisoners and possessions. In other words, they went into that battle and recovered all, returning quite victorious!

  I am from a large family. I had seven sisters and two brothers. All with families of their own. So we have seen some things. I also married into a good sized family. My husband had five siblings. So our families combined with siblings, with nieces, nephews and cousins are quite extensive. We’ve fought many battles over the year. We’ve lost some (seemingly in the natural), we’ve won all (in the spirit), and we find that we have become trained warriors. There is no sitting back on our family members saying that they got themselves into that, or it’s their lifestyle, or we are tired of them. We fight for our family!

  My mother died from lupus while in her forties, leaving all of us very young. Many years later when my sister was in her forties, they diagnosed her with lupus. She called me and told me about it, saying that she was going die in her forties like mama. Something rose up on the inside of me, we know it was the Holy Ghost, and I decreed the devil is a liar! I prayed for her on that phone and continued to pray until I felt the victory. She went back to the doctor and they couldn’t find it! Glory!!! She’s in her sixties. Another time, she was about to lose her job (not sure why she keeps coming to mind) because a patient lied on her. I want you to know we got to praying and she never did lose that job! Years later, she is still on it!! God is such a good God! We’ve gone to battle against sickness and diseases, financial attacks, legal battles, setups, and put downs, and we find that there is nothing God won’t do!

  I have friends, church members, acquaintances, with similar victories. As a believer, I have noticed that when the devil really gets messy, he starts attacking our family members when he wants to get at us. But we have to have the same mind Abram had, “not my family” knowing that God will go with us! Abram had no fear of losing his life or the battle. God had made a promise to him about inheriting the land of Canaan. He couldn’t inherit it if he was dead. So he went out sure of his victory. God has made us similar promises. Promises of victory! Promises that greater is He that is with us, then he that is in the world! A promise that we are more than a conqueror! A promise of household salvation! A promise of generational blessings!

  Don’t you quit on your family! Even if you believe or know you are the only one praying, the only one standing on the promises, the only one who believes! God cares about your family, because He loves them more than you do! I believe this is the first physical battle mentioned in the Bible and it’s about family! What does that say? God is aware that family can get into some altercations, but He is for you and your family! Don’t accept drug addiction, alcohol addiction, unemployment, sickness and disease, and no other lying attack the devil comes up with! This is your family! Fight, for you are inked in as the winner! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Abraham, Believer, Christian, consequences, encouragement, Family, Genesis 14:14, hard times, Prayer, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living, victory

• Life After Death

  Posted at 1:49 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on July 1, 2019

  Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

  In my previous blog I wrote about the need to die to hypocrisy. The same hypocrisy that Paul addressed when he spoke to Peter and the other Messianic Believers of his day. The same hypocrisy that needs to be addressed in us all! But there is so much more we die to!

  We not only die to our old ways of thinking, behaving and acting, but we die to our sin. Paul knew that, and so did the others. I didn’t address it because he was talking to believers and that was understood. His point in this verse is that when they died to their sins, they died to the law and to their traditions. And it was worth it!

  But today I want to address life after death!

  Nevertheless, I live!” Paul has just mentioned the effects of his death by crucifixion, but he doesn’t stop there. He lets us know that he has been raised from that spiritual crucifixion to being very much alive. Paul could have just as easily said, “I have a new way of living since I died to my old way of living and it is much better than that old life I had because I am truly alive!”

  If you know anything about Saul of Tarsus, then you know that he was a busy man for the Sanhedrin and the cause of Judaism. As a young man he was zealous for God without any spiritual revelation of his knowledge. He went about gathering Believers and turning them over to be killed because he felt they were a bunch of heresy practicing lunatics! In Acts, Luke makes a point of letting us know that Paul was there when Stephen was martyred and was instrumental in his death! So Paul had a full and busy life, yet he recognized it was life he had to die to in order to live!

  “Yet not I, but Christ lives in me!” However, Paul is saying, I am not alive because of laws, traditions, and hypocrisy, but because Christ lives in me. By now I am sure the Jewish believers are squirming in their seats! Paul reminds them all, life didn’t begin for any of them until Christ came to live in them. Jew and Gentile both lay claim to same thing “salvation by faith in Jesus Christ”, because if they don’t, they are yet not living. True life springs forth from the life of Christ that radiates from the inside to the outside. It did then, and it does now.

  Jesus introduced this concept when He made the statement, “The thief comes but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I come that you may have life, and that more abundantly!” (John 10:10)

  I was just reminded of something that happened to me many years ago. We went to pick up a young lady for church services who lived in the projects of Chicago. My husband drove me there, but on the way he made a statement about her being in the tallest building without a working elevator in it, living on the top floor. I told him to stop it! But sure enough, it turned out to be true. He then decided that the girls and I should go back to the van and wait for him because he didn’t want us in that building.

  As I was headed back to the van, I saw four young men headed towards us and I knew by the Spirit of God that they were up to no good. I put my daughters in the van quickly, locked the door and turned to face them.

  The first thing that came out of my mouth was, “Have you heard that Jesus came to give you life and that more abundantly?” It stopped them in their tracks! They surely was not expecting that! As I began to share the gospel, that saved me from being robbed or something, three of them walked away and the fourth one prayed the prayer for salvation with me! Glory to God!! If that young man was sincere, he died to his sinful ways that he came to assault me with and walked over to new life in Christ!!! And when my husband came back down he reported that the young lady was not there and he knew she had probably given me the wrong address to begin with. But someone still got saved that day!!

  Paul reminded Peter of this new life and that there was so much more to it than being one way with the Jewish brethren and another way with the Gentile brothers. He reminded Peter that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and Life and that no one comes to the Father, but through Him!” And since that had happened with him and with the the Galatians, he should have known better. Abundant life in Jesus is not through our contacts, our heritage, our family, our works, or our church affiliation…only through Him and in Him!

  Life after death!! That is the greatest and most powerful testimony any of us can have! And it can be yours today if you have not been crucified with Him. Ask Him in today that you may be crucified to your death and alive in Him. Say this simple prayer: “Father God, I recognize that I have never given my life and my heart to you. Today I recognize I am in need of your salvation. I believe in You, God! And more importantly, I believe that Jesus is Your Son, who came to earth in the flesh and died on the cross for my sins. That He rose again from physical death and is alive in You. Forgive me of my arrogance of thinking that I could live my life without You. I want Him to be alive in me. Jesus come into my life today. Change it! Crucify the old man in me and make me alive in You! Then lead me where I can learn more about You so that our relationship can grow and I can experience life more abundantly. In Your Name I pray! Amen”

  Well, if you have prayed this prayer today, I welcome you into the family of God. We are family!! Praise God for another member being ingrafted in the family! One last thing— if you have prayed this prayer today, please leave me a comment so that I can begin praying for you that Christ will be formed in you and also rejoice in this great salvation! You have just experience life after death! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Family, Galatians, Galatians 2:20, Salvation, testimony, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Evangelism, Family, Galatians 2:20, Jesus, Salvation, testimony

• Raising Godly Children Is Possible!

  Posted at 9:33 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on May 11, 2019

  Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

  When I woke up this morning, it was with great joy in my heart! Our youngest daughter graduates from college today! And not only that, but tomorrow is Mother’s Day and all of our girls are home to celebrate it with me. My cup overflows!!

  As I laid in bed thinking about the goodness of God, I knew that I was supposed to blog this morning on raising godly children. I’ve actually thought about writing a book about it, but for the moment, I’ll just share a snapshot of praise!

  There is great truth in raising children in the way that they should go! Early in our courtship we made some very real commitments to our children and they hadn’t even been conceived yet. We agreed with each other before God that we would both be involved in their spiritual journey in life and their academic life. We agreed that they would never see us fight or hear us belittle one another. We agreed to spend time with them and to enjoy each stage of life. And we agreed to discipline them in love.

  Of course, I can’t write about all of that today, but I want to share about the two most important aspects of raising our children. The first challenge was to raise godly children in an ungodly society. I can truly say, we were successful because we didn’t trust our knowledge or experiences, but we relied heavily on the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

  We have always attended church as a family. We attended Sunday worship services and Wednesday night bible studies all of their lives. We introduced Jesus to them at an early age and then walked our faith out before them. They each accepted His Lordship as their own and throughout their college days were faithful in their walk with Him. Amazingly, we didn’t have to call and encourage them to go to church, but I believe it was because they had been taught the value of worship. When problems came in our lives, they saw us pray about it and trust God; and so when they had issues growing up, we encouraged them to pray and trust God. I used to tell them when they misbehaved that the devil was using them, but they would get the spanking. It curbed a lot of nonsense!

  The other area we were consistent in was academics. Raising godly children in an ungodly education system is a challenge for every godly parent. But we did it! We agreed to support our children academically. My husband was strong in math and science and would help with those areas and I was strong in literacy and help with that. Throughout their time in school we kept with that commitment. If my kids would ask me to help them with math, even if I understood it, I would refer them to their dad. And he always helped them! When they graduated from high school they were strong in both areas. Of course they had leanings toward one or the other, but they were prepared for college.

  When they had homework growing up, they were never allowed to stay home from church to complete it. Never! And they were never allowed to bring it to church! They had to learn to prioritize life just as we did. And more importantly, they had to learn that service time was God’s time and it would not be compromised. They weren’t always happy with that, but they learned to do homework early on Wednesday, and don’t leave anything until Sunday because they would have a price to pay. Not me! A perfect place to add, we didn’t do their work, we only assisted. And they had more projects than you can imagine! But they made it!! Glory!!!

  What am I saying? We were purposeful in raising our children. We knew that we wanted them to have a strong relationship with God and to be well-educated individuals. We didn’t believe that we had to sacrifice one to get the other. So that is how we raised them.

  Looking back on them and our lives, we are pleased with who they are in Christ and professionally. We weren’t perfect parents. Just ask them! But we obeyed the Word in training them in the way they should go. We taught them to love God and have a love for His Word. We taught them the value of church attendance and service to the Lord. And we taught them the importance of education and choosing wisely a career. The stories I could tell!!

  I will share, just this one. Our middle daughter plays the piano and sings. As a matter of fact they all can sing, and the oldest two really learned to play. But when it came time to go to college, she decided that she should delay college and pursue a musical career. Well, we were not in agreement with that, although we supported them in a lot of things. Since she was graduating a year early from high school we told her she could stay in high school and continue to sing and play at church or she was going to college; but there would be no time off. She went to college!

  I have so much I can say about raising children. I’m a parent and an educator. I have a lot of opinions!! Lol! But the best advice I can give to those who are still parenting, is to trust your children to God and teach your children to trust Him as well. Then as you train them up in the way they should go, they will not depart!

  Wishing all graduates of 2019 much success in their future endeavors! And a very happy Mother’s Day to those who get up every day meeting the challenges of motherhood with grace and love! God bless you! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in children, Family, Mother’s Day, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged children, Family, Mother’s Day

• It’s a Family Affair!

  Posted at 2:32 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 26, 2018

  Acts 16:31 – So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

  If you are familiar with the Bible, then you know that Jesus had many half siblings (Matthew 13:55). And the Bible let’s us know that at least one of those siblings ended up being in ministry: James!

  Paul in his letter to the Galatians calls James, the brother of the Lord, an apostle (Galatians 1:19).  Therefore, we can say with certainty that Jesus’ brother was in ministry with the apostles. Also, in the next chapter, Paul calls the Lord’s brother a pillar of the church. 

  I heard Rick Renner teaching last year on the book of James and he shared that Jesus appeared to His brother after His resurrection to establish his faith!

  “After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:7). It was probably at this point when James went from just watching his brother to joining his Savior brother in ministry. 

  And then there is Paul. Not many people realize that Paul had family that was passionate for Jesus, but he did!

  Romans 16:7 -‘salute Andronicus and Junias, my kindred, and my fellow-captives, who are of note among the apostles, who also have been in Christ before me.’ YLT 

  Kindred means “one’s family and relations”; so I used the literal translation because not all versions of the Bible translated the word correctly. 

  Acts 23:16 tells us of a nephew of Paul’s who overheard the plot of the Jews to not eat anything until they had killed him. So I’m pretty sure that his sister and her family also knew the Lord, because otherwise, they would have wanted Paul dead for blasphemy.

  So as you can see, although Paul was not married, he had a family that he was connected to. And they were saved before him, (at least the ones mentioned in Romans). And I believe they were probably responsible for his salvation!!

  Which is my point for the blog tonight.  All of us have family members who need to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. And some of those family members we may have grown weary praying for. But look at Jesus and Paul. 

  James and his brothers made fun of Jesus when he first started in ministry. And Paul was putting the Believers in prison. And yet, we find them in ministry with their family. Paul’s kinsmen were noted men of the faith, apostles. And God called Paul into the ministry to work with them. Although he ended up being the one we know the most about.

  You may not be in full time ministry or even feel like you are in ministry at all; but if you are a believer in Jesus, then you are in His ministry. And He has called you and He is calling your family.

  So if they are still out there doing their own thing, you just keep praying and believing God for them. You have a promise and an example from the Word of God that He saves families. 

  And if you are in ministry and your family is working with you, don’t allow the devil to try and trick you into believing that is a bad thing! Nope! It’s a God thing! Keep up the good work for the Lord until every last one of them call Him Lord! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in encouragement, Evangelism, Family | 0 Comments | Tagged Evangelism, Family

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