abandoned to Christ.

One of the greatest blessings in a marriage is having children. And one of the most damaging aspects of a marriage are—having children.

How do you keep your marriage and parenting the blessings that God meant them to be? You do it by remembering these four things: why God created marriage and children, what purpose they serve, who they're for, and the priority they have.

God created both marriage and children to make you holy rather than provide you with temporal and sporadic periods of happiness. Marriage and children should always draw you to your knees in prayer and thanksgiving to God as you humbly ask for His wisdom and love so that you might deal rightly and kindly with your spouse and your children (Philippians 4:4-6).

All aspects of a Christian's life is contained in the greatest commandment, "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mk 12:30-31). From this, we can clearly ascertain that everything, including marriage and children are for the glory and exaltation of Christ alone (Revelation 4:11), for without Him, we would have nothing good in this life or the next.

Many Christians will readily agree with the statements above for why God created marriage, the purpose they serve and who they're for. Usually, the problem arises when the desires of your child is lifted above the desires of your spouse.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

~Genesis 2:24

God said He made you "one" with your spouse, not your children.

Our priorities in life must align with God's word. The Lord is clear He uses marriage as the earthly paradigm of Christ's relationship to His Bride, the Church (Eph 5:24-25). Which means you should never allow your children to come between you and your spouse.

The love, peace and oneness of marriage takes precedence over your children's desires, your desires for your children or over parenting disagreements you might have with your spouse.

Wives, submit to your husbands in everything as it is written in God's word. Husbands honor your wives as the weaker vessel so your prayers won't be hindered (1 Peter 3:7). And both of you should remember to keep God's divine order for your family, trusting that God will surely provide whatever is necessary for your child as you honor your spouse and his/her desires before you give to your child.

Don't cause the unbelieving world to malign God's word by allowing anything (including your children) to divide you and your spouse. Protect your marriage from anything or anyone who dares to separate what God has brought together.

Remember when we were little and there was always that older family member or teacher in our life that we could always trust to look out for our best interest...whether or not we wanted them to?

Remember how they always spoke the truth to you, with a loving smile, a gentle touch and strong words of wisdom that cut your heart if you were in sin, yet was exactly what you needed to carry you through a trial?

I'm grateful to my heavenly Father for all those adults who were used by God (whether they knew it or not) to make a frightened and often troubled little girl feel safe and loved. And as if that weren't more than I deserved, by God's grace and tender mercies, He provided me with the most magnificent husband who loves me better than anyone ever has because He loves me with God's perfect love that considers Christ first, rather than his personal desires, or even mine. I rest perfectly in that love.

"but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

~Jeremiah 9:24

Many Christians lack much of God's peace that transcends understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). Like the rest of the world, we fret over painful circumstances and wallow in self-pity rather than stand firm like soldiers in Christ (Is 46:8-10; 1 Cor 16:13). We whine like infants in a playpen when something doesn't feel good and we moan constantly, demanding that someone give us quick and constant relief, as if we deserve it.

We all know that fear is the opposite of faith. And we know that fearing anything or anyone except God is sin when we allow our fear to determine how we react or respond to something or someone. If our fear influences our behavior, we're demonstrating we don't trust God and His unchanging character (Ps 78:21-22).

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man...'I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.' "

~Ecclesiastes 12:13; Luke 12:4-7

So what's the cure for this manifestation of distrust and lack of faith in God? The cure comes like a soothing balm that envelopes the soul with inexplicable peace, while providing supernatural strength (2 Cor 12:10; 1 Pet 4:11) through all trials, for every child who remembers this foundational truth: He is the LORD, He is sovereign, He is good and He loves His children to the uttermost (John 13:1)...even to the point of relinquishing His glory to come to inhabit the earth in human form, to suffer and be crucified so that we who are guilty of the most heinous crime (sinning against a righteous God) might be reconciled to Him in love and holiness (Philippians 2:6-8).

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your might among the peoples."

~Psalm 77:11-14

Mediate on the wondrous works of God to prevent from being swallowed up by thoughts of self-comfort or preservation.

Lack of trust results in lack of peace, but great trust, produces great peace and thanksgiving to the Lord.

Today, many are remembering, praying for and honoring those who lost their lives on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. More than 3,000 innocent people died because 19 wicked people reveled in their murderous plots. But their revelry was short-lived.

Rather than cripple us with fear, their evil and cowardice attack on the defenseless brought greater unity among Americans.

United by what? By the God-given morality each of us lives by: no one wants to be killed, no one wants to lied to, no one wants someone to steal from them, and no one wants to live without a purpose or die alone.

The reason why we all rallied together when a heinous crime was wrought upon our country, is because all these desires are put in our hearts by our Creator God, whether we want to admit it or not. We’re all united and governed by the law of morality (Ten Commandments) for the common good; and we ought to be grateful.

“He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
~Ecclesiastes 3:11

Many have asked, “If there is a God why is there such evil in the world?” The answer is simple, because we’re all inherently evil and we spend our lives devising and executing our self-satisfying and self-promoting plans. Let's be honest, everything in our lives centers around our own personal happiness and greatest benefit.

“as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ”
~Romans 3:10-12

Understanding this truth and admitting who we really are, causes us to ask the real question that should baffle all our minds, “If there is no God, then why is there any good in this world?”

As many remember, mourn the losses and honor the heroes who valiantly gave their lives to save and comfort others, let us also remember the great, loving and merciful God who restrained wickedness from prospering. Without the mercy of the Almighty, more people would have lost their lives, leaving a wake of greater devastation and fear throughout our country.

The reality is, if God did not exercise steadfast love, justice and righteousness throughout the earth (Jer 9:24), 9/11 would be a daily event everywhere.

Remember, honor and pray for those who suffered and are still suffering. And as you pray for them, remember also to thank God for His great compassion and mercy upon us all, even those who deny Him.

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
~Luke 6:35-36

Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas has encouraged faithful Christians across our great nation to support Chick-fil-A and the Cathy Family (owner/founder of the company) as they uphold God's definition for marriage.

As expected, the world is enraged with Christians who are honest and loving enough to stand firm in the faith they profess. Often Christians are called hypocrites because when push comes to shove, we don't stand firm in what we claim to believe. Like many, peer pressure cripples our personal convictions and sadly makes us deny the words of the Christ who died to save our lives.

Ironically, these same people who are persecuting the Cathy family claim they would never want to believe in Christ because we don't always live what we claim to believe. Basically, if we don't stand firm and live holy lives as unto the Lord Jesus the world hates us and ridicules us, labeling us as spineless hypocrites. But if we do stand firm on the precepts of our God and Father, then we're labeled as being hateful and intolerant of everything that's different from us. We are intolerant, but only of all that which is evil.

Loving good and rejecting evil is not hateful...it's good. I think even unbelievers would agree to that. I mean, who would rather be brutally beaten than offered help when in need? We all want good done to us, but we don't always give it. No one desires evil to come upon them, but many give it.

Conclusion: if the founder and owners of Chick-fil-A have always professed their faith in Christ as the foundation for how they run their company, why are so many in an uproar when, against massive pressure, the Cathy family continues to affirm God's definition of all things (in this case, marriage)?

Let's honor and support those who honor God. And let's patiently love those who don't.

"For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine...Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

~Romans 1:11-12; Hebrews 10:23-25 (ESV)

It's been about four months since my back surgery, and though I still have five to eight months till full recovery, I'm grateful and amazed by all that the Lord has brought me through.

I remember the day after the surgery, I decided that I no longer needed pain meds (I don't recommend this). Not realizing that the pain meds were what were helping me manage my pain, I requested I be taken off of them. When the effects of the pain meds wore off, my body screamed for mercy from the excruciating pain. It took a full day for the meds to kick in, but God's mercy worked faster and gave me comfort and peace better than any medication could.

Because the medications hadn't set in yet, I couldn't even sleep though I was exhausted. So my darling husband began to read the Word of God while I lay there nearly in tears due to the pain. Within minutes, my soul was quenched and my body benefited from the eternal feeding I was receiving from the Word of our Lord.

When my husband saw how amazingly God's Word was able to bring me blessed comfort, he began to do this on a regular basis, even when the pain meds kicked in the next day. For weeks, this became our new habit...and a wonderful one at that.

My sweetheart would start a book of the Bible and read all the through it, then we'd discuss it (if I was still awake). We even began doing this at bedtime when I came home. There's just something special about my darling reading the Words of God to me. For some reason it seems that I somehow understand it better. I'm not sure why, but it's really a lovely thing. And if I hadn't been given the opportunity to suffer such a painful surgery, then we wouldn't have been able to experience the awesome power of God's Word in another beautiful way! So though I hated the pain, I'm even more grateful for my heavenly Father's words and the comfort I received from the God of all comfort.

We too often take the words of the Almighty for granted. We pull it out and dust it off only when we find ourselves in a mess. But when we get to enjoy light and cheerful times, we forget to thank God for them and we forget to offer Him the praise that He is due.

Let us learn to not only call out to Him when we're in the valley, but also shout His praise and give thanks to Him when we reach the mountain top.

"I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil." ~Psalm 119:162

Mary Kassian is an award winning author, internationally renowned speaker and a distinguished professor at Southern Baptist Seminary. She’s the author of multiple books including Girls Gone Wise, and co-author (with Nancy Leigh DeMoss) of True Woman 101: Divine Design and one of the speakers at the True Woman Conference 2012 that will be held in Indianapolis, Ind., on September 20-22.

(Look for the giveaway at the end of this article).

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels...She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy...She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue...Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”~Proverbs 31:10, 20, 26, 30

A woman who knows she was made to be a strong yet delicate, beautiful creation of God, is indeed an extreme rarity. Her value and contribution to her family, the Church and her community is incomparable to the vain notions and deceitful promises of the feminist movement.

True freedom is not found in demanding equality with just another sinner. True freedom is found only in God’s grace and mercy, fully manifested in the Person of Jesus Christ. Only the Truth can set anyone free (John 8:31-32). And Jesus Christ alone is the Truth (John 14:6).

Sunny: How was the True Woman Movement birthed?

Mary: In 2002, after recording a radio program for Revive our Hearts, Nancy invited me and a few other friends to her home. All of us but Nancy (who was very ill) were discussing the devastating effects of feminism on our society. We marveled at how such a small group of women launched a movement that dramatically changed our world. Nancy surprised us all when she chimed in and said, “If a handful of angry, determined women made such a profound impact for evil, imagine what a handful of God-loving, Spirit-filled women could do for good.”

God worked on both our hearts over the years regarding true, biblical womanhood and in 2007 Nancy contacted me, asking me to help her with the first True Woman Conferencethat was held in Chicago in 2008. We had no plans beyond this, but God did. There was such a hunger from other Christian women to learn and understand what true biblical womanhood was, we realized this wasn’t the end, but the beginning of a countercultural movement towards what God created women to be.

Sunny: What is the ‘30-day True Woman Makeover’ and how is it similar or different from the‘40-day Heart Preparation’?

Mary: The 30-day makeover is...[read full article]

Read Psalm 145

click the photo to enlarge and read the Scripture

It's been four weeks since I was diagnosed as being clinically and severely depressed and was prescribed Lexapro, an SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) which is a type of anti-depressant.

I experienced some mild side-effects the first five days, but nothing since then, which I'm very grateful to the Lord for. My doctor said that it'll be about six weeks until I really notice a major difference, but I'm already noticing a little now. Getting out of bed isn't nearly as difficult as it used to be and neither is running some of my errands. I'm not as scared to got out in public by myself anymore and I've found ways to make dinner without overwhelming myself. I still don't make the bed often and sometimes get behind on laundry. But everyone is still well-fed, wearing clean clothes and I'm not biting everyone's head off anymore. It's a small improvement, and I'll take it.

But even prior to the meds taking effect, I had brunch with a my sweet sister-friend Jayne (a few weeks ago) and I shared with her how I knew that somehow, with the way God gifted me, that I was going to do depression a little differently. For those who know me well, me doing things a bit out of the norm will not be a shock; it's actually...expected.

God's given me the spiritual gifts of prophecy, teaching, exhortation and faith. With these gifts, though I still feel like crawling in a hole most days, I can't help but encourage and exhort others. I can't help but share God's goodness; proclaim His sovereignty and kindness towards us at all times. I can't help but speak what I have witnessed from my Lord. I just can't help it.

"for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."

~Acts 4:20

So to those who've been down, or are struggling with trusting God or have questions, require comfort or counsel, I just can't help but offer it to them. What's odd is, I still struggle to respond to people about daily life. But when someone's in need of the way God's gifted me, I can't help but reach out to gird them up and strengthen them. Isn't it just like our heavenly Father to use the weak, scared, confused daughter to bend down and lift up another? Of course it is. This way, it's assured that God will get all the glory and praise because it's obvious to everyone that it's all being done by the magnificent power and grace of the Lord Jesus.

"It is always upon human weakness and humiliation, not human strength and confidence, that God chooses to build His Kingdom; and that He can use us not merely in spite of our ordinariness and helplessness and disqualifying infirmities, but precisely because of them."

~James S. Stewart (1896-1990)

May the Lamb who was slain, receive all the praise and glory for all the good He has done, is doing and will do; for He alone is worthy. Amen.