Submission

Submission...  just the thought of this word can create an emotion that wells up in women. Causing them to cringe as a wave of nausea washes over them like the waves of an ocean. It doesn't do that to me. I don't mind the word "submit". In fact, in my wedding vows, I vowed to submit to my husband on our wedding day. I was proud to offer that up in my vows and I honestly meant it.

Have I always submitted to my husband? Absolutely not. I wish I could say I kept my vows like a dutiful, Christian wife. Alas, I have failed miserably at that on many of our married days (14 years worth of days.) Although, if I had, then I know my married life would have been easier along the way. He has a great knack for discernment. He does well at distancing himself from situations that are toxic and he does not people please. People pleasing.... ahhh... my nemesis.

In the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were given their "punishments" by God for trusting Satan (aka the serpent) more than trusting Him... Eve was cursed with the pain of childbirth and the pain of wanting to be in control over her man.  Adam was cursed with working for his family to provide for them (the Bible specifically says working the ground) and also he was cursed with death, because they would no longer have access to the Tree of Life in the Garden. Since they were getting kicked out and all. (It's all right here in the Bible)

Today has been a tough day though. There is things in my life that the Lord wants me to rid myself of. Responsibilities I have taken on (in the name of people pleasing) that I no longer need to be carrying. This year He keeps telling me to simplify. Every time I have the desire to take on more responsibility, then I hear the ever present whisper of the Father in my ear saying, "Simplify".  Let's face it... when you know the Lord is speaking to you then we should listen, right? And I hear Him! I do!! But then I feel like Zechariah when the angel appears to him in the tabernacle and tells him his wife (very old wife) will bear him a son he will name John and Zechariah is like, "What are you talking about? How can this happen! I don't understand the details of this at all." (The actual words are here) And that's me. Just like that. "Okay, God. I know you're on to something and I believe you and all, but I'm not sure how this is going to work. I'm just not sure."  And then, doesn't that make me a whole lot like Eve? Trusting myself. Trusting the lies of satan. Trusting everyone... everything... except God?

Oh how people pleasing will get me every time!! Because the truth is... I don't really want to hurt anyone's feelings. However, no boundaries and pleasing others always comes with a big fat price tag. Who suffers the most? My family. The ones I love most. Just like Adam and Eve. Adam wasn't being head over his wife. Eve wasn't submitting to Adam. The price was being kicked out of the Garden and who suffered? Their children for all generations (and themselves too.) The sin of people pleasing? Always has a price.

I've talked to the Hubs about releasing these responsibilities I have taken on that don't "belong" to me. He keeps saying, "Deborah. I'm going to take care of this. You don't have to worry about it. Your focus should not be on these things. Please just focus on our family. Focus on our children. Homeschooling. Your Bible Study. Focus on these things you've been called to. Stop focusing on everything that isn't yours." And I know he is right. I believe him. God put him head over me for a reason. For me to submit to his authority. For me not to be in control or to manage how he handles situations. For me to trust that what he says is true. And I know it is, because what he says is in keeping with God's Word.

God has placed him over me to guide me, help me, and protect me. Even though Adam failed to protect Eve from the serpent in the Garden. He left her to deal with a big issue that she shouldn't have had to face alone. God had put Adam over her to protect her. Even though he failed that one time... as we all do from time to time.. he would now spend a lifetime working to protect her. And she would spend a lifetime learning how to let him.

So my prayer tonight is that I will not have to learn this the hard way. May the Lord help me learn to  humbly submit to my husband, which also is submission to the Father. May the Lord grant my husband wisdom to deal with some big situations (that don't involve me), and may I realize that I don't have to be involved. May God be glorified and Heaven help me not take a lifetime to learn how to submit to my man and the Lord.



**Let me add that submission is not an excuse for abuse. Submission is not to take away my opinions or rights as a woman or in our marriage. Submission is for my husband to lead our family in the direction the Lord leads us and for me to follow. Submission is for me to have opinions, but him having the final say. No I don't always like it. That's the curse, remember?! God knows we don't always want to follow... and no we don't always like it. However, it's trusting that he is in tune with what God has willed for our family. Trusting that the Hubs is submitting to God and all I need to do is step back so he and God can work it out.**

Oh Wandering Heart

Oh wandering heart to thee I ask
Do you trust Jehovah for future, present.... past?

Knowing He died for your soul's dark sin
He bled and died and rose again.

To know you more and have all of you
He desires your affection, your worth, and fellowship too!

He will provide for you like the Israelites He did
Do you trust Him and know He longs to lavish you with gifts?

He clothes you. He gives to you. He redeems you, Child.
He honors you. He loves you. He calls you Mine.

He is the Ancient of Days, Jehovah, and Yahweh
He seas, hears, shields, and protects always.

Oh wandering heart do not lose hope
The Creator & Defender allows trials for your growth.

This loving God in whom we've been chosen
Do you realize the rewards that await you in Heaven?

Will you wait upon Him knowing He provides every time?
Oh wandering heart, rest in His arms and refuse Satan's lies.

Make Me a Servant

In my weekly bible study we are studying the tabernacle with Beth Moore in A Woman's Heart. We are looking at what led up to the reason for needing the tabernacle and of course sin in the Garden of Eden is where our break in communion with God began. As we studied the Garden of Eden this week, then there were things the Lord spoke to me.  I shared them with my sweet sisters and now I want to share them with you!

Genesis 2:15 says the Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work and take care of it. The word “take care” here in verse 15 also means to guard the garden.  However, Adam didn’t do that, did he? He allowed the serpent to come in. The serpent shouldn’t have even made it to his wife, Eve, but he did. Adam wasn’t doing what God had commissioned him to do.

courtesy of pearls of promise ministries

Genesis 3:24 says that God drove out man and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.  The word guard here is the same word used when Adam was instructed to take care of the garden. Now that Adam wasn’t there to guard it, then the Lord instructed the cherubim to do it.

Interestingly, the garden was Adam’s tabernacle. Adam was like the priest and the garden was the sanctuary. The garden was their place of worship. The place of worship for the Israelites was the Tent of Meeting. It was instructed to the Levites, the anointed priests, in Numbers 3:7-8 says “They are to perform duties for him (talking about Aaron here) and the entire community before the tent of meeting by attending to the service of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and perform duties for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.” The commission given to priests regarding the tabernacle was the same commission given to Adam in the garden. Work it. Take care of it. Guard it.

So I share this with you.  The same way Adam was called to serve God by guarding & caring for the garden, the priests were called to guard & care for the tent of meeting because it was their sanctuary. We too are called to guard and take care of our sanctuary. Our church. We are called to serve our church. Adam didn’t guard his church nor did he guard his heart. Adam didn’t obey God’s commission and now that he wasn’t there to serve the Garden, then God had to use someone else. He used the cherubim.

God is going to do what God is going to do. We can do it with him or we can do it without him. Doing it with him, obeying him, and serving him allows us to receive His blessings. Or we can choose to ignore His commission & not guard against those who will seduce us into sin. Like Adam, we will miss blessings and all that the Lord has planned for us.

So we must guard our church and guard our hearts. Because of Jesus, our bodies are our temple now. The Holy Spirit no longer resides in the garden or a tabernacle. He resides in us! Let’s do as He has commissioned us. Like Adam and the Levites, we must work & take care of our church. We must care for & guard our souls. If we don’t allow the Lord to use us, then He will surely use someone else.

Do You Trust Him?

Have you ever thought of this verse before? Have you ever studied it? It is an amazing verse!

Here Paul is so excited to share just how willing God is to do things for us, that he cannot even add enough words to tell us. So, he just starts piling words on top of words to help us get the point. He isn't just exceeding our expectations. He isn't just pouring out abundance on us. He isn't just wanting to go above & beyond for us. He's wanting to do all of that.... on steroids! 

Think of the word hyper. Hyper|active means to be hyper to the highest degree. Hyper|extend is to flex something past the point of normal flexion. Hyper|thermia is the body reaching temperatures much higher than just normal thermia levels. So... it means above & beyond.

These words used by Paul are attached with hyper in the original text. So it's "God is able to do way more exceedingly, way more abundantly, way past above all that you can ask or think!" Do you believe it? Do you believe that God can do this for you? We only need to trust in His provisions, His will, and His desire for our lives. Sometimes, we must go through hardships and cannot be rescued because He longs to refine us. We still choose to trust Him and that He knows best for us. We either trust Him or we don't.

I have to share a testimony of this verse with you!

I had a yard sale this weekend. I worked SO hard on this yard sale. I priced every item (close to 200 items of clothing alone!) Every spare moment I had last week was spent on this sale. I had high hopes for my sale. I didn't want to make less than $100. My husband thought I was quite hilarious expecting to make no less than that. However, I was determined... because it's fall/winter clothing time and our kids all need new shoes & new-to-them clothes for the new season! I held the sale from 8-2. By 12, I had only made $25. TWENTY-FIVE!!! I wasn't happy, at all.

I went inside for a few minutes to take care of some things. So I began talking to the Lord. "Lord, you know how much money we need. You know how hard I worked. You know my expectations for what I hoped to get. Please send people our way." The Lord reminded me of this verse, Ephesians 3:20, that I've been studying for the last few weeks with my bible study. So I prayed, "Okay Lord. You can do exceedingly, abundantly, and above all that I ask or think. I know you can send people. So I trust in You." Clear as as if the Lord was standing right beside me, He spoke to my soul and said, "If you trust me then why are you so worried?" Ouch! Okay, okay Lord. Point taken. I thought to myself, even if I don't get $100, then maybe the Lord will stretch the money that I do make to be able to get new shoes for all our kiddos. (Winter shoes are much more expensive than summer shoes!)

By the end of the day (I still ended at 2.) I went to my kitchen table and began counting out my money. Guess how much I made? $130!! How good the Lord is. God is able!! He exceeded what I hoped to make, abundantly more than I asked for, and above what I even thought I'd make. Praise the Lord! He is SO faithful to us!

He can do exceedingly, abundantly, and above all that you ask or think too!! Do you trust Him? And if you trust Him, then why are you so worried? God is able!