Awake, O Sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you

Ephesians 5:4-14 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

You will be surprised that the next verse i.e.  Eph. 5:15 says: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

See God understands that we humans are not perfect. Prodigal son, was a simple human who fell out of the grace. He sinned. But the fantastic thing about him is that he arose.

Please read Luke 15:16-20 "And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father."

Sometimes, not some times but every time when we fall out of grace, we do nasty things. And therefore, it is important when we fallout of grace we should not stay in that fallen state. We must arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on us.

The spirit of Jezebel is very active these days. And there are many who are not even aware of it.
Please read Revelation 2:21 "I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent..."

Jezebel is an example from the Old testament of stumbling saints (2 Kings 9-10) It expresses a general principle seen in “Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20)
The Jezebel in the days of Elijah teaches us something about the Jezebel in the church in the book of Revelation. Jezebel who married King Ahab introduced a new religious system to Israel, which brought them into false worship, idolatry. At one point in the prophet Elijah’s ministry Elijah was discouraged and hid from Jezebel in a cave. So she chased the true prophets away. Rev.2:20 is speaking symbolically of a actual woman that calls herself a prophetess, a teacher; one of power and influence in Thyatira.

We all fall, but God has promised Grace if we humble ourselves.
James 4:6 ".... Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Even David fell, but he got up and arose from the dead, received the light. He humbled himself. He cried before the lord. He repented. And God lifted him up.

The prodigal son wasted everything. He saw a great loss. He saw a big shame. But still he stood up and decided to go back to his father. It required gutts but he did it. I assume, the ego/guilt tried to stop him but he fought with his ego/guilt and went to his Father.

What's the next step you feel God is asking you to take?

A Happy Family :4

Wise is the person who thinks before putting his/her thoughts in Action. The fool thinks after messing up everything. And the one who realizes that He/She has messed up and still doesn't apologize because of the ego/guilt is even worse than the foolish.

A Happy Family is not a Myth

With downcast eyes, Kathryn confided, “I have a hard time respecting my husband. I want to be obedient to God’s command, but I don’t want to be dishonest to my feelings.”

God doesn’t command a wife to feel respectful toward her husband. She is to be respectful. Her responsibility is to obey God, not her feelings.

A man needs his wife's respect and admiration. He thrives and grows toward godliness when this need is fulfilled. Maybe that’s why the Apostle Paul says, “The wife must respect her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)

Easier said than done, especially in the heat of an argument. So what are some ways you can obey this command, and show respect for your husband?

1. Pray For Him

Something happens to us when we pray for people. Our hearts soften, our compassion and empathy increase, and we gain spiritual insight as to what the other person is going through. So pray for your husband. Ask God to give him wisdom, protection, guidance, knowledge, spiritual maturity, success, purity, and courage. Thank the Lord for how He has worked within your family, and for giving you this man. Pray for your attitude to change; rather than looking for your husband’s flaws, ask God to reveal his strengths. And then seek God’s answers to your prayers. Because He is listening!

2. Make A List Of Your Husband’s Good Qualities

When routine takes over, we need to remind ourselves every once in a while why we fell in love in the first place. Reflect on your spouse’s character. What are his strengths? What do you admire about him? Review and add to your list regularly.

3. Tell Your Husband What You Appreciate About Him 

It’s really nice to hear the words “thank you”; it’s even better hearing a number of specific things someone admires about you. By telling your husband what you appreciate about him, you communicate your love and respect and gratitude.

4. Listen To Him 

When your husband wants to talk, give him your full attention. Put down the phone or computer or remote, and listen. It’s also an important thing to remember when you’re the one who seeks him out! When you ask him a question, wait for his answer. And when he does talk, try not to shut him down right away. Actually listen to what he’s saying, and take his opinion into account.

5. Don’t Put Down Your Husband In Front Of Others

Especially your children. You and your husband are on the same team. You’re partners, supporters, and cheerleaders for each other. So when you are constantly criticizing him, it’s like you’ve abandoned his team. This doesn’t mean you can’t be open with your friends about your relationship; sometimes you really need to talk about what is going on, and an outside perspective can help. But if you find yourself endlessly putting him down: stop. This isn’t helpful to anyone. Instead, try and find something good to say about him, and even brag about him a little.

6. Put A Positive Spin On Things That Annoy You

If you find it boring when he spends time telling you about his bad day, remember that at least he is talking to you, spending time with you, sharing his concerns with you, bringing you into his confidence, and giving you the chance to be supportive.

7. Make Love

By responding to his advances — and initiating advances of your own — you are communicating your loyalty to him, your selfless love for him, and your attraction to him. Plus, it’s pretty fun, too.

8. Involve Him In Your Life

When you’ve been married for a while, it’s easy to go through life on autopilot. You each have your own routines, your own hobbies, your own friends. So make it a habit to include him in your activities, to talk about what is going on, to enjoy his company amidst the mundane. By including him in your everyday, you show him how much his presence brightens your life.

9. Talk In “I” Statements

If you have a problem about a decision your husband has made, or if you’re in the midst of an argument, accepting responsibility for your feelings is crucial to communicating effectively. This invites conversation rather than defense. Say: “I’m confused about _____. Can you explain it to me?” Or, “Can we talk about _____? I feel uncomfortable about _____.” Don’t say: “Why would you ever do it that way?” Or ask “Why?” in a way that implies he’s foolish.

10. Believe Your Husband Has Good Intentions

If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about your husband, stop and choose to think of something else, especially things from your positive quality list. As Emerson Eggerichs says in his book Love and Respect, a key to making your relationship feel safe and secure is to believe your spouse has good intentions. Even when your partner messes up, you can still believe he didn’t mean to.

Remember, God is working on you and your husband. You can both learn from your failures as well as your successes. Give God the freedom to teach your husband through failure. In the same way, allow God to teach you to trust Him through your — and your husband’s — failure.

What's the next step you feel God is asking you to take? 

A Happy Family :3

Wise is the person who thinks before putting his/her thoughts in Action. The fool thinks after messing up everything. And the one who realizes that He/She has messed up and still doesn't apologize because of the ego/guilt is even worse than the foolish.

A Happy Family is not a Myth

On the Valentine's Day or any other day, one thing will say "I love you" better than any card, outlive any flower, and be remembered longer than any romantic dinner: praying for your spouse. In my wedding vows, I committed to pray daily for my husband, and the most effective way he communicates love to me is when he prays for me. Keeping a journal (Keeping a record of the prayers in a Diary) of our prayer requests lets us record God's answers.

When we pray specifically, we see specific results. Lyn Breiding knows those kinds of results firsthand. She prayed that her husband, Greg, would keep his focus on the Lord despite intense competition at work. When everyone else at his consulting firm worked late hours every night, he refused to give up time with his family and his responsibilities at church. He missed late-night political wranglings, and he declined the three-martini lunches, so he was passed up for promotions for three years. Lyn continued to pray the prayer of martyred missionary Jim Elliot: "God, make [Greg's] way prosperous, not to achieve high station, but that his life would be an exhibit to the value of knowing You." When the company started tracking the hours billed to clients, not the hours worked, Greg won an award for his efficiency — producing the most revenue while working significantly less hours.

Here are five suggestions on how to pray specifically for your spouse:

1. Pray for your spouse's spouse. That means you. "[Your heart] must be clean before God in order for you to see good results," wrote Stormie Omartian in The Power of a Praying Wife. " If you have resentment, anger, unforgiveness, or an ungodly attitude, even if there's good reason for it, you'll have a difficult time seeing answers to your prayers. But if you can [confess and repent of] those feelings to God in total honesty, and then move into prayer, there is nothing that can change a marriage more dramatically."
    
2. Pray for your spouse's relationship with God. Pray that your spouse would know God, trust God, and remain in Him. Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing." Nothing means that without Jesus, your spouse can't be patient, unconditionally love you, nor be the man/woman you need. Rather than nagging about a growing "honey-do" list or an area of weakness in your spouse, "pray before you say." Openly communicate with each other, but pray that your spouse would spend time listening to God. Trust the Holy Spirit to provide ultimate correction.
    
3. Pray for their God-given role. Wives, pray for your husband's leadership in your marriage. Ask God to give him strength to carry out his responsibilities and help him prioritize time with his family. The Lord has entrusted many things to you both — money, time, a home — so pray for your husband to be a wise steward of God's gifts. Husbands, pray for your wife's role as your partner — the person who can come alongside to help you. Ask God to remind her to pray about her worries so she'll experience Christ's peace. Pray that her day will go smoothly and she would accomplish much.
    
4. Pray for strong relationships with godly members of the same sex. Same-sex friendships are vital. If a person looks to their spouse to meet all their friendship needs, chances are their spouse will eventually crumple under the pressure. But remember, those whom your spouse spends extra time with will shape him or her as a person. Pray that he/she would be surrounded with followers of Jesus Christ.
    
5. Pray practically. Good intentions don't naturally lead to good results. You have to have a plan. Pick Scripture by which to pray for your spouse, then put it on your dashboard and pray while on your morning commute. As you fold your spouse's laundry or mow the lawn, pray for them or use your lunch hour once a week to pray. Resist the temptation to turn this into an obligatory checklist. Instead, you can use this guide to remember how best to pray. 
   
   Your spouse is God's gift to you; take time to speak with Him about that gift. I wish I could say I prayed for Aaron for hours each day, but that's not the case. Some days, as I drift off to sleep, I just ask God to bless his work tomorrow and keep him safe. Recently, a Tuesday deadline approached too quickly and I was in knots by Monday night. To my delight, I finished writing the magazine article the next day with time to spare. It felt like my hours had multiplied — a specific answer to Aaron's prayer for my workday.

Other than the Lord, no one knows me better than my husband. When the two of them get together on my behalf, I'm blessed.

1. Pray Intentionally For Your Spouse.

Using the ideas above and whatever alse God puts on your heart, start praying more regularly and strategically for your spouse. Schedule prayer times in your calendar and/or use a journal(Diary) to keep yourself on track.

2. Pray With A Mentor

One of your (Trustworthy) spiritual mentors would love to talk and pray with you about whatever you're going through right now. 

What's the next step you feel God is asking you to take? 

A Happy Family :2

Wise is the person who thinks before putting his/her thoughts in Action. The fool thinks after messing up everything. And the one who realizes that He/She has messed up and still doesn't apologize because of the ego/guilt is even worse than the foolish.

A Happy Family is not a Myth

“My thought of a perfect marriage was one of romance, great communication, having a great home and I was doing my best to be the perfect wife to him and be…actually I was being fake.” 

Cheryl Scruggs was married with two kids when she started to feel numb. Numbness turned to anger. Anger lead to spending more time at work where she got a lot of attention from men. One man in particular.

As the affair developed she decided to divorce her husband. Jeff remembers being so angry he couldn’t even look at Cheryl. Several months after the divorce Cheryl heard the gospel, a day she describes as the second saddest day of her life.

“I looked back and I saw everything I had thrown away.”

Cheryl saw the mess she’d made of her life and wondered if it could ever be put back together. Maybe you can relate?

You’re probably very familiar with 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

It can be hard to own the truth of that verse when it feels like we’ve torn things apart with our own hands. But God promises us new beginnings, second chances, redemption. He doesn’t promise that life will be painless – lesssons are often hard won – but He promises not to leave us languishing in our messes. All we have to do is turn back to God and we’ll find that He’s right there, ready to work redemption in us and through us.

Some Important Points you must know:

1. Pursue Peace In Your Relationships

It may not be possible for your marriage to be restored but you can pursue peace in your relationships. Take a look at your relationships. If there is still pain, if there are things that have not been forgiven, ask God to work in your heart to help you to pursue peace. It may be helpful to pray through this with a spiritual mentor.

Remember that forgiveness does not necessarily wipe away the consequences. There may be someone who is not safe for you to be around. Pursuing forgiveness does not mean that you have to invite this person back into your life. Don't miss this article on forgiveness and consequences.

2. Practice Spiritual Breathing

Just as you need to constantly breathe physically, you need to breathe spiritually, too. You could try spiritual breathing to rely on the Holy Spirit by faith throughout your day. When you realize you’ve sinned, or when temptation, stress or doubt weighs on your mind, you can…

Exhale: Admit your sin to God—no excuses—take full responsibility for your mistake and resolve not to repeat it. Let go of worry, fear or self-reliance.

Inhale: Rely on God to fill you by His Spirit. Receive His hope, confidence,  forgiveness and power to make better choices.

“Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for  you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, NIV).

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every  part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25, NLT).

 What's the next step you feel God is asking you to take? 

A Happy Family :1

Wise is the person who thinks before putting his/her thoughts in Action. The fool thinks after messing up everything. And the one who realizes that He/She has messed up and still doesn't apologize because of the ego/guilt is even worse than the foolish.

A Happy Family is not a Myth

When marriage is done right, it’s one of the most beautiful experiences and relationships we can have. The commitment that marriage calls for is lifelong, and it’s intense. And in Christian marriage, the vows we make at the altar aren’t just to each other; we make them before God.

Contrary to what you may have heard, it’s not love that sustains the promise, it’s the promise that sustains the love.

Marriage is first and foremost a commitment, not a shiny Valentine or a starlit night. Love based on feelings alone won’t go the distance. Marriage is always hard in places. Bad things happen, dreams fall through. Sometimes you’ll say something you didn’t mean when you’re tired or hungry. Sometimes you’ll break her trust, or he’ll break your heart.

When you and your spouse are committed to God first, and then to each other, He’ll work in you to bring you closer and closer together.

Are you seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Are the main concerns in your marriage today finances? Something to do with the kids? How much time you and your spouse are spending in prayer?

Life gets out of whack we start focusing on anything other than Jesus. Even when those other things are good things, we need Jesus at the top of the list. Get together with your spouse and see what you can to today to keep you marriage focused on Christ.

Remember that they make look different depending on where you are in life. It may not be practical for you to spend an hour a day in the Word if you have young kids, but there are things you can do now, as a young family, to keep yourselves centered. Maybe it’s a commitment to read a Bible story together with the kids each day. Perhaps you need to spend time praying together before the day begins. Find something that works for your family.

William Shakespeare once said, “Expectation is the root of all heartache.”  Experience has taught me that real life and real relationships are tough. I’ve learned that I can’t write a list equal to my height and expect life to roll out exactly like I planned (can’t blame a girl for trying!). What my 10-year-old self didn’t realize is that we are all broken people. As long as we are living on this side of heaven, we are not immune to falling sick in mind, body or spirit. Our spouse isn’t going to morph into a pre-conceived idea of what a “better half” should be like.

In the pursuit of our own happily ever after, John Paul II reminds us:

“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. …”

Marriage is hard. That’s a given. But as followers of Jesus, we’ve been let into the (not-so-secret) recipe for true and everlasting joy: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

If you’re standing on rocky ground, don’t be afraid to seek help. Take your brokenness and bring it to the foot of the cross of Jesus and ask Him to make you whole. Invite the Holy Spirit and let Him lead you as you continue to live out the mystical reality of being united in mind, body and spirit. Let God show you what love really looks like!

When you are at the war !!

Sometimes , when your life goes through a Storm, it is best to hold the hand of the Master because He will take you through it.

"But now thus saith Jehovah that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." -Isa 43:1-2
Off course, in the carnal perspective, you are expected to hold your sword tight and fight, however, Moses chose to lift His hands before the Lord  in the time of War and that became the secret of their Victory.

 Do you have that faith? Can you lift your hands before the Lord when the world would expect you to use the worldly wisdom or worldly weapon ?