Wives, submit yourselves to your husband..

Ephe 5:22 says, 'Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord'. This is such a powerful statement to me. I was raised to be an independent woman, who in no way was ever supposed to cater to the every desire of a man, unless it pleased me. Even more so, when I found Christ, I did not believe this verse applied to me because although I was a Christian, my husband was not. How wrong was I!As I began to seek God more, I recognized that I had fallen victim to another one of society's tricks which caused my ultimate enslavement. It didn't please God for me to be selfish, and to be above my husband in the authoritative way I had grown accustomed to. To my surprise, God wanted me to be the person for my husband that will love him enough to encourage him, and become a help meet to him. I was startled by this, but again thought to myself, that I would do this when my dear husband got saved.... Again, wrong! My own stubbornness kept me from seeing the truth behind what God intended for me, and my marriage.It took a conversation with a church sister of mine for me to recognize that in this scripture, God was talking to all wives who had ears to hear. He was telling us that we as the women in our households, need to submit ourselves to our husbands, being that help meet to him, who will be there to encourage and support him in all his endeavors....and then it hit me - whether he is saved or unsaved!I felt so guilty at that point... for so long I had been pointing fingers at him when things didn't go my way. I thought to myself often that I am the saved one, so therefore, I know better. All this time, I was the one pushing my husband away because I had built up walls of resentment, unforgiveness and even bitterness that separated us from each other. I was not submitting myself to my husband. I was denying myself this service unto the Lord, which only had benefits for me. I was walking away from the abundance of blessing that was getting ready to be poured out of the heavens for my life, because I was living in disobedience.But, I thank God. I thank God for His Word, and for revelation and wisdom to do better now. I am thankful that I can now rely upon God to change my very mindset from the pre conditioned ways of thinking, to newness that reflects His saving grace. I am thankful that everyday I have a new opportunity to learn how to be a submissive wife... a ministry that will only develop over time as I continue to seek the Lord. Wives, submitting to our husbands is not lowering our self worth in any way. We are not doing that to be slaves to the men we are married to. We are doing a service unto God. We are taking our stands as righteous women of God who live everyday to please Our Father which art in Heaven. We are teaching our daughters how to live, grow and develop with Christ like character that pleases God. We are learning everyday, and for that, we will be blessed.May God bless you all and may your marriages be filled with love, peace, joy, compassion and romance... God is love. When we love, it pleases God.

Don't give up on them!

Last night I saw a testimony online that shook the very core of my insides.  The clip was entitled, "Atheist died, went to Hell, Came back". In his testimony, Mr. Reagan disclosed that he used to 'cut and shoot' people, was very angry, was a womanizer and had a heart that was stone cold. He said when he was nine years old he was given a lamb that he took home. He watched as his father beat the lamb to death, blood spilling everywhere. He cried and cried and vowed from that day onward that he was never going to be hurt again, but he would do the hurting! Since then, he lived life being a slave to sin. He robbed, he killed, he watched as people were raped. He was shot, had been stabbed, cursed and fornicated. He was sinking deeper and deeper into an unsatisfactory life. He had a wife and kids, but was quickly losing them to the lifestyle he preferred. One night he remembered so clearly, that as he was going into a store with his 5 year old son, a man exiting the store at the same time pushed the door as he did it. He became so angry that he began beating the man in front of the child. The man, who appeared equally violent, got up and reached for something. He began to stab Mr. Reagan about the body. As the testimony continues, Mr. Reagan recalls that he knew he had been in an ambulance which somehow appeared to have caught on fire. He saw himself falling into an open crater volcano, where people were burning, begging him to go back and not come to a place like that. He says he didn't want to experience what they were experience and was fighting desperately to get back. When he awoke, he found himself on a hospital bed with his wife by his side. He didn't forget the voices of the people wailing in the fire. This he said, caused him to turn his life around.
Wow! Tears came to my eyes. Jesus had been with him. Jesus saved him. He was fortunate to visit hell to recognize it is not the place he wanted to be. God had a plan for him even though he had been rejecting Him for so long. Today, he is a Pastor of his own church and has preached in all continents around the globe.
How foolish I have been. My unsaved loved one seems to be a servant of evil. The more I pray, the more things got worst. As strong as I like to believe I am standing on the Word of God and on His promises for my household, I get weary and I faint. But, many are the afflictions of the righteous, and God delivers us out of them all. God saw my weariness and He saw my sadness that my loved one is living such a defeated life. And so, I come across a video like this one; One where a man who loved sin so much, who did everything pleasing to self and to the enemy, who was blind to spiritual things, ran into the arms of the Living God. What a mighty God we serve! My hope was renewed in the moment it wavered. 
Sometimes dear friends, it takes time for people to finally choose Jesus. But, it also takes time to build up a powerful testimony. Our loved ones, like we once did, would have to go through some things that when they are able to see truth, they will know without a doubt that it was only God who saved them. All glory will go to Him only. He deserves all that we are and so much more. Have Faith today. Believe that you and your household shall be saved. Believe God at His Word. Believe that man, woman, or child whose salvation you are praying for, has already been saved. God has heard our petitions and He is faithful to answer. Believe and Receive in Jesus Name!