Category Archives: Family Ministry

God’s Word for Marriages, Parenting and Sibling Relationships.

The Lord’s Guide to Loving Your Spouse

Family Ministry, God Loves You, ,

John 15:9-11 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

I was recently talking to the Lord about marriage and I asked Him to give me a fresh word on the topic. When we’ve been walking with Christ for some time we can tend to hear the same verses preached time and time again.  If a preacher gets up and says the topic is marriage, certain scripture immediately come to mind in the Gospels, 1st Corinthians or Ephesians.  So it made me laugh a little when God took me too a familiar, yet out of the box verse that seemingly has nothing to do with marriage…. oh but it indeed has everything to do with it.

John 15 reminds us of Jesus’ words to His followers; we are to look to God’s love for Jesus as our guide and example to see love demonstrated, receive love and most important (especially in marriage), how to love others (Spouse).  We cannot look to the world, the church or even our own parent when it comes to loving our spouses, because:
*The world tends to treat marriage as a romantic comedy, trashy novel or sometimes both.  What do I mean?  There is always a happy ending, even if it means disregarding the sanctity and principles of marriage.  The world has no standard, instead it has numerous different ones and use whichever one suits their desire.
*The Church because although this should be where we go for examples, but unfortunately the church is made up of man and often when you look to man you open yourself up to disappointment.  Today, the numbers are quite discouraging, but more than 50% of these marriages are ending in divorce, there seems to be a huge disconnect!
*Our Parents, even though this is where most of our actions within marriage comes from; whether we want it to or not.  Many have parents that have been married for years, some have endured divorce and others have parents who have never been married.  Even in the best of situations, if we will be honest, there are many things that we’ve seen, experience or even vowed never to do, that we less than ideal examples to follow.  And while we should not blame our parents, because they did not have perfect models to follow either.

However, we do have hope and a guide provided by the Lord Himself. Jesus makes it clear with His own words that His example of how to love was from only one source. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you,” Jesus loved others as He was loved by his Daddy God.  God’s love for us is amazing, He gave us His very best when we did not deserve it.  God made plans for us (plans to prosper us and give us hope), He made provisions for us and He wrote a book full of love letters for us.  So, we have to first decide if God has loved us like this, which is typically the trickiest thing to do.  If He has then we are to love our spouses in the same manner.

He then encourages us to live, stay and remain in this love, “Now remain in my love.”  The word remain (or abide in the KJV) means to live, dwell or spend your time in God’s love for you.  The most important thing we can do in order to love our spouses is to become saturated in God’s love for us.  I look at it like this, most of us take showers and not baths.  Why?  A shower is much faster, easier, cleaner and focuses maximizing time to do other things.  However, a bath takes much more time, it is more difficult, it can get really messy and is really focuses on you (you feel refreshed when finished).  We do the same with God’s Love, we don’t spend time bathing in it, we allow a little to fall on us so we can get on to other things (there is so much to do).  When we really abide/remain in God’s love for us, our self-esteem is improved, confidence is greater and our trust in God goes through the roof.  We end up filled and are in a much better place to pour out love for our spouses.  When we don’t remain is His love, like I’ve often done, we end up loving out of frustration, disappointment and stress caused by daily life.  Remember; you get out what you put in, so when that is how you’re loving; that is what is being received by those you’re trying to love.  Your spouse is receiving the frustration, disappointment and stress you’re giving in the form of your love.  Did you ever get a gift you did not want 🙂  When we learn to bathe in God’s love for us and get full, we can then effectively love our spouses; and what they receive will become a part of their baths.

How then do we take this bath? Jesus said “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”  Keep and Commands become important words for our understanding.  The word keep means to guard, protect, build a fortress around; this is something very valuable.  The word Commands in this verse denotes a prescription, just like what a doctor would give you to heal an illness.  This prescription is the word of God, the bible the precept upon precept that Jesus came in human form to display for all to see or receive in written form; it is the “Prescription of Life.”  When we guard and protect God’s prescription for life we bathe in God’s love and are fulfilled.

Jesus told us this for one reason “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (full),” and if you receive this for your marriage today, I declare you marriage will be full of the Joy of the Lord!!!

Get Some Daddy Time

Family Ministry, God Loves You, Spiritual Food

Ps 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So this morning, as it is many Saturday mornings, my industrious wife was off to the grocery store early to beat the rush and get back in time to still enjoy the weekend.  So it is up to Daddy to take care of breakfast and spend some quality time with the children.  This time is usually spent with me in the kitchen cooking, and the kids downstairs watching their favorite cartoon or TV show.  Then we eat breakfast together, typically at max speed because the boys want to get back to playing games and or hopeful that I will let them watch another show.  But today was a little different, no hot breakfast, just cold cereal and toaster’s strudel.  This was quickly gobbled up by the kids and I had not even sat down to eat my mix of breakfast and leftovers from last night’s dinner.  My 4 year old daughter was still sitting there and she said these words to me “Daddy can I keep you company while you eat your breakfast?”

Ohhhhhhhh, my heart melted so fast, I could not get the words “Of Course!!!” out of my mouth quick enough.  There was such a smile of my face that I could not wait to sit and spend Daddy Time with my little Princess.  We had such a pleasant time, we talked about questions she needed answers to, things that were fun for her, some things that I did when I was small and our favorite things about playing in the snow yesterday and even sharing some of her fears.  It was then that Jesus spoke to me and said this is exactly what I feel when my children want to spend time with me.

The bible says “In Your presence is fullness of joy” and I have always enjoyed this verse because it reminded me that when I spend time in the Lord’s presence, I will be full of joy.  His joy not mine, this Joy the world could never take away from me, because it did not give it to me.  This joy is not based on my situation or circumstances but based on the Joy of Jesus, whose Joy is unspeakable.  Knowing this makes you look forward to spending time with God so that we can be replenished or be filled.  Today, Jesus revealed to me that it’s not just my joy that will be full, but that Jesus joys in His children desiring to spend time with Him.  He loves to hear from us, He smiles when we tell him what makes us happy, the things we like about being with Him and especially the cares we want to lay at His feet.  Nothing beats Daddy Time for you or Daddy.

Know that Jesus Joys in your presence with Him.  He loves to hear from you and loves to fill you with His unspeakable joy.   In Your presence is fullness of joy

We’re Never Alone

Family Ministry, God Loves You

2 Kings 6:16So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”

Have you ever felt like you were the only one or one of a few in your walk with Christ?  Sure we know that there are more than 2 billion Christians in the world, but some days when you are going thru life honestly, it  just seems like you’re alone.  The devil has specialized in isolating Christians over the years, whether it was in the Garden with Adam and Eve or in the asylum we set up in our own minds.  When he can get us alone we tend to focus on ourselves, our short comings and our faults rather than the awesome choice that Jesus made on the cross on our behalf.  About 3 and a half years ago my wife were introduced to Joseph Prince’s ministry and began to hear his teachings on God’s Loving Grace.  It has definitely changed the way receive from Jesus and walk in His love for us.  It was so simple and foundational that it was really difficult to accept at first, until the Lord began to show Himself in scripture like never before.

Rejuvenated by the Love of God and knowing how precious I am to Him, it became something I could not wait to share with everyone.  The issue I had was that it was not well received with those who I’d grown up with spiritually; it kind of made me feel isolated.  My wife and I really became the epitome of iron sharpening iron, encouraging each other in the Lord.  Even in that, it would often feel like you’re walking alone at times.

This past weekend I had an Elisha’s servant episode.  In this text Elisha’s servant that he and his master we isolated and surrounded by their enemy.  But what the servant did not realize was “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  My oldest Son and I took a trip up to NJ to see Joseph Prince who was preaching in Newark, during his first preaching tour in America.  It was our first trip together, just the two of us.  I had a really great time, it was really cool and it reached a pinnacle for me when we found ourselves in the middle of praise and worship with well over 18 thousand other believers lifting up the name of Jesus Christ on one accord.  To see Jesus’ loving embrace caressing each one of us was tremendous.  I saw Jesus overflow my son’s heart with His joy, so much so that all he could do was cry.  He told me that he was so happy and he knew that Jesus loved him.  Are you kidding me???  It was as if Elisha was praying for me to have my eyes opened and that night I was reminded like Elisha’s servant “And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around ME.”

It Cannot Be Wiped Away

Family Ministry, Spiritual Food

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Have you ever cut yourself and did not know it?  Or, you’ve cut yourself but cannot see the cut because there is so much blood?  What do you do?  Wipe the blood away so that you can see the injury, the hurt, the thing causing the pain, then immediately apply some type of cleanser to keep the cut from getting infected.  Now I’m sure my wife, the Pediatrician, will school me later on the technical terms and techniques, but I hope that I got the gist of it.

I highlighted this verse in 1 John, because it says something that we have to believe to survive, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  Jesus does just the opposite to our spiritual cuts and injuries.  Our sin, causes hurt and pain, but Jesus’ blood is the balm in Gilead (Jer 8:22).  His blood not only covers our sin, but it cleanses us from all sin; but doesn’t stop there, His blood heals (Lk 4:18) and gives eternal life (Jn 6:54).

So what’s up with the title?  Well, we’ve been taught that God sees all of our sin, and He is upset with us when we sin.  He is not pleased with us until we repent from every individual sin.  In essence wiping away Jesus’ Blood.  I guess we wipe it away so God can see our sin, then after we repent the blood is then reapplied.  I know that it seems like a little thing, but we mix up God’s old covenant with His new one.  In His old covenant, we indeed would have to atone for every sin, working for our salvation by offering some type of sacrifice, even putting our hope in the High Priest so that he would sacrifice on our behalf.  Then on top of all that, the offering had to be accepted by God for our sin to be removed.  That is a heck of a lot that has to go right.  Jesus died so that we do not have to live like this anymore…..

I’m so glad that God declared in Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, there was fault with the first covenant or the Old Covenant or the Law, therefor He gave a new covenant.  Paul tells us that this old covenant, was the ministry of death (2 Cor 3:7).  Be mindful of what you are receiving and believing, you may be sippin’ on a little death, which slowly kills our Faith is Jesus’ Blood.

I will not say any more, I will let the bible tell you that Jesus’ Blood is more than enough, and it can NEVER be wiped away…….

Heb 8:8-13 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 13 In that He says, “ . Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Enter God’s Presence With Boldness & Assurance

Family Ministry, God Loves You

I get so irritated with my two boys every now and then, for many reasonsJ, but specifically for this blog, when I call them after they have done something wrong.  You see my ever playful and happy go lucky oldest son becomes stoic and depressed, his movement is slow and speech is nearly silent.  My overtly loud, flamboyant, loving and often obnoxious younger son becomes miniscule, basically disappearing with the only the top of his head visible to me, as he looks directly to the ground in horror.  My response is often “Pick your head up!! You weren’t looking like this when you did it, so why are you looking like that now.”   And this often shifts their countenance from extreme guilt and embarrassment to all out fear.  WHY??

Well it is obvious “they are no good little twerps that need a good hard beating to get them back in line.”  Of course not I love them both tremendously, but I know that this is how they feel sometimes because my anger has gotten the best of me and I may have smacked them upside the head, snatched them up  or whatever other method that honestly was more than acceptable when I was growing up J.  Now why I say this in just, most of us know that there have been times where we’ve over reacted because we were upset.  And the very thought of coming into my presence reminds my kids of those previous reaction to their mistakes.  While my wife and I (much like all of you) have tried our very best to respond and correct our kids in a way that most reflects God’s response to us, we have often and will at times fall so very short.

Fast forward the years and look at how many of us respond to God today, so often when we have failed, sinned or done something that is just way outside of our character; we find ourselves in a similar position when entering the Lord’s presence.  We feel the same embarrassment, shame and honestly fear.  The truth is the enemy will put on his best voice imitation to tell us all of the negative we’ve done and why we should feel shame in hopes of keeping us from going into the Lord’s presence at all or at least making us feel like this while we’re there.  HOW????  Because we too often see God as our father treating us in a similar way that we do or have been treated by our fathers…..that could not be further from the truth.

The Truth Is:
Hebrews 10:15-18
15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

The Holy Spirit reminds us that God was clear about why He sent Jesus.   Jesus’ shed blood was to introduce this new covenant that would relieve us from having to experience the above scenario when coming into the presence of God (or keeping you from entering His presence).  According to the Law “all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin),” Jesus’ blood allows God the ability to remember no more!!  We as parents don’t have that same ability (which is just one more thing that makes Jesus so precious).  There are so many times I wish I had that ability, because forgiveness would be so much easier.  While it is very difficult to comprehend with our finite minds, we can BY FAITH BELIEVE that God says “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”  You should not stop there, we also believe that “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin”  Today there is remission, which Strong’s defines as release from bondage or imprisonment;  forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty.  Those were not my words but Jesus’.  Now that there is remission by the Blood of Jesus “there is no longer an offering for sin.”  There is no need for an offering because “It Is Finished!!!”  Once again Jesus’ words not mine.

Now nothing here exalts sin or advocates for sin, God hates sin (so do I) Sooooooooooo much, so much that He dealt with it forever on the Cross!!!.  And because Sin has been dealt with and forever destroyed, God will not remember them anymore….ON PURPOSE.  What is that purpose:
Hebrews 10:19-22
19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let His word minister to you, there is a lot in this passage, let it free you from the bondage that you’ve often subjected yourselves to.  Jesus loves you so much; allow His word to transform you with Boldness and Assurance.

Love That Speaks Volumes

Family Ministry

Eph 5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

Are your actions really saying what your heart believes?  What should you do when your actions say things to your spouse other than the words you speak?  Communication is one of the common issues that spring up in marriage; it really becomes a barometer of the health of a marriage.  When the communication is good, a marriage thrives; but when communication is bad a marriage struggles.  I’ve had my challenges in this area.  I’m improving…but I still have a ways to go.

Paul tells us here in Ephesians that we (husbands) are to love our wives as much as (or more than) we love ourselves.  A very important part of loving someone is communicating that love.  I can communicate love by my words, and also by my actions, but there is a problem when the two are not aligned.  The other night I was the MC for a fundraiser at my job.  It was the first of this magnitude so I wanted my family there to share with me, especially since I would be there all day missing a family function.  Just before the event, things really began to pick up and before I knew it we were well into the bulk of the program.  I had not even as much as greeted my wife and family (maybe brief eye contact).

This obviously did not communicate to Vanessa how glad I was that they made it and that I was extremely happy to see them there in support.  When I finally came over to the table they were preparing to leave; not ideal for spending time with those most important to me.  As I walked them out to the car I could definitely tell that Vanessa wished they hadn’t ever come.  When we finally wrapped up and I was on my way home, I called and Vanessa shared something that really blew me away; “this is what you always do” she said.  This was not the first time that I had acted in a similar manner which continued to communicate to her was that she and our family were not as important as I’ve stated.  As would be imagined, I was hurt not because of what she said but what my actions said to her and my kids.  As a husband and father it is important to me that they know my heart towards them and if that is not being communicated then there is no way that I am loving my own wife as my own body.

So why am I sharing this?  Because after hearing my wife’s heart I realized that something needed to change.  I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of a message taught by Frank Wilson at a men’s conference in Philadelphia (10 yrs ago).  He talked about how to show your wife that she is the most important person in your life.  He spoke about how he shows his wife, Bunny, just how important she is to him, specifically when he is serving or working in some capacity.  “The minute Bunny walks in the room and I see her, I stop whatever I’m doing and go to her; this acknowledges her presence.  I then check to see if there is anything she needs from me and if so I do it or I assure her that it will be dealt with.”  This ensured his wife Bunny knew that she was indeed the most important person in his life.

Now I am not Frank Wilson, and may never get to where he and Bunny are in their marriage, but I at least have something to shoot for.  My help in communicating my love is the Holy Spirit, you see Jesus knows me and my wife, therefore as I look to Him for wisdom He will direct my path. I encourage you (brothers) that what you say has to match what you do and if the two don’t align, then it has to be dealt with immediately.  Jesus will help you deal with the issues in your marriage, and show you how to make all of your communication consistent.  While letting Jesus help your communication you will begin to love your own wives as your own bodies, and by doing so your marriage will thrive.

God Bless You!

Happy Anniversary

Family Ministry

Mark 10:7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

            Yesterday marked nine years of marriage to my beautiful wife Vanessa.   We have been blessed tremendously during the past 3204 days to include three wonderful children, health and employment, along with so many other intangibles.  We have had two major moves and are currently preparing for the next one.  I can honestly say that I love her more today than I did the day I said “I do.”  That being said, let me make this crystal clear: everyday has not been a bed of roses.  There have been many days that have felt more like a bed of nails (like in the old Kung-Fu movies); but there has been a common thread throughout our marriage that has knitted our hearts closer than we ever would/could.

I’ve quoted a familiar scripture from the Gospels.  The content is very important as God has shared a few things that have helped us succeed thus far in marriage.

1.  Roles:  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.  When we made up in our minds we were getting married we determined that our current roles (son, daughter, sister or brother) had to change.  We had to prioritize our new roles as husband and wife, and by doing so, ensure that only the Holy Spirit is an outside decision maker in our marriage.  Ultimately, doing this did not make everyone happy, but we set a precedent for the health of our marriage.

2. Realization:  and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  In man’s economy 1+1=2 and in most marriages it sometimes equals 6 or more, while in God’s economy 1+1=1.  We had to realize that Jesus has to have center stage in our marriage so when we married we became one.  Achieving this is not easy and definitely something I started learning early on.  There is another important realization: Vanessa and I are a team, not enemies.  It’s difficult to remember at times but after the emotions explode, we have to fall back and remember that we are a team.  This way we battle the enemy (Satan) that is out to destroy everything we stand for and not each other.

3. Reality: Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.  Our reality is that our marriage was put together by God and we are not allowed to break it up.  Our role in this marriage is to trust the Lord more than ever and listen to Him about how to stay together.  We need to know when to push and when to give; when to shout and when to listen; when to love and when to fight; when to get help and when to keep it in house.  Our reality is that marriage is not easy but with God all things are possible, including our marriage.  This is your reality also.  Your marriage may be tough, but with God even your marriage can succeed.

These are a few things that have and continue to help us, but God will give you your keys to success.  We continue to love one another after nine years, but we have so much further to go.  As we continue to live and trust these keys God has given us we will see many more years together.  We are praying that you allow God to do the same in your marriage.  As we celebrate our anniversary today we also celebrate God’s goodness and presence in our marriage.  God bless you all.

It’s Time to Fight

Family Ministry, Uncategorized

1 Sam 30:8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

Every February, businesses and entrepreneurs alike, flood stores, internet and even the busiest street corners with red roses, plush teddy bears, sweet chocolate and many other tokens representing love and affection.  Unfortunately for many, all of these romantic trinkets will not do anything to mend the hurt, anger and hate that have filled the hearts of so many spouses.   Statistics show that well over 70% of marriages fail and a majority of pre-marital relationships seldom end in matrimony.  The fact is, our enemy the devil, is attacking relationships.  He always has and always will.  The sad thing is that he is not always working solo.  Many have made poor choices that have opened the door for him to enter into relationships and wreak havoc in the lives of so many families.

My wife and kids mean so much to me and I can assure you that if I lost them my LIFE would be drastically impaired.  Divorce is an unbearable reality that many families are dealing with today.  David had an unbearable reality to deal with, but the Lord used his situation to give us wisdom to help many marriages today.  David along with his mighty men returned to their families in Ziklag only to find that the Amalekites had ravaged their homes taking captive their wives and children.  An enemy had literally just destroyed their lives.  David lost everything and the very people he led were ready to kill him.  He was devastated and downtrodden but he had a decision to make.

This February, you too have a decision to make!!  Will you sit back while the enemy steals, kills and destroys your family?  While the enemy picks apart the life you and your spouse have built together, will you sit in disappointment and disbelief or will you follow David’s example and “FIGHT TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK”.  Let’s see what he did.

  1. Strengthened Himself:  vs 6 … But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. This familiar verse is quoted often and there’s a great reason for it.  David was devastated; he was at his lowest point and David had many low points in his life.  Many people going through serious marital problems often find themselves feeling as low as David did.  David understood that he was dealing with something that no counselor, friend or family member was going to be able to help with.  He had to get his strength from the only source that gives power.  Jesus is waiting for us to tap into His power and strength.  Marriages need Jesus in their center, that is the bottom line.  Regardless of the situation your marriage is in, you can gain strength by trusting in Jesus and walking in the strength He has given you.
  2. Worshiped His Savior:  vs 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.  After David was strengthened he went right into worship.  He later donned the linen ephod which was worn originally by the High Priest then by ordinary priests.  They wore it before going into the temple to worship so David wore it so that he could worship the Lord.  David was all out of sorts and confused yet realized that before he could do anything about this situation, he needed to worship the Lord.  Worship is focusing our affection on Jesus.  When we do that we cannot think about or even see anything but Jesus and His amazing Love for us.  Stop looking at the faults of your spouse…worship the Lord.  Rather than trying to fix things that you don’t know how to…worship the Lord.  Worship Jesus and get your focus back.  Remember who God is, all that He has done for you, how much He loves you and all that He is able to do.  When we worship, we place our focus on our solution (Jesus).
  3. Inquired Direction:  vs 8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”.…  After David worshiped he was ready to get God’s direction.  Now that David’s focus was clear, he needed to know what to do next.  In marriage we often ask everyone else (other people who have their own problems), before we ask the One who has all of the solutions.  Jesus knows what we need to do, when we need to do it and just how it needs to be done.  Inquire of the Lord and ask about your next step in marriage.  Ask about what you should learn, how you can be better, how can you love better, how can you serve better. Whatever you need to know, ask Jesus first.  After all “we have not because we ask not.”
  4. Pursued His Enemy:  vs 8 …And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men…  When David got the word from God, he took immediate action.  You see he asked God what to do and God told him to pursue.  Pursue means to go after with vigor, chase or persecute.  God, in essence, told David to fight; fight for his family and the very life which had just been destroyed.  This is the same word for you today.  Don’t let the enemy get away with the destruction he has caused, FIGHT.  Why?  God told David to fight in answer to the question he asked, but the Lord being omnipotent also answered a question that David did not ask: why he should fight?  “My life will be better without them.” “They are not willing to work so why should I?”  “Is it even worth it?”  These are all questions that will often come right after Jesus prompts us to fight for our marriages.  Since He knew this, He gave the answer in advance.  The Lord said “for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”  Without fail, because Jesus is with you everything will be recovered:  the love of your life, your best friend, the intimacy both physically and emotionally;  it will all be recovered.  You will get everything back, just trust the Lord to do the heavy lifting on your behalf.  You believe, Jesus will achieve and in the end you and your spouse will be relieved (I could not resist).
  5. Triumphed Beyond Victory: vs 20 Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”  After David recovered everything that had been stolen by the enemy, he realized that God had given him more.  When we triumph with God, it is always exceedingly and abundantly more than we can imagine.  David not only recovered all that he lost, but he received extra (some would say he got his with interest).  The text states Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”  Jesus always leaves us better off, than we originally were, in David’s case, he received the spoil.  In your case, you marriage will be more exciting, intimate and stronger than it ever was.  You and your children will become closer and more transparent as well.  You can trust God like David did, he triumphed beyond victory, regaining everything that he lost and more.  Trust Him….and recover your better life.

Conclusion: This February make up in your mind that you will believe the Lord and FIGHT, as you do you will recover all.  You will be better, your marriage, your children, even those around you will benefit.  Remember this; it is not your actions that are changing your situation, but the actions of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross years ago.  Victory was given to us all when He defeated death and Satan by standing in our place.  You can rest assured that what He did was more than enough for us to have victory, as we FIGHT for our marriages and families.  FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE TODAY!!