Cleansing Together

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matt 17:20-21

Faith is such a key ingredient to revival... especially in marriage. If you do not possess the faith needed to see your spouse as God sees him/her (completely blameless and without sin, through the blood of Jesus), then you will never get past the issues and opportunities that exist.

Faith in God to allow you that peace is also crucial. Your peace comes through Him, you know... and no matter how hard you try to forgive in your own power, it is only God who has the power to forgive, and only through Him can true forgiveness be achieved.

Pray together tonight for the faith needed to bring forth revival. Spend time praying that your mustard seed will move the mountain that exists in your life. Because on the other side of that mountain is what we all yearn for; peace.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
Heb 12:14

I posted a longer article about Holiness last month, and those points are just as relevant this month... and they will be every day until the end of time. The walk of a Christian is to increase our holiness and grow closer to Jesus.

But always remember, we do not seek justification, we enhance sanctification. His cross justifies us; how we carry ours will sanctify us!

Pray together tonight for the proper method to carry your crosses. Deny yourselves and step forward in expectancy of the greater reward that IS to come!

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 9:12 - If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

QBQ - Does my mouth keep me from the rewards God wants me to have?

Everyone mocks something in life. The question here, though, is what if I did not mock anything? What if I submitted to all in humble service to the Lord, and not to men, for the glory of His Kingdom? Those watching me (and there are people watching us all) might see Christ's love in that act of true selflessness! Die to live... die a little to my selfish desires and thoughts, to live the abundant life God has promised me. There would be no better way to honor the Lord than this!

May He bless you!

Cleansing Together

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
Phil 3:12

Even Paul, probably the greatest conversion in history, was still working on his sanctification. After such an amazing turn around from his earthly life to following Christ, we generally think of people like Paul as being "already there." But he was not, and he knew it... and that is where his wisdom had, and still has, all of its strength!

Continue to pray with your spouse for an enhanced sanctification. Seek the Face that makes all things new with all your heart tonight, and pray that you would view this process from Kingdom perspective. And remember, it is not your names that you are attempting to glorify... it's His.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
2 Cor 7:1

We, as Christian husbands and wives, do have the promises of eternal life and salvation from our sins. So why aren't we actively chasing our own holiness? And, as a husband, I would pose this question specifically to the men; why aren't we leading by example?

Make no mistake, we are not talking about justification... this is a process of sanctification that is on-going and ever-growing, bringing us closer and closer to the likeness of Jesus. His cross justified us for all eternity; but how we carry ours will sanctify us further.

Spend time today with your spouse in prayer for the cleansing of yourselves. Your audience is important, and they must learn from you how this is done... because the world will teach them otherwise, and never stop.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
Prov 28:13

Confession is a key element of repentance. And as we all go through this process together, I can assure you that it does get less difficult. As a local saint in my church says, "when you are chasing sanctification, you begin to truly hate unholiness in your life."

Those "pet" sins become easier to spot, more difficult to justify, and far simpler to deal with. And remember, if it were not for Jesus and his sacrifice at Calvary, NOT ONE HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET could measure up to the standards God has set before us. Jesus makes it possible!

Pray together today, thanking Jesus for your ability to boldly approach the Throne and cast your sins and cares on Him. Spend time confessing whatever the Spirit is showing you. Empty your heart and cleanse your thoughts... because Kingdom purposes are all that matter.

God bless you all!!!

Prayer for the Children

So tonight my church had our first Prayer Walk of the local schools. We prayed over the campuses, for the faculty, staff, students, and parents. We prayed for the buildings and the land. We walked around with hands lifted high, unashamed and feeling blessed for the boldness to do so!

I do not say this to bring glory to myself or the church, but to bring glory to God. Without the boldness that He gives us, we could not do this. Without the freedom that He allows us, we could not do this. Without the love that He shows us, we could not do this. Without Him, we are nothing... nothing... nothing at all.

If you haven't been a part of a similar exercise in your community, I encourage you to see what you can do to begin one. Our children are our future, and the world for them is far more dangerous than it was for us. They need the prayer more than anything!

And even if you don't get the chance personally, know that my team is praying for your children tonight, and will continue to do so.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Jam 4:8

As a couple, your quest in marriage (in an earthly sense) is to draw nearer and nearer to each other over time. The closer you get to each other, the better your relationship is.

This is also true of your relationship with the Lord, both as individuals and as a couple. Every day you are required to wash your hands clean and purify your hearts and thoughts. We are created flawed... it is inescapable. But the closer you grow to God through chasing sanctification, the smaller that flaw will seem.

Spend time today praying together, and then perform an exercise for each other; wash each others' hands. Pray over the sink and each other, and then wash the hands of your spouse, in a symbolic gesture of aiding them in removing the stains of sin. We are a team. We need to support each other in all things... especially cleansing!

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalms 139:23-24

Yesterday I asked that you and your spouse get together and spend time allowing the Spirit to reveal unconfessed sin. Today, to expand on that premise and seek true heart revival, I ask that you do the same and enhance it with the above verse. Ask God directly to show you what lies within the depths of your hearts, and then drag it into the light.

Your relationship with each other, as well as with the Lord, will be strengthened from the boldness to perform this act of faith. And even though it seems difficult, the Spirit will aide you! He always does!

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 16:13 - Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.

QBQ - Am I speaking the Truth, or hiding comfortably in the back?

We all face our moment of decision; will we or won't we stand up for the right thing? I encourage you, as Paul would, to stand up knowing that our reward in Heaven is greater than anything on earth! Honor God by standing firm to the Truth!

May He bless you!

Cleansing Together

"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."
Psalms 66:18

Hiding and keeping your own "pet" sins keeps you from the power that God wants to bestow on you. This is also true for your marriage. Get down on your knees with your spouse today, and each of you take the time to confess your sins to each other, before God.

The trust and love involved in the act of confession is immense. And the more time you take, the more the Holy Spirit will reveal to you. I guarantee you, it will be a blessed time.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jer 29:13

Many of us wish for true revival to come. However, revival begins within each Christian. Spend time today, separately and together, focused on cleansing your heart to seek the Lord completely.

You can shine your light for all to see, and help to begin the revival!

God bless you all!!!

The Pilgrimage of Marriage

So there I was... waiting for the 9 PM hour to roll around on the night of my wedding... standing in my suit, looking at the guests, and realizing that I was embarking on a true life-long journey! And out she came!!! The epitome of all beauty, walking towards me with bouquet in hand, ready to take this journey with me. This is where we began our pilgrimage.

So often, people think of pilgrimage as merely an action. However, as I was sitting in a lecture by Christian George (author, Sex, Sushi & Salvation and Godology), he pointed out that pilgrimage is both an action AND an attitude. He referenced the many times in the Word where people are traveling from one place to another to perform good works. Most heavily, he spoke of a three-year walk that this one guy took all over the Jewish world. What was His name??? Oh, right... JESUS CHRIST. He was constantly on a pilgrimage to spread the Good News, and it was, for Him, much more than an action. His attitude about the whole thing is what made it so powerful for others. I believe that this is why when He would tell people to follow Him, they could not refuse.

Also, as I looked through the notes about Christian's lecture, I ran across a verse that proves my belief in the Pilgrimage of Marriage fully. And as I read it, I thought back to that night and all the things racing through my head before my bride entered. Would it last? Would we be happy? What would the fighting be about? Where would we live? How many kids? So on and so on, until finally she came and stood on my left, and we were married. But regardless of where we decided to live, or what the fights would be about, or how many kids we would have, we were now two aliens paired together to live in the world, but not of the world, and had to avoid sinful desires.
1 Pet 2:11

In fact, as Christian spoke, I was reminded of the pilgrimage I have been on for the last eight years, and I thought of the one crucial rule to pilgrimage; DO NOT STOP! So often in this world, we give up on our race before we finish. But, as so many people point out throughout the Bible and all history, completion of your race is of the utmost importance, whether you win or lose or land in between. Finish strong! And remember, the race must go on, even while we wait. John Waller puts it best in his song, "While I'm Waiting," saying that he will be running the race, even while he waits. (And, in case you haven't noticed, our Christian church was born while people waited on God... in fervent prayer together... on a pilgrimage of the heart to be stronger and bolder in faith for the Lord Jesus.)
Acts 2:1-4

So we have been running our race, and have fallen down at times and gotten back up. We have slowed and sped up. We have had a fairly "normal" pilgrimage thus far, but with one exception. We started this marriage on a Friday night, and on the following Sunday morning, I was the first man my wife ever invited to share her faith. I was informed that I was to become a spiritual leader of our home, and that it was my responsibility. It was overwhelming at first, but I went to church with her. (I was already a Christian, just not a member of any given denomination or church.)

We have been Baptists ever since, and I have truly begun to embrace my role as the Spiritual Head of our family. It is sad to admit that it took this long, but the race has never stopped. And it will not stop. Ever.

The key to this was when we both realized that our own egos HAD to be put down. And I do not mean put down as in setting them down on the floor for a moment... I mean put down like an incurable animal. PUT DOWN FOREVER. It is in the moments when we forget this inevitable truth that the enemy finds his way into our home. It is in these moments that our 4th Wall begins to crack. But, blessedly, we can call upon the One who never faces impossibility!
Jer 32:27

Today, I ask that whatever your denomination, whatever your core beliefs about worship and prayer, discuss them with your spouse and further your own pilgrimage of marriage. And spend time in prayer both separately and together, cleansing your heart before the Lord, so that you might approach your next leg of the race with a clear mindset of what must be done. And, as I always pray for all of you, if you are not involved somewhere in a church, please reach out and find one to plug into. The greatest advancements in any marriage happen with Christ at the center, and that is fact in BOTH the Bible and the secular world we live in, statistically proven.

So take time today to pray together. Pray about what the race looks like for you, and what it should look like for those watching you... because they are watching you. Whether it's your kids or co-workers or family members or friends, your pilgrimage is on display every day. Honor the Father who created all things, including you and your marriage, by running the race well. And never forget, the one member of the crowd watching that really matters.... that's Him!

God bless you all!!!

To learn more about Christian George, visit www.christiangeorge.org and buy one of his books!

Top Of My Lungs

"At the top of my lungs, I will sing, 'HALLELUJAH!' You're the One who saved me; the One who gave me this life I live... forever more!"

I cannot put into better words the expression of this song by Phillips, Craig and Dean. It is one of the songs that I yearn to hear every day to remind me that I, too, should be shouting from the rooftops! These three men are definitely correct in this chorus. And it applies to so many things!

So why don't we all shout like that? It says in the song that we should make a "joyful noise," just as it says in so many places in Christianity. So what is stopping us???

Fear. Fear of proclaiming, as we have been COMMANDED, the Truth of the Word.

The fear of being proud of who we are and Whose we are seems to be a constant that we cannot overcome in our tolerance-based society. The blessing here, though, is that God is bigger than any constant... He is the ONLY Constant!

This chorus also speaks to the blessing of marriage. How many affairs happen because of the adulterer not speaking up about who or whose he/she is? How many happen where one party has no idea the other is married? I bet that if statistics were taken on that subject, the outcome would be baffling!

Speak up, brothers and sisters, and do it with joy! Proclaim from the mountaintops that you are joined in the eternal bonds of Holy Matrimony, blessed by the Father, and filled with the Spirit, with Christ in the center! In doing this, you further honor the Lord, and His institution of marriage.

Along with that, find one person today to share your faith with. Stand up for the Man who died for you, and share what it means to be a Christian husband/wife. Stand up for the faith that you cling to when times are tough, but do so with an exalted voice of praise! Paul did it with regular beatings, chains, imprisonment, hunger, thirst... and throughout most of that, he was STILL witnessing for Christ! He knew that the reward of Heaven is greater than anything on Earth.

So many times in life, we decide to keep quiet about things. I pray that the blessing of marriage in your life will NOT be one of the things that you keep quiet about! Take time tonight to thank God for the spouse you have. And pray together that the Lord will bless your marriage and keep it sacred.

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

QBQ - Have I challenged or encouraged someone today?

So often we go through life with only ourselves to think of. Take time today to embolden or encourage a friend. It is a true sign of true friendship to be willing to give and receive such truths. Honor God through this, and be iron!

May He bless you!

Random...

So, just a curious question... how many things have happened to you today that you thought were random or coincidence? Better yet, how many things have happened this way in the last week? Or the last month? Or how about your entire life???

There are those who believe that their choice of spouse (note that I said that they believe that THEIR choice of spouse) is totally random. But I would submit to you a different thought; not one thing in your life or mine has been random. Everything in life; everything in creation; is all a part of the Master's Plan!
Jer 29:11

We were created by Him, for His pleasure and purpose, and will be used by Him whether we wish to be or not. God is in control; ALL OF THE TIME! No power on Earth or in Heaven can surmount His.
Rom 8:28

For instance, if I were to recount the endless list of "random" things that have led me to this point, with this church, with my wife, with both of our upbringings, with our passion to change the legacy of our families... trust me, you would become extremely dizzy if I went any further. But then I began to look at things in a different light; His light! And now that I can see clearly, I realize that every little turn, every step, every word and interaction has led me to this exact point. God has placed me EXACTLY where I am supposed to be, to do His will and spread His Kingdom. And I will serve with gladness.
Josh 24:15

Just know, brothers and sisters, that your spouse is a gift from God. He invented marriage. He does not make mistakes. Do you honor that gift you have sitting beside you at the movies???

I ask tonight, in 4th Wall fashion, for you to pray with your spouse for the will of God to come through in your life. I promise you, there is nothing in life more fulfilling that to be living and walking inside God's will for you! I further promise that it can be discovered... you just have to be still enough and quiet enough to hear it.

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 16:3 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and all your plans will succeed.

QBQ - Have I committed this day to God?

This really is something that we should be asking ourselves every day, brothers and sisters. Did you wake up and commit to God that today would be for His glory, and the spread of His kingdom? As we learned at the conference, "THY kingdom come, THY will be done." Easy to say, hard to do.

May He bless you!!!

Prayer and Discipleship Conference, Day 3

Man, oh man... does my brain HURT!!!

But what's better still, and I do not want anyone to miss this point, my heart hurts, too. And that, dear friends and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, is the truth!

Today was filled with truths, from a finalization on a lecture about Faith from our local saint, who, while hoarse and ill and seemingly too far behind in his presentation to be able to finish, managed to stand firm, speak clear, and use the time allotted to complete the packet; all by the grace of God! And, also by the grace of God, we were all blessed to see the Lord working through this man, as we always are. Thank you, dear friend and teacher, for sharing what the Lord laid on your heart!

So then I went to a class given by one of our Associate Pastors, designed around going the second mile as a disciple. Please note, it's not the extra mile, but the second mile. I learned about what the first required mile was from a historical and legal stance, and then learned that the first mile was a requirement... and that it still exists today! There are so many who are walking that first mile out of nothing but obligation, and are moaning and groaning the entire time. And I can speak on this, because for two years I have been one of them! I have served in Pre-School Ministry for two years, always saying that I didn't want to be there. The second miler, though, chooses to keep going. CHOOSES!!! With all the testimony of the Roman soldiers that we have to rely upon, isn't it possible that there is something to the choice to continue? No one ever promised it would be easy. In fact, the loud booming of "take up your cross" seems to tell me that it will, in fact, NOT BE EASY. But if we choose, with joy and a servant mindset, then God will bring us through anything we encounter!

And then another breakout speaker for the afternoon who spoke about the necessity for deep personal cleansing. There is a litany of scripture attached to this concept, but let me just summarize with the statement that we cannot see the manifest power of God until we are ready for it, inside and out! And, if we don't pray correctly, then we will not be ready.

Which leads us to the highlight of the evening, our final keynote speaker, who talked about... you guessed it... PRAYER! In discussing the Sermon on the Mount, he brought up several now-familiar points. Prayer is work; prayer is not easy; right-minded prayer will avail much; wrong-minded prayer will avail little; prayer increases faith; God must be the center! My wife and I both were moved to tears as this Pastor stood and shouted at us that the only way to have an effective prayer life and be able to know that you have been heard is to pray properly. And he is absolutely correct.

This conference, like last year, has been a blessing and a joy to all who attended. In the spirit of the conference, I ask, as always, that you pray with your spouse tonight. But instead of praying about what you need, why not take a crack at praying to God for what His will is in your life? The main theme has been prayer, but the underlying theme has most definitely been surrender... so live out that classic hymn, and proudly proclaim, "I SURRENDER ALL!"

God bless you all!!!

Prayer and Discipleship Conference, Day 2

All I have to say is wow.

From a gut-wrenching two-part introduction to Faith, brought forward by a true saint within our church, to a young man with wisdom ten times greater than his age allows who speaks of spiritual disciplines of old that MUST be reactivated in us, to a powerful man with a true and Godly heart who seeks that we should all understand the meaning and power of corporate prayer, this day was absolutely filled with blessing!

Our local saint doesn't speak to our congregation often, but when he does, we all take notice. Unfortunately, my wife was unable to attend these portions of the day. But the topic was just a small one... you know, just faith... nothing major. (Total sarcasm, in case you didn't get that!) And, as a married couple, there truly is nothing more important in our walk than faith. It gives us the purpose to move forward with the teaching of each other and our children. It allows us to know that better times (the for richer part) are indeed ahead of us and our current situation (the for poorer part). If there were a CD/DVD set to buy, it would be of this true saint of our church. He is, in no uncertain terms, a reflection of the grace that God has bestowed upon him, and his words are worth hearing.

The second man, younger than I but wiser than most, was intriguing. He spoke on the Spiritual Discipline of Pilgrimage, and I must say that I was moved. I, now more than ever, truly desire to see some of the places where Jesus traveled and performed miracles. And I want my wife by my side when I go. There is an unspoken additive to this point that is to the pilgrimage of marriage. The speaker is absolutely correct in all he says about pilgrimage being an action AND an attitude. And what greater pilgrimage than the one that never ceases, produces life-long fruits, earns great rewards for good work, and multiplies faith on faith and love on love for all of life; I speak, of course, of marriage. I must admit, though, that I never thought of it this way until today. (Thank you for that, Brother!)

The third, a man whom I was blessed enough to sit by for a long lunch, spoke to the power of praying together as Christians. We all know of the power a married couple has when their hearts are aligned behind the same purposes, so I won't dwell here for long. But imagine that power multiplied by one thousand couples, their children, and the friends who had not yet married! The families alone would be capable of lifting that mountain, splitting it in two, and casting it into the sea! The philosophy brought forward of S.A.M.E. H.E.A.R.T. Prayer is phenomenal, and allows us to look at how we pray and why. It also begs the accountability question, do I practice these simple principles as I lead my family at home in prayer? Or am I always asking God to fix something else without offering the praise that He alone deserves to receive from me daily?

And then, as the time of Corporate Prayer ended and our Keynote speaker came to the lectern, a wave of calm washed over us all. We listened with ears to hear as this speaker covered the "double-portioning" that Elisha received. (No coincidence that a double-portion is what we should seek and a marriage is double the people in unified flesh, I think.) We went through the life and times of this Man of God, from his wealth to his obedience without question, to his eventual transformation into a truly compassion filled man. We covered his name, as it transformed with him along the journey. We covered the differences between him and his mentor, Elijah. And all of this led us to one point; God uses anyone, from anywhere, and if you have lived a faithful life for Him, you can ask for a double-portion of the Holy Spirit to move you in the works God has planned for you! We are all on the mission field, every day... make no mistake, there are people watching you everywhere you go just to see you slip! But just as the mic went out and our Worship Leader stated so plainly, "the devil's gonna try, but he aint gonna win here!"

That last sentence, I believe, deserves an AMEN!

And so, it is with a humble heart tonight that I beg you to pray with your spouse. Pray in reverence about the AWESOMENESS of God. Pray with thanksgiving for the creation that you are, and for creation itself! Pray in humility for the sins that we have already been forgiven of, before our births, at present, and any uncommitted ones. Pray for guidance and direction in your calling. And pray for patience and love. But, above all else, whatever you pray about... do it together!

God bless you all!!!

Prayer and Discipleship Conference, Day 1

Months of planning, preparation and prayer... registration... parking lot duty... packets and hand-outs... people from many states across the nation coming to our church for one purpose... to encounter God through prayer!

Tonight began the 2nd Prayer and Discipleship Conference at Spring Baptist Church. It is, as it was last year, a three day venture into fervent prayer for change. The difference here, though, is that all of the speakers, including our own Senior Pastor, speak to the change of the only person anyone can ever change; themselves! Accountability is a key component of this conference, just as it is in any Christian walk, and I thank God for that!

Tonight we heard some amazing praise and worship from the Celebration Choir and Orchestra, and were blessed with the words of our Senior Pastor and one of the other Keynote Speakers. Their respective messages, although not planned to align, were brought together in the story of the clearing of the temple. As our pastor spoke of it, he made reference to the "big" questions that we all must ask ourselves. First, do I really love Jesus? Then, would I give up my life for Him? And lastly, will I serve Him with abandon? The temple merchants, I believe, would not have been able to answer "yes" to these questions.

I answer tonight from the 4th Wall Perspective, which relates everything to the Holy union of marriage. The first question does need to be answered as an individual, but then it must be answered again as a couple. Do we really love Jesus? The reason it must be answered individually is because if I love Jesus, I can then properly love my wife and children. Together, if we really love Jesus, then our children will be able to see a model of what love is, how it works, and know how they should give and receive love when they depart from us to begin their lives as adults. This love and the teaching of it through action is definitely Kingdom Work!

Second, would we give up our lives for Him? Again, this question will require individual answers, and prayerfully I say that they will be the same resounding YES! In this question is the direct and literal question of would we die for Christ. But there is also the spiritual matter of whether or not we will die to ourselves, thereby embracing the Grace afforded to us through the Cross. Only through this "death," which is often symbolized by the cross (semantically speaking), can we attain life! And if we are aligned in this, then our "abundant life" will be further enriched by the good work of two! The good Kingdom Work of two.

Lastly, will we serve Him with abandon? Again, individual answers first. But if we are resolute to truly love Jesus and lay down our lives for Him, then service with abandon is almost a foregone conclusion! How could we not spend every morning and night, meditating on the Word and prayerfully approaching our Father in Heaven?!? How could we not heed the call to ministry or missions?!? How could we not move forward in our walk with Jesus, both as individuals and as a couple?!? Again, true Kingdom Work here... along with the ability to show our onlookers what a true follower of Christ is.

As the first Keynote Speaker took the lectern, he spoke of the specific passage that contains the temple clearing story, along with a hidden parable in the fig tree. In a powerful and humbling display of wisdom and understanding, the speaker related Mark 11:1-24, in sections, to Old Testament prophecy. I know understand that Jesus did not curse the tree... he was sad that it would not produce fruit, and made a statement to that effect. Then upon pressing the ethereal fast-forward button, the tree died more quickly than anyone expected.

But as Peter approached and noticed, Jesus spoke to him of faith in God. The tree was diseased and withered from the roots upwards. This same thought has now been applied to the temple, with rotting roots, fruit being produced out of season, and an eventual death of disease from a hollow place at the center. The speaker relates this to our rediscovery of the power of praise, which is important; but also to out forgetfulness on the power of prayer, which is what Jesus said His house should be known for.

We were then educated on the famous "name it and claim it" verse in Mark 11:24. This verse actually hearkens back to Zechariah 14:3-4, and tells of the coming of the Son of Man, and the division that will inevitably occur. And, even in this, Jesus explains through the parable that the Kingdom should be the FIRST priority... everything else is second.

How should we married folk respond to this? With prayer, and only prayer. I beg you tonight to pray with your spouse about praying more. Spend time on your knees together, on your faces. Pray with open hearts to the Lord who loved us and desired us enough to send His Son to die for us... surely that is worth a few minutes of our limited understanding of time.

And if I wanted to feel, touch and see the Hand of God move inside my church tonight... all I can say is thank you, God! To feel His presence as we prayed together can only be described as awesome.

And if there is anything my wife and I can pray about for you, feel free to reach out to us.
4thwallministries@gmail.com

God bless you all!!!