Christian Living

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WE WERE NOT CREATED UNTO DEVASATION:
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Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after their fall from grace were the first one’s who erected walls of protection to hide from God. As well as to begin hiding from each other. They had experienced the pain of betrayal from each other, whereas before, they had known peace and harmony and trust without question. They had also betrayed God. Even though they did, God had a plan of redemption. This plan of redemption would be through Jesus, the Son of the living God, who would give His life as a sacrifice on the cross. Through His atoning blood, man would be cleansed of sin and brought back into right standing with God.

Adam and Eve had never experienced the pain of rejection before and their immediate response was to withdraw and build a wall around themselves to protect their emotions from receiving anymore hurt. A loving God, Who is Love (1 John 4:8) did not create men and women to be rejected by other people. Especially by those close to us who profess to love us. This kind of pain wounds our souls so deeply that there are times when you feel as if you’re dying inside. There is a silent scream for help that reveberates from out of the very depths of your being. We were not created to know how to handle this kind of pain.

God created each of us to be accepted by other’s because He loves and accepts us (Eph.1:6). When God presented Eve to Adam and He performed the first marriage ceremony in the Garden, Adam accepted her with delight. Isn’t this true of marriages in modern times when couples plan their wedding and then the big day comes when the minister announces you as ‘man and wife?’ Each one is seen as a delight to the other one. It’s no different than the delight Adam experienced when he first saw Eve.

He must have been one more excited man as he gazed upon his beautiful bride. He didn’t greet her with a bad attitude, “Okay, I’m here. Let’s get this thing over with.” He didn't go to God and say, “I sure with you had made her a little taller. And well, the color of her hair’s all right but I really like redheads better.” Adam said of Eve when He saw her, “This is now flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.” He accepted her with delight. But how many husbands and wives after several years into the marriage have the attitude, “I’m just putting up with him/her, that's about all I can say.” This says, that you’re only tolerating your mate. You’re not accepting of them for the individual person God created them to be.

Let me pause to make a clear distinction. Accepting a person for who they are created to be in Christ Jesus does not mean that a mate is accepting of the other one’s bad habits such as lack of respect and communication. What couples must come to realize is that, your bad habits effect not only you but they affect those around you in a negative way. And while you can accept them as a person whom God created, you still cannot accept their bad habits. All bad habits in either the husband or the wife needs attention. Every one has certain areas in our lives that needs the blood of Jesus to change so we can make that intimate connection with our mates more solid and complete.

We must learn to accept each other with delight by realizing that God joins us with our mates for them to be a blessing to us, and we to them. Somebody says, “My mate doesn’t look at me with delight. It’s more like disgust.” Than YOU become delightful to them in attitude, thoughts, words and actions so they can begin to see you in a different light and respond accordingly. There is no law that says you can’t change and become all that God created you to be as a husband or wife, parent, friend, sibling (natural & spiritual), son or daughter.

You don’t have to stay the way you are right now. God has some exciting avenues to bring you to in Him when you decide to get into agreement with the Holy Spirit who is the One who transforms us into the image of Christ. This is the ultimate change God wants to bring each of us into. What will our answer be? Let us all sound out a resounding YES!

Lets look and see that the word ‘Delightful’ means--“something that gives great pleasure and enjoyment.” The time comes when we must allow the Holy Spirit to put us under God’s microscope so we can see whether we’re a pleasure to our husband or wife? Do we bring enjoyment to their lives? No one wants to believe that we’re less than pleasant company to be around. But the question is, are you a grouch most of the time? Are you predominately negative about life, etc.? That is, if your spouse says, “Good morning” to you, do you respond with, “What’s good about it?”

Do we always rise in the mornings feeling on top of the world, all smiles and cheers? The truth is, no we don’t but we do arise each brand new morning with a choice. We can choose not to allow our ‘blah’s’ to continue and affect those close to us negatively, or we can choose to say, “This is the day that the Lord has made, and I will to rejoice in it and be glad, regardless of how I feel.” Once you make this decision, you’re well on your way to enjoying God’s blessings of the day and enjoying your mate and others you come in contact with.

Go to your spouse and be honest with where you are. Ask him/her to pray with you that your decision to overcome the devil’s suggestions for depression and the like, is not your chosen lot for the day. Don’t allow pride to rob you of connecting with your mate this way and seeing God’s grace cover you both in covenant union with each other and with Him. When you’re honest before God and with each other in a situation like this and the two of you join together in prayer for each other and the day, you’ve just done spiritual warfare and defeated the enemy.

He won’t be able to create strife and division now. He won’t be able to steal your peace with each other. Instead, you will experience a closer bond between you and your spouse. This is true for all other relationships you have as well. It’s more simple than what we think it is. Yes, there are problems and such that must be addressed and come to desirable conclusions, but we make it much more complicated than it ever has to be. If you and your spouse are born again and you come together with sincere hearts before God for answers, Jesus promises that, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst” (Matt.18:20).

The Holy Spirit is at work to bring the two of you more into harmony, not only with each other but also with your heavenly Father because He has purpose and destiny for the two of you in the earth for His Kingdom. Satan knows this also. This is why he does all he can to create strife and division in order to intercept God’s plans and purposes but to no avail. The devil does NOT have the last word in your life, unless you allow him to have by agreeing with his lies and following him right on into destruction.

If the two of you set yourselves in agreement together and in agreement with God, there is no force in hell or on earth that can stop you from going forth to fulfill your destiny together, as well as individually. “Choose this day whom you will serve” is the Word of the Lord to us today and everyday. We have to choose to be in agreement with God and follow Him each day.
(to be continued)

Plain As Day Ministries

Shirley Williams
2-10-03

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