Author: instructionstoayounglife.com

When I was younger I read in the Bible that the Lord came to give me an abundant life and also that if I would trust Him then I would never be disappointed. These were incredible promises and so I decided to see if they were true. That was almost fifty years ago. What I have written are the truths that the Lord has taught me through His Word and I found them to be true every time. The Bible is the lecture and life is the lab. If a truth does not hold up in the lab then it can not be counted on. Every one was true and I have sought to build my life on these truths. We have a family business and four adult children. I wish that I could give my life to everyone but since I can't, I can share the truths that kept me from needless stress and pain. My marriage is the closest thing to heaven on earth. We are more "in love" than ever before and our children bring us great joy. I realize that not everyone will agree with everything that is written. I did not always agree either until I put it to the test. The Bible says that "wisdom will be vindicated by her deeds". The fruit from these truths have been sweet for me. May you be richly blessed as I have been. If you are struggling with life or with finding and keeping love in your life then please consider reading these posts. They have been tested and are true. If you are not happy and satisfied with life or what you have been doing has not been "working" then please consider what is written in these blogs. https://www.instructionstoayounglife.com is about how to live a life full of meaning, purpose, happiness with peace, quietness and confidence. https://www.howtofindandkeeplove.com is about the greatest love story in history. If you are looking for love and wanting to keep love in your life then please read this blog. These truths and this same love is offered to any who are willing to listen and learn. https://www.adviceforwomenaboutmen.com or https://www.adviceforgirlsaboutboys.com is practical advice on how a girl is to relate to a young man and how a woman is to relate to a man. It is a blog on how to keep from getting hurt and how to have a great love life. If you have any questions then please email me at fafeja@yahoo.com

A Life that Lives to the Fullest

Do you really want to live life to the fullest. Life is so sweet when done right that you will truly feel as though you ride on the heights of the earth and the Lord says that you can if you will live according to His ways. He is life and came that you might have life to the fullest.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

If you are not having an abundant life but feeling as though your cup is half empty or that others have gotten what you want and so you have feelings of frustration and disappointment then why don’t you try living according to what the Lord says. It is certainly worth a try if “your way” has not worked out. He came to give you an abundant and overflowing life. A life that is filled with gratitude and gladness, which is another word for happiness. Joy comes from the presence of the Lord and we can have joy no matter what the circumstances if we live in His presence but gladness is altogether different. Gladness is that feeling in your heart of being excited and happy. It is not just an emotion but a confidence that all will work out. It is the feeling that you had in school when you knew that you had studied hard for a test and were confident that you would do well. That is what gladness is in life. It is a confidence, peace and a great feeling within your soul. It is happiness.

Hebrews 1:9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”

This verse is what was written of Jesus. He was happier than all of His companions and those around Him. If you think that Jesus went around sad then you are sadly mistaken. He lived life to the fullest here on earth and wants to teach you the same.

Psalm 25:9b And He teaches the humble His way.

When you learn to live according to God’s ways then you will ride on the heights of the earth. Take God’s Word, the Bible, and open it up and start asking the Lord to teach you His ways about everything in life.

Isaiah 58:14 Then you will take delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

His ways are sweet and they are good for you. His promises are the land of milk and honey. He wants you live on His promises and trust Him. You will see His love in a thousand different ways and you will live life to the fullest.

A Life that Does Not Fear

Over three hundred times it says in the Bible “do not fear”. The Lord knows how fearful we tend to be and He does not want us to be afraid of anything. If we will learn to fear Him, which means to have an awesome respect for and obedience to, since all power belongs to Him and He is worthy to be feared by all of creation then we will not fear anything else. If you do not have that healthy fear of God then you need to for He is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

If you do fear Him then you have no need to fear anyone or anything for He is with you.

Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

How do you know if you fear Him or fear man? If you confess Jesus Christ as Lord before others then you fear the Lord but if you are ashamed of Him and His name then you fear man. If you obey Him and take a stand for what is in the Bible then you fear Him. If you lead a double life then you do not fear God, rather you fear man.

Matthew 10:32,33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

If you fear man then not only will the Lord deny ever knowing you but you will have a snare in your life and will have allowed man to control you. Man will control your thoughts, for you will be anxious as to what man thinks of you and/or whether you have their approval, or man will control your actions and you will compromise what you know is the right thing to do for the approval of man. What a horrible life!

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.

Do not ever fear what people say about you or be discouraged if you are doing what the Lord wants you to do.

Isaiah 51:7,8 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose heart is My law;
Do not fear the reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
“For the moth will eat them like a garment,
And the grub will eat them like wool.
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”

In fact, it may be a confirmation that you are doing and saying the right thing. You are in good company if you are insulted, reviled or persecuted for righteousness for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:11,12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There is a list of many things the Lord says not to fear but to sum it up, some of His last words to His disciples and these words are to us as well, are not to be fearful. Fear and peace can not be in someone at the same time. You will either have His peace or you will fear.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

He gave us His peace and He wants His peace to rule in our hearts.

Colossians 3:15a Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

The Lord wants us to be faithful to the end. We do not have to fear suffering for He came and suffered for us leaving us an example to follow in His footsteps.

I Peter 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

We do not have to fear death for He conquered death through the cross.

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Don’t shrink away in shame or fear. Those who are faithful to the end will have a great reward and He will give them the crown of life. Those who shrink away in shame will have more shame when He comes and He will have no delight in them. Be faithful until death!

Hebrews 10:35-39 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
But My righteous one shall live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

The only way that we can be faithful until death is if we abide in Him.

I John 2:28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

A Life that Is Not Afraid of Death

Death is a natural fear in all of us. In our natural being we are afraid of dying. However, the fear of death is one of the things that the Lord takes away from the one who believes in Him and has trusted Him for their eternal salvation.

Hebrews 2:14,15 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

We are all appointed to die and then comes judgment. We have no control over our lives before and after death. We all will die.

Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

We do not have to fear death if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ because He died for us so that we will not have to experience the sting of death. When a bee stings a person it leaves it’s stinger in the person and is powerless to sting again. The bee can still fly around and terrorize a person but it can not hurt them. In the same way, Jesus took the stinger when He took the sting of death so that death now is powerless over us.

I Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord has given us the victory over death so that we no longer have to fear death. If we have Christ then we have the victory and have been delivered out of death into life. For this reason, the Christian does not die but they fall asleep and wake up in the presence of the Lord when they pass from this earth.

II Corinthians 5:6-10 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Since the Lord has delivered us from the power of sin and death we are to walk in a manner pleasing to Him and to make this our ambition so that when we do appear before the judgment seat of Christ we will be found pleasing to Him by the good deeds that we have done in His name and for His glory. Let us not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9,10 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

A Life that Desires the Truth

One of the changes that the Lord makes in a person is that after they become a Christian they want to know the truth. This is an evidence of their salvation because Jesus is the truth.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

We are set apart from others because of the truth. God’s Word is the truth and is not a lie. The world can not distinguish between the truth and lies and they often believe a lie. Any explanation that takes God out of the picture is a lie and Satan is the Father of lies.

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

One of the characteristics of a disciple of Jesus is that they will know the truth through His Word and the truth will set them free.

John 8:31,32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Jesus was full of grace and truth and as we grow in our relationship with the Lord then we also should be growing in grace and truth. Truth is what we receive into our lives to change us and grace is what we give to others who fall short of the truth.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Father seeks those who worship in the Spirit and truth.

John 4:23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

The Lord is near to those who call upon Him in truth. He wants us to pray His Words back to Him.

Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

All His commandments are truth. When we keep His commandments then we will be living according to His truth and we will be free from the snares of death. He came to give us life and this is how we experience His life, by keeping His commandments by His grace, which is His power to obey Him. He gives grace to the humble and He leads the humble in His truth.

Psalm 119:151 You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth.

His lovingkindness and His truth will preserve you.

Psalm 40:11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

There are many other benefits of knowing the truth. The Lord says to buy it and not to sell it. The more you share the truth of God’s Word with others then the more it will become a part of you.

Proverbs 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Don’t seek to have your ears tickled by listening to what you “desire” to hear. The truth may not always be what you want to hear but you will be glad that you heard it and obeyed it. Over and over again, Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.

II Timothy 4:3,4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

A Life that Overcomes Depression

Depression is a struggle for many people and if we can not overcome depression then it can easily overcome us. The Lord wants us to have victory in every area of our lives and depression is one area that we can see His power and His love. First of all, He helps us in our depression.

Psalm 143:7,8 Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.

Depression can begin in our spirit and then go to our soul, which is our mind, will and emotions and then finally it can affect our bodies. Depression can begin in our emotions after an emotional high, (having a baby etc.) or physically (after physical exhaustion) and then affect us spiritually. Either way, when we are depressed then we are down and are struggling to get back up again. Just as our blood sugar can fluctuate and give us feelings of lethargy and tiredness so depression can do the same for our spirit. However, just as protein will keep our blood sugar more level if we eat protein in the morning, so the meat of the Word of God will keep our spirit more level and less prone to ups and downs if we spend time in God’s Word each morning. Just as when Elijah was depressed the Lord had the ravens bring him protein to nourish him. The meat of God’s Word will nourish our spirit and strengthen us spiritually.

I Kings 17:6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.

When we spend time in the Word of God in the morning then we will have a good measure of God’s lovingkindness and truth in our spirit and soul to begin the day so that we will be more ready for the trials throughout the day and the unexpected surprises.

Psalm 59:16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.

When you learn the discipline of spending time with the Lord every morning then you will see that He is your strength and will be your stronghold all day long and your refuge in distress. Distress brings depression if there is no place that we can go to with our distresses. We need a refuge that we can run to anytime.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.

Learn to come to Him in the morning and you will find yourself running to Him throughout the day. He will lift you up and you will know His secure arms around you holding you up.

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.

If you are a new Christian then long for the milk of His Word each morning and fill your heart up with His Word.

I Peter 2:2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Then as you grow in Him then start learning to chew on the meat of His Word. He will teach you and lead you in the way you should go.

Hebrews 5:13,14 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Most people struggle at times with depression. It is not a sin but it is when the body, soul or spirit is depressed or down. However, it is not healthy spiritually to remain for a long period of time in a state of depression. The Lord will lift you up but He has given you His Word and His Spirit to strengthen you in Him.

A Life that Works Diligently

The Lord made us to work and when we work then we feel better about ourselves and especially when our work has met a need, whether it is providing for our family or meeting a need elsewhere. There is a joy in being productive. The Lord worked and set an example for us in showing us that work is good.

Psalm 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

The Lord is still working and it is glorious. All His work is done in faithfulness to who He is and what He has said.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.

Jesus glorified the Father on earth by accomplishing the work that God had given Him to do. The Lord has given each one of us work to do and when we do it, in faithfulness to Him, then He also is glorified in our lives and work.

John 17:4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

As we walk with Him then He will lead us into the good works that He has created us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The Lord wants us to work so that we may have something to share with others. Sometimes we might work for money but other times we might work so that we can give to others. Someone once said that a sign of maturity in someone is when they start to enjoy work. Working with one’s hands is also the prescription for the problem of stealing. Teach your children to work hard and you will be keeping them from the temptation to steal. Generally hard workers are not thieves.

Ephesians 4:28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

There is something not only enjoyable about working with our hands but it also keeps us out of trouble and keeps us from eating the bread of idleness. It helps us to lead a quiet life with all godliness and dignity and gives us a good reputation with those who are unbelievers. Work is very respectable and we appreciate those who work hard and do well in their jobs, whether it is cleaning a room, cooking or serving a meal or managing a business. People in all fields are greatly appreciated for their excellent work. A lazy person is like “vinegar to the teeth” and a slack person is a “brother to him who destroys”, as Scripture tells us.

I Thessalonians 4:11b,12 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

The hand of the diligent will rule and the Bible says that the precious possession of a man is diligence.

Proverbs 12:27 A lazy man does not roast his prey, But the precious possession of a man is diligence.

There is something very unattractive about a lazy, worthless man who refuses to work. When work is kept in balance with having a day of rest each week, as the Lord designed for us, then it keeps our life in order and for the person who works hard, he will usually not lack the opportunity to work. It is the sluggard that says there is a “lion in the street”. There will always be a reason why the sluggard can’t work.

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!”

We destroy a person’s self worth and their ambitions when we reward them for not working.The Lord says that if a man is not willing to work then neither let him eat.

II Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

The Lord made men and women to work and there is dignity in all work. When you are considering whether or not a certain young man is the one for you then you will be wise to marry a man with a strong work ethic. A sluggard is forever starting things but never finishing them.

Proverbs 26:15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

Generally if you are a hard worker then you will be attracted to someone who works hard and you both will have a great life doing something together and seeing it accomplished. Whatever you do in word or deed do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

A Life that God Uses

There is great joy when you see the Lord using you to bring others closer to Him. The Lord gives us the incredible privilege of entering into His joy through service to Him. There will be some that will hear the precious words when they see Him, “Well done, My good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.” The Lord allows us to taste of that joy here on earth.

Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

The Lord has chosen the weak things of the world and the foolish things to shame the wise and the strong. Don’t feel as though you must be someone “great” for the Lord to use you. He delights in using the weak because then His strength and His greatness is made known. So, if you feel like one of the “least in the kingdom” then you are in a great place.

I Corinthians 1:26-29 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,so that no man may boast before God.

The Lord wants us to boast in Him and not in ourselves. He is the One who accomplishes all things. We are merely His instrument and get to see His glory and share in His joy.

I Corinthians 1:30,31 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

However, if you want to serve Him and be used by Him then He wants you to be faithful to Him. Begin by learning to be faithful in the small things, such as, be faithful to spend time with the Lord every day in your quiet time with Him or devotions with Him. Spend time with Him, not just reading about Him, but communicating with Him. Spend time in His Word and allow His Spirit to speak to your heart. The Lord Jesus spent every day with the Father and first thing in the morning. He awoke every morning to listen as a disciple. The Jesus did what the Father instructed Him to do. He obeyed completely.

Isaiah 50:4,5 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.

Praise Him for who He is. Sometimes it is easier to take God’s Word and use it to praise Him. Thank Him for everything and learn to thank Him through the day. Talk to Him about your cares and concerns, which is an aspect of prayer. Another aspect of prayer is praying for others. The Lord’s prayer is a great help in learning to pray.

Matthew 6:9-13 Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.
‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

Most people struggle with prayer and even the disciples struggled for it was the only thing they asked Jesus to teach them.

Luke 11:1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

Finally, know the Word of God for His Word is what He uses. He uses a heart that is surrendered to Him and that is filled with His Word. Many of the people that the Lord has used were not in vocational ministry. Don’t seek ministry seek Him. If the Lord leads you into ministry then follow Him but remember the Lord uses people not positions.

II Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Now, present yourself to the Lord. Allow Him to choose what He does with your life.

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

He is the potter and you are the clay. He formed you and made you and knows perfectly where the best fit is for you. He is the Master and we are His servants. The Master chooses and sends and the servant obeys and goes.

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.

There is no limit to what the Lord can do with one whose heart is completely His and who has learned to be faithful in the small things. The Lord says that if you are faithful in the small things then you will be faithful in the big things. Be faithful, surrender your heart completely to Him, learn His Word and study it diligently and then trust Him. He does all things well.

II Chronicles 16:9a For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

A Life that Is Content

Contentment is being satisfied with what you have and not always longing for more or something different. There is a lot to be said for contentment. Many a man would give anything to have a content wife. Contentment is a character quality that comes from the Lord. It is an attitude of the heart that must be practiced until it is who we are. The Lord wants us to be content.

Hebrews 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

The Lord has provided all that we need and when we are not content it is a message to the world that our Heavenly Father has not provided for us. His name means “more than enough”. He takes care of His children and often gives us more than what we need so that we might have some to share with others.

I Timothy 6:8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Discontent comes from envy and coveting. When we are looking at what others have then we will never be satisfied. The Lord wants us to keep our eyes on Him.

Proverbs 27:20b Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.

Things will never make you happy nor will people ever make you happy. Jealousy is also a symptom of a discontented life. Again, it is wanting what someone else has and not being content with what the Lord has given to us.

I Timothy 6:6-10 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

When we long for things other than what the Lord has provided for us then often it will lead to temptations and snares. Many a young couple has gotten ripped off by someone because of their haste to have more. Learn to work hard, wait on the Lord and trust Him. He is faithful.

Psalm 73:25-28 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.

Let Him be your desire and portion in life. Your flesh and your heart will fail but He never fails. Let the nearness of God be your good and if He is, then you will have much to tell about for He is faithful to those who put their trust in Him.

A Life with Hope

Hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised will come true and faith is the assurance that what He promised He is able and will also perform. We hope for what we can not see.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.

Only the Lord can give us hope. However, our hope must be in the Lord and not in the object of our desire. We can go through anything if we have hope. However, life never turns out the way you think it will but if your hope is in the Lord then He will not disappoint you and your disappointments will be His appointments. You will see His purposes and His love if your eyes are on Him and your hope is in Him.

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.

Hope gives us strength and the courage to go on.

Psalm 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.

Life will get better when you feel that there is not much hope. Don’t give up but turn to the Lord and ask Him to help you.

Psalm 27:13,14 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

His eye is on those who hope for His lovingkindness.

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

Hope will not disappoint if your hope is in the Lord. Do not get discouraged for each trial that you go through only strengthens you in your faith in the Lord and brings about perseverance and proven character. Your faith is tested and you will see how much He loves you if you will hope in Him and His lovingkindness.

Romans 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Strengthen you faith and hope in Him through the incredible stories of His faithfulness that are preserved for us through the Old Testament.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

The Lord is the God of hope and He will strengthen you as you seek Him.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Life with An Understanding of Men

Women often will think that men are clueless when it comes to women but the truth of the matter is that often women are clueless when it comes to men. We need each other and yet unless we know the One who created men and women, we will never understand each other. Since this is a constant source of frustration among women it is good to know a few things that the Lord says a man needs and wants in a woman

Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

A man needs a companion so that he will not be alone. He needs a companion with whom he can share his life with and who will help him and support him. He needs a woman who will respond to his heart, one who understands what he would want done and one whom he can trust.

Proverbs 31:10-12 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

A man needs a wife who will love him all the days of her life and will do him good and not evil. He needs a wife who will not bring him grief or will shame him, a wife that he can confide his deepest needs to and she will still love and respect him, knowing that it is his weaknesses and needs that cause him to need her and love her so very much. A great marriage is one where both the husband and wife want and need each other but are not dependent on each other in an insecure way, but rather realizing that it is their mutual needs that cause each to complement the other so that each one can reach their full potential.

Titus 2:4,5 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands,

The word “love” in this verse really means in the original Greek, to “want or be a lover of” her husband. A man needs and wants a wife who wants him. He married her because he believed that she wanted him. The words “I want you” to a man are similar to the words “I love you” to a woman. A husband knows that his wife needs him but he wants her to want him. When she refuses him physically after their marriage then it can communicate a message of rejection. Just as a wife longs for her husband to love her so her husband longs for her to want him.

Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

A husband needs respect from his wife. This is especially important when there are children in the home. The glory of children and especially sons is their father so when a wife does not respect her husband then she is destroying her children’s glory. We receive our self worth from our glory so the very thing that a mother longs to do in her children, see their confidence grow, she is destroying if she is in any way not respecting her husband. Respect is communicated through attitude, actions and words. An example of a lack of respect would be if she were to say, “Don’t tell your father….” or communicating in anyway her approval of anything that he would not like.

Ephesians 5:28-31 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

You will find that it will be a much greater delight for your husband to love you when you are a delight and joy to him. The husband and the wife relationship is the closest thing to heaven on earth if it is done God’s way. He ways are perfect and there is nothing to add to it or to take away from his ways.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

It is the wise woman who seeks to do exactly as the Lord says. She will be blessed and she will be a blessing to her husband, her children and to the world. The world is longing to see marriage done right. It is only possible in Christ. To Him belongs all the glory and honor.

II Corinthians 6:14-16 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Finally, a Christian woman must only marry a Christian man. Marriage is binding of two people and a partnership in Christ. There will be no fellowship and no harmony in the relationship if a believer marries an unbeliever. The marriage is a union of the spirit, soul and body. If one person is alive spiritually and the other person is dead spiritually in the marriage then there will be no oneness of spirit. You will be spiritually alone if you are a Christian.