The Gift of Wisdom

-Do you have enough fear of God not to question his Word?-

Maybe there are women who understand more fully why they were created, and they did not struggle as much as I did. I haven't actually met one of these women, but I would like to think that not every Christian woman begins her marriage in ignorance and/or rebellion.

As I've stated many times, I was just not this ideal woman. More to the point, I can choose every day if I am going to react positively to God's heirarchy and design, or if I am going to stomp my feet and bemoan not having a greater position of authority. There have been plenty of times when I have placed myself in the role of victim and complained that my husband didn't deserve my tender care. The truth of it all really snuck up on me one day, and is reaffirmed for me numerous times while reading this book.

This isn't neccessarily all about my husband and myself. The Lord wants me to honor my husband and help him in this life as a means of honoring Christ, himself. Regardless of how loving and attentive my husband is, I still have work to do. I do not get a free pass, just because there are days when life doesn't go the way that I would like it to. It can be hard though, knowing what God would have me do, and then coming up with the strength to carry out what may seem inpossible. Some days, it seems like the job is simply too difficult to accomplish, and on those days it really shows what motivators drive me and what is important in my life. I don't know about anyone else, but at the end of the day, I want to be able to say that love of God fueled my fire and by the grace of the Lord, I was able to do what is right.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men (and women) liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5

How is it possible that a woman can know the truth of God's design concerning women? Of course, the answer is by reading His book. *grins* As Debi points out, there are plenty of "scholars" who are very eager to do away with any idea of submission, or that a woman could ever have a role helper instead of higher authority. I agree wholeheartedly with Debi, in that the bible speaks pretty plainly, and that the message is consistant through the bible. So, then we just have to decide what we are going to do with it. Are we going to heed thet Word of God, or are we going to try and decide what is best for us? Do we trust God? Do we love God enough to turn over the reins of our life and accept that our lives are no longer our own, as born-again children of our Almight God?

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing". Ephesians 5:22-24

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord" Colossians 3:18

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3

God gives us the wisdom that we need in learning how to work according to His will, within our marriages. All we have to do is pray and ask for this amazing gift. By reacting to my husband according to the guidance of God's wisdom, there have been great changes in my heart. I have been able to live with more joy in my heart, and it has not only made me much happier, but that happiness has had a profound effect on my husband. Because I made the purposeful effort to stop letting my emotions rule me, and to instead put my trust in the Lord, miracles have been worked within my marriage. If I had continued on as I were, I do not doubt that I would be a divorced mother right now. I thank God for His wisdom that He shares with me as I ask, and for the guidance of more experienced women who have already taken the plunge in placing God first in their marriage.

Chapter 6

The Beginning of Wisdom

-We live under a law of sowing and reaping that is as certain and unrelenting as disease and death-

Ooooo....... even the word "Fear" makes my hair stand on end. Still, I enjoy what Debi has to say about fear being a motivator in this chapter. As she puts it:

"Wisdom is concieved in a strange place. It is fathered by fear."

How many times do you hear that these days? I don't know about anyone else, but I just don't hear talk like that where I am. Ever. If I want to hear a sermon that mentions judgement of God or dealing with consequences for stepping outside of God's will, I had better put my walking shoes on. In our society, so many churches have become hesitant to "offend" people that much guidance from God's Word is being purposefully overlooked. Where I am, feminism runs ramant, so much that I know a brother in Christ who dared make a comment about submission, and then quickly admonished HIMSELF, for fear that our peers (not to mention, his wife) would take him apart. I would definitely say that there is something wrong with this picture. I would submit to people that in this society, while many people are living without a fear of God, but are still living in fear none-the-less. Instead of trembling on our faces before God, we are laying down before our popular society and caving to their expectations instead of the Lord's. Hey, that makes me pretty fearful. If I am going to put anyone in my heart, to have a place of such fear and reverance, it's going to have to be God. Society may shun me and persecute me, but what is the alternative? I fear the judgement of the Lord much more than mankind. To be honest, I don't fear God's wrath so much as I fear His disapproval. In my heart, I really do view God as my Father in Heaven. I never could stand to see the look of disappointment on my earthly father's face when he looked at me. Can you imaging how much more strongly I feel about God? I would much rather have the words "well done, good and faithful servant".

"But our actions and reactions do indead reap painful results in this present life as well as in eternity." Debi Pearl

In this chapter, Debi talks about how important it is to fear the Lord and to make changes in our lives accordingly. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and if I want to have that wisdom, I had better get my heart in order and make God important to me.

One revelation that Debi shares, is that her heart became convicted that she needed to heed God's command in "the aged woman...teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands..." (titus 2:3-4) Trying to teach older women was not having a very pleasing result, and so she realized that she had to reach women when they were still young and more willing to learn. What I took away from this is that I need to make changes in my life NOW, and not put them off for another day, when I may already have hardened my heart toward the Lord in one manner or another. There is not time to waste. I do not want to be an angry old woman, unable to find peace in life because I wanted to make a war, and not a Godly marriage.

Another area of this chapter really struck me, as it probably has many women. It is hard reading about a wife who tries to manipulate her husband because she feels that she is more 'spiritually minded' than he is. Instead of giving herself over to her husband's authority, she fights and says that she will not be subject to a 'carnal man', while not recognizing her own sinfulness in her deathgrip on rebellion. I'll tell you that I don't want to be that woman. Ooo! I run from that woman!! Of course, I run so quickly because a part of me recognizes that same attitude lurking in the recesses of my own heart. It has been a hard row to hoe, destroying that destructive notion that I know better than everyone, especially my husband, and even God. Pride and selfishness are awful, and having that fear of the Lord has gone a long way to stomp on that sinfulness. I've read enough on how God deals with those who are prideful and selfish, those who think that they know so much more than He does. I can't tell you how many times that I've prayed for God to save me from myself, and the evil things that my heart is capable of. Lord save me! lol

No one really likes a mean-spirited crazy woman, and that is what I would sound like if God were not walking me through my marriage and helping me to correct my missteps. So long as I hold tight to Him, there is victory. I have been that "crazy woman" before, and I definitely wouldn't sign up for it again. I think that what we do need to keep in mind though is that there isn't JUST judgement from God when we act like idiots. It is right to have fear of the Lord. Likewise, it is right to turn and ask forgiveness for sins also, so you can begin anew in your marriage. While this particular point wasn't addressed in this chapter, I felt like adding my own note. We know that our God is not only a wrathful God, but also a God of mercy. Just because we may have failed miserably as help meets, it does not mean that what was awful must stay awful. Now is the time to do as Debi suggests, in practicing doing what is good so that it becomes natural to us.