"Getting an Understanding" Part 1

Intro

Proverbs 4:7 is one of the most important scriptures to guide us in living our lives. It states that wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.  And in all your getting, get understanding. The application of this scripture will decrease the level of frustration that we experience in our lives.  Applying this scripture will help us please God.  It will also help us interact with one another better.  It will help us live the best life possible.  It will also help us treat our family the way God desires for us to.

Understanding How to Please God

When we get an understanding, we understand how to submit to God and make him number one in our lives as so many proclaim.  In short, we make God number one in our lives and please Him by doing exactly what His word instructs us to do.  The Bible gives us instruction in everything:  marriage, raising children, running a business, living a holy single life, giving, how to fast, dealing with untamed individuals, fellowshipping with others, edifying our spiritual lives.  God has allowed the instructions for pleasing Him to be written so that we would have a manual to follow.  Sometimes we may experience things in life that will confuse us, but the word of God contains the answer for everything.  

Understanding Relationship with God

It is important to know when God is communicating with us. God speaks to us in three different ways:  He speaks to us through His written word, He speaks to us directly, and He will give others a word for us.  However, if the any of the ways conflict with His written word, then it is not from God.  Lots of people declare that God has told them something.  But after searching the scriptures, we can’t find any validation for what God supposedly said.  Sometimes we may honestly feel like God is really telling us something; however, we may also be wrong.  It is possible that we may want something so badly that we feel a strong push in that direction OR, as the Bible says, Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and will make something sound so appealing or inviting that we think that it is from God.  Everyone has missed God at some point or another.  Even when we miss God, all we have to do is let go of our pride and repent when we become aware of it.  

Getting to know God is like getting to know a human being.  You have to spend time building the relationship. The more time that you spend with a person, the better you get to know him/her.  When you really know someone, you can just hear them cough and know that it is them without seeing them.  That is how it is with God.  The more time you spend studying His word and learning His characteristics, the better you will know Him.  If you don’t spend much time in His word, it is a good chance that you will get His word for you confused with your own thoughts or the devil’s words whenever you get the notion that God is speaking to you.  Now, it is possible to see someone on a regular basis and not know them at all.  You can work with an individual for years and not know them or anything about them because you don’t have much interaction with them.  You may only know their name.  And it is the exact same way with God.  You can come to church weekly but not spend individual time with God.  In that case, you will not know Him.  He uses His word to validate everything that He says.

Are You Unequally Yoked?

The Bible instructs us to beware of close relationships with nonbelievers of Christ.  This tends to be a difficult concept for many Christians to accept because many of these relationships were formed during their pre-Christ life.  Some will argue that they desire to lead their friends into the life with Christ that they have come to live.  However, as we get closer to Jesus and change our lives, the dynamics of these other relationships will change if our non-believing friends do not share the same passion that we have for Christ.  We may have acquaintances who have not accepted Christ as their Savior, but it is impossible for two people going in opposite directions to have a close intimate bond.  The very fact that they are going in opposite directions will cause them to separate over the course of time.

What is a Yoke?

A physical yoke was a wooden crosspiece used to connect two animals together in order to pull a plow or a cart.  These animals had no choice but to walk in the same direction because the yoke prohibited them from going in separate directions.  The yoke that 2 Corinthians 6:14 refers to, represents a strong bond between people.  In order to maintain the previous bond that was established between the two individuals, both people have to be of the same mindset.  Yoking can include a believer being married to a nonbeliever or a believer being close friends with a nonbeliever.  If there is a yoke between a Christian and a non-Christian, one person has to give up their point of view.  The Christian has to accept the way of the non-Christian, or the non-Christian has to accept the principles of the word of God.  When we fail to break unhealthy spiritual bonds, we decide to accept the punishment of God rather than the acceptance and love of God.

Scientifically Proven

Science proves that we can be influenced by the emotions of the people closest to us.  Even when we believe that we are in complete control of our thoughts, we discover that we are really vulnerable to the desires and will of others.  The nervous system in the human body is comprised of billions of nerve endings called neurons.  There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the brain and a similar amount throughout the rest of the body.  The neurons control thought and movement throughout the body by the process of transmitting, receiving and interpreting signals from the brain.  For example if you wanted to raise your right arm, the neurons from your brain would send an electrical signal to the neurons throughout your body.  These neurons will receive the signal, interpret the message and transmit the signal to the neurons controlling movement of your right arm; and your right arm will rise.  The electrical signals that are transmitted via the neurons create an energy field or a magnetic field.  This magnetic field is also produced when electrical current runs through a metal wire.  When a magnetic field is created by electrical current running through a wire, it can produce an electrical output through a different metal wire.  This is known as magnetic induction.  In simple terms, electrical current through one wire has the ability to affect a separate piece of wire.  The electricity flowing through the human body causes the heart to create a magnetic field which is strong enough to affect other people in close proximity.  This means that we have the ability to be affected by the emotions and intentions of people that we are in close fellowship with.  I don’t know if the men that God used to contribute to the Bible understood any of this but God knew how we were constructed because He made us!  There is a direct correlation between some of the instructions that God has given us to follow and what science has to say about how we interrelate with one another.  James 4:4 says, Adulterers and adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.   Will our friendships make us enemies of God?  We must ensure that our relationships are not steering us away from God.  Even as we acknowledge how electrical current running through one metal wire can manipulate the electrical output of another metal wire, we understand the powerful influence that one individual can have in the life of another person.  This should caution us even the more against being unequally yoked.    

Conclusion

It is essential that, as Christians, we live by the standard that God has created for us.  In order to maintain that standard, our relationship with unbelievers must be placed in its proper perspective; we should show love and respect towards them.  While we should allow ourselves to be approachable and inviting to lead people to Christ with love, the most intimate relationships should be reserved for other believers.   Only then will we live the quality of life that God has prepared for us.  In today’s society, many people believe that it is not necessary to live our lives by the Word but God has already made it clear that it will be His way or no way at all.  He will NOT accept any compromise on our part.  There is only ONE WAY:  GOD’S WAY!

Proverbs 12:26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

"The Consequences of Fatherlessness" The Conclusion

Conclusion  

Children are a product of the environment created for them by their parents.  God intends for sex to be reserved only for marriage.  It is extremely important for parents to choose their mates wisely. When children are raised by a single parent, the child grows up with some sort of deficit.  The behavior of children is generally a direct result of the situation that their parents have subjected them to.  When boys who are raised by a single woman experience behavioral problems, it is the effect of one underlying issue:  fatherlessness.  When they lack the ability or vocabulary to articulate how they feel, it is expressed in other irresponsible ways.  These issues will be resolved when people decide to return to God’s way of doing things.  Children are meant to be raised by God’s definition of a married couple: one man and one woman.  Today society has attempted to redefine the family structure and some children are being raised by same sex parents, two men or two women.  This family structure is wrong theologically and presents major psychological and physiological issues.  The presence of an earthly father teaches children how to have an appropriate relationship with their heavenly Father.  When they receive discipline from their natural father as children, they understand the discipline of God and His requirements for us to be accountable for our behavior.  Proverbs 3:12 tells us that “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”  As the natural father makes provision for his children, they will find it easier to trust that God will be the Provider that He has promised to be.  The Word of God makes it clear that if we seek His kingdom and its righteousness, ALL of our needs will be met.  (Matthew 6:33)  When children understand that their natural father will protect them to the point of death, they will develop the assurance as adults that God has the power to protect them and will protect them.  Psalms 27:1-3 says The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.  Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.

"The Consequences of Fatherlessness" Part 3

Lack of Identity

Fathers provide identity.  We hear a lot about women with daddy issues but rarely about men with daddy issues.  When the father is missing in action, both men and women will develop daddy issues.  Women with daddy issues normally lack the affirmation that they need.  As a result many live promiscuous lives because any man who approves of them is entitled to have sex with them.  In many of these cases, any attention is accepted whether positive or negative.  Women will also exhibit anger and hatred toward men as a result of their father’s inactive and/or negative role in their lives.  Normally, the label of daddy issues is assigned to women.  However, many men are also plagued with daddy issues.  Many times, the effects of a missing father include a high level of sensitivity, causing their feelings to be easily hurt.  Insecurity is common where fatherlessness is present.  God considers fathers to be such an integral part of providing identity that even though He did not allow a man to participate in the creation of His Son Jesus, He assigned a suitable man to be the provision for the protection and early identity of Jesus.  People identified Jesus as the son of Joseph.  They identified Jesus as a carpenter which is the occupation that Joseph taught Him.  They identified Him as the son of David who is in Joseph’s bloodline.  Finally, we identify Jesus as the Son of God after God proclaimed that Jesus is His Son and He is well pleased with Him. Some people will pursue notable positions or financial security with the expectation that it will give them identity and soothe their feelings of insecurity.  The attainment of tangible things reveals one undeniable horror: things will never provide you with identity.

In Biblical days, people were identified by their father.  For example:  David was referred to as David son of Jesse, Solomon as Solomon son of David, and James and John as James and John sons of Zebedee.  In contrast, today many people seek identification through their occupation or abilities.  Some parents even seek to be identified by the talent and abilities of their children.  As a result, many children are forced to participate in sports, the arts, and even specific occupations that they may not desire for themselves.  In an attempt to please their parents, these children sacrifice their own happiness and desires in order to support their parent’s search for identity.  In cases such as this, the roles are reversed and the child becomes the provider of identity instead of having identity provided for them by their parents.  The role of the father was established by God to provide identity for the family.  Fatherlessness has greatly corroded the family structure. Even when fathers are physically present within the home, fatherlessness can and may still exist.  If a man lives with his children and decides to be a nonparticipant in the hands-on raising of his children, this situation presents a more hazardous environment than a home without a father present.  According to researchers at Columbia University, “Children living in two-parent households with poor relationships with their fathers are 68% more likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs compared to all teens in two-parent households. Teens in single mother households are at a 30% higher risk than those in two-parent households.” God has given fathers an essential role in the development of children and when this role is not fulfilled, it produces children who grow into adults who are deficient in some area.