I am desperate for revival. Are you? I guess we should first ask, what is revival? It is turning back to the original, the root, the beginning! We need revival when we get away from the first things.

In Scripture the “law of the first mention” is very important. When God says something the first time in the Scriptures, we must take note. The first mention is the foundation. It must never be discounted. When we get away from the first mention, we must be revived to come back! Back to God’s plan. Back to the first commandments He gave us. Back to His heart. Back to His first words.

BACK TO OUR FIRST LOVE

We need to forever be coming back to our first love, don’t we? With all the distractions in our lives it’s so easy to get away from our first love for Jesus. There’s nothing more important than being in love with Jesus. This is the hub from which everything else in our life flows out. When we are in love with Jesus, we will love our husbands and children and everyone around us.

Jesus spoke to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4, 5: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

BACK TO GOD’S FIRST WORDS

We must also turn back to the first statutes God gave is in His Word. We must come back to the very first words God spoke to the man and woman He created. Genesis 1:28: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.” God has never rescinded these words. They stand forever. If we discard them because we think we know better, we disobey God’s powerful and living Word.

It’s time to come back to God’s heart for children. Malachi 4:4-6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

This is one of the greatest revivals needed in the church today. Most of the church has no understanding of God’s plan for children. They limit the number of children in their family as much as the secular world. They have as little regard for the blessing of children as the world does. It is time for a revival of fathers and mothers embracing their hearts towards children, to have the same heart that God has toward children.

Are we coming back to the God of the Bible? Many believe in a false God. They believe in a god who is only able to provide for one or two children. Any more would be too much for their god. This is not the God of the Bible.

BACK TO GOD’S PLAN FOR MARRIAGE

We must come back to marriage oneness. God’s eternal plan for marriage is that we are to be one. God’s first description of marriage is in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” We are not two people living in the same house living our separate lives. We are joined in flesh, spirit, and vision to work together to build a strong marriage and family. It’s time to come back!

Marriage is the first institution God gave. We must adhere to it with all our hearts. Because it is God’s plan, the devil hates it and seeks to destroy marriages. Don’t let the devil into your marriage. He comes in with his negative and false thoughts. Don’t believe them. Build your marriage daily. Speak loving, sweet, positive, and encouraging words to your husband continually. The words you speak will determine the kind of marriage you endure or enjoy. Never deviate from God’s plan. Always be coming back.

BACK TO HUMILITY AND PRAYER

We are in a desperate place in our nation. We are on the tipping point of going down the road of communism. Is that an outlandish statement? No. It is what is happening although many people have their heads in the sand. We must humble ourselves and pray. We must cry out to God. He has promised that if we are faithful to do this that He will heal our land. I believe that every God-fearing and Bible-believing family should be praying every day for a great reviving back to godliness in this nation. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God-fearing families would have a weekly prayer meeting in their home?

2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Let’s keep coming back.

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I want to come back to Your ways. I don’t want to deviate. Give me strength to live my life Your way rather than my own way. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I want to live a revival lifestyle, constantly returning to God’s original ways.

Today we continue the points about the “one flesh” marriage.

9. SPIRITUALLY

Our bodies are only the house of the real person, the spirit, the part of us which was made for fellowship with God. God’s highest purpose for us in marriage is to become one together in spiri, connected to one another by our spirits and God’s Holy Spirit. We are to be glued together as one. That’s why prayer in marriage is such a powerful thing. We are together to agree and can therefore see mighty answers to prayer. Jesus said: “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be cone for them of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19). This is such a powerful and wonderful promise to married couples.

10. PURPOSEFULLY

God brings the male and female together to accomplish His purposes. God’s primary purpose for male and female is to have children. As husband and wife, and together with their children, they are to be fruitful, fill the earth, and “subdue it: and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28). Purposefully together they advance God’s kingdom in the earth, reveal His image and likeness, and bring more of His love, truth, justice, and peace to the earth.

11. UNDEFILEDLY

Marriage is called “holy matrimony” and the marriage bed is holy and sacred. At the beginning of the wedding vows, the minister says: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together in the sight of God to join this man, and this woman in holy matrimony . . .  Into this ‘holy estate’ these two persons come now to be joined. Therefore, it is not to be entered unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly.”

Marriage is God-mandated and to be enjoyed according to God’s pattern, but it is designed only for one male and one female. Hebrews 13:4 (ESV) states: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

God created the sexual act to be totally fulfilling without the use of “toys,” alternative ways that are not according to God’s Word, or anything that violates the conscience. God’s plan is already glorious beyond words and does not need “extras.”

12. UNENDINGLY

The traditional wedding vows state: "I take thee . . . to love and to cherish, till death do us part (or, as long as we both shall live), according to God's holy ordinance.”

Sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world and there are times when it is no longer safe to live in a marriage where one of the two continues in a despicable, ungodly, and unrepentant lifestyle. Jesus admitted when talking to the Pharisees that Moses allowed divorce because “of the hardness of your hearts,” but He continued, “From the beginning it was not so.” It was never God’s plan.

Jesus also forcefully stated: “What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder (or separate).” Or, let no man or woman, no organization, no church, no Facebook, or anything at all separate a man and wife from each other. They are to be fused as one.

13. EXCLUSIVIELY

I totally believe in the exclusivity of marriage. A young wife should understand that when she gets married, she will no longer have personal friends with the opposite sex apart from with her husband. And the same goes for the husband. She would not think of going out for a coffee with a guy on her own, unless her husband is with her. Of course, married couples can enjoy friendships with the opposite sex as a couple or as families, but never on their own.

Proverbs 5:15-20 speaks of the marriage relationship. We notice how exclusive it is in the phrases used: “from your own cistern . . . from your own well . . . let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers . . .”

14. REVEALINGLY

The great mystery of marriage is that it reveals the picture of Christ and His bride, the church. How amazing that God chose marriage to reveal this glorious relationship. We read about this in Ephesians 5:22-33. I know you know this passage, but we should read it frequently. Here are a few highlights but please read the whole passage again in your Bible:

“For as 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. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church . . . So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies . . . This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

We all need to be reminded that this is the highest vision of marriage. As John Piper says: “There never has been a generation whose view of marriage is high enough.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Thank you, Holy Father, for your perfect design for marriage. Please help my husband and I to be a living picture of the relationship between You and Your bride, the church. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am seeking to make our marriage a picture of Christ and the church.

FURTHER SCRIPTURES TO READ:

Matthew 5:27, 28; Mark 10:2-9; 1 Corinthians 6:16,17; 7:1-5; 11:8, 9; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:18, 19; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1-6; and Hebrews 13:4.

The above words are repeated by Jesus from God’s original plan in the beginning in Genesis 2:24: “And they shall be one flesh.” This is God’s first description of marriage. Let’s look at it a little closer, shall we? God designed marriage . . .

1. DIVINELY

The Creator of male and female divinely designed His perfect plan. It is God who joins the man and woman in marriage: “What therefore God hath joined together” (Matthew 19:6).

2. PROPHETICALLY

God revealed His plan in the beginning for all future marriages: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Where were the father and mother? They were nowhere on the scene when God spoke these words. Adam and Eve had never seen a father and mother! God prophetically revealed His plan and how it would work for all future mankind.

3. INTENTIONALLY AND FACTUALLY

God unmistakably states His plan: “They two (the man and his wife) shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh” (Matthew 19:5, 6). It does not matter what mere man thinks. It is what God states! His Word is eternal. It doesn’t change from the beginning to the end.

4. EMPHATICALLY

The Bible says: “And God said” (Genesis 1:26). There are no “if, buts, or maybes.” Not man (the created), but God (the Designer and Creator) has the first and last say!

5. PHYSICALLY

The coming together of male and female to be “one flesh” in marriage is a perfect fit. The sexual organs of male and female are opposite, (the man’s external and the woman’s internal), but they fit perfectly by God’s design. Male and male or female and female are not a perfect fit. This lifestyle is outside the Creator’s design.

When Jesus answered the questions of the Pharisees He said: “Have yet not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, for this cause. . .” (Matthew 19:5). It was “for this cause” (because He created them male and female) that the man cleaves to his wife. Please notice the words “man and wife,” not two of the same sex.

And ultimately, God’s plan is for the purpose of reproduction. It is the male and female oneness that God blessed for procreation: “Male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:27, 28). Children only come through the blessing of God on a “one flesh” relationship.

6. GENERATIONALLY

The coming together as “one flesh” results in the potential procreation of children, grandchildren, and future generations. From the two come one, or many, each bearing genetic genes of both the father and mother. It is not only for the present, but it is generational. This is impossible in a homosexual relationship which is outside of God’s blessing. These relationships end in nothingness and future destruction.

7. DELIGHTFULLY

God must have been filled with joy and delight when He designed the “one flesh” marriage. Who but our amazing God could plan for the man and his wife to experience such ecstatic joy, fulfillment, and wonder together? Proverbs 5:18, 19 speaks of the married couple ravishing and intoxicating one another with their love.

9. EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY

Human beings are not animals. We are created in the image and likeness of God. We are body, soul, and spirit. Because God created us with a heart, mind, and soul, the “one flesh” statement is more than physical. It is also a oneness of soul. I am not whole without my husband. He is not whole without me for “they are no more two, but one.” We complement one another and each one brings different strengths to the marriage to make it complete.

More next week.

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I thank you for Your amazing divine plan for marriage. You created my husband and me for each other. Please help me to live in the full understanding of your plan. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am so blessed to be married and enjoy the “one flesh” marriage that God ordained.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

There are many people who hate the word patriarchy. It’s not really that scary because it just comes from the word “pater” which is father. However, whenever I have been interviewed on secular TV I am invariably asked the question: “What do you think about patriarchy?” The liberals have a terrible view of this word. They think of ogre men who lord it over their wives. Sadly, there are men who treat their wives this way and distort God’s image of patriarchy, but the true sense of the word is the revelation of God the Father to the world.

The origin of father is in the context of family. God even reveals family in the Trinity. We have God the Father. God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is never called a mother in God’s Word and yet, we see the picture of mothering. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter and in the beginning of creation we read of Him “brooding” over the waters.

The Father is the head. Ephesians 4:6 says: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 states clearly: “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.” There is perfect equality and oneness in the Godhead and yet they also have different functions. God wants us to function like He does.

Many women cannot accept that man is head of the woman. They demand equality and yet there is no need to demand equality because we are already equal with men. God plainly reveals our equality and worth with men. But we have different functions. Just because God gave us different functions does not make us inferior. In fact, when we each fulfil our specific functions, our marriage and family life will function successfully.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of God’s ultimate plan. God, who is the “only wise God” has the plan that works best. Or I should say, the only plan that really works.

God reveals the headship of man even in creation.

1. Man was created first, then the woman.
2. God represented the human race through Adam, the man, not Eve (1 Corinthians 15:22).
3. God gave Adam the responsibility to name Eve. Naming someone reveals their headship over the one named.
4. God called both Adam and Eve the name Adam (or “man” in the Hebrew), rather than Adam and Eve. Genesis 5:2 states: “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them man when they were created.” Both are equal in worth, value, and importance, but God called them “man” to denote the male headship.
5. Eve was the one who was deceived, not Adam. He sinned knowingly. The understanding of the Greek text of 1 Timothy 2:14 is that the woman was “fully deceived” or “thoroughly hoodwinked” by the serpent. She proved that she was not fit to lead as the woman is more prone to deception and needs the loving protection of her husband.
6. God held Adam accountable. Even though Eve was deceived and sinned first, when God came to the Garden of Eden what did He do? Genesis 3:9 says: “And the LORD God called unto ADAM, and said unto him, Where art THOU?” He held Adam responsible.
7. God created Eve to be a helper (Genesis 2:18). To be a helper is not inferior, for God is also called a Helper (the same Hebrew word “ezer”). But we notice that He did not call her the leader or the head.
8. Marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. The church does not lead Christ. The church submits to Christ as the wife submits to her husband. Ephesians 5:24: “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

Can we not trust the ultimate wisdom of God? Why do we think we know more than God? Why do we resist His ways? It only results in destruction as we see in our society today. God’s ways are perfect. And the amazing thing is that when we embrace His ways, we enter into glorious peace and blessing.

Proverbs 21:30: “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

Psalm 33:11: “The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, I know that Your ways are the best ways. Please teach me how to walk in Your ways. I know this is for my blessing and the blessing of my whole family. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am embracing my womanly role, knowing it is a glorious role, and brings blessing to my own life and to my whole family.