Always Obey God First

There is a false doctrine moving through the church that a woman should obey her husband even if he commands her to do evil. This is a monstrous doctrine and not at all Biblical.

Ezekiel 3:18-20 "18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand.
19 However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself.
20 Again, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand."

Remember Ananias and Sapphirah? When the wife agreed with her husband to lie, God said that they "conspired together." This means that if Sapphirah agreed to obey her husband, she too was at fault. God killed them both. God would not have killed the wife if she refused to sin with her husband; the husband alone would have taken the penalty. We know this from the story of Abigail.
Acts 5:1-11 and 1 Samuel 25

Abigail did not obey her husband to do what was wrong, she defied her husband to do what was right. and not only did God bless her, but He also killed her husband, and she became the wife of David for her protection of him.

Any time we take passages out of context in short sentences or phrases to make them say what we think works for us, it is called sin.

A woman who wants to use her husband as an excuse to avoid conflict, to obey a husband who will give her grief if she does not sin with him, is a very weak woman. She does not understand the principle of enduring hardship to remain faithful to God.

In our world, there comes a time when husbands are going to sin, but this does not mean we support it or go with him. We must support a husband whenever he does not disobey God, but not when he refuses to obey God.

Ezekiel 33:8-9 "If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life."

Acts 20:26-27 "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God."

God also said that wives may win their husbands by their quiet and respectul lifestyle. This is not only respectful toward the husband but also toward God.


1 Peter 3:1 "In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives,"

A simple ""no, I cannot disobey God", spoken respectfully, will be what may win your husband. We will not win our husbands to God's way of thinking about Him by obeying our husbands' wickedness.

"Obeying our husband's in all things" must be measured in light of the rest of the scriptures not merely one phrase taken out of context.

Ephesians 5:22-24 "Wives and Husbands
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."

Notice we are to submit to our husbands "as to the Lord", our Lord would never tell us to submit to sin to please any person not even our husbands.

Our Leaders do not Represent My Values

Our leaders do not represent my "values"; they only give a few things conservatives like that make them feel safer, that's it, total dedication to self-preservation.
It is entirely possible that more people would come to Christ under persecution than when they feel safe.

This continual banter about saving America or bringing it back to God is an illusion. "Make America Great Again" has only to do with making everyone feel prosperous and safe.

 
Our president chose a "prosperity preacher," a woman and a violator of most of the Bible, to appoint as the spiritual leader of our nation. She was the worst example of Christianity anyone could name, and yet was chosen because she represents his values of wealth, health, and prosperity.

 
I never hear this president, who claims to be a Christian, mention anything about holiness or repentance, nothing about submitting to Christ or turning from our selfish ways. Everything he says is based on pleas to God to do things our way, blessing us, but never any talk of blessing God to please Him.

When is the last time you heard a legislator or our president agree to outlaw gambling, make drunkenness illegal, disallow divorce and remarriage, or outlaw shacking up with someone outside of marriage? How about making it illegal for women to wear bathing suits that reveal nearly everything? I see no laws proposed to promote morality or decency, only safety and finances, so that everyone is free to be as immoral as they please without challenge and in perfect protection to sin. 

Just saying!

Escalating Times

Everything evil is escalating in our time as we march toward the rapture and the tribulation. We cannot stop it, but we can warn others of its deception.

Families are being torn asunder over foolish and useless gossip filled with disinformation and false opinions.

Proverbs "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape."

Exodus 23:1 "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness."

Proverbs 6:16-19 "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."

Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”

May authentic believers and followers of Christ continue to grow in holiness even while the world is growing in wickedness.

Cain and Abel's Siblings

On another thread, the question was asked about Cain and Abel's other sibling because the Bible does not tell us in the account of the jealousy of Cain and the murder of Abel.

This comes down to realizing we do not have all the information.

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God knows how all this occurred, and no man can have the knowledge God does. Trying to understand every nuance of the Bible is like an ant trying to understand all the ways of humans; their brains are just not able to figure out what God knows.

Might we remember that trusting in Christ is knowing He has the information and will only give us what we need to know.

The account of Cain and Abel is not about who the siblings are, its about the jealousy and the lazy sacrifice in disobedience to God by one of the brothers. And the faithfulness of the other brother.

Focus on what God did give us and realize God's information to us is on a need-to-know basis, and we do not need to know the details, but we do need to understand the lesson and principles.

Those who attempt to trap us into having an answer for every question in the Bible think they are equal to God, and if they cannot figure out what God meant, then it is God who is foolish.

This is typical of rebellious people who hate the truth; they think they have all the answers, and often they do not, making themselves look foolish to those who are wise.

When we love Christ, and He lives in us, we are satisfied with what He has given us to know and excited when He decides to give us more wisdom.

It is neither wise nor smart to think we can figure out every question. If we love Christ, we are satisfied with the answers He gave us and the wisdom that comes from them.

I am satisfied with what God gave us and ask for more when He is ready to give it.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."

Notice the last sentence of this passage: "and HE will make your paths straight."

2 Timothy 3: traits of the end times mentality in people.

"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Lovers of self, lacking concern for anyone but themselves, all kind acts done are to elevate self not out of any real concern for others.

Lovers of money, everything is done to preserve what they have and obtain more if they can, even if it means walking on others to get it.

Boastful, the greatest desire of this generation is to make sure others admire and elevate them as special.

Arrogant; possessing a higher opinion of themselves than is warranted. Diminishing others to appear superior.

Slanderers; willing to destroy someone else's reputation to build up their own. Slander; making false statements to damage another's reputation.

Disobedient to parents; this not only includes rebellion against parents by minor children but also rejecting the values of their parents when the children are grown. Disrespecting their parents' wisdom.

Ungrateful; Adult children diminishing the contributions to the children's lives in raising them. Remembering only what the children didn't like without acknowledging the good the parents did.

Unholy; blasphemous against the things of God to justify their own desires.

Unloving; feeling no remorse over rudeness, while lacking in empathy for others.

Irrectonsilable; an inability to see the viewpoints of others, fighting to preserve their status even if it means pretending things that are not true.

Malicious gossips; deliberately undermining the integrity of others to seem better in the eyes of others.

Without self-control, easily angered over minor, silly things. Even inventing a reason to be angry when there is none.

Brutal, savage, and cruel to dominate and harm others.

Haters of good; hating others who want to live for God, or anyone who lives a kinder, more loving life than themselves.

Treacherous; disloyal to those who have been good to them.

Reckless; without good sense about consequences.

Conceited; excessively proud of oneself.

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; defending their pleasures even when it offends God.

Lastly and most importantly, these same people have a form of religion that pleases and elevates them but denies God in its practice.

Sadly, these traits are common now! If you think you are living in a friendly world, meeting people with happy smiles, tell them about Jesus Christ and their need for salvation through faith in Him and watch what comes out. Their response will tell you about their authentic heart and not the persona they display when everything is going their way without challenge.

The Last Days are Here

2 Peter 3:3 " 3 Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires."

Jude 1:18 "when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."

Jude 1:18 "when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."

Romans 1:18-22 "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse."

1 John 2:18 "Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour."

1 Corinthians 1:18-21 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"

Avoid the Knowledge of Evil

Many people have lost the ability to be shocked at wickedness because they have become accustomed to it. Do not look at evil to know about it; it only desensitizes those who bathe their mind in it.

 
Philippians 4:7-9 "7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think on these things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."