Thursday, January 8, 2026
Christ is the Word
To deny any part of God's Word, changing it, or adding to it to fit our culture, is to deny Christ. He is the Word!
Only God Can Dissolve a Marriage
Many people walk in rebellion against God while claiming they love Him. Their declaration of love toward Him is manipulative because they care more about what people think than what God says.
Recently, I met a person who said they loved Jesus Christ but divorced their husband and remarried in disobedience to Christ's commands.
Love for Christ is not something we say to be accepted by apostate churches; it is a transformed life that demonstrates obedience and dedication to His Word.
Mark 10:11-12 & Luke 16:18: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery".
1 Corinthians 7:10-11: "A wife should not separate from her husband, and a husband should not divorce his wife, but if they do, they should remain unmarried or be reconciled."
Jesus proclaimed that divorce was permitted in the Old Testament due to people's "hardness of heart." It was an allowance because the people were stubborn, so God allowed them to destroy their own lives through their disobedience. This did not imply in any way that God was pleased with it or sanctioned it.
Anyone who defends divorce and remarriage on the basis of the Old Testament is admitting they have a hardened heart against God.
God does allow for separation in severe circumstances but this is not divorce. There are allowances in our government for someone to be separated with all the provisions financially without the divorce, but with the stipulation that there will be no remarriage. This gives opportunity for the couple to be reconciled at some point, but if they are no,t they do not commit adultery because they remain alone.
When God makes two people one in marriage on the first marriage, it is a spiritual melding of souls and cannot be undone by a piece of paper or a government. It is God who does this not man, even in marriages where the two are not saved.
Malachi 2:14-16 "Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith."
Many of us have been hated by the culture over this matter of divorce and remarriage more than any other issue. It is because our culture is so steeped in this sin that it cannot wrap it's mind around the truth, the indoctrination to allow for divorce is so deep, the culture refuses to hear the truth.
Most people are either divorced and remarried or they know of close family and friends who are, they walk in fear that they will be unaccepted by those who love thier sin, so they either remain silent or they fully accept the remarriages as legitimate even though God said it was adultery.
Those who say they are against divorce and remarriage, but they accept remarriages as legitimate, are talking out of both sides or their mouths. One cannot be against something while accepting it at the same time.
Romans 7:2-3 "For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man."
Because God is the One who makes two people one in marriage, it cannot be undone. He declares in His word that death is the only thing that dissolves the marriage.
Recently, I met a person who said they loved Jesus Christ but divorced their husband and remarried in disobedience to Christ's commands.
Love for Christ is not something we say to be accepted by apostate churches; it is a transformed life that demonstrates obedience and dedication to His Word.
Mark 10:11-12 & Luke 16:18: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery".
1 Corinthians 7:10-11: "A wife should not separate from her husband, and a husband should not divorce his wife, but if they do, they should remain unmarried or be reconciled."
Jesus proclaimed that divorce was permitted in the Old Testament due to people's "hardness of heart." It was an allowance because the people were stubborn, so God allowed them to destroy their own lives through their disobedience. This did not imply in any way that God was pleased with it or sanctioned it.
Anyone who defends divorce and remarriage on the basis of the Old Testament is admitting they have a hardened heart against God.
God does allow for separation in severe circumstances but this is not divorce. There are allowances in our government for someone to be separated with all the provisions financially without the divorce, but with the stipulation that there will be no remarriage. This gives opportunity for the couple to be reconciled at some point, but if they are no,t they do not commit adultery because they remain alone.
When God makes two people one in marriage on the first marriage, it is a spiritual melding of souls and cannot be undone by a piece of paper or a government. It is God who does this not man, even in marriages where the two are not saved.
Malachi 2:14-16 "Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith."
Many of us have been hated by the culture over this matter of divorce and remarriage more than any other issue. It is because our culture is so steeped in this sin that it cannot wrap it's mind around the truth, the indoctrination to allow for divorce is so deep, the culture refuses to hear the truth.
Most people are either divorced and remarried or they know of close family and friends who are, they walk in fear that they will be unaccepted by those who love thier sin, so they either remain silent or they fully accept the remarriages as legitimate even though God said it was adultery.
Those who say they are against divorce and remarriage, but they accept remarriages as legitimate, are talking out of both sides or their mouths. One cannot be against something while accepting it at the same time.
Romans 7:2-3 "For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man."
Because God is the One who makes two people one in marriage, it cannot be undone. He declares in His word that death is the only thing that dissolves the marriage.
How to identify a born-again believer who is following Christ with their whole heart?
How to identify a born-again believer who is following Christ with their whole heart? Their fruit will tell you that they do not live a lifestyle of rudeness or superiority; they humbly follow Christ and exemplify His love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
A born-again believer who is controlled by the Holy Spirit has all of the fruit of the Spirit, the very character qualities of Christ, all the time. If they fail in some way they confess it quickly to be cleansed. They never fear admitting their flaws because their conscience is tender and malleable, able to be shaped by the Holy Spirit for righteousness.
Those who love Christ remain steadfast in their faith and love instruction and correction; they do not care about being seen as superior, they elevate Christ, not themselves.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, / gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 4:2 "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,"
Colossians 3:12-14 "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity."
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Romans 12:9-10 "Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
Hallelujah!!!!!!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
A born-again believer who is controlled by the Holy Spirit has all of the fruit of the Spirit, the very character qualities of Christ, all the time. If they fail in some way they confess it quickly to be cleansed. They never fear admitting their flaws because their conscience is tender and malleable, able to be shaped by the Holy Spirit for righteousness.
Those who love Christ remain steadfast in their faith and love instruction and correction; they do not care about being seen as superior, they elevate Christ, not themselves.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, / gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 4:2 "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,"
Colossians 3:12-14 "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity."
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Romans 12:9-10 "Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
Hallelujah!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Let Go of Adult Children, if they Love God they will love you too!
So many parents cling to their adult children as though if they were no longer there, life would not be worth living.
I have always loved my children, but knew that one day they would have their own lives and families without me. I am not only alright with that, but I also enjoy what my husband calls the fourth phase of our lives, when we delight in our quiet times of solitude in a rocking chair on our front porch with the Bible and other good books. And, the interaction with occasional other believers whom we delight in engaging. Then, once in a while, there is an opportunity to share the gospel with the unsaved. In all of this, there are no longer the distractions of drama and children's problems to solve, just full freedom to serve God. If the children ever come back after trusting in Christ, then they know where to find us, and we can engage as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pondering the things of God and the things of life more deeply without all the drama and mess that raising families brings is a peace that cannot be explained. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed raising children, but if I am to be honest, it was hard at times.
There was no community or extended family support to raise the children in the Lord. Because of this dynamic, it was clear that the hearts of the children when they grew up and made their choices, were mostly based on the culture as a whole and not on the Bible.
Even the "Christian culture" worked against Biblical standards. Many ideas were formed in their minds based on psychology and desired beliefs rather than on truth. I see more than ever now how 2 Timothy 3 attitudes came about.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 Difficult Times Will Come
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."
Modern churches made rules that God never made, with expectations and subtle punishments for those who didn't follow their humanistic and misunderstood rituals.
Isolation was one of the punishments if we dared to disagree or attempt to discuss Scripture to clarify God's meaning. The culture as a whole was trained that the only authority of scripture were those men trained in seminaries. If anyone dared to question them, they were ostracized and even rejected, while gossip ran through the gatherings to avoid this person.
One pastor I met many years ago, who was young and full of pride, was taught in seminary to "protect his pulpit." In other words, he was ordained to disallow the other believers in the gathering to speak or share. This is the opposite of what God's word teaches. God clearly states that all the believers in the gathering are to share as led by the Holy Spirit.
When our children were raised on this "top-down" authority, they tend to ignore their parents, even have contempt for their wisdom, while following the modern system of religion over the teachings of the Bible as given by the Holy Spirit.
When open conversation is disallowed, there can be no spiritual or emotional growth, nor can there be a connection to one another. Everyone walks in fear of being hated for not agreeing with that hierarchy and its intimidation to follow them.
God commanded us in His word to "edify" one another in the Word within the gathering. This means that we will be speaking of the Lord, His character, His principles, and commands continually to one another as led by the Holy Spirit. No one is governed by anyone other than the Holy Spirit. No one is disallowed from speaking, no one is superior to anyone else, and the Holy Spirit alone is superior to all.
When everyone is led by the Holy Spirit and everyone shares, then everyone grows. As long as there is a hierarchy, people will follow that person instead of the Holy Spirit becoming lazy to study the Word for themselves and have a tendency to believe whatever the "authorities" tell them.
This is true in families too, people tend to keep silent while elevating the one who is the designated authority.
Here is the mandate from God concerning the parental role in the family.
Proverbs 1:8-9 "8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. 9 For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck.…"
Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”
Neither father nor mother takes precedence over the other in the area of honor and obedience. The father and mother work together as one entity to raise the children. Where one parent falls short or has a blind spot, the other fills in to help with understanding.
If one parent will not obey God, they are not responsible for making the other obey Him; they are only responsible for obeying Him themselves. Speaking the truth, following the Bible, and leaving the other spouse to God to deal with.
Proverbs 6:20-23 "My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you."
When both parents are believers and both uphold one another in decisions, the marriage flourishes. The children do not always do as they should in honoring parents, but if they do not in their adult years, then they must be released to have their own lives without the input of their parents.
The father of the prodigal son never chased after him or bailed him out of his troubles. He prayed and waited for the Lord to work on the son so that when he came back, it was genuine repentance and there could be real reconciliation between them, not superficial or contrived, but real and lasting.
It is becoming harder every day to raise children in this culture of rebellion. Children are being raised by parents who rebelled against their own parents. They follow some rules according to the Bible, but negate many other principles of God to remain friends with the culture.
Do not become agitated or frustrated by what we see happening. God said it would, we accept it while remaining faithful to Him ourselves.
I have always loved my children, but knew that one day they would have their own lives and families without me. I am not only alright with that, but I also enjoy what my husband calls the fourth phase of our lives, when we delight in our quiet times of solitude in a rocking chair on our front porch with the Bible and other good books. And, the interaction with occasional other believers whom we delight in engaging. Then, once in a while, there is an opportunity to share the gospel with the unsaved. In all of this, there are no longer the distractions of drama and children's problems to solve, just full freedom to serve God. If the children ever come back after trusting in Christ, then they know where to find us, and we can engage as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pondering the things of God and the things of life more deeply without all the drama and mess that raising families brings is a peace that cannot be explained. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed raising children, but if I am to be honest, it was hard at times.
There was no community or extended family support to raise the children in the Lord. Because of this dynamic, it was clear that the hearts of the children when they grew up and made their choices, were mostly based on the culture as a whole and not on the Bible.
Even the "Christian culture" worked against Biblical standards. Many ideas were formed in their minds based on psychology and desired beliefs rather than on truth. I see more than ever now how 2 Timothy 3 attitudes came about.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 Difficult Times Will Come
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."
Modern churches made rules that God never made, with expectations and subtle punishments for those who didn't follow their humanistic and misunderstood rituals.
Isolation was one of the punishments if we dared to disagree or attempt to discuss Scripture to clarify God's meaning. The culture as a whole was trained that the only authority of scripture were those men trained in seminaries. If anyone dared to question them, they were ostracized and even rejected, while gossip ran through the gatherings to avoid this person.
One pastor I met many years ago, who was young and full of pride, was taught in seminary to "protect his pulpit." In other words, he was ordained to disallow the other believers in the gathering to speak or share. This is the opposite of what God's word teaches. God clearly states that all the believers in the gathering are to share as led by the Holy Spirit.
When our children were raised on this "top-down" authority, they tend to ignore their parents, even have contempt for their wisdom, while following the modern system of religion over the teachings of the Bible as given by the Holy Spirit.
When open conversation is disallowed, there can be no spiritual or emotional growth, nor can there be a connection to one another. Everyone walks in fear of being hated for not agreeing with that hierarchy and its intimidation to follow them.
God commanded us in His word to "edify" one another in the Word within the gathering. This means that we will be speaking of the Lord, His character, His principles, and commands continually to one another as led by the Holy Spirit. No one is governed by anyone other than the Holy Spirit. No one is disallowed from speaking, no one is superior to anyone else, and the Holy Spirit alone is superior to all.
When everyone is led by the Holy Spirit and everyone shares, then everyone grows. As long as there is a hierarchy, people will follow that person instead of the Holy Spirit becoming lazy to study the Word for themselves and have a tendency to believe whatever the "authorities" tell them.
This is true in families too, people tend to keep silent while elevating the one who is the designated authority.
Here is the mandate from God concerning the parental role in the family.
Proverbs 1:8-9 "8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. 9 For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck.…"
Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”
Neither father nor mother takes precedence over the other in the area of honor and obedience. The father and mother work together as one entity to raise the children. Where one parent falls short or has a blind spot, the other fills in to help with understanding.
If one parent will not obey God, they are not responsible for making the other obey Him; they are only responsible for obeying Him themselves. Speaking the truth, following the Bible, and leaving the other spouse to God to deal with.
Proverbs 6:20-23 "My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you."
When both parents are believers and both uphold one another in decisions, the marriage flourishes. The children do not always do as they should in honoring parents, but if they do not in their adult years, then they must be released to have their own lives without the input of their parents.
The father of the prodigal son never chased after him or bailed him out of his troubles. He prayed and waited for the Lord to work on the son so that when he came back, it was genuine repentance and there could be real reconciliation between them, not superficial or contrived, but real and lasting.
It is becoming harder every day to raise children in this culture of rebellion. Children are being raised by parents who rebelled against their own parents. They follow some rules according to the Bible, but negate many other principles of God to remain friends with the culture.
Do not become agitated or frustrated by what we see happening. God said it would, we accept it while remaining faithful to Him ourselves.
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