Today's Truth
And the Lord God said, "It isn't good for man to be alone. I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs" (Genesis 2:18 TLB)
Friend To Friend
Do you remember the story of Creation recorded in Genesis? I never cease to wonder at that marvelous beginning of the book I have grown to love..."In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Before the creation of the world, there was nothing... Try to think of...nothing. It's hard to do. Then God molded the earth in His hands, decorated the sky with the sun, moon, and stars; scattered seed of every kind in the soil, released flocks of birds into the sky, swarms of insects into the air, and schools of fish into the sea. Then, on the sixth day, God created all the creeping animals and He created man in His own image. After each masterpiece was completed, God said, "It is good." The only time God said "It is not good," was when He said, "It is not good for man to be alone."
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of man, and he brought her to the man (Genesis 2:20-22).
The New American Standard Bible says God "fashioned" Eve. He took extra special care when He created you. As a matter-of-fact, woman was God's grand finale!
Up to this point in the Genesis recording of creation, Adam had remained silent. However, when he saw the fair Eve, I imagine he said, "Whoa! Now this is good!" We don't know for sure, but we do know that his first recorded words were after laying eyes on God's magnificent gift to him. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man" (Genesis 2:23).
Eve was created to complete man like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together. The word complete means to fill up; that which is required to supply a deficiency; one of two mutually completing parts. While each translation of the Bible uses a different combination of words to describe Eve, they each contain the word helper. The man was not better than the woman (he was lacking without her). The woman was not better than the man (she was lacking without him). Paul wrote, "However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman" (I Corinthians 11:11). We were designed to depend on and to compliment each other. The Greek word helper can also be translated partner. "Just as the rib is found at the side of the man and is attached to him, even so the good wife, the rib of her husband, stand at his side to be his helper-counterpart, and her soul is bound up with his."
While some may bristle at the thought of being called a mere helper, we need only to look at the pages of Scripture to see helper is a place of great honor. The word helper that is used for woman (ezer) is derived from the Hebrew word used of God and the Holy Spirit (azar). Both mean helper -- one who comes alongside to aid or assist. King David wrote, "O Lord, be Thou my helper" (Psalm 30:10) -"The LORD is with me; he is my helper" (Psalm 118:7) Moses said of God, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of the Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:4). In the New Testament, Jesus told the disciples that when He ascended to heaven, His Father would send them another Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). When we consider that the same word is used for "woman", we should feel honored!
Today, think about your relationship with your husband. Are you a completer or a competer? Are you a helper or a hindrance? Determine in your heart to be all that God intended you to be as a wife to your man.
Let's Pray
Dear Lord, I am constantly amazed that You saw fit to bring me and my husband together. I admit that sometimes I am more of a hindrance to him than a helper, more of a competer than a completer. Help me to look for ways that I can be partner with him to complete him. I do want to be the wife that You created me to be. Help me to listen to Your still small voice when You convict me that I am not.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
What comes to mind when you read in the Bible that you were created to be a "helper?"
Considering that the same word is used of the Holy Spirit, how does that change your initial reaction?
What are some ways that you can be a helper to your husband this week?
The battle for our souls and physical body rages all around those who have completely surrendered their lives to Christ and who are daily working with the Holy Spirit to follow His directions and to “do the work of ministry”. There is nothing but pure hatred for the soldiers of the cross of Jesus Christ in the heart of Satan and his forces. Their only purpose is to “steal, kill, and destroy” God’s people.
Day and night the “accuser of the brethren” (Satan) comes before the throne of God where he demands that he be given PERMISSION to assault, attack, afflict and even kill the saints of God. The first two chapters in the Book of Job show us that Satan DOES get PERMISSION from God to try our faith with all sorts of “afflictions”. The Word says, “Many are the AFFLICTION of the RIGHTEOUS, but the Lord delivers them out of then all”. (Psalm 34:19) We are not given in the above text the LENGTH OF TIME that each of these trials and affliction will last or to their severity.
Those who are truly sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ and their only heart’s desire is to minister to the Lord by ministering to His people and for the seeking to lead the lost to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, makes them a PRIME TARGET of the Devil for continual torment, harassment, afflictions and possible DEATH. You can judge the threat that YOU are to the kingdom of darkness by HOW MUCH FORCE the Devil uses to try and INTIMIDATE and tries to COMPLETELY STOP YOU DEAD IN YOUR TRACKS as you strive to lead people to Christ.
With some people, they are stopped by the least little attack of the enemy in their lives. With others it takes more to slow them down or hinder their witness. Then there are those who are truly sold out to God and are going forth on a daily basis in the power of the Holy Ghost and with the Word of God coming out of their mouths “like a hammer and like a fire”,(Jeremiah-23:29) doing major damage to the “work of the devil”. The greater the spiritual threat that we have upon the kingdom of darkness, the greater the resistance and warfare that will come back upon us.
The Word says, “Submit yourself to God, RESIST THE DEVIL and he will flee from you”.
James 4:7
We American Christian are so used to “instant fixes”, that we do not want to think or believe that any battle with the Devil that we fight will last longer than a few hours, days or months. But that is not true. Our battles are daily, weekly, monthly and throughout the remainder of our lives here until Christ returns. God has made total and complete provision of spiritual weapons to help us engage the enemy and prevail!
The Word says: “The WEAPONS of our warfare are not EARTHLY (or weak) but POWERFUL in God…” 2Corinthians 10:4
Knowing that these are heavenly and not earthly weapons, they have the power to “seek out and destroy” the works of the Devil everywhere we go.
The Word says: “NO WEAPON formed (or used) against us will (ultimately) prosper…” Isiah 54:17
Without knowing how to use our heavenly WEAPONS properly, Satan’s attacks and weapon can and will overcome us at times. That is WHY it is so important for us to read our Bibles with the direct help of the Holy Spirit so that He can help us “put on the FULL armor of God” for our protection. He will then teach us how to use the “Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God” to “fight the good fight of the faith”. He will show us the extreme importance of using the name and the BLOOD of Jesus as part of our weaponry.
The Word says: “They (the saints) OVERCAME HIM (Satan) by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB (Jesus) and the words of their testimony…” Revelation 12:11
There is a POWERFUL two-fold purpose of the shed BLOOD OF JESUS in the ATONEMENT. One was for the complete and total REMISSION (or removal) of all our sins. Secondly, the BLOOD OF JESUS was for the complete and total REMISSION (or removal) of all our sicknesses, diseases and illnesses!
We preach and teach with power and authority the forgiveness of our sins and the free gift of salvation brought about by the Atonement, but we fail miserably in preaching and teaching with equal fervency that healing has been provided for us to RECEIVE in the same simple manner that we receive salvation and that is “by grace through faith”. We don’t have to come to God on a daily basis, BEGGING and PLEADING for Him to heal us when He has made all the healing provision that we will ever need available for us to “RECEIVE” simply “by grace through faith” in the finished work of Christ on the cross.
The Word says: “The kingdom of God (and God’s people) SUFFER VIOLENCE, and the VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE…” Matthew 11:12
We have got to work closely with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis to outfit us with the “full armor of God” and to arm ourselves with “powerful heavenly weapons” and then show us how to use them where we will become MOST EFFECTIVE in continuing to do major damage to the kingdom of darkness. The same weapons that we use to preach the Gospel and to “set the captives free” (in Jesus name) will be the same weapons that we will use for own lives when we have been afflicted. God wants to teach us of how to FIGHT FOR OURSELVES and WIN! God wants us to come together in groups and FIGHT THE DEVIL in the lives of another.
The Word says: “One (saint) can put A THOUSAND (devils) to flight. Two (saints) can put TEN THOUSANDS (devils) to fleeing from us…
“When the enemy (Satan) comes in like a FLOOD, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a STANDARD against him…”
The STANDARD was a sign pole planted in the ground stating that that place had now been CLAMED as being OWNED and MADE A FORTIFIED AND PROTECTED PART OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
We have got to learn how to FIGHT! The Word of God is our “field manual”. The spiritual weapons of God are His power and authority given to us to FIGHT FOR OURSLEVES and WIN, and to continue to give us Holy Spirit boldness to “walk into the enemy’s camp and TAKE BACK what he stole from us…” This takes men and women sold out completely to God. Men and women who are truly born again from above and baptized in/with the Holy Spirit and fire. Men and women who know the Word of God and the God of the Word. Men and women who wear the full armor of God and know how to FIGHT TO WIN!
There are people dying!
There are people waiting!
There are people needing, the Jesus in you!
Today, I say to you, “You are that person, You are that conqueror, You are born again and baptized with fire to do the work God has purposed for you and you alone!
I say to you now, “Let us put on the armor, lock arms, unite in prayer, unite in oneness and Spirit and let us follow our leader and King to storm the gates of hell!
I looked at the huge boulder in amazement. It was the size of a semi trailer, and made of stone so hard that it would take me years to break it up using a sledgehammer, yet growing in the middle of it was a bush. What made that possible? The hardest stone can be worn down and become a place of fertile soil over time. Wind wears away at the surface, slowly grinding it. Rain pounds away at it. A drop of water seeps into a crevice freezes and expands. Moss and lichens attach and slowly begin to break down the rock. A seed lands in the moss, grows and dies. The decaying plant leaves a little spot for another seed to take hold and last just a little longer. The cycle continues on and on for years. It took years, perhaps centuries before that bush could get rooted and have enough soil to sustain life, and bear fruit. Its roots continue to crack the rock, weaken it and continue the process. Our hearts are like that stone. They are made hard by life or sometimes they start off hard and cold. Slowly the Lord can change them. Moment by small moment, victory by small victory, our hardened hearts can become places where small shoots of life can appear. Soon our hardened hearts have become fertile soil and we are bearing fruit. When we accept the Lord, the process begins. We can fight His changes or open ourselves up to the maturing process and bear fruit more quickly and abundantly. For most of us the fruit doesn’t come overnight, there is a lot of hardened heart to be ground, pounded and shaped before it becomes good soil. He is patient; He will take the time it needs to transform our stone hearts into fruit-filled orchards. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11 NIV Until next time, when life seems to grind you down and wear on your heart, rejoice and praise God for the fruit you will bear. God bless. Darrel Mason
