"Who told you that you were naked?"

2:27 PM MyWalkDownTheAisle 0 Comments

 Have you ever been faced with insecurities that comes from the fact that we are all flawed? 

Moses had said "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?" Gideon had said "But how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family". 

As I read through Genesis 3, this question God asked Adam struck me differently. Quick summary is that God had made Adam and blessed him with everything in the Garden of Eden, including a wife called Eve. God gave Adam and Eve access to everything except for the tree of good and evil- they not supposed to touch and eat from that tree. Everything went well until the devil came and tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the tree. They did and realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together for coverings, then they tried hiding from God...

When Adam and Eve heard the sound of The Lord God walking in the Garden, they hid and The Lord called out to them, here is the communication between Adam and God in Genesis 3:10-11-

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The reality to the question God asked was that
  • God knew they were both naked. That question shows that God was well aware of their nudity and He had no problem with it at all. The issue was how did Adam and Eve know they were naked which led to the next question God asked, "have you eaten from the tree that i commanded you not to eat from?"
  • Adam and Eve had been naked all along. It didn't happen that as they ate from the forbidden tree, their clothes began to disappear one by one as they took each bite... not at all. Truth is that Adam and Eve have always been naked. Naked and not ashamed! It was the reality of the sin of disobedience that brought shame and condemnation.  
Is this trend becoming familiar? how the enemy continues to bring shame and condemnation to drive us from the presence of our God?

Here is the truth- We are all naked, we are all flawed. It is God's presence in our lives that covers our inadequacies. Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

Fig leaves can't help. God is well aware of that nakedness (sin and insecurities) so run to Him unashamedly, don't buy into the lie of shame and condemnation.  

We have a forgiving God who sees us beyond our nakedness and flaws. 

Yours In The Walk...

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Put on The Whole Armor

10:45 AM MyWalkDownTheAisle 1 Comments

 

Ephesians 6:11-18 "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints"

Take a minute to imagine a warrior going to war without his sword, weird right? or going to war without a shield? how would that warrior protect him or herself? or a warrior going to battle with just the helmet of salvation and saying "but I'm saved" What?! 

I have read this passage over and over again, but recently I was enlightened to the understanding that it is not enough to know the whole armor scripture but to ensure you are wearing the whole armor of God. Little wonder why the first verse of Ephesians 6 emphasized that! "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

You can't afford to put on the helmet of salvation and you are girded with the belt of lies or you are holding the shield of faith and your feet is shod with war. Or let's say you even have almost all the armor but your sword is the opinion of men and not the word of God... How do you want to win battles this way or stand against the wiles of the enemy?

When we find ourselves in difficult situations and it looks like the enemy seems to have a upper hand, maybe it's time to go take a step back and ensure you are wearing all the right armor... 

Check that sword, is it the opinion of men or the word of God? Check your feet, don't be overcome with anger. Yes you were hurt but choose the path of peace. Check your helmet, is it truly the helmet of salvation? are you truly saved? are your actions reflective of God's saving grace? Check that shield, is it the shield of faith grounded in the word of God or it's just head knowledge? 

Maybe it's time to retreat and take a good stock of your Armor, especially over that situation. Ask God to open your eyes to see what you are doing wrong and where you are wearing the wrong armor. God will show you. 

Or maybe you are wearing another person's armor? "It worked for this person, it should work for me too" Remember David had to put off Saul's armor to kill Goliath...

Remember to stand against the wiles of the enemy, you have to put on the whole armor of God. You can't win a battle with a half armor. Its a complete package! 

Yours in the walk....

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10 years, 10 lessons.

8:56 PM MyWalkDownTheAisle 0 Comments

I remember when my marriage was 7 years, i did document  some lessons (please do search for it on the blog, its titled 7 years, 7 lessons). Of course, as the years went by we continue to grow and learn a lot. This time, i wanted my husband to also share some of the lessons learned over the years. We were able to summarize to 10 short lessons shared below: 
Fun and true fact- Marriage is the first system God put in place to refine us. Long before salvation came to play. Embrace the process of refinement.
It’s a lie from hell, that you are supposed to continue to be who you were before marriage. Never! You are supposed to be better and do better.
See that popular triangle description? The one that has God at the top point and both of you at the edges, it works magic. The closer you both draw closer to God, you automatically draw closer to each other.
Forgiving each other is very important, it’s true! What is less talked about is forgiving yourself. Learn to forgive each other and most importantly forgive yourself too. 
“I am sorry” actually means “ I apologize for what I have done, I will remember the conversation we had about this and choose to do better next time” 
Leisure together, after that family movie with the kids, watch your own movie together, go on strolls, play games... find any activity you both love to do and bond over it. 
Pray about anything and everything! There is a strategic reason why this is number 7 :)
Be determined to come together in agreement, over anything: projects, vision implementation, dream actualization etc. There is power in agreement, one shall chase a thousand and two, tens of thousands.
Leverage on each other’s strength, compliment and work together as a team. Mr A always says “we are on the same team” Learn from each other, it’s a beautiful dance, learn and take those steps. 
Life can get very busy, its easy to get into the routines of work, children, business and ministry. Take moments to pause and remind each other of those dreams and desires and steps to accomplish them. And if a dream has been accomplished, take time to dream new ones. 
Yours in the walk...

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