God's Pattern and Purpose

Week 3
Chapter 3

God’s Provision

No one can be kind enough or good enough to merit God’s gift of salvation!
God gave man the ability to think, feel, respond to others, and know right from wrong.
Because of the fall of man-Sin those abilities has become perverted!

Biblical Understanding of Sin and God’s Provision for eternal life with Him

God’s provision through Jesus to deal with past sin as well as present sin.
Our Provision is Jesus!

Assurance in our salvation..1 John 5:13

My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours

God’s perspective of our past Sin .1 Corinthians 6:9-11

And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God.
　2 Corinthians 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:

 1 Timothy 4:7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
　
　

　Replace-Exchange-Transform-Renew our Thoughts/Minds

"Putting On" /"Putting Off"

With God’s Grace we can work out diligently at "putting off" wrong, sinful thoughts and "putting on" biblical right thoughts and actions!

Chapter 4 -A Wife’s Understanding of Relationships. God’s Pattern

The Trinity
God designed relationships
To be one with the Father and One another perfected in unity!
Husband a wife= One as the Trinity= One=Father-Son and Holy Spirit
Unity only through Christ- the overall theme is what we have through Jesus!
God intended for man to have many of these characteristics-Pg 28
Perfect Harmony and Intimacy. Only in Christ can the relationship of husband and wife be godly, good and righteously intimate.
As there is harmony in the God-head there can be harmony in a marriage relationship.
Sin- Results in Lack of the characteristics caused by fallen man

God wants us to stop living for ourselves, to stop destroying relationships and to start to live for Him.

　
2 Corinthians 5:15And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.
Ask How can we glorify God?
　2 Corinthians 5:9Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him.
　
　
Giving yourself to your husband/others is not going above and beyond the call of duty. It is only doing as you ought to. You ought to be kind to your husband/others. You ought to be open, transparent and honest with him. Perhaps you struggle with openness, transparency and honesty. If you do, the reason is that a sinful man:

.....seeks to be isolated

..... seeks to be in control

.... seeks to hide, cover up from hurt/pain

....seeks to be self protective

.... tends to be self focused

Challenge:Pray the 10 ways to pray for your husband everyday

http://www.imom.com/tools/build-relationships/10-ways-to-pray-for-your-husband-bookmark/

Ask God to search your heart and show you areas of Sin that is blocking Intimacy and Oneness from your husband and Him.
Journal

Next week we are studying Chapters 5 and 6

A Wife's Understanding Of Marriage- God's Purpose
A Wife's Understanding Of Her Role-God's Perfect Plan

Eventually the godly response becomes the automatic response

Repentance- Discipline ourselves

The old has gone, the new is here!

Prayer Requests

Hello Proverbs 31 ladies!!

I hope that you all are know how much God loves you and has provided everything for us! I have to admit that whenever I decide to take a study I am always stretch and tested in every material! I was behind a few days and man did I struggle with the very thing that would have helped me. I want to encourage you to read daily it is packed with so many tools and life from God that will equip us.
Cant wait to hear from you all tomorrow.

The prayer requests for this week were:

Laura Joos: To be submissive to the Lord first and to her husband.
Linnette: Safety over her kids they are going away for a few weeks. Continue to pray for her relationship with God
Annebelle: Pray for wisdom regarding major decisions her family needs to make. For prioritizing and putting God first
Stephanie: Pray for her baby's healing, for Dr's to have wisdom to find what is wrong and for a solution.
Also for her husband and her to be his voice at the Dr's to strengthen them and give them grace to get thorough it together.
( Stephanie pray with your husband! It will create oneness, unity, intimacy and you will have power!)
Laura Johnson: Pray for her husband to get a permanent job and for God's presence in their lives.
Krystal: Pray for her marriage, that she could obey God immediately in spite of her emotions
That she would be gentle with her babies and cherish the time that she has with them.
Lindsay" Pray that God will open doors for Austin. That he has a perfect job already waiting. Pray for Lindsay to be encouraging and supportive during this time and that her faith in God will grow.
Sandra: For her husband and daughters relationship
For her husband to have courage and boldness to lead family devotional.
Christine:  That I will have a more quiet spirit and be soft spoken. For grace and wisdom with my oldest daughter.

Please share you requests, Praises and Testimony's!!

God's Will For Every Wife/Woman - Week 1

The Excellent Wife- Chapter 1: Who can find?

 God’s Will for Every Wife

God’s will for every Christian woman is that her most important ministry be to her husband (Genesis 2:18) After a wife’s own personal relationship with Jesus, nothing else should have greater priority. Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife’s time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day.

An Excellent wife, who can find her? For her worth is far above jewels.

Traits of an Excellent Wife

Respectful to her husband
Of Exceptional worth
Good to her husband
Generous
Wise
Worker with Hands
No Afraid
Praised
Careful
Blessed by Her Children
Fears The Lord
Kind
Trusted
Helpful
Plans and Prepares Each Day
Diligent(energetic and strong) Worker
　
　

These are traits not daily tasks, of the Excellent Wife. We can learn from her industry, integrity, resourcefulness, hard work, fear of God, respect for her husband, foresight, encouragement, care of others, concern for the poor, and wisdom in handling money because God has given us the power to do so.

His Divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through true

knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3　
　
God has called every Christian Woman to His Excellence!A wife’s responsibility is to learn to put her confidence in the faithfulness of God and His Word
-to do what He says.
We can become what He wants us to become if we do what He wants us to do. There is no other way!

Our one major problem is Sin....

Because God has supplied us with everything we need we are without excuse!

Do it with "the joy set before you" Hebrews 12:1-2
God has an eternal reward for us!

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

If Jesus would have reacted selfish and not died on the cross we would have no Savior and No Hope!
　
　
Challenge:

Prayerfully consider one or two growth areas/challenges. Ask God to help you plan your day to accommodate these changes. Be sensitive to His voice throughout your day. Prioritize your time and tasks each day to allow for your own spiritual growth and your ministry to your husband.
Am I rare? Am I doing the good works that God Intended for me? Not worrying about or looking at what my husband/others are supposed to be doing.
My joy comes from my relationship with Christ not on what my husband/others are not doing.

This week we will be reading Chapters 3 and 4
A Wife's Understanding of Sin
A Wife's Understanding of Relationships





If we take our focus of Jesus and do things "our way" we will be miserable trying to fulfill our God-Intended role.Sin is wanting to do it our way rather than Gods way. Its presuming God will help us even when we are neglecting His Truth. Sin is thinking she can get by without God’s help.
The fruit of the spirit is self control, not other control. Galatians 5:23

Pursue the relationship of Christ

Pursuing the relationship of Christ will fill the lack of Intimacy.

It must first come from the source for us to be fully satisfied, filled up to be able to give and receive to someone else.

We are woman of God trying to walk these things out. Our joy comes from our relationship with Christ not from what our husbands are not doing.

Key verses this week:

Ephesians 5:33

Amplified Bible (AMP)

³³However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [^[a]that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and ^[b]that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. [I Pet. 3:2.]

1 Peter 3:5

The Message (MSG)

 ^4-6Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

We must first be submissive to God in order to learn to be submissive to our husbands.
God can and will change our hearts so we will like to do it and have joy in it.

Submission is a choice
Obedience is an act
Its all in the heart attitude, and God is in the business of changing hearts!

John 14:12-13

New International Version (NIV)

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

God has the power- Pray for His glory- Submit circumstances and believe God is in control and He will give you peace!

Titus 2:5

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁵To be self-controlled, chaste, homemakers, good-natured (kindhearted), adapting and subordinating themselves to their husbands, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited).

God's will for every wife is to be her husband's helper. Submission opens the door to our heart for God to move.

So how can we be an excellent wife?

1 Peter 3:1

New International Version (NIV)

1 Peter 3

 ¹ Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,

The power of my actions can Influence or Hinder!

I pray for God to show the areas in your life and your marriage that you need to submit to Him and your husbands.

This material is tough and I encourage and support you not to give up! That is why we walk together.

In His name

Christine

Week 1

We Have Begun!

I love when God plans out what and who will be a part of a journey.

All we have to do is be obedient to His voice.

 My heart was to provide a time to meet and grow.

I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit as our helper to guide us. I pray that He will be our Leader, Counselor and Friend as we walk together. I want to encourage you to find your God-given passions and purpose and to get to know the Lord better.

We had a great time of fellowship. Getting to know each other, a bit of our life and shared our expectations and desires.
If you are following with us please share who you are
If you are married and how long you have been married.
I also asked the ladies What lead them to come to the study and what do they hope to learn and walk away with?
It was amazing that each lady all have a willingness and desire to honor the Lord and to honor their husbands.
What a great heart position to be in. God will use that position to begin to do a great a mighty work in them and their relationship with Him and with our spouses.

This week we will be starting out reading Chapters 1 and 2. Martha Peace will be teaching us through Scripture A wife's understanding of God. His will for every wife and the Traits of the Excellent wife.

Proverbs 31:10-31.

We will learn how the Holy Spirit is our helper to become what God wants us to be.

Think of one thing that you are thankful for your husband this week.
Read and write out Ephesians 5:33

I pray that God will meet you each and everyday!

We Begin!

Ladies,

We Begin!

Tonight we start the journey into a Woman's Heart and who we are in Christ.
I am so awed and excited by all who want to be part. God has planted this in my heart several months ago.
I completed this study last year at the Crossing Church and it has forever impacted my life and my marriage.
I believe that this book is not intended to just read once and say "I Did That!"
I believe that this is a blueprint for how God wants us to be in our role as a wife, mother and a woman after God's heart and will for our lives.

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
Proverbs 31:10

We will begin this week with a brief introduction to the study, a little exercises to get to know one another and time of fellowship and prayer. I have ordered 5 books and can order more if you are going to physically be attending.

I know that the Holy Spirit will lead this group speak to us.

There will be a few guest speakers and some surprises and fun!

Please if you are not attending stay connect through the blog and share your thoughts.

Thank you for joining and I look forward to getting to know each and everyone of you.

I am enclosing a link to purchase the book. This is the lowest price I have found, they are safe and secure to order from and usually arrives in a few days to a week.

http://www.christianbook.com/excellent-wife-biblical-perspective-expanded-edition/martha-peace/9781885904089/pd/04088?item_code=WW&netp_id=157529&event=ESRCN&view=details

Wavering between Faith and Fear?

Psalm 56:3-10 (The Message)

 ^1-4 Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day.
   Not a day goes by
      but somebody beats me up;
   They make it their duty
      to beat me up.
   When I get really afraid
      I come to you in trust.
   I'm proud to praise God;
      fearless now, I trust in God.
      What can mere mortals do?

We are tempted everyday to give up, feel like a failure and go and bury ourselves under the covers. Our biggest battle is our emotions. As this passage says we feel beat up, stomped on by people and circumstances. We get hurt, offended,disappointed, angry, depressed, anxious, prideful and joyful. The roller coaster of our emotions can feel unbearable at times, and hopeless!

So What do we do?

Psalms say Put our trust in God, Praise Him for what He has promised!

No person, sickness, pain or circumstance can rob us of our souls or our future beyond this life.

Instead, we should fear God who is in control of our next.

 

 

Even our deepest sorrow, God cares! We waver between faith and fear, when we feel so discouraged and we think no one understands, remember that God knows every problem and sees every tear.

 ⁸ You've kept track of my every toss and turn
      through the sleepless nights,
   Each tear entered in your ledger,
      each ache written in your book.

The enemy has us thinking we are weak Christians and have not had all God wanted for us. If we are not careful we will not!

Maybe its because we have not waited on Him to show up to empower us, and we are to involved in our pity party or we do too much in the power of our own!

When Jesus was being trailed, beaten and crucified, the physical agony was horrible, but even worse was the period of spiritual separation from God. Jesus suffered this double death so we would never have to experience eternal separation from God. the people and the leaders mocked him, gave him enough to believe that His God cant save Him, they told Him to come down from the cross.

But thank God He did not!

Jesus is the Son of God, who always obeys the will of the Father, he did not come down from the cross!

That night the curtain  separating the Holy place from the Most Holy place (which only the Most high were allowed to enter) was torn in two showing us that the barrier between God and us has been removed. Now we are all free to approach God because of Christ's sacrifice for our sins.

When we are feeling defeated remember this night that Victory is ours! Through the blood of Jesus we have been reedeemed and set free. We are free to go to the Throne and recieve the fullnes that God has for us!

His Mercy and His Grace are new everyday! They are His gifts and they are Free!

 

Happy Mother's Day

Matthew 11:28-30 

 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As Mother's we serve endlessly and tired. Remember today to lay our cares down, focus on Jesus and enjoy our families. God gives us grace and peace.

I praythat you will have fun today, you will relax today, play today and connect with the ones you love.

I pray that you feel loved today and valued today.

We are not perfect moms but lets thank God that we are the perfect mom for the children He gave us!

Many blessing

Christine Kramer

My Garden

Recently my husband built this garden for me. I am so blessed to have a husband with a green thumb!

I sure don't have one, but I wanted a garden.

We did however go and pick vegetables together at Home Depot to put in the garden.

In the past Tim has planted things, hung beautiful flower baskets and given me all the plants and  flowers I wanted, which are not cheap!

They look so pretty when you first get them. Only to find that I did not water them and eventually they would wilt become brown and ugly and die! Yuck! Not so pretty anymore.

Isaiah 1:30 (New Living Translation)

 ³⁰ You will be like a great tree with withered leaves,
      like a garden without water.

Like a garden if we do not water ourselves with the Word of God which gives us life we will wither and burn. All things that we put in its place will run dry.

Isaiah 58:11 (Amplified Bible)

¹¹And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.

Faith and hope are our strength and when we run dry we can be confident that the Lord will water those areas that are dry.

 It is a daily requirement if we want to have life!

Are you feeling tired, confused and dry? Do you have a daily quiet time with God?

I challenge you today to spend 15 minutes with the Lord everyday and He will supply the water to freshen you!

Mark 4:32 (Amplified Bible)

³²Yet after it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all garden herbs and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to make nests and dwell in its shade.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (Amplified Bible)

⁹For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God's building.

     

You don't have to light up the whole world, but you do have to do your part!

Let No Man split apart.......

Matthew 19:4-12 (Amplified Bible)

⁴He replied, Have you never read that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

    ⁵And said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united firmly (joined inseparably) to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?

    ⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder (separate).

God intended for marriage to be Indissoluble, permanent and instead of looking for ways out we should concetrate on how to stay together!

I have sat with many woman who are overcome with fear, anxiety, depression and uncontrollable emotions. Starting with me being one of them!

Inevitably those of us that are married focus on our husbands and look for them to meet our need.

Yes we can desire for our husbands to love us and show us affection, praise us and support us.

But ultimately we need to go to God to meet those needs and than when we do receive them from our spouse it is a blessing not an expectation!

I have spent many years waiting and manipulating my husband to love me and do what I wanted him to do. Only to cause myself much heartache, which lead to the anxiety and uncontrollable emotions.

It was when years later....( by my choice to wait that long because that is how long I tried to control) that God was in control. When I allowed God to change me, He in turn changed my husband.

When I learned to trust God, focus my eyes on Jesus, that is when He took care of the circumstances around me.

We have a present truth and a past truth. The past truth is based on experiences, hurts, failures and lies.

Where as our present truth is based on God's mercy and grace!

This past weekend our Pastor preached on this very thing.

Do we believe that Jesus is hyped on you?

He is madly in love with you. We need to believe what God believes about us

Change the past "I AM's" .....I am not worthy, I am unlovable, I am unforgivable.......

God says You are Worthy, I love you, I forgive you.

We are righteous through Christ and if we don't believe it we are only living half the truth!

Jesus came to give us life and give it abundantly!

Grace means we no longer have to work- it frees us to not have to fix me, or them or it!

Jesus does that. When we fix our eyes on Jesus we are free to go and serve others.

God takes away and makes new everyday, Every moment!

God believes you are His treasure, He searches for you and He desires you.

Today replace one "I AM" lie and line it up with the word of God and what He says about you!



Who Can Be An Excellent Wife?

The Excellent Wife..... Does she really exists? What does she look like? Is it a reality?

How can I be an excellent wife?

Questions that all have the answer YES!

With God ALL Things are possible!

I completed this study at a Bible study with my church. The title sounded good and I wanted to know more. Well I sure received more. Through the pages of this God inspired book written by Martha Peace, it opened up my heart and my mind and showed me the biblical perspective of being a wife, woman and mother.

Myself and most woman fight the daily tasks of staying balanced and handling our emotions.

We are woman, wives, mothers, sisters, bosses, and friends just to name a few.

So how do we manage our thoughts, emotions and tasks in a godly way?

How do we trust God for all the desires of our heart and give up control?

This is a strong desire put on my heart to walk with woman in the journey. 

I do not have all the answers nor have I arrived but, I know an All KNOWING and ALL POWERFUL God and He has all the answers! Treasures in His word. He equips us with all we need!

In a few weeks I will be starting the study again. God has laid it on my heart to open my home and my heart to woman that desire to know

"How I can Be an Excellent wife?"

God is the author of what is right, He designed marriage and He is for marriage.

We as woman are so afraid to do the right thing, Why? Hurt? Disappointment? Embarrassment or maybe we think that doing what is right will lead to us being door mats!

Or are we afraid that we wont have our own way?

There are all kinds of reasons and we if we look to God and His Word for the direction if is foul proof!

Lets fix our eyes on Jesus and stand for our marriages!

Whether you have a great marriage, separated or on the brink of divorce consider taking this journey with us!

 It will be a 12 week study. I will layout each week and have open discussion each week.

I promise you it will change your life!

I purchased my book from christianbooks.com it is the Excellent Wife by Martha Peace expanded edition.

Buy The Book