Tips for Marriage Endurance!

Marriage is amazing.  Marriage is hard.   Many of us have experienced both joys and challenges in marriage.  A couple from our church, Ray and Yvonne McDowell, just celebrated 65 years of marriage.  SIXTY-FIVE YEARS!?!?!  Wow.  What an example!  

How can we imitate that example in our marriages and both survive and thrive in marriage? Here are some tips for marriage endurance from the one who designed marriage as a gift for us!

1) Go the Distance - Until Death Do You Part

No-one enters a race wanting to quit part way.  Throughout the race there will be temptations that will oppose the goal of finishing.  Marriage is the same way; Satan, the world, and our flesh will constantly come against our marriage and tempt us towards quitting.

Some have suffered unwanted divorces out of necessity and protection.  Others are in such a dark period in their marriage that they don’t currently see a way forward.  The Bible doesn’t condone abandonment, abuse, or adultery and does give specific guidance regarding divorce and remarriage (if this is your situation you will want to read 1 Corinthians 7:10-16).

Contracts allow conditional ways out of an agreement.  The covenant of marriage places God as the author and uniter in marriage and reminds us that “what therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6 ESV).  Finishing the race of marriage “until death do  us part” is not easy, but it is worth it!

“the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth…she is your companion and your wife by covenant.” (Malachi 2:14) 

2) Love & Respect

Our attitude matters.  The job description of a husband can be summed up with one word: love.  The job description of a wife can likewise be summarized in one word: respect.  When we interact with our spouses, whether in word or deed, we should ask ourselves whether we are showing love and respect?

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)

3) Humility & Help

Our default in life is to think of ourselves before and more often than others.  When we change our minds to put our spouse’s needs in front of our own we will be amazed at how such a mindset helps us too!

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

4) Forgive Your Spouse

You spouse is going to sin against you, a lot.  You are going to sin against your spouse, a lot.  We all have sinned against Jesus, a lot.  We find freedom and joy in our marriages when we forgive our spouse as Jesus forgives us, a lot (completely and continually).

“bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13)

If God has called you into marriage, may we endure and find joy in how God has designed our spouse to be a help to us in the hardships of life.

“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman” (1 Corinthians 11:11)

How To Be A Noah

Obedience is the key!

Are you familiar with Noah? 

Scripture tells us that evil had grown to such an extent on the earth that God was sorry he ever made humanity! What?! (I wonder if He has those thoughts of us today, sometimes?)

BUT, in the midst of this catastrophe….he saw Noah! 

Noah found favor with God. Noah was the epitome of morality and goodness! Of all the thousands of people on the earth, there was ONE! 

It makes you wonder just how narrow this path is we walk that Matthew 7:13-14 speaks of: “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (Vs14 ), “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

The result of Noah’s obedience was that he and his entire family were saved from the flood that destroyed every other living thing on earth!

God notices an obedient person:

-One who loves Him and models his love, compassion, empathy on this earth.

-One who is self-controlled, faithful, kind, patient, full of love, joy, & peace.

-One who puts others needs before their own. 

Obedience to God produces these actions/emotions!

When you love God, you want to obey him. The longer you walk with the Lord the more you realize all he has done for you, His ways are better than our ways. Noah knew this!

God says in John 14:15- “If you love me, keep my commands.”  Faithfulness comes from being obedient to God. As we learn to obey we learn to be wise.  Our ultimate responsibility is to love an obey God above all else. 

I John 5:3- Loving God means doing what he tells us to do. The Bible is our manual. It instructs us in the ways of Christ. 

The direction we seek is found in His word. Psalm 100:2 instructs us to obey God gladly. Noah did this without hesitation.  He followed through with the building of the ark even with the criticism and skepticism he endured!

Just like in Noah’s day, God is looking for obedient servants-he rewards obedience!  Just like we reward our children for their obedience, God recognizes an obedient child.

When we are obedient, we experience far fewer problems in our life journey. Ephesians 6:1 says it best, “Obey your parents and it will go well for you!” If we strive to obey our heavenly Father, it too will go well for us!  Noah and his family were saved from the flood for heaven’s sake!

Do you want to be a “Noah?”

A little girl sitting in time out looks at her dog and says, “It’s easy for you! You’ve been to obedience school!” LOL

We may not go to obedience school but we do have a manual to follow. The Bible. God lays out specific directions on how to follow his will! Let it be your guide! 

What Does It Mean To Have God's Favor Upon Your Life?

What Does It Mean To Have God’s Favor Upon Your Life? By Machelle McDowell

There is a new song out called, “Blessings” by Elevation! I just love it! It moves me each time I hear it. There is a line in this song that has captured my attention.

May His favor be upon you.

Does God favor us? Does he delight in us?  

Listen to this: Isaiah 66:2 says,
“These are the ones I look on with favor; those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” 

Let’s pick this verse apart just a little bit! I want to look at a few words up close. 

Let’s start with favor- to feel or show approval or preference for. Does God approve of your representation of him to others? Does he preference our actions towards him? Are we deserving of HIs favor? 

You know,  I didn’t make the association between grace (which is unmerited favor) and favor until I began to research what favor really is.  They are virtually the same! We don’t deserve either one. 

If God chooses to show favor, it does not make us exempt from the woes of the world. That is not what His favor does. 

The greatest act of God’s favor is that of eternal life, by grace we have been saved. And, it is only by His grace we are able to to live for the Lord in this dark world.

Like God’s grace….His favor is also unmerited. It is a gift. A gift of love from him to us! His favor upon our lives! 

Let’s peek into the the definition of humble. This word pops up frequently in the Bible.

I am convinced God shows favor on the humble. Listen to this definition: Having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance. 

My favorite Bible illustration of humility is found in the book of John when Jesus himself bowed before his disciples and performed the deepest act of love recorded in Biblical history, (minus the crucifixion ofcourse), in my opinion. 

Jesus demonstrated a lifelong lesson for his disciples to continue after his ascension. He came to serve not to be served. He put the world before himself. God showed favor on his people through the work on the cross.

Contrite- What does this mean? Feeling or expressing remorse.

God shows us favor when we express remorse over our sin. When guilt consumes us to the point of conviction. 

When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved, (Romans 10:9). God is quick to forgive and show favor in gifting us with eternal life!

And lastly, what does it mean to tremble at God’s word? John lost all physical strength when God spoke to him (Rev 1:17). Remember the story of Paul on the Damascus road? He fell to the ground when Christ met him there, (Acts 9). Wow!

Do we read our Bibles with this kind of expectation? That God’s favor might fall upon us in a way we would tremble? 

If God can raise the dead, calm the seas, command the winds, I do not doubt He can cause us to tremble through his word. 

So, in summary, (paraphrased) this verse speaks of God’s favor by showing his approval to those who think more of others than themselves and are broken by the sin in our lives which drives us to ask for forgiveness and go to God’s word with the expectation of trembling at the message he has in store for us! 

May He show favor on you today!

When God grants you his favor, nothing can stop the blessings He has in store. (Anonymous)

What I Learned From An Elephant! By Machelle McDowell

Being Vulnerable is not all bad!

What does it mean to be vulnerable? The definition of vulnerable is to be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.

The enemy loves it! It is prime attack territory for him to pounce on us. It is a dangerous position to be in.

However, being vulnerable is something people avoid talking about. We hide from it! We don’t share with others about it! It’s like we are ashamed to show that we are vulnerable.  

In our eyes, it reflects that we are not living the perfect life we display to others. Depression, discouragement, anxiety, worry, and the list goes on that places us in a state of vulnerability. 

Why do we not reach out in times of vulnerability?

I recently learned a valuable lesson about how the Christian family is to respond to those in a vulnerable state. 

I watched a documentary on elephants. It was focusing on a mother elephant giving birth to a baby. It was amazing what happened! An elephant is at its most vulnerable state giving birth. A prime time for its enemy to attack. 

Check out this behavior:

The female elephant herd circled around the birthing mother. Shoulder to shoulder. They began to kick up dust in effort to create a security screen from the enemy. The dust dulled the scent of blood that could lure in predators. 

They began to lift their trunks and trumpet loudly in celebration of the birth of the new baby. They came to the side of their sister elephant in need! 

They were there for support, protection, celebration, and fellowship! Is this not the behavior we should model in our churches?

A strong wall of muscle and tusks that could scare away the enemy. Tons of weight built walls of protection around the birthing mom. 

I John 3:16-18 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

Wow! What a picture of how we are to rally around our vulnerable brothers and sisters in their vulnerable moments. And, in times of celebration.

To come alongside and raise our prayers up to the Father who bends down to listen on behalf of our Christian family, “Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” 

To surround him or her with words, deeds, actions of encouragement and love that ward off attack from our enemy, Satan. 

My prayer for us today is to be sensitive and on the look out for the vulnerable Christian.

Our churches are full of people with struggles beyond what they can bear. They will not always ask for help. 

Naturally we cannot reach out to the hurting if we are not aware, but sometimes we just need to take notice.

Just like the mother elephant showed signs of delivery. There were moans of pain and shedding of blood. The rest of her herd came to her aid! I find that intriguing!

Where are we when our brothers and sisters are hurting? 

Find courage my vulnerable friends! Vulnerability is not all bad. It has a sense of power that can lead us closer to God.

 It presents an opportunity for humility to come forth in our lives, to float to the surface above the pride that hinders it. 

Pride and humility are enemies. Pride keeps us in a vulnerable state. One in which imprisons us in our thinking by keeping us from reaching out for help. 

Pride Feeds on lie after lie of the enemy and convinces us that no one cares…..we are unworthy….why bother? Lies, Lies, all lies. Who is the father of lies? Satan himself.

When all the while humility patiently waits backstage to usher you into the God’s own throne room for healing. He sends a Godly messenger willing to fight for you….. armed with salvation, truth, righteousness, readiness, and most important the word! 

Forgive me friends! For all of the times I did not come to your aid when you needed the dust kicked up and the weight of protection surrounding you. 

What a wake call for us! Christians, may we be more observant of our fellow man? May we adopt the ways of the elephant? More about working together as a herd to minister to the world full of hurt. 

I am humbled by the acts of the elephant. I pray that we as brothers and sisters in Christ would not only reach out to the vulnerable but when we are in vulnerable situations ourselves, reach out and let brotherly love surround us in a way that we literally feel Christ himself wrapping his arms around us. 

Encircling us shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, prayer to prayer……a picture of the church!

How Close is God to You?

How Close is God to You? By Machelle McDowell

How close are you to God?

There are so many scriptures that describe just how close God is to us! I would like to share some of those scriptures with you today!

I love Isaiah 49:16- We are engraved on the palm of his hand! I think of Jesus being nailed to the cross and thinking of us by name each time he sees the scars on his hands. They represent each and every one of us.

One of my favorite scriptures that remind me of God’s presence is Zephaniah 3:17- “The Lord is in your midst.” This verse comes to life for me when I step outside early in the morning and see the sun popping up over the horizon and hear the melody of the birds as they herald in the morning. The gentle breeze that taps my cheek and moves my hair brings to life the breath of God upon my soul. It is like God says, “Good morning, I’m here!”

The list goes on! Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us that when we seek him, we find him, when we seek him with all of our heart!

He is not far away at any given moment. His spirit dwells within a child of God. God says he will dwell in us and walk among us; and he will be our God, and we shall be his people. Amen!

Did you know, God knows you by name? Isaiah 43:1 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” That powerful promise confirms that God knows our name! Before we were in our mother’s womb, he knew us! He laid down his life for us!

We are all familiar with the story of Zacchaeus found in Luke 19! Jesus walked into Jericho in the midst of a crowd of people. Zacchaeus was curious to see Jesus. He had heard a lot about him. He was a small man in stature and because of the crowd could not see Jesus, so he climbed into a sycamore tree to get a better look. Little did he know, his life would be changed that day, forever!

Jesus, walked through the crowd and stopped at the Sycamore tree! He glanced up and called Zacchaeus by name, “Zacchaeus, come down!” Zacchaeus answered the call! Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Unlike us, Jesus does not forget a name. We all love it when people remember our names. it makes us feel special. Our names are written upon his heart and he yearns for us to write his name upon ours!

Maybe, he is calling your name today? Maybe you yearn to experience this closeness I speak of? Answer him! Call out to him and he will answer you!

Our very soul clings to him according to Psalm 63:8 and his right hand upholds us! How much closer can he be to us? We only need to recognize his presence and lean into it. Draw near to him. He desires to be close! It is us that push him away.

In the presence of God Joy is inevitable, even in the midst of turmoil. God manifests himself everyday to us, we just fail to recognize Him.

My favorite hymn speaks of God’s touch on our lives, “ He Touched Me.” This would have been an appropriate song for Zacchaeus to sing to our Lord. It explains exactly what happened to him that day in the Sycamore tree when called him by name! And what can happen to you, today!

Shackeled by a heavy burden, Neath a load of guilt and shame. Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same.

He touched me, Oh He touched me, and oh the joy that floods my soul! Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.

Since I met this blessed Savior, Since He cleansed and made me whole, I will never cease to praise Him, I’ll shout it while eternity rolls!

How much closer could we ask for? For God to touch us and make us whole. His presence is forevermore!

How close is God to You?

April Showers

April Showers Bring May Flowers

April Showers By Machelle McDowell

If April showers bring May flowers what do May flowers bring?….Pilgrims! LOL

Why does it effect us differently when the sun is shining than when it rains? 

It is almost like a downcast falls on our soul. We experience a sense of gloom. The sun is hidden behind the clouds and a shadow of sadness follows us for a time. Why?

We should focus on the beauty after the rain! 

• A flower cannot bloom without rain and it must withstand the storms that come along the way. 

• The rains prepare the ground for the farmers.

• The rains filter the air from pollen and other aggravating allergy boogers!

Psalm 65: 9-10 “You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.”

“You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.”

In Northern Ghana, April-October is their rainy season. Unlike us, the Ghanaians look forward to the rainy season because they realize it is the rains that prepare the ground for farming after a long dry season. It is the rains that brings the harvest!

I feel like God allows rainy seasons in our lives for a couple of reasons: 

ONE- We bring it on ourselves and He allows it! 

I am reminded of David in Psalm 51. He has been caught in laundry list of sins! It started with one thought that turned into a life changing event! He was guilty as charged: lying, deceit, lust, adultery that led to pre-meditated murder! This was no rain shower, but a torrential downpour!

God allowed David to suffer the consequences of his sin and in doing so it drew David back to the throne of the God of forgiveness! 

This torrential downpour that occurred in David’s life settled the ridges he had dug for himself and softened his heart toward God who blessed his growth. 

God works in our lives very much the same way. We can look back at the storms in our lives and see God’s hand in which he enriched us because of it.

TWO- God wants us to grow!

These torrential rains that David experienced bring about growth! They force us to reflect on who we are in Christ. Or perhaps, You don’t know Christ? 

In Ghana during the rainy season. The torrential rains flood the roads to the point they are impassable. You can’t go through the waters nor around them. So, you are left with one option. Go a different direction!

Could it be, God has placed us at a stand still in our country to force us to reflect on the path we are headed down?

Sometimes, God is just trying to capture our attention! He wants us to make some changes. He is warning, go the other way!! You are going to drown!

We are not so different than David! David became consumed with desires that were far from God’s plan for his life and it didn’t end well. Have we? 

Are you drowning in flood waters? Are you so deep into believing material wealth is your source of happiness? Are you drowning your life away in a bottle? Are you just floating through life with no real purpose? 

This could be true: Christian or Non-Christian. None of us are exempt.

The beauty of Psalm 51 is that David realized who his saving grace was in the floodwaters of his soul! 

He cried out for God to blot out his transgressions and to cleanse him and renew his spirit! God did! And, he can do the same for you!

Are you drowning in the floodwaters of this life? Let this April be one in which you let God pour down “Showers of Blessings” upon your soul that you might see the beauty that lies ahead! 

If you are a struggling Christian, take the path back to where you met Jesus and renew your heart for him. 

If you realize you are lost and are far from any path that is leading to Christ, cry out to Him! Let him flood your heart with his love. Let Him shower you with his grace and forgiveness. 

April Showers bring May Flowers!!! 

In The Midst Of Isolation By Machelle McDowell

You are not alone!

Philippians 1: 12 “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”

I don’t think any of us would have thought 2020 would have introduced a worldwide pandemic in that we are all experiencing some sort of definition of “isolation.”

We are Isolated from so many things we find to be, “the normal.” Our jobs, our families, our friends, our activities. It is almost like God said, “Pump the brakes on life as you know it.”

This very thing happened to Paul! Paul is going about his business of spreading the gospel, planting churches, discipling Christians and leaders and all of the sudden, God said, “Pump the brakes!”

Paul finds himself imprisoned. Isolated from his normal lifestyle. And, Paul responds by saying,
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” What?!

Is this our response to Covid-19? Do we see our isolation as an opportunity to advance the gospel? 

Paul is saying here, that no matter what our circumstances might be, make the best of it! Use it to bring glory to God. 

Our faith can shine in the midst of the darkness in all of this! Here are a few ways to advance the gospel in the midst of isolation:

Demonstrate Trust

We know God instructs us many times to not be anxious! We can certainly be concerned without having anxiety. What a witness to those around us than to demonstrate trusting God. 

What does that look like?

Not but a couple of chapters over in Philippians is one of my favorite verses about anxiety!

Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t be anxious, but in everything in prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Contact people, pray with them on the phone. Text people and let them know they are not alone. Offer words of encouragement by using scripture. Point to Jesus! Model Jesus! 

What better way to lead someone to Christ than to lead through example?

Show Love and Care

God’s greatest commandment is to love Him and love others! We should care deeply for people in a time like this. Reaching out and going beyond to meet the needs of hurting folks. 

We should celebrate the joys and recognize God’s blessings amongst the darkness around us.

We should weep with the hurting and let them know, they are not alone. Demonstrate a deep love and concern. When we love others with all of our heart; they know it. 

Love can break through all kinds of walls and reach the center of a person’s heart. It is there they will meet God!

Share Hope

There comes a time when we have to actually “share” the gospel with our words. We all have people in our lives that need to hear the gospel. There is no better time than now to share God’s truths with people! 

The world is in a position to hear! We are physically isolated and out of fear of the unknown are searching for answers! Now is the time! 

Christians, we have the answer! Share It! Paul says in Philippians 1:14 “Let us be bold enough to share it and proclaim the gospel without fear.”

Speak truth! 

Dear friend, I love you, but God loves you more! He sent his son to die on a cross to provide a way for you and me to come to the Father. It is the only way. It provided forgiveness. He was buried in a tomb for (3) days and conquered death! He arose and is alive! He has gone to prepare a place for His saints to be with him eternally. Do you believe this hope? Do you believe this truth? 

Believe in Him today! You will never feel isolated again! We are not alone, friends!

There is More to the Story

There is More To The Story

By Machelle McDowell

Glorify God!

I Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own. You are bought with a price. Glorify God in your body.

Our body is a temple? The Holy Spirit resides in us? if you are a born again believer, you were bought with a price……………, but there is more to the story!

We use our body for everything under the sun, but for what it was originally designed for: To make much of Him! Our actions demonstrate the opposite. 

We make much of us. It is seen clearly through our wants, our desires, our pleasures, our entertainment, and the list goes on of ways that we try to fulfill self. Not with the intention of glorifying any one, but ourself and certainly not God.

We were bought with Jesus’ blood as a ransom for our sin. A high price was paid!  God loved us so much that He knew the only way to bring us to himself was through a perfect sacrifice, His one and only son. 

It is no surprise to me the magnitude of the Corona Virus? How else to capture the attention of a world that idolizes themselves than to put a halt to the things that hold us captive? Doesn’t it make you wonder?

Harsh? Is it? Let’s be honest. Since our country has come to a halt, and this war with Covid-19 is running rampant, people are recognizing just how out of control we really are? God is our only hope.

• Could it be, God is trying to show us that we love “things” more than the things of God? We are addicted to the world more than we want to admit?

• Could it be, God wants us to trust him in that we don’t have to fear death? Jesus conquered death and gives us eternal life! There is nothing to fear if you are a born again believer. To die is gain! To be in the presence of the almighty creator and King of all Kings!

• Could it be, the inner strength that we rely on is our own? Are we truly trusting in the God of the universe who controls this whole mess? 

We serve a “Savior!” A risen Savior, who saved the world by becoming an escape goat for us! He carried the sins of the world on his body that we might be set free from the chains and bondage of a destination we all deserve….Hell. 

He shut the doors of Hell for the believers and opened the doors to eternity with him in heaven forever! Amen! This is the rest of the story!!

Church, we have been bought and we are not our own. It is time we stop living for the world and start saving people from the world. Point them to Jesus! 

We are living in a pandemic. Point people to the Savior. Our hope lies in Jesus Christ and him alone. Be the temple of the Lord and glorify God.

Let’s stop putting our faith in this world, it is all temporary. Here today and gone tomorrow. Jesus is forever. 

That is the rest of the story! (Paul Harvey’s famous line).