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I was not sure whether or not to write about this subject but in the end I thought it would be a good idea to challenge people in their ways of thinking. You see, we are so easily bound in our thoughts by our culture and we don't realise how tied we are to the ways of the world around us until we step outside of our box, either by travelling, living somewhere else or simply by receiving God's wonderful guidance and conviction. This matter of being bound in our ways and our thoughts is what can be called a mindset. We all have familiar mindsets which we don't think twice about and are often unaware of, but when we become believers we need to put our thinking caps on and figure out what God's will really is in various areas instead of just continuing to follow our culture, even Christian culture.
One example of a mindset is our fixed attitude towards music. Not all music out there is 'kosher' and the melody as well as the words are important in deciding whether or not something is pleasing to God. But often enough we already think that we know what is good and we don't easily budge once we have made up our minds. I sometimes wonder about the amount of people who come to heaven and realise that they were totally wrong about various doctrines, myself included. I mean, we can't all be right all of the time so most likely there are lots of surprises for us all in that area. Let's be careful then about being dogmatic. It's human nature to be stiff-necked and stubborn but it is not a desirable quality and if we want to discover the truth then we need to learn to think objectively by putting aside our prejudices and preconceived ideas and seek God instead. We need to think things through, perhaps consider both sides of the story, and if need be humble ourselves, admit we were wrong and let go of our stubborn will and mindsets. The deceptions of the enemy are subtle and far more ingenious than what we'd like to believe and Satan will do whatever he can to deceive anyone, especially the elect. The best way for Satan to deceive us is to bring us a hearty portion of the truth, perhaps as much as 90% and mix in just a tiny bit of poison so that it can barely be tasted. Most people fall for it and happily gobble this up. Only those who are seriously seeking after truth will suspect or know that it needs to be chucked out. You may think that I am obsessed with Satan but on the contrary, I am obsessed with God and coming into His glorious presence. As you can see from this book, I seldom talk of Satan because I seldom think of him but it is not healthy to live as though he doesn't exist. Even Jesus and his disciples spoke of him or dealt with him once in a while and we need to be aware that we have an enemy whose goal is to lead us astray and if possible, even destroy us.
The ruler of this world is no fool when it comes to leading us astray and much of what is called Christian music does not come forth from God's Spirit. As Derek Prince once said, if you think that you cannot be deceived, then you are already deceived. Music is an exceptionally important area because the beauty of the music will either draw us into God's presence, Satan's presence or lead us to indulge our carnal nature and ego. It all depends on the source of the music and ungodly music can also be exceptionally beautiful. How else could Satan lead us astray unless it were beautiful? Although words of Christian songs may be spiritual, the melody as well as the beat etc, is just as important. If it were not, then why not just recite the words to God? That's because music is like a vehicle taking us on a journey which causes us to flow with it to its source. Now what better way for Satan to deceive us than by putting godly words and sentences on a beautiful vehicle that is leading us to another destination, other than where we want to go or think we are going to. If I want to go on a cruise, I don't want to just look at the beauty of the ship, I want to make sure that it will take me to where I want go. Is it going to lead me to the heavenly Jerusalem or to the ports of Babylon? I made up my mind many years ago that I would do whatever it takes to get to the heavenly Jerusalem. As alluring and beautiful as the counterfeit is, I made an effort to shake myself free from it. I write this as I am dying of cancer and suspect that I only have a few months left on earth but I am overjoyed, knowing that I am on the right cruise ship. Daily I board this cruise ship that leads me into the presence of my God and what should be an awful trial is a glorious and exciting journey. As I praise His name in song, He fills me with His joy which is my strength. But it began with a decision to let go of worldly music, as well as all other worldly things. I abandoned my old cruise ship and found another one to take me to a different, glorious destination.
With much of modern day worship music, if you were to take away the words you wouldn't hear much difference, if any at all, between that and worldly music. Does the 'godly' music you listen to sound like the music in the world with godly words attached? If so, I wouldn't touch it. We are to be set apart for God and everything about us should be as unlike the world as possible. As the above verse says, we must not be conformed to this world and there is no good reason for godly musicians to copy worldly music. Heavenly music is divinely inspired and shouldn't sound anything like worldly music. Unfortunately, I have noticed that many people do not mind being deceived in this area. The sacrifice is too great and excuses abound. Firstly, it's much easier to continue on down the wrong path of pleasure and also humiliating to admit that one is wrong. Secondly, we may also think that the gospel should be easy, that God should be giving towards us but not that we should be giving towards Him and sacrifice things for Him. We don't like that word 'sacrifice' and it's human nature to try to get away with as much as we can. We want heaven on earth as well as heaven in heaven. We want to be served an easy gospel and few are willing to let go of their beloved 'Christian music' or worldly music and search for something that is honouring and special to God's ear which they can offer to Him in worship. Personally, I find this painful because by so doing, many choose to reject God and just don't care. I don't mean to imply that all Christian music is not of God, but much of it is not and we need to become choosy and ask God for guidance and discernment in this area. Lables such as Christian music, gospel or Christian rock--no such thing, does not automatically mean that it leads us to God and that He approves of it. I like to look into the background of musician's lives. When born again musicians are abiding in the presence of God then all that comes forth from them will come forth from the Spirit of God. At least, that is the way it should be but even that is no guarantee as I know of 'Christian' musicians whose music is a mixture of the heavenly and the corrupt. They themselves are misled and are misleading others! But certainly, if musicians are not born again and walking with God then they cannot possibly be making music that is led by the Spirit of God so that already rules out a lot of music.
You may say that you just want to listen to music for your own pleasure, not for worship. I have never been able to separate these two issues. I want my whole being, at all times, to be soaked in the presence of God and there is only one reason why I want to listen to music or play and sing and that is to worship my heavenly Lord. As the saying goes, good is the enemy of best. I want the best for myself and the best for God and if I want to enjoy music then I want the best worship music to worship God with. I'm not interested in something that is acceptable, good or even very good. I am aiming high. I want the absolute best and I want to offer it to God. All entertainment is simply a replacement of the Holy Spirit and cannot be compared in magnificence. In Eph 5: 18, Paul wrote not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit. Instead of wine, we could put in many other words and it would still be fitting, such as--don't get drunk on any pleasurable entertainment (choose what you wish) or don't indulge in any any worldly entertainment but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. Truly, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit then we will not crave worldly entertainment which we find so alluring and the only way to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to pour ourselves out on God by worshiping Him in truth and abiding in Him. This is the true food that will satisfy our spirits and if we are filled with the Holy Spirit then we will never hunger and thirst for the counterfeit. The Spirit of God is just too glorious and if we have once tasted of the divine then we know that no earthly entertainment could ever come close to measuring up.
I made this transition as a new believer many years ago. I was blessed with a good ear for music and music has always had an exceptionally important place in my heart. As a non believer, I had an excellent selection of worldly music and it was an exceedingly great sacrifice for me to throw it out. In fact it was Kees who told me to get rid of it (long before we were married) and he stood by me making sure that it all went out in the rubbish bin. That was painful but I can honestly say that I have no regrets and am thankful to him for making me do it because being a hoarder, I have an aversion to throwing things away in the rubbish and I don't know if I otherwise would have done it. But since that time, I made a conscious decision that as much as I was in control of my circumstances, I would never again choose to sing or listen to any worldly music and God has rewarded me richly by blessing us with beautiful music by Godly musicians. But more than that, He has blessed my own playing and singing and though I still make plenty of mistakes and only have a mediocre talent, I am immediately drawn into His presence through my own music and I'm privileged to lead my family to Him in worship every evening. Ultimately, it is not talent and perfection that leads us into God's presence but offering right sacrifices with a humble heart.
I am sure that the above verse applies to music too and basically anything that we offer up to God as a sacrifice. I can honestly say that the sacrifice of letting go of worldy music was more than worth it! Please, ask yourselves seriously, do you truly want to worship God? The other option is to worship Satan or self which is obviously an abomination to our God; yet again, few take this seriously. As the following verse says, God may turn His eyes away for a brief moment but He will not overlook this forever.
Our Lord is not looking for lukewarm people who have one foot in the world and another foot in His Kingdom. There may well be a time of grace when God overlooks things but there also comes a time when that period of grace is over.
Soon our Lord will be coming back for His bride and hopefully we will be ready for Him. Let us meditate on the parable of the ten maidens who were waiting for their bridegroom who was delayed (Matt 25). They all went to sleep but five of them were ready with lamps filled with oil and the other five did not have enough oil. Do you know what the Lord said to the foolish ones? He told them that He never knew them. Oooopps!!!! The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit so these were genuine followers of Christ and he said that he never knew them!! Search your hearts now and ask yourself, if the Lord were to come back tonight would you be ready? Or to put it plainly, are you right now abundantly overflowing with His Holy Spirit? Let us seek to be like the five maidens whose lamps were full with oil. We have been given a tremendous gift, the privilege of walking our lives out with the Creator of this universe. Do we treasure this gift so much that we are willing to give up everything for Him?
But this chapter is not about music so let's get back on track. Other examples of mindsets that we may need to let go of are our preconceived ideas and attitudes towards dancing, the wearing of make-up, fashion and the list continues on and on. Have you considered that a hundred years ago no-one would have dared to parade in a bikini and yet today many people think nothing of bearing as much as they can get away with, if not in a bikini then with skimpy clothes? Some people may think nothing of leading the opposite sex into temptation and even godly men may suffer because they are easily tempted by women revealing too much. This follows us around, even coming into the church because we live in a lawless society. Of course, we cannot change society but we need to check our own hearts and make sure that we are not guilty in this area. Even if you don't believe that you are tempting the opposite sex, you may still be wearing clothes that are not wholesome according to God's will. Fashionable clothes are sometimes clingy or otherwise in some way made to reveal far more than what is pleasing to God. God wants us to be well covered and if you study the scriptures, I believe that He takes this very seriously. You will read in the Old Testament that steps were not allowed to be built leading up to the Holy Place because even though the priests wore long robes, God didn't want their bare legs to be revealed.
Do you think that God only meant their private parts? Didn't the priests have underwear? Yes, the priests did have underwear.
There are other verses that speak of the linen breeches, so the priests had underwear, as well as long robes, so when God speaks of their nakedness, He means their bare legs. God's definition of nakedness is certainly not the same as ours. You may say that that was a long time ago and times have changed. Yes, times have changed but God is the same God and He has not changed. If He regarded it as sin in those times, then He still does today. We need to get our lives in line with God's will, not the times that have changed. Here is a quote from another site that has already gone into this matter briefly:
Many people do not know that the Bible often calls improper covering of the body nakedness. Most often it refers to the wearing of undergarments in public. This explains the nakedness of Saul (1Samuel 19:24), of David (2Samuel 6:14, 20; 1Chronicles 15:27), of Isaiah (Isaiah 20:2-4), and of Peter (John 21:7). It is interesting that Peter did not want Jesus to see him naked. The Bible teaches that improperly covered bodies are still naked.
http://www.hissheep.org/q&a/nakedness.html
Should not God's word be our guide as to what is right or wrong, rather than fashion or our own morals and values which have been molded by our culture? Or is Christian culture our guide rather than God's word and His will? Do you bare your legs or your tummy or your underwear or the voluptuous curves of your body? I hope you take this seriously. If so, ask God to guide you to dress comfortably and modestly. With His help, it is possible to find good looking clothes that are not revealing. But again, this chapter is about something else--how we came to our decision to allow God, rather than our cultural backgrounds to control the number of children in our family. God led us into it and it was our desire to follow Him and allow Him to be our Family Planner.
Growing up in South Africa, they have a mindset there which influences married couples about having children. Often enough I heard it said, "We are going to wait until we get to know each other a bit better". It's a common way of thinking there but I never thought much about it when I lived there. It was one of those things that I didn't have a strong opinion about although I was fairly convinced that one ought to take contraception. I learnt from the cultural mindset that it is irresponsible not to take contraception. That is what the black people need to learn. They have loads of children, many out of wedlock and they need to be educated to take responsibility. (I'm not expressing my thoughts here but rather the mindset). The average family in South Africa has about three children, just as in the rest of the Western world. Some may have two and others may have four but you will not usually see more than four as that is considered a lot of children, at least that has been my impression. But then I went to Israel, a place that is not greatly dominated by one kind of people. I don't know if there is any country in the world that has so many different kinds of peoples with origins from so many different places in the world and the only thing they have in common is that they are Jewish yet even their Judaism will be expressed differently. There are two different kinds of Jews: The Ashkenazi Jews and Sepharadi Jews and just for interest I will explain a bit about this.
The Ashkenazi Jews come from Europe and Russia where aside from the language of their native country, Yiddish was the common language which bound them together. In my grandparents time there were no Jewish European or Russian people who couldn't fluently communicate with each other in Yiddish no matter where they came from but unfortunately this beautiful language is fading out today. I myself know only a few words whereas my great-grandparents when they came to South Africa and England from Russia struggled to learn English and continued to speak Yiddish amongst themselves. The Ashkenazi Jews are all those who tend to have a white skin and live away from the equator, so it also includes those Jews who come from English speaking countries such as Australia, America, Great Britain and South Africa. Though they are friendly, they are respectful and reserved, certainly more so compared to their Sepharadi counterparts who live closer to the equator, are usually dark skinned and are hot blooded and very expressive. There are great differences in the personality as well as the culture of these two peoples. You will see it in the way they dress, their Jewish traditions and the music they play. Another difference is the way they relate to children and the number of children in the family. Because of the diversity of backgrounds, Israel is a country where as a whole, there are no hard and fast mindsets, except within a particular group of people and you will be influenced by that mindset if you grow up in that group. But as in a case like myself where you arrive as an adult and can blend in with any group then there is less chance of being strongly influenced by a particular mindset from a certain group. In fact, you may find yourself in interesting situations with lots of things to think about.
It's very common that Sepharadi Jews will have very many children, as well as the very religious Ashkenazi's. Birth conrol is foreign to them as it is unbiblical so you are likely to come across very large families which can seem quite strange to someone like myself from such a different background where three is most likely the norm. Seeing that I was thirty years old when we got married and had already been living in Israel for ten years I was thankfully not swayed by the South African mindset that says that we need to wait a few years till we get to know one another better. That didn't make sense to me at all. When that sentence came to my mind I always thought--but you have the rest of your lives to get to know one another?! I mean, the first nine months there are no children anyway and even when the children come along you can still get to know one another, so what does it mean when people say that?? I think they are expressing their 'need' to be selfish. They see children as a burden rather than a blessing and they don't want burdens standing in the way of their selfish desires, complicating life and upsetting their plans to be alone together. No offense intended to anyone! That's just the impression that I get. I suppose to really know what they mean we would need to get an explanation from someone who embraces that mindset.
But I was not dominated by the typical South African mindset and was not willing to lose out on God's blessing so I was happy to have children as soon as God would grant them to us. Kees and I had one discussion about contraception before we got married and although we had our opinions, neither of us felt very strongly about it so we didn't argue. Kees who is one of eight (originally 10) thought that we shouldn't take contraception and that we should let God control the number of children. That discussion shook me up a bit. I had never considered not taking contraception and I wondered how I would manage if I would end up with something like fourteen children! But after that discussion, I became curious and often wondered what God's will really is in this issue. Would He really take control if we do not? To a large extent, I had been influenced by the mindset that it is irresponsible not to take contraception. How could you not end up with many children? But not feeling the need to make an instant decision we let the conversation rest and the next time we spoke about this was when Matanya was a baby. Meanwhile, over the years, I started reading some magazines called Above Rubies which I highly recommend. http://www.aboverubies.org/
This is a magazine for believers that highlights a womans worth in the home with testimonies in the areas of marriage, pregnancy, fulltime mothering, submission, miscarriages, reversals for those who have had themselves permanently fixed, adoption and the list goes on. I was greatly encouraged by the articles in this magazine which are all bible based and many left a long lasting impression on my mind. There were testimonies that served to comfort and heal me when I had miscarriages and the testimonies and teaching in this magazine helped to break my mindset regarding contraception. I read amazing testimonies of very large families who didn't believe in birth control and it impressed me how blessed and prosperous these families are in their relationships and how wonderfully God provided for them. One testimony especially made a great impression on me. I don't recall the story well but possibly the man in the family had had a vasectomy and then later a reversal and the couple went on to have a few more children. Then one day he stood at the window looking at the younger children playing together outside, listening to their joy and laughter. If he had not had the reversal, then several of those children would not have been there and he thought about how much emptier life would have been without the younger children. He thoroughly appreciated that each one was a special treasure granted by God. This testimony touched me deeply and left a long-lasting impression on me. I thought about friends in our congregation who have seven children, each one so unique and beautiful and I tried to imagine that one or two or more of them weren't there. Terrible!! My thoughts were changing. I began to see each child as a beautiful, precious and unique blessing, and each child that you decide not to have is a blessing that you are depriving yourself of. I also sensed that each child is a gift that God wants us to receive and by refusing His gifts we are rejecting God Himself. But I never thought much more about this until Kees brought up the subject again when Matanya was a few months old.
We were seriously concerned about the fact that we were living in the last days before Jesus comes back and somehow we needed to be prepared for that. Kees had been talking to a brother in the Lord about the issue of having children in the last days and they had gotten hung up on a verse of scripture.
Their understanding was that it would be unwise to have children during the tribulation so they thought that birth control was important because of the times we were living in. The only kind of birth control that Kees was open to was the rhythm method which is when the woman determines her fertile times and avoids relations during those times. If I were to choose a method of birth control then that was the only one that I was in agreement with but without realising it, I had come to a point where I couldn't relate to any kind of birth control because I was ready to walk in faith. I felt that birth control was a lack of faith in God who was more than able to care for us and determine what was right for us. I believed with all of my heart that God would reign in this area if we were to invite Him into our situation. But I never had a chance to say much during my conversation with Kees as it seemed as though he had already made up his mind. He wasn't ready to think any differently and I felt that I needed to accept that because we cannot force someone else to have the same faith that we have. But suddenly my heart and mind were screaming with arguments. Not only the stories from Above Rubies came to my mind but I also recalled the story of Lydia Prince in the book Appointment in Jerusalem by Derek Prince. She was led by the Holy Spirit to adopt eight children, and later in life, a ninth African child. She had never gone looking for them. These babies or children had in one way or another miraculously found their way on her doorstep, obviously brought to her by God. I was intrigued that God could lead someone to adopt so many babies and it seemed to me that it was God's good will that woman have many children. Lydia had not asked for them. That was simply God's plan for her and God's plans are always good! So if God would give someone nine children to adopt without her searching for them, then why should it be wrong for us to allow God the freedom to give us however many children He sees fit? Should we not be just as open as Lydia was to accept however many children God brings us?
But what about dangerous situations? I thought of Lydia who was walking through the streets with her first baby, Tikvah, when shooting broke out and people had to run to take cover. A dangerous battle had broken out and she somehow managed to get home safely. Lydia lived in a place that did not have it's own plumbing. She had to go outside to get water from a communal place in the building but it was far too dangerous to go out when she came home because of the shooting. Although she and Tikvah were thirsty they had to make do with the little milk and water that they had in the appartment and she would have to go out later when it was dark to get some water outside. Finally darkness came, and she sneaked out to go downstairs to the communal water tap. She turned it on and to her horror nothing came out. The water had been switched off!! She ran back up to think and pray. She knew that she needed to leave because they couldn't survive without water for who knows how long. She knew of a place where she could go, the house of friends who had their own plumbing, so water would not be a problem there. But when? It would be too dangerous to go now as even in the darkness people were still shooting. By now Tikvah had fallen asleep, having had her fill of what little milk and water was left but Lydia knew that in a few hours she would wake up to drink again. She prayed and asked God to keep Tikvah asleep and when she would wake up, Lydia would take that as her cue to leave. The hours dragged by while Lydia drifted in and out of sleep. Finally Tikvah awoke. It must have been 6 am.or 7 am. and amazingly she had slept several hours longer than usual. It was light out, but silent. No shots! Not a sound could be heard. Lydia realised that in fact this was the safest time to go because although light out, those who had been shooting throughout the night would be in a deep sleep now. She set off with Tikvah on her shoulders as she would normally walk, trusting that God would protect her. But after a while she saw in the distance an enormous sandbank. How on earth would she get up there? As she came closer, she could tell that she would be able to get up there by herself but it would be impossible for her with Tikvah. Then as she came closer to the foot of the sandbank, a stranger appeared out of nowhere and stretched out his hands to take the baby. No word was said between them as she handed Tikvah over to him and he led the way up to the top of the sandbank and over the other side. The amazing thing was that Tikvah had never taken kindly to strangers who had wanted to hold her and would always fiercely protest but this time she just accepted it quietly without a sound. At the bottom of the other side, the man handed Tikvah back to Lydia. They had not spoken a word to each other. Then Lydia turned around to have another look at the stranger but he was gone. He had instantly vanished! Lydia knew without any doubt that God had sent her an angel!
As I thought of what Kees said about it not being wise to have children in the great tribulation, I thought of Lydia and how God had sent her an angel and I knew deep inside of me that if I were in such a situation then God would send me an angel too. Whether I would have such faith in such a situation I cannot say but at that moment I felt absolutely sure about it and I felt that trying to be sensible about this issue regarding the end-times was not the way to go. I could not agree with Kees's reasoning of not having more children, knowing that God could and would protect us from danger but Kees had made up his mind and the conversation was over. It was painful for me because I wanted to do God's will and allow Him the freedom to give us however many children He wanted but I had no choice but to accept this. Instead I would have to pour out my heart to God and ask him to work in this situation.
I recall a day soon after our discussion that I took Aviv and Matanya, a baby of a few months, in the pram to walk along the beach. After a while a lady came walking by with three boys. This was obviously a mother and her three sons as they all looked alike but were just different sizes because of the age difference. As I sat and looked, a silent cry of pain went out from my heart, "There goes the third child that I will never have"!! I was deeply grieved! I so much wanted God to have free reign in our situation and it hurt me not being able to give Him that freedom. Feeling miserable, we left and as soon as I had an opportunity I poured out my heart to God, asking Him to work in our situation. But I said nothing to Kees till a few days later when he came home and said "Guess what"?!
"What"?
"I think we were wrong. We were talking again and came to the conclusion that we need to walk in faith in this area and trust in God to take charge of our family situation, in spite of circumstances". No contraception. Only about ten days had gone by since his change of mind! And of course, I was ecstatic! For me this wasn't simply an issue of wanting more children but rather, more than anything, wanting to submit to God's will and have Him plan our family. For the first time, I confessed my thoughts to Kees and he was amazed and overjoyed about how God had led us both to the same conclusion.
No need for compromise when God leads! Our Lord spoke to both of us individually and the decision was unanimous! Interestingly enough, we only have two children. Though I would gladly have received more children, I believe that God prevented that and now some years later, as my time edges closer for me to go to my Lord, I can look back and see the wisdom of God in holding back his hand of blessing in that area. He did in fact control my body without me having to take birth control. But I certainly am glad that I gave myself over to Him, rather than follow my old mindset of being sensible and taking the control in my own hands. But even after we came to understand God's will for us, I continued to think about this subject because I am not aware of anyone that I personally know of who has submitted to God in this area. In fact throughout my life until today, though I may read testimonies in AboveRubies, I have possibly only come across one family who has walked in faith in this area. How our Lord's heart must ache that His treasured gifts are rejected as His Beloved refuses to put her wholehearted faith and trust in Him as the blessed family planner.
"My logic tells me this: If we do not take contraception and do not pray about it then our bodies will do whatever they will do, but if you do not take birth control and instead pray, bringing God into the situation then He will take charge and see to it that you have as many blessings as is His good and perfect will for you. So in the end, the answer is, to my logic anyway-- bring God into your situation and let Him plan your family. He is a great and powerful God and knows what is best for you. Although He may try us, He will always be there for us and supply our every need.
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Birth control equals control and control is the opposite of submission. Women are called into a life of submission to their husbands and ultimately to God and husbands are to submit to their spiritual leaders, as well as to God. We cannot take control in any area of our lives, doing what we want while at the same time submitting to God. It's either one or the other and wherever we are not walking in submission, we are not walking in God's will. Down through the centuries it was normal to have many children because there was no contraception. But now we have this modern day luxury where people have taken the reins of control out of God's hands and decided that they know better and have the right to do what they want. This wordly mindset has crept into the church and now we have found a way to escape the cross as well as the blessings of God, preferring the luxuries and conveniences of the world. The cross can be rather inconvenient, disturbing our own plans and wishes. Giving ourselves over to God in this area is both seeking God's blessing as well as denying self and taking up our cross. It may not be easy. It may even be a fearful thing to give up control in this area but a life of ease should not be our goal in life but rather doing God's will and submitting to the challenges of walking in faith. We must refuse to give in to our fears and if we dare to step out in faith we will learn that God is absolutely trustworthy and will be with us in the difficulties. He will prove Himself to us, bless us and take good care of us.
If you've given your life up for God and you are His bondslave, do you have a right to say "no thanks God, two (or some other number) is enough" and then take control or even plan the age differences of your children? If you are a bondslave of the Lord, then you do not have that right! What is a bondslave?
A bondslave is so attached to His master that he is not interested in seeking freedom or a life that He can call his own. His whole life, every single area of His life, is submitted to His master and He gives up every single right to Himself and this he does out of love. He loves His master so much because he knows that he is precious in the eyes of His master and that His master is good, kind and loving and will always take good care of him so he need never worry about anything. A bondslave has absolutely no worries! He knows that he will always have a roof over his head, his family will be clothed and cared for and he is forever secure and loved. If we are in a committed relationship with the Lord then we are privileged to enjoy this security without ever needing to worry. If for some reason we are worried about something then we know that we can go to our master and pour our heart out to him and he will take care of us so there really is no logical reason to take the reins out of his hands and play boss. The following verses are the expressions of a bondslave.
What if you are willing to submit to the Lord in this area of your life but your partner is not? In that situation it is our privilege and our responsibility to pray for our partners, to give our sorrows to the Lord and trust that He will act and that His will shall be done. If you are willing to walk in faith and your partner is not then most likely, at least in this area, you are following the Lord more closely. Consider yourself, at least in this area, to be more mature or stronger and what does the bible say about that:
If our partners are not able to understand God's will in this matter then we should submit and bear with them in love but we are not to rest in that. As well as supporting them we need to pray for them, trusting that God will do a miracle.
What about people who have been told that through some kind of physical problem, their baby could be born deformed or perhaps the mother may not survive or due to a caesarian your womb may tear? To these people I ask-- Do you trust the doctors or do you trust God? Have you prayed about it and have you searched out the other side of the story? Sometimes what doctors say is simply not true. I know this from my own experiences in medical issues. I also came across several testimonies of people in AboveRubies magazines who had not followed their doctors orders to have no more children but instead chose to follow God and they then gave birth to healthy babies with the mothers remaining healthy. Some of the mothers struggled due to their own health issues but I also came across testimonies of grace where God gave them strength and some were even miraculously healed. If, for whatever reason we are walking in fear then it's our privilege and our responsibility to go to the Lord and ask him for faith, revelation, wisdom, guidance, whatever it is that we need in order to overcome our fears. He is not the God of fear and giants cannnot hold Him back. He wants to raise us up to be conquerers, triumphing over the powers of darkness! But He cannot do His great works through us if we are not willing to walk through our fears together with Him. Sadly, I have noticed that many people give in far too easily, willingly accepting what the doctors say without seeking God and the other side of the story. In this day and age, doctors have become gods and by listening to them without seeking our Lord we are actually rejecting our Almighty God.
Please understand that I'm not suggesting that someone put themselves in a dangerous position based on what I'm saying without seeking and hearing from the Lord. Whatever the obstacle, it is important to walk it out with the Lord to receive His guidance and peace in the matter. We need to hear from God in order to walk in faith. Romans 14. talks about walking in fear or doubt and walking in faith.
I find it interesting that King David speaks of fruitfulness as a blessing from God. Once upon a time, I thought to myself that that must be because life was different then. I was somehow unable to relate and see that many children equals prosperity and blessings. I now know that that was because I was influenced by the mindset of the Western world who sees that more than three or four children are a burden. That lie seemed logical to me once. But now I see that each child is a unique treasure. Imagine a beautiful fruit tree in full bloom but when the time comes it only brings forth three fruits?! We would not consider that a blessing! But children? Ah, too many children are a burden. If we had many children then how could we provide? We would need a bigger house, a bigger car, much more money and I would have to give up my career. We couldn't afford it and it would make life very complicated. No, no, no!! If that is the way your mind works then you are walking in fear and not in faith and your heart is running after lifes conveniences and luxuries rather than the cross and blessings of God. Sometimes our logical ways of thinking and planning can hinder us from walking in faith. Jesus has told us to put the kingdom of God first and He will supply our need.
If you choose to open yourself up to God in this area and allow Him to bless you with the children He has for you then He will provide according to the need, whenever the need arises. That is what it is to walk in faith. I've read countless testimonies of people who gave themselves over to God in this area and He has always supplied their need. It just takes a willing heart to step out in faith.