Ephesians 5:21–33 – In the beginning God created man and woman with a Trinitarian-type relationship of love and submission — a relationship with distinct roles and clear authority — but through the fall these roles were cursed. Genesis 3:16 says of the woman, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” The word “desire” here is teshuqual, meaning desire to conquer or to come after and take the place. The word “rule” is mashal which implies a monarch or dictator ruling with absolute and uncaring authority.

The answer to weariness and discouragement is a spirit of praise. Praise is important and it lifts our faith to a level where God becomes bigger than our problems. Praise is vital to the Christian. We have to learn to be clothed with the praises of God and live a life that is identified as pure worship to God. Everyone that has put their faith in Jesus has a reason to praise Him. Give Satan back his rags of heaviness and put on the garment of praise.

Through life experiences, false teachings, and the Evil One many of us develop a falsely constructed image of Christ — one that depicts Him as hard, distant, weak, etc. We cannot know what wrong ideas we have about Jesus without knowing the real Jesus. And the only way to know the real Jesus is through the Word of God; that is, the full counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation.

There are a lot of people who want to hear the truth about Jesus but they don't want to embrace that truth. God offers a personal relationship to all who desire Him with a sincere heart. When you come with a sincere heart the first thing you will see is His mercy. As you behold the mercy of God and the promises of God you will be changed into a new person. God longs to give you something deeper than a casual relationship. He longs to give you something deeper than just knowing some facts about Him. Have the courage to go deeper and come home to God today!

Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be engulfed and consumed in the fires of this life and suffered for the sake of saving souls. He allowed Himself to be baptized with a godly zeal because He was determined to help mankind. Are we willing to meet Jesus in the fire and allow the same zeal for His house to consume us for the sake of the lost? God is concerned with drawing men and women out of the fire and He invites us to join Him.

When we come to the end of our life would we have given our heavenly Father joy because we received the gift of His Son and then passed it on to others? Do we recognize that the Fathers greatest joy is to give us the life of His Son so that we can be given for others. God's life is transferred to us through Jesus Christ's death on the Cross. Because of the Cross we are given new life and new hope for all of eternity. God is calling us to reign with Him and to bring His joy to others.

God never forces us to do anything. He gently leads us and gives us the choice to say yes or no to His will. We are all on a journey and often times this journey is not without difficult days and wilderness experiences. There is another traveler on this journey with us, it is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has the goods of God and supplies what we need to get us through the winding roads. The Holy Spirit will lift our hearts and cause us to focus on Christ, His love and His faithfulness. Staying on course with God and making right choices are where true joy is found.

In the last hour of time the church must be gripped by the Holy Spirit so God can have full control over our flesh. We have all been through betrayals, injustices and rejection, yet in Christ God calls us mighty. As we fix our heart on Jesus. We begin to understand that the victory comes from God alone. God wants to give us an undefeated testimony. His Spirit comes upon us and reveals the life of Christ in us and we are supernaturally led into victory. We cannot add anything else to what Christ has already done for us.

What happens if a significant trial comes our way and it doesn't work out the way we thought it would? God will allow us to go through certain trials, and in those trials there will be an element of failure. There is a time of sifting that will come to every zealous Christian. We will go through seasons of failure so we can recognize that we cannot serve God in our own strength. It's important to remember that in the midst of our failure God looks upon us with a love that can never fail us. So what happens if we fail in the time of trial?

If God chooses to be merciful to a people it is for an intended purpose. When we begin to live in compromise and unbelief we will end up dry, hopeless and cut off from the power of God. When God chooses to be merciful He will visit those in a valley of hopelessness, stripped of power and seemingly dead, and cause breath to enter them and they will rise an exceedingly great army. The logical end of mercy is a people standing and living for the glory of God. Mercy can and will begin to rewrite our life!