The Transformed Wife

Some women have told me that I don’t show enough grace in my posts. I focus too much on teaching women how they are to live their lives: be sober, love and obey (and submit to) their husbands, love their children, be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, and good so that “the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:4, 5). I teach women to not teach men nor be in authority over them and to be silent in the churches (1 Timothy 2:11, 12). If they have a question, ask their husbands at home since it is shameful for them to speak in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35). I teach them to be modest, shamefaced, have meek and quiet spirits, and if they are married to husbands who don’t obey the word, then win them “without the word” (1 Peter 3:1) by their godly behavior.

Many women don’t like being taught these things and being told what to do, even Christian women. They cry, “Where is the grace?” and “You are judgmental!” Grace doesn’t give us the license to sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1,2).

God’s grace is what redeems us from our sins and gives us the ability to walk in the Spirit. It’s God’s favor and kindness poured down upon us when we were yet sinners. We deserved nothing from Him but eternal wrath and condemnation but once we confess His name and believe that God raised Christ from the dead, we are washed clean from ALL of our sins (past, present, and future) and His command to us is simple: “Go and sin no more.” He’s given us His Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and tells us that His Spirit works mightily within us. He has clothed us with His righteousness and reconciled us to God! (Memorize Romans 6 and 8 to clearly understand your new life in Christ.)

Yes, we still sin and His grace covers our sin but we should never willfully sin or practice sin as believers in Christ Jesus (Read 1 John). We will fall into the mud but we need to jump quickly out, remind ourselves that we are dead and freed from sin (Romans 6), and begin again to walk in newness of life; for He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.

What is our reasonable service for all He’s done for us? Is it to continue to live in sin and keep reminding ourselves that His grace covers us? NO! “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1, 2). What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God for women? It’s clearly outlined in the first paragraph of this post! He wants our obedience to His commands since His commands are for our protection. They are boundaries and they are good.

We are commanded to exhort (to use words or arguments to incite to good deeds) one another daily (Hebrews 3:13), especially as we see the day approaching; for the deceitfulness of sin hardens hearts and sin must be warned against continually because we forget Truth so quickly.

Satan’s goal is to kill, steal, and destroy so I am going to continue to teach Christian women to be godly women who walk in newness of life and obey God in what He has asked them to do. It is our reasonable service. It’s the least we can do in return for what He has done for us and it’s for our protection. He is our Creator and He knows what is best for us.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13

Tattoos was a hot topic of conversation on my viral post. In all of the years that I have been blogging, I have never written about this topic. I had never even thought about it much until my viral post. I do know that I have never wanted a tattoo and when I was growing up, we knew that tattoos weren’t for godly women. The more I have thought about tattoos, the more solid my convictions have become against them.

I want to make sure that you all know that having one or many tattoos will not keep you from eternal life with Jesus Christ. The only way to be saved from the wrath to come is to “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and … believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). The convictions that I am going to share are my convictions and you will have to study the Word to come to your own.

Most people today, even those who call themselves Christian, follow along too easily with the flow of culture instead of examining their actions to see if they are compatible with the Word of God. Let’s first see what God’s Word has to say about tattoos.

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28). Yes, this verse is from the Law which we, as believers in Jesus Christ are no longer under (“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes” – Romans 10:4). However, we can know the heart of God by what is in the Law and we can see that His heart is for us to not cut our flesh or put any marks upon us (no, not even the mark of the beast!).

Secondly, women are commanded to be “shamefaced” (1 Timothy 2:9) and modest which means to do nothing to draw undue attention to ourselves. Tattoos draw attention. I always notice them on people if they are visible.

We are also commanded to be discreet. Discreet means “wise in avoiding errors or evil; cautious; wary; not rash; reserved; showing good judgment in conduct.” Before we take any action, especially something like getting a tattoo, we must carefully consider if this is being shamefaced, modest, and discreet as the Lord has called us to be. Is it showing good judgment?

I know there are many reasons women have for getting tattoos and I’m not going to judge those who have them or think any less of them. I am simply appealing to those of you who are considering getting one to ponder if they are feminine and the right thing to do.

Another thing to consider is that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. There are certainly risks in getting tattoos. They can cause an allergic reaction, skin infections, bloodborne diseases including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and MRI complications. This is just too risky in my opinion.

There are also studies that show that men think women are more “sexually available” who have tattoos, so no godly woman would want to give the impression to men that she is sexually available by having tattoos. From Psychology Today, “While men see tattooed women as less attractive, they also see them as more promiscuous.” We want to live our lives above reproach. Many regret having tattoos later in their lives and I am sure they get uglier with age.

Whatever you do, women, make sure you study the Word and ask the Lord for wisdom. Don’t simply follow our culture on the broad path that leads to destruction. We are called to be set apart and holy in all of our ways with the Holy Spirit working mightily within us.

What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

This post was written by a pastor friend of ours who wants to remain anonymous. I believe it will bless you!

It is hardly surprising that so many followers of Christ struggle with the reality of trials in their lives. The question is often stated this way: “If God loves me, why am I suffering as I am?”

There are a few misconceptions when we even ask such a question. The first misconception is that God owes you a pain free life. Hidden in that misconception is the perspective that we are such good persons we don’t deserve trials or difficulties. The Bible is quite clear that none of us are righteous, in fact, without regeneration by the Spirit, we are actually objects of God’s wrath.

So we need to dispel from our thinking that God owes us anything but His anger and His punishment for our sins. But the believer in Jesus should firmly fix into his or her thinking the wonderful truth that God is, by nature, a good God. God’s nature is goodness itself and all that God has created and all His ways and actions toward His children are always good and for our good. At no time does God ever act toward one of His children in a way that is not for His child’s welfare.

Someone will immediately ask how a good God could allow cancer to take away a loved one, or allow the cruelty of war to take away the lives of millions. Perhaps the most devastating loss is the death of an infant or child. How do we respond to such a devastating loss?
What we should not do is abandon our core belief that God is good. His ways are always right. Surely there are not just one or two reasons why God has taken a child from us, but a thousand reasons. We are unable to see into the future to understand God’s purposes. But there are many comforting truths that can help us during the devastating times.

Is the trial you are undergoing causing you to pray more fervently? If so, is that a good thing?

Is the trial helping you to recognize your own weakness and your need of a Savior? If so, is that a good thing?

Is the trial reminding you that this life is short and eternity is long? If so, is that a good thing?

Is the trial making you long for heaven, to be dissatisfied with this world? If so, is that a good thing?

And is this trial making you glad that Christ’s suffering at the cross was in order to ultimately rescue you from sin and suffering, death and hell? If so, is that a good thing?

The Bible makes clear, especially a passage such as James, chapter 1, that trials are for our good, sent by a good and gracious God. Trials are, in fact, what God uses to sanctify and perfect us. Don’t look upon trials as tragedies.

Instead, see them as heaven-sent by a God who always does what is good and right for our good and to make us increasingly like Him. In fact, thank the Lord for trials. They have been sent because He loves you and knows what is best for you you both now and for eternity.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

1. 

There are so many “Bible Studies” for women but few of them study the Bible. Why is this the case? In Hosea 4:6 God tells us that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge and I see this happening in the churches. Too many women don’t know the Word but study false teachings that make them feel good about themselves and in tuned with their “feelings” instead of learning how God commands that they live and love.

Many today don’t believe that Scripture is sufficient. They try to read things into what the Bible clearly states and have “personal revelations” about it. This is a dangerous practice since we are warned not to add nor subtract anything to the Word of God. His Word gives us everything we need for life and godliness!

Some studies of the Bible will have women read a passage in Scripture and then be asked, “What does this mean to you?” This is the wrong question to ask. They should be asked, “What is God teaching us in the passage?” We want to know His will, not what we think it may be based upon our own private interpretation.

I posed this question to the women in the chat room and received many good responses.

Paula: Just my opinion: 1) I think most people these days don’t even read their Bible (way too busy) so it’s hard to find a woman that even feels comfortable enough teaching it to other women; 2) it’s easier just to buy a women’s “Bible study” book to mindlessly read through as a group that appeals to women’s feelings and emotions.

Lindsay: My guess is that there are a few reasons: 1) The teacher is often not familiar enough with the Bible to be confident teaching it directly, so they rely on a book or study that was pre-written for them. This is true for a lot of Bible studies and Sunday school classes, not just those for women.

2) The teacher for a women’s Bible study is usually a woman, and as a woman, she tends to like things that make her feel good and uplift her. Since the Bible has all kinds of things in it which are not purely for feeling good – like doctrine, history, and calling out evil – it is “safer” to pick a study that is on a comfortable topic to ensure that it will feel good.

3) Not only is a female teacher more comfortable with a feel-good lesson, so are her female listeners. She thus wants to please them so they don’t go elsewhere.

4) The books marketed for “Women’s Bible Studies” are usually light on doctrine and heavy on emotion. Women think that is what they are supposed to study because that is what is being marketed to them.

Cheri: The church where I had recently attended, the women’s “study” group wasn’t interested much in the Bible, rather what others (mostly women writers) interpreted what they thought the Bible said. And even with that the thought was to sift out and take only what they would like to hear… things that made them “feel good” about themselves. I tried to gently challenge the woman “leader” of this group to seek a deeper/scriptural study but she seemed only interested in the number of women she could get to attend, therefore it had to be only feel good stuff.

Stephanie: I think that most women’s Bible studies are not accurate because it is not based on the Bible, rather emotions or what appeals to them and like you said those things that make them feel good. I have yet to find a study that is based off of Scripture rather than what makes us feel good.

Tammy: Most women get together to share feelings and personal opinions and don’t really want anyone talking about ways we need to improve.

Lindsay: Yes, women are very much tuned to relationships and smoothing things over, so they avoid confrontational topics that might make someone uncomfortable. That’s fine in a lot of situations, but bad when people need to be taught Biblical truth.

Paula: Yes, and the group often turns to complaining about their husband’s. Sigh.

Nicole: It’s because women’s bible studies are lacking a male bible teacher!

Jamie: For me, I used to teach ladies’ study and there was no one wanting to learn about being submissive to our husband, not nagging on them, and instead having a gentle and quiet spirit and pray, plus there was way too much chit chat and gossip. That was regardless of the topic. Scripture says there’s a time and place for everything and God is a God of order not disorder. So I backed down from teaching and now I teach my girls.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.
Colossians 3:16

Amy wrote this comment concerning abortions: “I am from the UK and so only know what we see of Trump from the mainstream media, so my knowledge is limited and I wonder if you would be able to answer a question about him being pro-life? As I see it, the way to reduce abortions is to support women who find themselves in the position of having to make that terrible decision. I can’t speak for people who make the decision but I am sure in some cases the lack of support after a child is born may be one of the reasons, for example, in the US healthcare is not free and government support is less. What am I trying to get at is being pro-life to me is so different than saying abortions are bad, if he truly believes that why not introduce measures that would help support those babies once they are born? For example, free healthcare, subsidies for childcare, etc.?

“I am not sure if you saw recently that Ireland voted to legalize abortion. One of the quotes floating around at that time that made sense to me was that you cannot ban abortion, only make legal abortions, and I feel that is so true. Rather than concentrate on banning abortions and speaking out against abortions would it not be more effective to focus on making it easier for women to keep their children?”

Trey responded to Amy,

“First of all NOTHING THAT COMES FROM THE GOVERNMENT IS FREE! It all comes out of the taxpayers’ pockets from the sweat of their hard work. Every dollar that is taken from me (at the barrel of a gun, but I might add) and given to people who make poor decisions, is a dollar that I do not have to support and provide for MY family.

“Should not my hard work go to support my family and the things that benefit my family and then allow me to freely give from my excess to help whom I choose to help? It should but it doesn’t because as far as taxes that support subsidies go, there is too much of that here already and all it does is cause the people who live off of it to pop out more babies into the system so they can get more money for themselves and their children but still suffer in poverty! This kind of system actually puts MORE children into poverty situations. History has proven that fact over and over again. It is common sense that you don’t get rid of bad behavior by rewarding it! If you feed something, it will grow. You must starve it to minimize it or get rid of it completely.

“Responsible, hard working people should not be punished by government stealing their money and giving it to freeloaders. This system just creates more freeloaders. As far as society goes, once there are more people eating at the public trough than there are to put food into it, it becomes an unsustainable situation and everything collapses. We (and all of western civilization) are on the verge of collapse right now.

“I understand your feelings on this matter. It is part of how God made you (as a woman) to be sensitive to these issues but it is the soft spot for things like this that make women incapable of being effective leaders. I don’t want to see children suffer any more than anyone else but I can see the big picture and have the understanding that there will always be suffering in the world and the best we can do is try to minimize it.

“The most effective way to do that is to outlaw sin (abortion) and not reward irresponsible behavior. It is my observation that most women can’t see the big picture and make the hard decisions. It is a fact that since women can vote and have a say in how things are managed, it is playing a big part in the decline and ultimate coming failure of our civilization. Europe has almost fallen due in much part to the women leading over there and the USA is not far behind. I understand your soft heart in these matters but I hope you can open you eyes to see that more ‘free healthcare, subsidies for childcare, etc.’ are not the answer. They just make the problem worse.”

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:10

“Baby boomers are the generation that inherited a prosperous country and leave behind a country bankrupted and drowning in debt. They inherited strong nuclear families and leave behind a long, sad trail of divorce and broken homes. They inherited relatively strong churches and leave behind decaying and empty ones. They decimated our political and social institutions, and now, in their final act, will try to place the blame on the generation they failed to raise.” (Matt Walsh)

I am from the baby boom generation. My parents were the last decent generation. Most of them grew up in intact families, the majority of people worked hard (they had to or they would starve) and only bought what they could afford, mothers were full-time homemakers, and everyone knew what was right and what was wrong.

Then came the sexual revolution in the 60s. Monogamy was boring, women needed to become like men and get away from their homes and children, government “owed” them free stuff, and if one wasn’t happy in the marriage, then divorce and sadly, all of these things have infiltrated the churches. It was a poison (sin) that has continued to grow stronger, more evil, and more pervasive.

My parents had no clue what the “parties” were like when I was in high school. The kids were sleeping around, smoking pot, and getting drunk. Sure there were people in my parent’s generation that did these things but not on a massive scale like in my generation and every generation since then and everyone in my parent’s generation knew these things were wrong.

So our country is now like Sodom and Gomorrah. Many of us are like Lot: “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed (tormented) his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds” (2 Peter 2:8). I was watching the playoff basketball game the other night for a few minutes and saw two wicked commercials during the game. One promoted gay marriage and had two women kissing and the other one promoted the women’s basketball league by showing pictures of the Women’s March, gay pride, and sponsored by Planned Parenthood. This torments my righteous soul (and yes, I am righteous because I am clothed in Jesus Christ).

I am grieved when I see a show (This is Us) that many Christians “love” that began with a scene of a man’s naked behind, a threesome going on in a bed, and some women standing around in bras and underwear. I quickly decided it was not the show for me since we are to dwell on the pure and lovely and “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Do you abstain from ALL appearance of evil or are you entertained by it?

How bad is it going to get before Christians get rid of their televisions? How bad are public schools going to have to get before Christians pull their children out? If your children are in public schools, they are being influenced by the children around them and what these children are seeing on screens. Men kissing men will be completely normal behavior for them and so will men wanting to be women and vice versa.

We are called to be set apart and holy even if we live in Sodom and Gomorrah. As we see churches grow lukewarm (become more like cruise ships instead of battleships) and give up truth for something more palatable to the masses, we must not allow the same thing to happen to us.

Stay strong in the Lord, women. Be in the Bible daily and allow God speak to you from it. Pray fervently for the saints to be faithful. (Have you ever noticed how often the Apostle Paul encourages us to pray for the saints?) Dwell on the good and the lovely in the land and don’t allow the pollution of the world into your home. Continually speak truth to your children and marinate them in Jesus. Let them see the joy of Him in your life!

We were never promised a “godly” nation and we are far from one now but we must never lose hope since King Jesus is still on His throne and He promises to never leave nor forsake us.

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.
2 Peter 2:9

Written By David C. Cook

THE WORLD AND MANY CHURCHES HAVE A “FALSE VIEW” OF LOVE.WE MUST NOT REDEFINE WHAT TRUE GODLY LOVE IS ! TRUE LOVE IS NOT DEVOID OF THE HOLINESS OF GOD AND DOES NOT COMPROMISE WITH SIN.

A.To many ‘love’ means we must accept, tolerate and even approve of sin and never speak out against it and to never give a word of warning or correction concerning false doctrine or ungodly living. But this is a false worldly love.

1. True love speaks the Truth and will not compromise even if it offends others but it may convict others and set them free as they obey the Truth. Jesus Himself called men to repent or perish. Jesus Himself warned of eternal hell. Jesus said in John 7:24 to ‘judge with righteous judgment.’

2.Many churches have “redefined” what real love is and will allow all kinds of sin and false doctrines to infect the church and therefore will cease to be a real church. At all costs they must stay positive and upbeat and avoid anything that deals with real serious issues.They lack real substance because they lack biblical Truth.They entertain and keep things shallow! They seek to make everyone happy even if it grieves the Holy Spirit!

3.Today it’s happiness instead of holiness. Its “compromise instead of commitment” to the Truth. It’s about pleasing people instead of pleasing God. What ever happened to holiness? What ever happened to preaching against sin? What ever happened to training true disciples who have a holy passion for God? What about preaching Christ and the attributes of God ?

4.When I read my Bible and read all of what Jesus taught and read all the New Testament inspired letters I see a loving, godly zeal for truth and I see many very serious warnings and rebukes along with many serious exhortations.

B.WHY DID GOD GIVE US HIS HOLY WORD?
2 Timothy 3:16″All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’ Are we really hearing the Word of God today?

1.Doctrine – Tells us what is right.
2.Reproof – Tells us what is not right.
3.Correction – Tells us how to get right.
4.Instruction in righteousness -T ells us how to stay right. And we need all four in our lives by allowing the Word of God to teach us sound doctrine, to reprove us,to correct us and to teach us to live a godly and righteous life in a very ungodly world!

C.What does the bible say about this? 2nd Timothy 4:2-4 “Preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,and shall be turned unto fables.”

SCRIPTURES IN PROVERBS TO STUDY.
1.Proverbs 10:17 “He is in the way of life that keeps instruction, but he that refuses reproof erreth.”
2.Proverbs 15:10 “Correction is grievous unto him that forsakes the way and he that hates reproof shall die.”
3.Proverbs 15:31 “The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise.”
4.Proverbs 15:32 “He that refuses instruction despises his own soul, but he that hears reproof gets understanding.” VERY FEW WANT A MESSAGE OF REPROOF. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT MOST CHURCHES THESE DAYS? A POPULAR MESSAGE IS ONE THAT PLEASES THE FLESH.
5.MANY NEED TO READ THESE HOLY SCRIPTURES OVER AND OVER AGAIN. WE HAVE MANY ‘ITCHING EARS ‘TODAY ! WE HAVE MANY FOLLOWING TEACHERS THAT TELL THEM WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR AND NOT WHAT THEY NEED TO HEAR ! Notice it says ‘but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.’

D.Many ‘professed believers’ follow their own desires and do not follow Jesus and they look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. Many have a distaste for Truth and if you bring a word of rebuke or correction they will then rebuke you for not being loving.

1.You will be accused of being mean and not tolerant and having a judgmental critical spirit.
They sure show a lack of discernment and a lack of what the bible really teaches.

2.I mean read the scriptures in this post and if you do not agree with God then you have an issue with Him. The fact is many do not want the Truth,’ ‘they turn away their ears from the truth.’ Why? Because they want to please their fleshly desires.

3.STUDY BIBLE NOTE: “Many within the churches will no longer tolerate sound biblical teaching. Those who turn from the truth will want preaching that demands less than the true gospel. They will not accept God’s Word when it speaks of repentance, sin, the judgments of God, the necessity of holiness and separation from the world.”

LET US PREACH, TEACH AND WALK IN THE TRUTH. OUR GOAL IS TO PLEASE GOD NOT TO COMPROMISE WITH THE CROWD.

Most of us women struggle with allowing other people’s words to easily offend us, fall into pity parties, and allow our emotions and feelings to get the best of us, instead of the truth of God’s Word. Whenever we feel like falling into a pity party, we must remind ourselves of who we are IN CHRIST!

Every single day, I have to take hydro-cortisone pills in order to live. My pituitary isn’t functioning properly because of my brain tumor so I need cortisone to survive. I can’t bring the pills home from the pharmacy and put them in the cupboard. They can do nothing for me while they stay in the bottle on the shelf. They won’t help me if I put the pill on top of my head or stand on it. I actually have to take the pill into my mouth and swallow it for it to help me live.

In order to fly across the country, you must get into an airplane to get from one place to another. You can’t admire a plane, think about it, feel good about it, or anything else but you must get into the plane in order to get from point A to point B.

In the same way, we can’t get to heaven without being IN CHRIST. Our works won’t save us. No, we need to take the Gos-pill! We need to believe in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross who paid the penalty for our sin and His resurrection and triumph over the grave in order to have eternal life. Women, God calls us to be good in Titus 2:5. We can only be good IN CHRIST.

We can’t simply think about how wonderful He was for dying and rising from the dead. No, we must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved. When we believe, we are IN CHRIST and saved from eternal damnation. We become new creatures in Christ. We are freed from and dead to sin. We are redeemed, forgiven, loved, accepted, declared righteous, adopted, created to do good works, blessed with every spiritual blessings, and given an abundant life. Once we take the Gos-pill for our own, we are IN CHRIST! Oh, what a Savior.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:9

Jeremiah is a very young man (18 years old) who loves Jesus Christ deeply. He does street preaching, fights for the life of the unborn, and loves football. He is in a fight for his life now with aggressive bone cancer. I don’t know him but one of my “friends” on Facebook keeps updating his status given by his father and others. He’s a remarkable young man and I wanted to share one of the posts with you so you can pray for Jeremiah and the impact of the Gospel he is having on all those around him. (Here is his godly father’s Facebook page so you can be inspired in your faith. Life is short and fragile. Use it to glorify and lift up the name of Jesus!)

If we do surgery to remove the tumor in your back, MD Anderson will not be able to start chemo for weeks. The risk far outweighs any benefit. The neurosurgeon and oncologist then delivered news that felt like a sucker punch to the gut. The reason the physical therapy stopped working, the reason you went from slowly relearning to walk after your first back surgery to being unable to move your legs or feet or feel from the waist down is because it’s too late. Jeremiah, you’ve lost your ability to ever walk.

Our football playing, street preaching son took it like a champ. But there was wailing in the waiting room outside the doors of the PICU.

The risk involved, the five hour spinal surgery, 28 staples down his back, the metal rods, the pain of recovery. And the paralysis is back.

One of Jeremiah’s personal goals, one of the thoughts that inspired him to keep fighting bone cancer, was to be back on the field for his senior year. His dad, Rusty promised to help. So did his coach, Bryce Frazier. So did his team, the Parkview Pacers.

The Pacers motto, that led them to become state champions last year, is “Rise up.” The team uses it now to encourage Jeremiah in his battle with bone cancer. The other motto is “Jeremiah Strong!”

The youngest of five football playing brothers, Jeremiah has played football since a toddler. He knew how to truck, juke, and stiff arm before he knew how to read. He liked nothing better than tackling and being tackled and hurdling siblings. Flying through the air wasn’t a superpower. It was his normal sports practice.

Friday nights back home in Texas meant bug spray, splinters from wooden bleachers, dad pacing the sidelines, and his sisters screaming their heads off as he made a touchdown. Grandpa and grandma unfolding chairs. His momma reading Football for Dummies so she could follow the game. Big brothers critiquing his plays from Facebook live. Football games were family reunions, tailgating with friends. It was learning how to take a beating.

How to overcome.

All that was taken from him yesterday.

I’m crying even as I write.

The blood in his lung. The pain in his body. The tumor in his chest. The tumor and rods in his back. The spots on his lung. But not HIS LEGS. Not his legs, God.

It is almost unbearable. Those of us who love him know what this means to him.

The world has told him to stop building his field of dreams. To give up on walking. To just let the cancer take over. That world tell us all that it’s what we do or our quality of life that defines us.

What would you do if you lost your ability to walk? Would you believe the world? That it’s your quality of life that defines you?

Jeremiah would say no. Life is precious because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

When Jeremiah wasn’t on the football field, he was protecting life (ending abortion) and sharing eternal life (the Gospel). The reason Jeremiah is still grateful for the life he has, is because human life, in any package, is a gift from God.

Life has intrinsic worth because we are made in His image. Even though we sin and the world we live in is fallen, Jesus loves us so much that he came to earth to die for our sins. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Jeremiah has spent most of his young life sharing this truth and hope outside of abortion mills and on street corners with his dad. When he rededicated his life to Christ at the OSA ministry event in Louisville in July, he “took on the ministry” like never before. It was his new passion. And he had a special burden for his lost generation.

Cancer may have taken his football and his legs. But it hasn’t taken his heart.

Something more passionate than his love for the game, beats on the inside of Jeremiah. It’s his love for Jesus.

When Rusty encouraged him after the doctors broke the news, Jeremiah said a couple of things. He connected his suffering to the suffering of his generation. He said, “I feel like everything is being ripped away from me; it’s like our generation, everything is being ripped away from us because we don’t respect life.”

But he also said, “I can still preach from a wheelchair.”

There’s someone stronger than the strongest linebacker, stronger than his passion for football, stronger than Parkview Pacer’s best defense, stronger even than “Jeremiah Strong” carrying him now.

Jeremiah can’t walk . But Jesus is carrying him.

#PrayForJeremiah #GodsGotThis

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

Yesterday, as I was working on my laptop, I suddenly noticed this phrase underneath my post on Facebook. “Does this post contain hate speech?” Then I saw that it was underneath every single post on my newsfeed. What is their goal in doing this? Is it to get rid of those who say cruel things to others and bully them or is it to get rid of the truth of God’s Word? We all know the answer to this. (I took this picture from my laptop since it wasn’t showing up on the cell phones but it must be something that Facebook is strongly considering doing but they quickly took it down.)

Our culture celebrates evil and hates that which is good. They celebrate the murder of millions of unborn babies and all types of sexual deviancy. Anyone who speaks against this is considered spreading “hate speech.” California’s legislature is doing everything they can to stop this “hate speech,” too.

If Facebook does indeed do this to all of the posts eventually, all of those who speak biblical truth will most likely be shut down since this is considered “hate speech” in our culture. Little do they understand that speaking God’s truth is the most loving thing we can do since we care more about people’s eternal souls than we do about their present “pleasures.”

Before my book went out on Amazon, I warned my editor that those who hate what I teach will write many scathing reviews about my book. He’s been an editor for many, many years and has never seen anything like it but knows that my message needs to get out to Christian women. Therefore, if this hate speech option is given for my posts, the same who slander my book will quickly push the “yes” button for what I teach.

They are fighting a losing battle. Even if they are able to shut down my Facebook page, they won’t win in the end. We are promised that we will have tribulation on this earth but He has OVERCOME! We should never be surprised when we see things like this happening. They hate God; they will hate us. Facebook has already been shutting down all the Christian and Conservative voices. My posts used to reach over 150,000 a week. Now, they reach about 25,000 but I don’t let this concern me because those who are supposed to see it, will see it. I trust God with my Facebook page since greater is He who is in my than he who is in the world!

This isn’t our home, women. The Lord is preparing a mansion for us in heaven! Our life on this earth is a blip on the screen of eternity. Let’s live our lives in obedience to the Lord and trust Him with everything, including what happens on something so insignificant as Facebook. Yes, use it to speak the truth in love as long as you can but when they shut us down, rejoice, since we are promised this in His Word.

If there are Christians who are bold to speak the truth in love on Facebook, quickly click on “no” if asked if it contains hate speech to support our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves so let’s do this for each other!

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven.
Luke 6:22, 23