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"Purity"

For the first time in our lives, the celebration of freedom on the Fourth of July will be tainted by uncertainty and fear as a result of the events of September 11, 2001. Our borders have been violated by a new kind of enemy that forces us to ponder the question, "Just how free are we?"

In the last decade, we experienced many suicide murderers entering our work places, our schools, and even our homes; and performing great acts of violence. Now they have moved from guns to bombs and are taking people out by the hundreds and even thousands. Satan is working on the minds of individuals in this country right now to help prepare the next great attack. Are we ready as a country? More important, are we ready as a people of God to stand against an enemy we cannot see, yet lurking in the shadows of our cities and streets?

Men, this war is going to be fought and won in the spiritual realm and if you are not prepared, your family is going to take a direct hit! You cannot stand against Satan unless the borders of your mind and the minds of your family are secure and impenetrable. Understand these words of Paul: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Co. 10:3-5, NIV).

If the borders of our minds are not secure, evil terrorists will attack our thought life until we can no longer hear God and the effectiveness of His Word (Rom. 10:17). Evil is defeated by acting upon the faith we have in Christ Jesus. We fight back by purifying our minds and not allowing anything evil to come from the world and enter into our hearts. Turn off all forms of sexually explicit images whether from video, internet or literature. Close off the hatred and profanity that comes through music and talk radio. Demolish the strongholds that have clutched your families and attempt to bring them down like the World Trade Center. Purify your life brother, because nobody else will.

This Fourth of July, remember the words of our Savior in the very moments you remember our fight for 'freedom.' "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free" (John 8:31, 32 NIV).

Michael Shaffer
Independent Contractor; Administrator @ Open Bible Church, Tujunga
Glendale, California

"How can we help our wives help us?"

Last week our pastor spoke on entering into the Promised Land and how out of twelve spies, only two were willing to trust the Lord and go and take the land (Numbers 13 & 14). In those Scriptures, God has given us a promise and direction. Yet, there are always obstacles.

In this story the obstacles are the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites (Numbers 13:29). But the greatest obstacles were the ten spies who reported that it would be too difficult to take the land. In our relationship with our wives, we are often the biggest obstacles in helping our mates to help us. We tend to hold onto that one area of sacred ground unwilling to allow anyone in.

This act of unwillingness to trust and lay down our lives, naturally creates the same "sacred ground" resistance in our wives- to fully submit their will and to lay down their lives for us.. As men and leaders in our home, whatever areas of our lives that we chose not to lay down, we should certainly expect no more fromour wives.

It is only through submission and seeking complete transparency with our Lord and our spouse that we can lead by example and help her to do the same. We can conquer the Promised Land. The result? The wonderful helpmate God intended!

Daryl Zakarian

Growing Daily into a WISE WOMAN of God

"Time Saving Tips"

Being a wise woman requires wearing many hats. To fit into a day all that is important requires great organizational skills. If you are like me, you feel a sense of disappointment on the days you do not spend enough time with your family, the Lord, and training your kids. Here are some tips I use to help me in my tasks as a mommy, wife, and teacher to my children.

·Keep parenting books, magazines, and leaflets in your car to read when you know you will have a long wait somewhere they are a great way to glean ideas.

·Every evening, write out tomorrow's "to-do" list in the order of travel: mail box down the street, grocery store by childrens school, library on way home. Saves back tracking as you run errands.

·Place tomorrow's items in your car the night before (i.e. bills to mail, homework, after school sports uniforms); saves last minute stress.

·When you have a project you are working on, keep a manila folder handy and pop your work in to edit or brainstorm on when you have to wait anywhere (i.e. doctor's appointment).

·When your family gets home, have designated purse hooks and shoe and coat closets. Have your family immediately place all items in their proper place. Saves time tidying up later.

·At the gym, pray while you exercise. You will cover your spiritual and physical workout.

·Get up ten minutes early each morning to spend time with the Lord. Even kneeling in prayer for 60 seconds and reading your Bible for five minutes helps everything else fall into place.

·Finish any last minute chores before bed. This will leave you feeling organized in the morning.

·Look at your schedule a month, week, and day in advance; you will have no hidden surprises- a real time waster.

·Keep educational and spiritual tapes in the car. As you drive, your family can learn a new language, practice vocal exercises, worship songs, or Scriptures.

·Plan menus for the week.

·Keep antibacterial wipes in your bathroom. After morning showers, wipe the floor and counter down. This keeps your bathroom from needing to be cleaned frequently.
Keep separate folders for medical, clothes, grocery, and business receipts. Place receipts in designated folders as soon as the purchase is made. Prevents year end stress.

·Keep paper and a pen in your car to jot down work, menu, or errand ideas as you think of them.

·As you drive your children around, take time to pray and learn a memory verse together.

·Look for opportunities for spiritual life lessons (i.e. when your children ask you why butterflies come out of cocoons, or why Uncle Tony has cancer). These lessons make more of an impact on our children than sitting down to curriculum.

Simple tips like these help incorporate spiritual time and training into my family's lives. It also helps get all our duties accomplished!

Kimberlie Zakarian

"Is There a Prayer Warrior in the House?"

Given what is occurring in our nation, I have felt an overwhelming desire to pray more. I did not think that was possible. You see, I am a prayer warrior. I was not necessarily born this way, although I can always remember talking to God. It is a spiritual gift, one my mother also possesses.

Prayer to me is the greatest gift in the world. It gives me a direct line to God. I take this as a tremendous blessing, given He is omnipotent and I am not. God and my family are the most important things in the world to me. Every morning and night I lay hands on my children and pray for their physical, spiritual, and emotional protection-every morning and night. If I am away from them I pray the same prayer before I retire that I would if I were present. You see, I know only God is truly able to protect my children. Every morning I kneel for my husband and marriage. I ask God to bless us indeed. I ask Him to direct my husband as the spiritual leader and to chip away at my imperfections so I can be a submissive wife and a blessing to my husband-everyday.

Now our nation is at war. I am powerless to do anything. This grieved me the first few weeks. I was on a prayer walk and God spoke to me. Just one righteous man in the bible changed history. So I began to kneel for our President to have wisdom and for the plans of our enemy's to be thwarted-everyday.

This hardly seemed like enough as I sensed the now familiar "labor pains" of God calling me to deeper prayer. I began to go on prayer walks around my community. Up and down each street I pray for protection of the families and their salvation while I name the streets to my Lord. I have gone to my children's school and prayed there. I cannot stop-it is addicting.

Then another direction of prayer hit me. I have always taught my children to pray. In fact, at eighteen months of age, my toddler one day recognized that her pregnant mommy was having a hard time. I came into the room to find her praying aloud for her mommy-with a discerning and precise direction. I have never experience a greater spiritual joy. But there has to be more. Why not teach them (even at two and four) to pray for their school. Their neighborhood?

I asked to be part of the Presidential Prayer Team. I received the requests of our President-for protection for his family and clarity of mind. The United States Senate Chaplain wrote that we have on our coins "In God We Trust." When we begin to take seriously that profession, we will find peace. As I went on a prayer walk the other day I cried out to my God, "Lord, train me in righteousness, and beckon me to pray; on my knees, for my husband, laying hands on my children, training them to pray, throughout our community, for our President, for our nation. Please Lord, remind me to pray-everyday."

Pastor Kimberlie

"Submission"

Oh, how I love this topic-just not today. That topic is the big S word-submission. It is a topic that I counsel women on, a topic that I preach on, a topic that I love to live, simply because I know it is God's ordained role for me as a wife. But, I recently got told that there are times when I need a little more of it in my life-ouch!

I have to be transparent; if we are not transparent we will not grow in our walks with Christ. If we do not grow, we cannot teach others-and ladies, God has called us to teach others (Titus 2:3-5). So off I trot to the Word of God to again do a refresher course on submission-a trait I thought I had mastered.

Submission is a word I have heard women suck in their breath at; a very misunderstood word. As a strong woman I can see the bad reputation submission has. After all, this is the year 2001, and we do not live in a foreign land. Yet, God?s Word is timeless and I have to admit that at times, as much as I want to submit, my strong and self-sufficient will sometimes unknowingly drowns the very submission that I preach.

Submission is a blessing from God. It is a covering to us as women. It does not mean that we have a man lording over us, abusing us, taking our rights away. It means that God has His ordained role for us as wives-to respect and submit to our husbands (Colossians 3:18; Ephesians 5:22). I have had many a woman say to me, "but he yells at me," or, "his demands are outrageous." To this I direct them and myself back to the Word of God. As we submit, we are obeying our Maker, and then He can fight our battles. When we feel unjustly treated, or want our way to be known, I counsel, ladies, keep your mouths closed until you can open them on your knees to your Lord.

God designed submission to bring order and blessing into our lives and marriages. Men do not desire or find beautiful a mouthy wife. But a woman who is strong and secure in her relationship with God, who talks respectively to her husband, and does her best to see his needs met is a woman who will see her heavenly Father bless her marriage. In such, God will move in and act on her behalf if she is being treated unfairly.

No, I was not being mistreated. My lack of submission sneaks in like a thief in the night when I think I am doing my best to be submissive. Why? Because I have a sin nature! I praise God that I can recognize this, ask forgiveness, and move on to, by his grace, teach others again what I have learned through my mistakes.

Ladies, lets check all of our actions, refer constantly to the Word of God, and be honest-are we being submissive wives?

Learning to Grow With You,
Pastor Kimberlie