FIREPROOF - Part 5: Living Changes (Conclusion)

 

Change will begin with you... I can still remember how a couple of years ago, I was trying to figure out how to re-ignite the fire that I felt had gone out in my marriage. I desperately longed for and missed the woman that came and sat on my lap when I presented her with an engagement ring. The woman that was not to ashamed to look me in the eyes and tell me that she loved me occasionally. The woman that would actually take me by the hand and lead me back to the bedroom sometimes. It was like that woman disappeared not long after we were married... and I never saw her again after the children were born. And no amount of heart to heart conversation, prayer, fasting, or weeping would bring her back. It didn't matter how much I hit the gym to change my physique, what college degree or job I obtained, what hobbies of hers that I tried to share in... things seemed to only deteriorate. Be that as it may, I entered into a covenant with this woman before God. So I was not going to give up, despite how I felt. One weekend I thought that I would go back to the beginning. Back to square one. I would retrace my steps and do the things that we did when we were first married. I thought I would surprise her with something from Victoria's Secret.

FIREPROOF - Part 4: Caught in the Rain

 

Either love enters in and pride begins to break down, or pride remains intact and love never truly enters. But if love never truly enters into a heart due to it already being filled with pride, and thus incapable of receiving or rendering love... then what are the couples in question rendering to each other?

FIREPROOF - Part 3: Winds Of Change

Just as pride is at the source of all contentions, I believe the solutions to these contentions begin with understanding a proud heart.

The heart can suffer wounds so grievous, so deep, and so painful that only God Almighty can bring healing. This is especially true of the heart filled with pride... it's healing will not come through the tender words of a spouse, spending time with friends, family, counseling, medications, or even church attendance. This kind of healing only comes through a personal encounter with the love God, as sent from the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

FIREPROOF - Part 2: The Source of All Contentions

It is a testament to the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees, and their misunderstanding of the Law when they asked Jesus... "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" And again when they asked, "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?" However, Jesus corrects them in stating that Moses never commanded such a thing to be done. But he permitted it to be so because of the hardness of the people's hearts.


- He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:8) -

FIREPROOF Part 1: Fornication, Adultery, and Divorce

Beloved, as it pertains to the subject of divorce, I'm beginning to think that we as believers have completely dropped the ball with this one. Either we've completely misunderstood, or rebelled against what Jesus taught on this matter.


- But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. (Matthew 5:32) -


- And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. (Matthew 19:9) -