DVD Principle 6 the Principle of the Wedding

DVD Principle 6 “The Principle of the Wedding” 1

DVD Principle 6 “The Principle of the Wedding”

Foundational Scriptures: (NKJV) Isaiah 54:4-8 and 10: 4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 5 “For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” 6 For the LORD has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” says your God. 7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you” says the LORD, your Redeemer. 10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

Become a Wife of Excellent Character First!

Focusing your energies on the search for a good and godly man to rescue you will inevitably lead to more heartache. You must prepare by first becoming godly wife material. Focus on the areas in yourself that need work. Next, learn to delight yourself in the Lord and wait, trusting in Him as He “gives you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Proverbs 31:10 “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” Virtuous= having or showing moral virtue, ie: good, moral, praiseworthy, upright, innocent, pious, chaste. (Roget’s Thesaurus and Oxford American Dictionary)

Psalm 40:17 (The Message) “And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing; make something of me. You can do it; You’ve got what it takes- but God, don’t put it off.” Mess= a dirty or untidy condition, an untidy collection of things, a difficult or confused situation, trouble. derange, botch, predicament. (Roget’s Thesaurus and Oxford American Dictionary)

Ask Yourself: Look at the meaning of the word ‘mess’. Do you have any areas of your life that could be described this way? Is that how you want to bless a possible future husband???

Action: • Learn to take care of myself properly • Learn to take care of my house properly

1 DVD Principle 6 “The Principle of the Wedding” 2

Intimacy with Jesus:

What does it mean to have an intimate relationship with Christ? Many women have never experienced any type of healthy intimacy. Much of their emotional bonding has been tied to sex (sex=love). Thus, it can be difficult for any woman trying to heal from this perversion of normal intimacy to imagine life without sex or some type of physical connection or attention from a man. That can appear like a lifetime without love to some women.

Intimacy with Christ does NOT mean physical intimacy in an imagined fantasy. This is dangerous ground spiritually and some women have fallen prey to these types of imaginings. If you are experiencing anything like that, please get help from a pastor or seasoned prayer warrior quickly.

Intimacy with Christ does mean:

• assurance that you are loved with an everlasting love • a rich prayer life where you can share the deepest parts of your heart with God • fresh revelation and insight from His word on a regular basis • knowing and hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice • a sensitive conscience and regular repentance that keeps the lines of communication open with God • peace in all circumstances • answered prayer • increasing obedience • increasing Christlike character • being used by God in increasing measure • Healing from dysfunctional relationships- you will know what it’s like to have God be your Protector, Provider, and to be treated like the Princess that you are in His eyes.

Examine your Past Relationship Choices:

What kind of men have I chosen in the past? Or what types of men have chosen me?

2 Timothy 3:2-7 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Ask Yourself: Don’t blame the men, but instead ask: Why did I choose to allow a man like that into my and life my child/ren’s lives?

Now look at the rest of the scripture:

2 Timothy 3:6-7 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

What is it in me that is attracted to someone with qualities mentioned in vs 3-5 above? Or what is it in me that attracts someone like that to me?

Ask Yourself: Are you a companion of men with those qualities and are you loaded down with sins and led away by various lusts? Be honest with yourself and let the Lord search your heart. If yes, you should be aware of the enemy’s schemes in this area. By choosing to give in to sexual temptation and aligning ourselves with wrong relationships, we place ourselves outside God’s umbrella of protection and set down a landing strip for the enemy to gain access to our lives- and most especially, those of our children. Look at the verses listed below. These are a small sampling of what the bible has to say about sexual sin and wrong relationships. I am sure you would never intentionally place yourself in a position to have your wealth wasted, be destroyed, sin against your own body, grieve the Lord so that He cuts off communication with you and won’t hear your prayers, and bring a curse on your children! You can’t afford that! Life is hard enough as a single mom- yet this temptation is one of the most powerful ways that satan attacks single moms. You must be aware of the enemy’s schemes, and realize that everything in your life has a spiritual impact! You must have a revelation of Christ’s love for you in a very personal way in order for your perspective towards sin to change. When your perspective changes, you can successfully side-step the traps the enemy lays for you, and save you and your family much unnecessary heartache and pain. If you are love-hungry and think what the enemy wants you to think about yourself and how to get your need for love met, you will see sin as a benefit to you, instead of seeing that sin as a landing strip the enemy puts down in your life in order to gain greater access to you and your children. Be wise!

Other Verses To Consider:

1st Corinthians 5:9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

Proverbs 29:3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, but a companion of harlots (NIV says prostitutes) wastes his wealth. ( another translation says “loses his inheritance”)

1st Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise but the companion of fools will be destroyed. cont’d 1st Corinthians 6:13b-20 13b Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 and God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the two He says shall become one flesh. 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s.

The One Year Challenge:

Face the fear of being alone with God! One year without dating or without a male partner in your life. Get some godly female prayer support and accountability to help you stay the course. Then mark it on your calendars!

Why Do It? • Allow time to heal from damaged emotions • Learn to experience true intimacy • Learn not to settle for living beneath your privileges as a daughter of God • Experience Christ’s unconditional love for you, and learn to love others as Christ loves you • God already knows all about you- He wants you to know all about Him and the good things He has for you.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Are you involved with a man right now? What is your motive for being in the relationship? 2. Are you in any way outside the will of God in your relationship? 3. Why do you put yourself in that position? 4. Would you be willing to end the relationship just to be alone with God? 5. What do you think it would be like to be alone with God for a year?

6. Think of a year alone with God. What would be frightening about it? What would be good about it? 7. What do you think it would be like to experience intimacy without physical touch? 8. Would you commit a year to just being with God and not dating? If not, why not?

Prayer:

Lord, Thank you for the incredible gift of being your child. Thanks for allowing me to know you and talk to you anytime I need you. Please forgive me for treating you like your friendship is no big deal. Lord, I commit to live One Year of my life not being dependent on men for my companionship and help, but rather turning to You to meet my needs instead. I confess that this feels really scary and impossible right now, but I ask You to help me and create in me the will and desire to stay true to You during this time. Please take any man out of my life that is not supposed to be in my life. Put up a hedge of protection around me and my family to prevent any man from coming in that is out of your will for my life. I give my heart to You, Lord, and ask You to show me what true intimacy means. I ask you to heal me from any lies of the enemy that I have believed and acted on, and fix every area in me and my life that needs fixing. I know you love me, Lord, and I want to learn how to love you back. Please plan and order my time and relationships in this next year in the way that is most pleasing to You, and above all, help me not to cheat on you. In Jesus Name! Amen.