Dobra Family Ministry

Household Prayer: Marriage and the cosmic battle

”Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.“ Ephesians 5:25-33 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/eph.5.25-33.LSB

Brothers, I’m praying for our marriages. I see the continued battle against God’s design for sex, marriage, and households. The cosmic battle started early in creation and has continued since (Gen. 3:15). So I pray we understand the profound nature and purpose of our marriages and the armor needed to protect them (Eph. 5-6). May we be faithful to our marriages and call to build Godly households.

We learn in Ephesians that “God now has a people in the world who belong uniquely to Him. In them His purpose of grace is being worked out, and through them He plans to effect His intention for the universe… The most comprehensive statement of the theme of Ephesians is this: the eternal purpose of God and the place of Christ and His people in that purpose.” https://press.founders.org/shop/fsgc-ephesians/

“The American Church Needs Repentance and Revival… Hibbs identified three symptoms of the American church’s malady: idolizing comfort, rejecting conviction, and avoiding personal responsibility… He urged Christians to exercise ‘personal responsibility,’ beginning ‘right there in your own home.’ … ‘I’m talking about living righteously as we have been commanded,’ said Hibbs. ‘What is it going to take for us to cry out?’” https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/the-american-church-needs-repentance-and-revival

“We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it, but inwardly abhor every line of it. We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children’s children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to his Word.” Charles Spurgeon in his sermon entitled “Holding Fast the Faith,” delivered in 1888. “Let these words from Charles Spurgeon embolden you to stand firm against the gathering forces of evil and darkness in America today. Don’t just admire dead men who were firm in the faith— aim to live and speak like them today. And who cares if they call us narrow-minded bigots, or even worse? Remember, as the always-quotable Spurgeon said elsewhere: ‘Oh, my brethren! bold-hearted men are always called mean-spirited by cowards.’” https://www.standingforfreedom.com/2023/10/here-is-the-day-for-the-man-where-is-the-man-for-the-day

“Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us… It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.” President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation 97, 1863, to establish a national day of ‘humiliation’ (repentance), fasting, and prayer.

This year, 2024, “The overarching message that pierced each prayer was that, in order to bring a lawless society back into some kind of order, God must be prioritized. He is the power behind protecting fathers, mothers, and children. He is the truth behind gender, marriage, and life. He is the conviction of what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, the Lord is our hope amid darkness, and our stronghold as we draw near to Him through prayer and repentance.” https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/2024-national-gathering-for-prayer-and-repentance-no-revival-comes-without-repentance

THE GOOD NEWS

There is a God that created the heavens and the earth. We humans are created in His image.

We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, our Creator. Our rebellion has brought “all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice… envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” to the world. Romans 1:29-31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.29-31.ESV

Therefore we justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:10-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.10-12.ESV

But good news! God is merciful and loving. Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.3-8.ESV

““Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” Acts 2:36-38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.2.36-38.ESV

We need only repent and believe it. Repent: turn away from our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after! “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 10:9-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV

There is hope. Believe in Jesus! ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.16.ESV

It doesn’t matter who you’ve been or what you’ve done, God stands with arms wide open, ready to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.9.ESV

Household Prayer: February Devotional Topics

”And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”“ Matthew 19:4-6 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/mat.19.4-6.LSB

Brothers, I’ve been thinking about and praying for all of the opportunities for instructing and discipling our families in February. From Saint Valentine’s example: Pray for our marriages and households and their part of the war for the cosmos (Eph. 5:22-6:17). Pray that we have wisdom to discern when to resist tyrants in obedience to God (Exodus 1:15-22, Acts 4:18-20). And I pray we love our wive’s as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). These three things I will focus family devotional time on in February. I pray God grants faith, knowledge, and wisdom to our children.

More about Saint Valentine: https://ministry.family.blog/2023/02/11/saint-valentine/

”But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, but let the boys live… So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very mighty. Now it happened that because the midwives feared God, He made households for them.“ Exodus 1:17, 20-21 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/exo.1.17-21.LSB

Household Prayer: Priorities, Goals, and Resolutions

”I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.“ 3 John 1:4 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/3jn.1.4.LSB

Brothers, meditating on 3 John 1:4 today. Praying that the number 1 priority in our households, churches, neighborhoods, and workplaces is that every member will know “the doctrines of the gospel, the life of Christ, and the great precepts of Scripture.” Praying for the wisdom and energy to bring God’s truth into every conversation possible (Deut. 6:7). Praying that every goal and resolution is founded on God, His truth, and His purpose for us!

Priority

“I hope no parent will allow their children to grow up and leave their roof without knowing the doctrines of the gospel, the life of Christ, and the great precepts of Scripture—without having as clear an understanding as possible of the great principles and plan of salvation. It should be the holy ambition of every parent that his entire family should be renewed by the Holy Spirit. Happy as a marriage day is that day when a parent sees his child surrendered to the people of God, having first given his heart to Christ. The joy of the text is that the children “walk in the truth”—the actual demonstration of the power of the gospel in their lives. This proves that the teaching was well received, the feeling was not mere excitement, and the profession was not a falsehood but was done in truth.” The Spurgeon Study Bible

Goals

This year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years…

Roles

Family/household sphere, the ministry of health, education, and welfare.
Church sphere, the ministry of grace and peace.
Civil sphere, the ministry of justice.
Self-Government, by God’s grace, born again, the ministry that makes the other three possible.

By faith (Heb. 11:1-3,4,5…), get to work subduing and ruling, working and keeping, being fruitful and multiplying (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15), and making disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20) for “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10) Rule yourself well, rule your household well, and bring God’s truth and grace into every sphere of life that you enter into until every nation proclaims “Jesus is Lord!” – Amen. God willing, to be the good and faithful servant until He calls me out of this world.

“Duty is ours, results are God’s.” – John Quincy Adams

”“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.“ Deuteronomy 6:4-7 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/deu.6.4-7.LSB

Warnings for getting our priorities wrong

”“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” …“ Psalm 11:3-4 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/psa.11.3-4.LSB

”My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from ministering as My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I Myself also will forget your children.“ Hosea 4:6 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/hos.4.6.LSB

Household Prayer: Goals for our mission this year

“we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)

Happy New Year! Brothers, I’m not one for resolutions, but we do have a vision and mission from our King, and we should set goals to strive to accomplish the mission in the time God gives us. I pray we consider our created mandate, our great commission, and our duties in our various roles and live fully for God’s purpose and for His glory! “Duty is ours, results are God’s.”

“My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than could be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear.” George Washington encouraging his men to re-enlist in the army Tuesday, December 31, 1776

The family is God’s smallest battle formation

Family/household Government, the ministry of health, education, and welfare.
Church Government, the ministry of grace and peace.
Civil Government, the ministry of justice.
Self-Government, by God’s grace the ministry that makes the other three possible.

“The sphere of the family is perhaps the most important sphere of the three, anthropologically speaking. It was created before the fall, and thus it is a necessary component for humans to thrive in their creation mandate as well as to encourage proper roles in the other two spheres of church and state. In that way, we could say that the sphere of the family is the foundation upon which God has chosen to flourish human societies. It is the sphere in which the image God has borne upon humans will reproduce and thrive. Show me a collapsing society, and I will show you a crumbling institution of the family. We see God’s creation of the family most clearly in Genesis 1:27–28… The home is further set apart in Genesis 2.“ The Creation of the 3 Spheres of Family, Church, and State, Timothy Decker, https://founders.org/articles/the-creation-of-the-3-spheres-of-family-church-and-state/

Household Prayer: Holy Family mission

”Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.“Matthew 1:24-25 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.1.24-25.NKJV

“… the sphere of the family is the foundation upon which God has chosen to flourish human societies. It is the sphere in which the image God has borne upon humans will reproduce and thrive.” The Creation of the 3 Spheres of Family, Church, and State, Timothy Decker, https://founders.org/articles/the-creation-of-the-3-spheres-of-family-church-and-state/

Brothers, one of my favorite images of Christmas is the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary, and the infant Lord Jesus. The family, from Adam to our families today are “the foundation upon which God has chosen to flourish human societies. It is the sphere in which the image God has borne upon humans will reproduce and thrive.” I pray for the sense of that duty to be our driving force. I pray for the faith and strength to stand firm in the coming days as secular authorities wish to exert control in the government of the family.

The family is God’s smallest battle formation

Home Schooling Growth Draws New Attention, Concern From Establishment

“Those who demand their “secular” worldview be fully accepted by the next generation will exercise their demands and power through the media, entertainment, the economy, and politics in order to squelch a system of education and religious freedom. The battle for America’s children’s minds will be real, and it will be necessary for Christian parents to engage. The time to prepare is now.” Home Schooling Growth Draws New Attention, Concern From Establishment https://illinoisfamily.org/education/home-schooling-growth-draws-new-attention-concern-from-establishment/

“As homeschooling continues to grow, we can expect more resistance and criticism… In what might perhaps be a fourth wave of homeschool scrutiny post-COVID-19, we are beginning to see more negative portrayals of homeschooling—particularly Christian homeschooling—in well-written and highly produced popular publications… This new fourth wave scrutiny from the lofty heights of the popular culture compels homeschoolers to become better at telling our stories; to be more mature in how we tell our stories. The homeschooling community has grown… but our message will never change… That homeschool freedom is good, but not just for its own sake… “HSLDA believes that the homeschool[s]… are all playing a part in creating a vibrant society and an environment of freedom that promotes human flourishing.” To that end, it remains our mission to make homeschooling possible for every parent willing to take up the challenge and the great responsibility to faithfully teach their children.“ We’re Aware of Media Critics, and We’re Still Defending Homeschool Freedom https://go.hslda.org/webmail/795273/1283956902/7f7e315f1d472b5719ee62754370570dff6c6fb86a2a96cbbcbeb2e14dcf743b

”And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”“ Matthew 19:4-6 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.19.4-6.NKJV

Psalms 22:27-28 (NASB)
[27] All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
[28] For the kingdom is the LORD’S
And He rules over the nations.

Important resources

Really good conversation about A Revolutionary Reading of Romans 13: A Biblical Case for Lawful Subjection to the Civil Magistrate and Dutiful Resistance to Tyrants. We need to pray for our church leaders to re-learn these old and very costly won theologies. https://youtu.be/0cxGEjKbJn0?si=GDDORCCMkN6a7Yq_

A Revolutionary Reading of Romans 13: A Biblical Case for Lawful Subjection to the Civil Magistrate and Dutiful Resistance to Tyrants https://press.founders.org/shop/a-revolutionary-reading-of-romans-13/

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates: A Proper Resistance to Tyranny and a Repudiation of Unlimited Obedience to Civil Government by Matthew J. Trewhella https://a.co/aVQzfiR

Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition https://canonpress.com/products/slaying-leviathan

By What Standard? God’s World…God’s Rules https://press.founders.org/shop/by-what-standard-gods-world-gods-rules/

The Essential Church https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.aa4a63f3-44a5-499c-8846-06d00c6d0c56&territory=US&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web more here: https://essentialchurchmovie.com/

Household Prayer: passing shadow moments

““Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.” Psalms 144:3-4 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.144.4.NKJV

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” Ephesians 2:19 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/eph.2.19.NKJV

Brothers, meditating on a theme from Psalm 144:3-4 and Eph. 2:19. My oldest turns 18 in less than a week. “Life is but a passing shadow.” It passes so fast! I pray we treasure the moments and relationships in our households and in the “household of God.” I pray I can see what is most important, what is eternal, and I pray we don’t miss those moments. And I pray that by word and witness we pass on what is the “eternal purpose of God and the place of Christ and His people in that purpose” from Ephesians and the rest of scripture.

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,” Ephesians 1:22 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/eph.1.22.NKJV

Remembering that the church is not a place of gathering, but a people, a people of a household with a common father, a household of households. “This redeemed society, which constitutes God’s new people, is referred to in various ways in the letter; for example, as God’s people (1:2, TCNT), God’s heritage (1:11, TCNT), God’s building (2:19-22), Christ’s body (1:22,23), Christ’s bride (5:22-31), the church (1:22; 3:10, 21, et al.), and one new man (2:14,15). The suggestion in all these figures is that God now has a people in the world who belong uniquely to Him. In them His purpose of grace is being worked out, and through them He plans to effect His intention for the universe… The most comprehensive statement of the theme of Ephesians is this: the eternal purpose of God and the place of Christ and His people in that purpose.” Founders Study Guide Commentary on Ephesians https://press.founders.org/shop/fsgc-ephesians/

Household Prayer: culture building faith

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.6.9-10.NKJV

Culture building

Brothers, when we pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10), what does that look like? Our faith has real world consequences as God works in and through us. I pray we have faith to pray for God’s will in our lives and families today and faith to walk in His will. I pray we live out a Christian culture in this world (Matt. 5:14-16, I Peter 2:12), and I pray we disciple and pass the faith and culture on to our children to do the same. I pray reformation and Christian culture begin in our homes.

I read an article about young Americans being inspired by Osama Bin Laden’s letter to America and one recommended antidote is to build and live out a distinctly Christian culture as a light to the world (Matt. 5:14-16, I Peter 2:12).

Take dominion. Make disciples. By faith (Heb. 11:1-3,4,5…), get to work subduing and ruling, working and keeping, being fruitful and multiplying (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15), and making disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20) for “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)

Rule yourself well, rule your household well, and bring God’s truth and grace into every sphere of life that you enter into until every nation proclaims “Jesus is Lord!” – Amen

“Duty is ours, results are God’s” – John Quincy Adams

What Does Osama bin Laden’s Viral Moment on TikTok Mean for America? “A hyper focus on criticizing the West ignores the positive developments that have come out of the West. Christian ethics are foundational to Western civilization, and the order, justice, and understanding of human rights that Western civilization brought to much of the world is a very good thing. Many (particularly younger) Americans refuse to see this. Thus, we may be left with a society that hates itself. Such a society-wide suicidal inclination is exceedingly dangerous… The antidote to the allure… is to create a culture that teaches, values, and lives by the Christian ethics and …American values that have contributed to this country’s flourishing.” https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/what-does-osama-bin-ladens-viral-moment-on-tiktok-mean-for-america

“Osama Bin Laden Viral TikTok Letter — THIS is What Gen-Z Doesn’t Know. In this episode of ‘Ideas Have Consequences,’ we will examine the reasons why Gen-Z is connecting with this letter and explain why their ideology is flawed in doing so” https://x.com/larrytaunton/status/1729500391434301860?s=46&t=Ag2lESY3ntUopWo1gN17hw

““You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.5.14-16.NKJV

“having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” I Peter 2:12 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/1pe.2.12.NKJV

“The Church has a lot of motion — reading and talking about dominion online. This feels like action but it is NOT. – read and obey your Bible – pick up heavy things often – don’t eat trash – love your wife – discipline your kids – develop mastery in one thing – invest – repeat” https://x.com/thespearing/status/1729473324449759442?s=46&t=Ag2lESY3ntUopWo1gN17hw

“John Quincy Adams (1825-1829), sixth president of the United States stated: The first and almost the only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, Search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted, unless by some overruling necessity.” The Founders’ Bible, NASB 1995, Copyright 2012, Shiloh Road Publishers https://thefoundersbible.com/

Household Prayer: thanksgiving for undeserved grace

“Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”” Luke 4:18-21 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.4.18-21.NKJV

Thanksgiving

Brothers, meditating on Luke 4:18-21 and Isaiah 61. It is shocking what Christ has done for us, undeserving as we are. It is double shocking that there is a double portion reward awaiting. Much to be thankful for. I give thanks for all of you and the homeschool community. Rejoice and give thanks!

““The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”” Luke 4:18-21 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.4.18-21.NKJV

“But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs. “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant.” Isaiah 61:6-8 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.61.6-8.NKJV

“Whittaker Chambers, an American writer and editor who had formerly been a Soviet communist spy before he recanted and defected to the West, stated: Freedom is a need of the soul, and nothing else. It is in striving toward God that the soul strives continually after a condition of freedom. God alone is the inciter and guarantor of freedom. He is the only guarantor. External freedom is only an aspect of interior freedom. Political freedom, as the Western world has known it, is only a political reading of the Bible. Religion and freedom are indivisible. Without freedom, the soul dies. Without the soul, there is no justification for freedom.” The Founders’ Bible, NASB 1995, Copyright 2012, Shiloh Road Publishers https://thefoundersbible.com/

Household Prayer: Crowns, Glory, Fathers, and Children

“Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.” Proverbs 17:6 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.17.6.NKJV

Brothers, meditating on Proverbs 17:6 and 1 Thes. 2:11-12 today. We are the glory of our children, I pray for the faith to walk “worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory”! I pray for the faith to exhort, comfort, and charge my children as Peter does the church. I pray for a heart of gratitude for the blessing of my children and their future children. And I pray for a heart to encourage them and remind them they are my crown and I am proud of them.

“Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.” Proverbs 17:6 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.17.6.NKJV

“Prov 17:6 It is an honour to children to have wise and godly parents continued to them, even after they are grown up and settled in the world.” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, The Founders’ Bible, NASB 1995, Copyright 2012, Shiloh Road Publishers https://thefoundersbible.com/

“as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” I Thessalonians 2:11-12 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/1th.2.11-12.NKJV

Fire Pit Friday: the sins of secularism and silence

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-9 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/1pe.3.9.NKJV

Fire Pit Fridays – first three Fridays of November 6pm – watch No Quarter November blog post, have a drink if desired, and some theological and applicational discussion. https://noquarternovember.com

Love in unity of the essentials.
Love in discussion of the practical lived out faith.
Love in rejoicing together in our Savior.
Love in growing in the faith.

May it be in love, fruitful, edifying, and a blessing. “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-9 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/1pe.3.9.NKJV

Nov. 17 NQN Fire Pit Friday 6pm – Man, no qualifications can sting! This issue reminded me of Isaiah 8. Calling us to ignore the “mediums and wizards”, or the voice of secularism and silence of the pulpits, and return to God’s word. So some questions for discussion, how do we live out our faith in a way to reject and cast down the secular “arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (II Cor. 10:4-5) How do we encourage our pastors to preach on the “untouchable” topics?

Video: https://youtu.be/9cPswFkQlgo?si=-50OAsMLtEjia-9R
Blog: https://dougwils.com/books-and-culture/s7-engaging-the-culture/a-pinch-of-incense-to-the-genius-of-democracy-2-2.html

“The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread… Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples… And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:13, 16, 19-20 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.8.13-20.NKJV

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” II Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/2co.10.4-5.NKJV

“This last week, the voters of Ohio enshrined a right to abortion in their state constitution, in what might be called Ohio’s suicide note. In the heady days after the Jericho of Roe fell, this was the gut punch that we might call the first battle of Ai… The foundational issue is that our entire nation is riddled and shot through with the pox-ridden disease of secularism, and we have gone so far as to trick it out as some kind of a virtue… And this relates to a secondary disease in the pulpits of our land, one which absolutely refuses to confront this problem, or to name the sin in any way… Prophetic denunciation is right and proper, but our muddled and confused murmuring and fearful complaining is not the same thing as clear-headed prophetic denunciation. In a time when our nation has declared open war on the God of heaven, despising His law/word, we, ostensibly His people, have responded with a farrago of lame theological excuses… We have struck down Roe, and thank God for that. But have we received forgiveness for Roe? Has there been atonement? We still have the blood of innocents on our hands, up to the elbows. Doesn’t anybody realize we still need to seek forgiveness? We, in the name of a demented constitutionalism, have dashed out the brains of far more infants than Hamas could ever dream of… And so here we are. America is currently acting the part of Gollum falling backward into the crevasse, holding his ring, and savoring his moment of triumph. We laugh as though we had just proven that there is no such thing as judgment, and we do this while clutching at the judgment itself. The cackling is hard to listen to, but it is over soon enough… And so all of this has happened in a country that is the home to tens of millions of evangelical Christians. What has our response been? Well, we dither… The foundational disease is in our pulpits, which have gone largely silent when it comes to the Word of Jehovah on any of these subjects, or on any topic that seems remotely connected to them. It sounds noble to say that you want to stay focused on the gospel of Christ and Him crucified. It is less noble to refuse to mention any of the high-handed sins that made such a crucifixion necessary. The New Testament message of repent and believe has been transformed into believe if you would like. to. And so now all the godless have to do to get evangelicals to lay off is deck their rebellions out in the camouflage of public square neutrality… The lie of secularism is that we have the right to make decisions like the people of Ohio just did… So evangelicals believe in democracy, do they? So what did democracy do in Ohio last week? Can democracy sin? And, if democracy can sin, can democracy be forgiven? The only way to answer that question properly is to acknowledge the authority of the risen Lord Jesus Christ over the nations, including ours, and that would run the risk of being labeled a Christian nationalist by the cool kids. No, no! Anything but the disapproval of the cool kids. Ah, cool shame . . . thy name is craven evangelical… Secularism is the delusional pretense that there is no transcendent authority above us. It is the daydream that there is no divine voice that could ever tell the majority of the American people no. Faith in democracy amounts to the implicit claim that 55% have the right to vote on whether or not the 45% are persons. Faith in Christ amounts to the explicit claim that we have no right whatever to autonomous law. And by autonomous law, I mean bloody law. I mean murderous law. I mean anti-fertility law. I mean death-wish law… And this is why the evangelical sheepdogs didn’t bark. The intelligensia of the evangelical movement, some of them educated well beyond their intelligence, and many of them educated in such a way as did not erase their aching insecurities, are deathly afraid of being called out for their lack of sophisticated and/or sophistical academic cred. They try very hard to fix it.” https://dougwils.com/books-and-culture/s7-engaging-the-culture/a-pinch-of-incense-to-the-genius-of-democracy-2-2.html