Category: Devotional

Household Prayer: Marriage, Households, and the battle of the cosmos

Brothers, I’m praying for our marriages. It’s St. Valentine’s and National Marriage Week. I always do a St. Valentine’s day devotional for family worship and this year as I see the continued battle against God’s design for sex, marriage, and households it brings new clarity to Valentine being martyred for defying an order by Emperor Claudius II not to allow marriages. 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.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”” Genesis 3:15 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.3.15.ESV

Build Godly households

“What is Christianity left with when we no longer live in households? I think that we are beginning to see it. If you’re a political or social liberal, you’re left with the de-gendered god of “social justice”; on the other hand, if you’re just the typical consumer of religious goods, Jesus is now your personal “life-coach” and success guru. What you don’t have in either case is a traditional household, or biblical Christianity.” The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family by C.R. Wiley https://a.co/h4hnotY

“We want to rebuild the walls and reset the gates of society. This must start from within. It must start in our own lives, and them move out to reform our households, and then the household of Fatih… We want to restore masculine piety: the duties we have to God and neighbor as men. Because as a man goes, so goes his household; as a household goes, so goes the Church; and as the Church goes, so goes society…”

“God made man to establish His own presence and rule in the physical realm. To bring heaven to earth through His living image. Man and woman… are united in the bond of marriage, and this bond exists to establish a community that builds upon itself… to produce households… households: the total sum of a husband and wife’s fruitful work, bound together by covenant love… ‘The household is the realm that is created around the family’…”

“Culture begins and emanates from the household. It is where the next generation of men is shaped and trained, until they leave their father and mother, join themselves to a wife, and start the process anew. It is through households that dominion is exercised… A man, his wife, and their grown children are a force to be reckoned with – especially as those children in turn build households that fit together into his, establishing an extended house of considerable resource, influence, and power.” 

“As households multiply like this, cities are formed. Soon the relationships of this network of households must be managed and protected, and so the natural role of the patriarch is extended into the office of the magistrate; civil government is established. Cities form alliances with other cities and form states. States covenant with other states and form nations. Thus it is that commonwealths, kingdoms, and even great empires spring forth…”

It’s good to be a man: A handbook for Godly masculinity by Michael Foster and Dominic Bnonn Tennant https://canonpress.com/products/its-good-to-be-a-man/ or https://smile.amazon.com/Its-Good-Be-Man-Masculinity-ebook/dp/B09HLB8GS3/  

Household Prayer: Church in China, Communist Captives, Advance the Kingdom

Brothers I am praying for the Church in China today and that we would not take our freedoms for granted here in America. I pray we would put away any idols and live for Christ (2 Cor. 5:15) building Godly households (Gen. 18:19) and work to advance the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (Matt. 28:19) as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10) until it has leavened the whole world (Matt. 13:33). Lord, free the captives enslaved to communism. Help us to build safe and secure Christian communities as embassies for your ambassadors here on earth (2 Cor. 5:20).

“Pastor Pan explained the situation to Radio Free Asia, saying, ‘Our church would educate our children about our religious beliefs, and the police would come along and force them to enroll in school so they could be brainwashed. They didn’t want us to teach our children the Bible, and children are banned from attending church. This went against our faith and our consciences.’” China Threatens Christian Churches as Beijing Olympics Begin https://www.lifenews.com/2022/02/03/china-threatens-christian-churches-as-beijing-olympics-begin/

“Day 1 of the Winter Olympics and the CCP has already physically pulled a Dutch reporter off air.” https://twitter.com/dancrenshawtx/status/1489677181538164739?s=21

Live for Christ

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised…” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 18-20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.5.14-20.ESV

Build Godly households 

“the Latin word for house—the word domus. Not only is that the root of the word domestic, it is also the root of the word dominion.” — The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family by C.R. Wiley https://a.co/bAzyKxu

“For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”” Genesis 18:19 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.18.19.ESV

Advance the Kingdom of Heaven

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.28.18-20.ESV

On Earth as it is in heaven

“Pray then like this: “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 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.6.9-10.ESV

Leaven, disciple, the whole world

“For Christians, THE OBJECTIVE is filling and subduing the whole world for the glory of God (Genesis 1:28).” Victorious Now and Forever by Nathan Spearing, Fight Laugh Feast magazine issue 2.3, Fall 2021

“He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”” Matthew 13:33 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.13.33.ESV

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Genesis 1:28 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.1.28.ESV

Build safe and secure Christian communities as embassies for God’s ambassadors here on earth even in the midst of hostile natives

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 18-20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.5.14-20.ESV

Household Prayer: Hospitality

Brothers, today I am giving thanks for our Classical Conversations homeschool community and for the demonstration of service and hospitality. There are many prayers needed. There have been lost loved ones and illnesses. If you know a family in need of prayer reach out, pray, and show love and hospitality. 

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Romans 12:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.12.13.ESV

“True community is something that develops as the result of interwoven relationships, and that requires an ethos of hospitality… In order to have a flourishing Christian community, it is necessary for the children of that community to have a shared experience of godly education… Education is one of the central instruments given to us by God for the establishment and perpetuation of a culture.” Gashmu Saith It: How to build Christian communities that save the world, by Douglas Wilson https://canonpress.com/products/gashmu-saith-it/ 

Household Prayer: cosmic battle plans

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:27-28 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.22.27-28.ESV

Brothers I’m praying today that we understand the cosmic battle that we are in against “the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

There is a video circulating again of Mellisa Harris-Perry from MSNBC claiming we need “a collectivist view” and “to break the idea that kids belong to parents.”

Brothers, since the beginning Satan attacked the relationship between the man and woman. Our marriages and households are God’s battle formation. I pray we are aware and engaged.

“Our way or war was described by Paul in Ephesians… We have the fulcrum of the world in our possession, and that gives us leverage. I am talking about our households. But the principalities know this, and that is why they are obsessively working to break them down… So fight the good fight. Go home, build a house, and if you do it in the right way, you will give the world a glimpse of things to come. There is nothing more terrifying to the principalities than this. Because in the end, the principalities will bow and confess the Lordship of Christ, and if your house is ordered well, it is a reminder of that glorious day (Phil. 2:10–11).” The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family by C.R. Wiley

Mellisa Harris-Perry from MSNBC claiming we need “a collectivist view” and “to break the idea that kids belong to parents.” https://twitter.com/aimeeterese/status/1484204872480489473?s=21

“Christians have been given suits of armor and they are duty-bound to fight for the household of God… The principalities continue to rage against the Lord of the Cosmos. Their inhuman machinery menaces us, particularly in the West… In spite of all of these things, Christ has already won. He is our Lord and we are engaged in a long obedience. We wrestle with His enemies…”

“Our way or war was described by Paul in Ephesians… Paul outlines a two-pronged strategy to follow.”

“STRATAGEM 1: THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD… The churches Paul planted throughout the Roman world… in those houses of God, the house stewards worked to make sure that these communities put the benefits of Christ’s rule on display for the principalities and powers…”

“STRATAGEM 2: THE HOUSEHOLD, FULCRUM OF THE COSMOS… We have the fulcrum of the world in our possession, and that gives us leverage. I am talking about our households. But the principalities know this, and that is why they are obsessively working to break them down… remember, a household ordered by the household code in Ephesians reflects the rule of Christ… Households have been the basis of human culture from the start… So fight the good fight. Go home, build a house, and if you do it in the right way, you will give the world a glimpse of things to come. There is nothing more terrifying to the principalities than this. Because in the end, the principalities will bow and confess the Lordship of Christ, and if your house is ordered well, it is a reminder of that glorious day (Phil. 2:10–11). And, as hard as it is to imagine, when, at the end of the war for the cosmos, the tribunal for war-crimes is impaneled, you and I will have our seats behind the bench (1 Cor. 6:3).”

The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family by C.R. Wiley https://a.co/aImq1cu

Household Prayer: Courage

“Nothing is more terrifying than a man who, with the look of a lion in his eyes, refuses to surrender, who charges when everyone else around him is in full retreat. And best of all? Courage is contagious.”
Slaying the Feminist Leviathan by Eric Conn, Fight Laugh Feast issue 2.3 Fall 2021
https://flfnetwork.com/product/fight-laugh-feast-magazine/

Brothers, our households, churches, and communities need us. I pray we understand and walk in the masculine mandate God has given us “to cultivate, build, and grow (both things and people), but also to stand guard so that people and things are kept safe – so that the fruit of past cultivating and nurturing is preserved… In our families… At church… In society.” I’m praying God would give us courage and move us to action, even small daily disciplines, for His glory.

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.28.1.ESV

“I can add my hearty “Amen!” to the idea that Christian men should reject a feminized idea of manhood…

the point of Genesis 2:8 is that God has put the man into the garden, into the world of covenantal relationships and duties, in order to gain and act out his God-given identity there… Adam was put in the garden to be its lord and servant. Adam was to bring glory to God by devoting himself to bearing God’s fruit, starting in the garden and extending outward to all of creation. For this reason, Adam was God’s assistant lord, exercising authority over creation: “Subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28)… he was to be lord and keeper of God’s created realm, bringing glory to the Creator as he sought to bear the image of God in servant faithfulness…

In “Genesis 2:15, we learn how man is to fulfill his calling: ‘The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.’ … Work. To work is to labor to make things grow… Keep. To keep is to protect and to sustain progress already achieved…

“God calls us to bear His image in the real world, in this garden that has become corrupted by sin but is being redeemed by the power of God’s grace in Christ. He calls us to do this by being leaders and servants in the ultimate cause of displaying God’s glory and bearing the fruit of God’s love in real relationships… Our calling in life really is this simple (although not therefore easy): We are to devote ourselves to working/building and keeping/protecting everything placed into our charge…

WORK: TO CULTIVATE AS A GARDENER

“avad, the Hebrew term translated in Genesis 2:15 as “work” … Adam was called by God to till and cultivate the garden so it would grow and bear an abundance of fruit. Thus, the command to “work” links up with the earlier mandate to “be fruitful … and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28)… we are called to “work” whatever “field” God has given us. Men are to be planters, builders, and growers. A man’s working life is to be spent accomplishing things, usually as part of a company or other grouping of people. We are to invest our time, our energies, our ideas, and our passions in bringing good things into being. A faithful man, then, is one who has devoted himself to cultivating, building, and growing…

KEEP: TO PROTECT AS A SWORD-BEARER

“shamar, which is translated by such English terms as “watch,” “guard,” “protect,” “take under custody,” or “exercise care” … His calling to Christian men is similar: we are to watch over and keep safe all that the Lord has put under our care… our basic mandate as Christian men is to cultivate, build, and grow (both things and people), but also to stand guard so that people and things are kept safe – so that the fruit of past cultivating and nurturing is preserved… In our families, our presence is to make our wives and children feel secure and at ease. At church, we are to stand for truth and godliness against the encroachment of worldliness and error. In society, we are to take our places as men who stand up against evil and who defend the nation from threat of danger.”

The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard D. Phillips
https://a.co/hPkBUjb

Q: “How do you defeat today’s [far left] revolutionary movement?” Church, build Christian households and communities! Learn more: https://ministry.family.blog/2021/12/07/q-how-do-you-defeat-todays-far-left-revolutionary-movement/

The Dangers of Socialism, Marxism, Communism https://ministry.family.blog/america/socialism-marxism-communism/

Household Prayer: Filled with the Holy Spirit

Brothers, I’m praying we would be filled with the Holy Spirit and trusting in Him as we prepare our children, as we lead our households, and as we witness to the Kingdom of Heaven in this world. Praying for good health through cold, flu, and covid season.

“Prepare your children to stand up in the battlefield. Prepare your children to stand upon the Word of God. Prepare your children to have confidence in the Word of God. The greatest legacy we leave our children and grandchildren is not a great education, good and important as that may be… the greatest legacy, the best legacy, the most enduring legacy, is to teach them to appreciate, revere, and obey the Word of God.” A message from Dr. @MichaelAYoussef to Christian parents https://twitter.com/leadingtheway/status/1476346087296413698?s=21 


“God loves to work through small bands of hard men… a local gang of hard men who can train together – theologically, physically, spiritually – and start to multiply through discipleship and household building. A psalm-singing, worship gang of holy troublemakers… a few good men dedicated to worship-centered culture building and defending the perimeter… The nuclear center of God’s plan for establishing order in the cosmos starts with one man and one woman coming together to produce offspring and live out God’s creational, sexual, hierarchical order (Ephesians 5)” Slaying the Feminist Leviathan by Eric Conn, Fight Laugh Feast issue 2.3 Fall 2021

Household Prayer: rhythm and consistency

“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.6.7.ESV

Brothers, I pray you had a blessed Christmas, and as we come to celebrating the start of a new year, I pray that you will find rhythm and consistency in family worship, devotions, and instruction. I listened to two young fathers give their testimony on growing up in Christian homes and what they experienced from their new fathers perspective. Rhythm and consistency were two keys mentioned.

Delano Squires | Why Black Men Must Lead the Battle in Saving the Nuclear Family https://founders.org/interviews/tstt-delano-squires-why-black-men-must-lead-the-battle-in-saving-the-nuclear-family/

“They discuss the impact of growing up in a christian home and the importance of the nuclear family. They discuss the war that is being waged by Black Lives Matter, Radical Feminists and others on the nuclear family in the black community. How do we fight back with Gospel truth? How do we have these conversations as Christians?”

https://the-sword-and-the-trowel.castos.com/player/878637

Schools Intentionally Dumbing Down Children for Control as Education Becomes Politicized: Alex Newman https://link.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/schools-intentionally-dumbing-down-children-for-control-as-education-becomes-politicized-alex-newman_4180130.html

“If you love your children… remove them from the public school system.”

“Education has come front and center in the United States, where parents are allegedly being targeted through counterterrorism technologies through a request from the school boards. At the same time, the Chinese regime is promoting critical race theory through its state-run media, right here in the United States—raising big questions on why this is happening. To learn more about how parents have gradually gotten less say in what their children are being taught, and how education can be weaponized as a political tool, we’ve invited investigative journalist and Epoch Times contributor Alex Newman to speak with us.”

Of What Use is the Law? Three Purposes https://founders.org/2014/11/24/of-what-use-is-the-law-three-purposes/?fbclid=IwAR1nzqZ4ojjesdXGn_yS1245LpSnfPBSqqn3n0c_DR7ySj_yH4Bw2ksks3k

“Recently, after our family had completed its daily devotional time together, my oldest son asked me a very insightful question: How do the Ten Commandments apply to us today if they were given so long ago in the Old Testament? … In his venerable systematic theology, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin set forth three “uses” for the moral law of God. The Lord of history has given His law, Calvin wrote, to serve as…”

“A mirror. Calvin argued that the law functions to expose our sin and unrighteousness. When a sinner looks into the mirror of God’s law, he sees himself as he really is: depraved, sinful, wretched, undone, lost and in need of cleansing, in need of a savior…”

“A restrainer of evil. The law of God functions to keep evildoers from being as bad as they otherwise might be. Thus, to some degree it serves to protect God’s people from the sinful machinations of the ungodly, Calvin argued…”

“A revelation of the will of God. Believers, who have been transformed by the gospel, Calvin wrote, need the law as well, certainly not as a means of salvation, but as a guide to sanctification. The law reveals God’s perfect righteousness and reveals that which is pleasing to him. A believer can come to delight in God’s commands, however, only after his heart has been regenerated by God’s grace through the gospel. Wrote Calvin…”

Full article: https://founders.org/2014/11/24/of-what-use-is-the-law-three-purposes/?fbclid=IwAR1nzqZ4ojjesdXGn_yS1245LpSnfPBSqqn3n0c_DR7ySj_yH4Bw2ksks3k

Household Prayer: Understanding the times and equipping our children

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.3.8.ESV

Brothers, Are we sons of Issachar, understanding the times we are in and knowing what to do about them? And are we preparing and equipping our children as citizens and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God in these times? Brothers I’m praying we make our best effort. I’m praying God the Holy Spirit would dwell in our children keeping them firm in the faith and courageous to stand in the truth.

Just a note on the role of Ambassador. We are sent to a nation to represent our King and His Kingdom, but if we don’t understand the culture and other dynamics in the nations we are sent to we may not be effective.

“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.” 1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ch.12.32.ESV

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.127.3-5.ESV

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.6.4.ESV

Why? What is going on? Our local and American culture is not what it was. It is post-Christian. We should consider this as we disciple our children.

Listen to this important news brief: CrossPolitic daily news brief. Important message. https://crosspolitic.com/podcast/daily-news-brief-for-wednesday-december-15-2021/

Household Prayer: Advent Joy

Hey brothers, hope thanksgiving was a joy. I love the advent season and the teaching and discipleship opportunities it brings. Praying for sweet times reflecting on Immanuel, God with us, this month for every household in our community. Pray for continued good health and healing through the covid/flu season.

John Newton: Exhibit “A” For Why We Should Catechize Our Children “Catechesis was one factor in helping John Newton (1725–1807) finish well… Newton was converted amid a providentially ordained storm at sea. But the foundation for his encounter with grace was laid those first seven years at home… Parents, catechize your children, and watch God work. It may please him to open their blind eyes now, or perhaps later. Indeed, memorized truth could eventually become a light in a dark place, as it was for the great blasphemer who became a Jesus lover.” https://founders.org/2017/08/17/john-newton-exhibit-a-for-why-we-should-catechize-our-children/

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Chosen Devotional Outline

Our family enjoys The Chosen. We know people moved to faith or renewed in faith and driven to Gods word because of The Chosen. But there are some things to keep in mind.

Only God’s word is truth. All extra biblical media must point to the true word of God.

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.17.17.ESV

Avoid “other” Jesus’ and gospels. Do not be drawn to “the Chosen” Jesus, but let the chosen draw you to the true Jesus as revealed in scripture.

“I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.11.1-4.ESV

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:11-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.1.11-12.ESV

Always beware of false teachers, prophets pointing to false Christ’s.

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:23-24 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.24.23-24.ESV

Add nothing to God’s word.

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.30.5-6.ESV

Jesus was not just an Angel as some false religions believe

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV (all of Hebrews 1) https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.1.1-3.ESV

Come and see TheChosen.tv

For a well thought out counter position read “The Chosen” Fiction

“The Chosen series is condemned by the Bible first and foremost because it adds man’s ideas (his beliefs, concepts, viewpoints, conceptions, images, perceptions, his religions, and especially his feelings, etc.) to what God alone has communicated. It makes no difference how far afield the additions are—even the smallest contribution would not be of God, but of man.”

For The Chosen response to critics:

“You Have Questions About The Chosen…” https://youtu.be/QiDdWe2Tb5I