Spiritual Markers

November 7, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

This post was originally from 11/16/2009. I find it to be a good reminder of what God has been doing in my life over the past several years.

Joshua 4:20-24 (NASB)
²⁰Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
²¹He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’
²²then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’
²³“For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;
²⁴that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Yesterday, my pastor preached on the benefits of having spiritual markers in our lives; which motivated me to remember the spiritual markers I have placed in my life over the years. I appreciated the fact that as he was preaching, he identified a few of his. Just as he did yesterday, I would like to take the opportunity to identify some of mine.

Marker 1: My adoption, 1962. I know that I do not “remember” anything about being adopted except what I have been told, yet it is a marker in my life of how God was and is very active in developing who I am.

Marker 2: My salvation, 1969. I was six years old at the time I received Christ. I remember going each night to the revival services and coming home and talking to my mom about what was shared. I remember her attempting to talk me out of making a decision because so many others were. On the Sunday I made my decision public, my dad was home sick and I was sitting by myself in the sanctuary of my home church. My mom came out of the choir and asked me if I was for sure Jesus was speaking to me. I made my decision public that morning. I was then baptized with about 15 others the following week.

Marker 3: Glorietta, 1978. It was the first year for Centrifuge and I was 15. I was walking with a girl up the side of the mountain and talking to her about her relationship with her boyfriend. That night during the service, God called me to the ministry, but I told Him I would be the best Christian friend and listener I could be.

Marker 4: My call, 1982. I had just experienced a true rededication as I had been running from God in my life. On a Thursday night, I was sharing with a group of teenagers about trusting God with all they had and God asked me if I was doing what I was speaking about. I knew the reason for the question. He was calling me again to serve Him. The following Sunday, I was going to make my decision public when the pastor began preaching on “Sexual Sin.” I decided I would have to wait because I did not want anyone to think that I was guilty of any of what the pastor was preaching on. God told me to go ahead and make the decision public. I remember asking God if He really wanted me to do that. I then said that I would step out and if He did not want me to continue, He could break my legs. He did not break my legs and my made my decision public on that day. Just a couple of weeks later, my home church licensed me to the ministry and I left for East Texas Baptist College at that time to begin the formal training for the ministry.

Marker 5: My Marriage and Family. God has given me a wonderful wife and two awesome children to help me and motivate me in my daily living for the Lord. Yes, there have been some struggles along the way. But as I look back on the past 24+ years I see the hand of God directing us, providing for us, and taking care of us. On one specific occasion, a man gave me $67 and told me that it was the most unique amount of money God had ever given him to give to someone else. The next day I went to seminary to buy books and they cost me $66.90. God even gave me $.10 to buy some gum for the drive home which was 125 miles. On several occasions He has blessed us in the same way.

Marker 6: The Defining of my ministry, 2008. As I was driving back from an interview with my home church I was praying about what God wanted me to do. I really thought that going back “home” was exactly it as in my mind that would be the right thing to do. I could help my parents. I knew the town. I knew the church. To me, this was going to be an easy decision. God had other plans for me. During the 5 ½ hour drive back to Wake Village, He laid on my heart the vision for Directed Path Ministries. He began placing names of men to serve on my board of directors. He outlined many of the steps that I was going to have to take in order to pursue this Pastoral Counseling ministry. When I got home and shared it with Lisa, she had many of the same confirmations of the direction for my ministry. Over the past eighteen months, God has reaffirmed the direction. I have had people who have donated money for the launch of my website, a design for shirts (even gave me several), as well as becoming regular donors for the ministry.

As I have looked at each one of these markers as well as some of the others in my life, I know that God is still working in me and defining my calling so that I can better serve Him and glorify Him. What are your markers? Do you understand the significance of each one so that your life reflects who God is creating you to be? Are we using the markers to help us teach our children who God is in our lives?

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

After spending more than 25 years on church staffs, God has allowed me to take the experiences and knowledge that I gained to develop a Biblical Counseling ministry. The basis of this ministry is to allow God’s Word to shine on the main issues in peoples’ lives in order to bring His resolutions to problems.

Develop The Life and Marriage You Desire

Heroes

October 3, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

Originally Posted December 1, 2009

Heroes. When we were children, we had people or characters that we would idolize and fantasize about being when we reached adulthood. As a boy, I loved watching Batman and Superman. I would climb trees and jump out of those trees wanting to fly like Superman. If I could sneak a cape into the trees I would. I just knew that I could fly with my cape on. My mom would be watching though and keep me from wearing a cape into the trees. I never flew while jumping out of trees. Gravity always took over and brought me to the ground. Fortunately, I did not jump out head first. I did jump out feet first just in case I did not fly that specific time. I did not want to land on my head. Of course I knew that I could not fly, but I wanted to be Superman just the same. Oh If I could fly faster than a speeding bullet and have x-ray vision and do all the fantastic things that Clark Kent did once he changed into his special uniform. What dreams we had as kids.

I remember watching Roger Staubach in the early 70’s and then running outside to play football. I always wanted to be the quarterback and have that #12 on my jersey. In the winter, I would watch Jerry West play basketball for the Lakers and then I would go play basketball and practice my crossover dribble on the baseline. I wanted to be like either one of those guys…great at their sport. Both were icons in their heyday. Matter of fact, the NBA’s icon today is fashioned from Jerry West’s image. What an honor to be recognized by your sport to have your image to be their logo! These two men were my heroes from sports.

As I grew older, I began to realize that I would never be any of my heroes. I was not secretly Superman or even Batman. I also learned that I would not become the next Roger Staubach, especially since I did not play football, nor would I become the next Jerry West. At times that realization brought some disappointments, but it was always fun to fantasize about that growing up.

Today, our children are not any different than we were. They fantasize about being a special athlete or a super hero. I was listening to the radio this morning and the talk show host was talking about how everyone that lives in the spot light has a lot to hide. The idea was that most men (athletes) cheat on their wives and participate in some sort of scandalous behavior. He went on to say how the men from the past decades were not any different than the men in this decade. The only difference is that the media pays closer attention and scandals sell. All of these statements are true. At least from where the talk show host is sitting.

I looked up the past of the two men I mentioned earlier in this post. Roger Staubach is still married to his first wife after more than 42 years. He is now retired and looking forward to spending his twilight years with his wife, children, and most of all grandchildren. I realize that Staubach is a unique person. Jerry West’s past and present is not as stellar as Roger’s but seems to be better than most. I am looking at some of the current “heroes” and some of them are worthy of hero status while others might excel in their sports or their businesses but other aspects of their lives fall very short of being admired. There are two current college quarterbacks that have the potential of having a great impact on the world in the future. One is already very committed to carrying out steps to increase his impact along the way.

What is it about wanting heroes? Why do we desire to look up to someone and want to be just like them as we grow up? There is a desire in each one of us to be successful. We choose people in activities that we enjoy watching or participating in. Most of the time as we choose our “heroes,” we look at the wrong standards. We look at the world’s standards and then the financial impact they have (more or less how much they make). While all the while we need to be looking at standards much more reliable than those. What is important to us?

Do we want to make a lot of money? Or do we want to live in joy and contentment with our families?
Do we want to seek our own happiness? Or do we want to see our children succeed and be fulfilled?
Do we want to live for the here and now? Or do we want to have a future and a hope?

Our heroes are an important part of our growing up. Why we admire someone can cause us to emphasize different aspects of our lives. I would encourage each of us to look beyond what we see on the field or on the screen for who we admire. Look at the whole individual.

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Develop The Life and Marriage You Desire

Godly Men Part Two

September 25, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

This post is originally from Sept. 23, 2009. Last Thursday I posted Pt. 1 of this 2 part series.

As I wrote yesterday, our society is attempting to emasculate all men therefore; many men have gone the other way to prove that they are men. They want to prove their masculinity by being a bully or a tough guy. Some men believe the more aggressive they are, the more masculine they are. These men are going to the extreme to prove they are men. The other extreme is that men become so effeminate they allow everyone to walk on them. They become so “in touch” with their emotions, the emotions begin to control them. Men like this want their sensitive side to be what everyone sees even if it is a detriment to them. Where are men supposed to be? How do they portray who God created them to be in a way that is not seen as a bully or a sissy? There has to be a balance. As we look at Jesus Christ as our example, he was never a bully or a sissy. He was always a man who was in control no matter what the situation. Jesus knew when to show force and when to show compassion. He had to be gentle because children were drawn to Him, but at the same time He was confrontational with the Pharisees and other religious leaders. He showed His strength as He calmed the storms and He showed His mercy as He healed many people. He was a leader for a very motley crew called the disciples. He was submissive to the leadership of His Father at all times even to the point of death on the cross. Jesus was and is the ultimate man. We need to learn from Him if we are to be Godly men.

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)
⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Now, before you think that I believe we can be perfect or sinless; I do not. Look at some of the men that God used to change history. Noah got drunk, Moses murdered a man and he stuttered, Abraham lied about his wife and gave him to another man (not just once, but twice), Jacob was a liar and a schemer, Samson was a womanizer, David was an adulterer and murderer…Do you get the picture? God used these men in spite of their own sinfulness. God uses men who have a heart for God. Abraham was called a “friend of God” and David was “a man after God’s own heart.” Jacob was renamed Israel which can be translated “God empowered prince.”

So what made these men and many others just like them so special? It all comes down to their relationships with God; the fact that they realized that God was and is the Almighty. God wants to be our Almighty. He designed us to be aggressive and gentle at different times. He designed us to be leaders and rational. He also created us with all the different emotions that we show, but He wants to be in control of when we show them. Being Christian men does not mean that we are not masculine; it just means that we are God’s men being used by God as men.

I truly wonder what the world would look like if all the Christian men in the world would stand up to be used with the desire and the fortitude that God gave us from the very beginning. I believe that God is calling His men to be seen as HIS MEN!!!

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Finding Hope in Troubled Times

Godly Men pt. 1

September 18, 2014 By bwatson 1 Comment

This post was originally published Sept. 22, 2009.

Matthew 11:12 (AMP)
¹²And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

We live in a day that has attempted to blur if not erase gender differences. Our society is teaching us today that there should not be any noticeable distinctions between men and women, except maybe the obvious physical ones and even those are now being blurred. We are being taught that the violence in our society is caused by little boys playing war games and fighting or “shooting” one another. Parents are encouraged to help their boys be gentler and not so rough. Have you ever noticed that boys are drawn to guns, swords, knives, bombs and the like? Do you think they were taught that or is it something that is inherently given to them? I remember as a small child, I loved to dress up like a cowboy with my six-shooter on my hip. My mom would try to keep me out of the trees with my holster on, most of the time with no avail. The other boys in the neighborhood would come over and we would throw those green china berries at each other or at any girl that would walk past. At elementary school the boys would always gain up together and harass the girls in whatever they were doing. Were we just mean? Maybe. We were just being boys and doing what boys did.

Think with me for a few moments. Who are some of the movie heroes? How about John Wayne, James Dean, Sean Connery or Clint Eastwood? What made James Arness as Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke so popular? OK, now I am showing my age. New actors would have to include Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, or Bruce Willis in Die Hard. How about Mel Gibson in BraveHeart or Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious? Even Tom Hanks has played in roles that would qualify as being a hero (Saving Private Ryan and Castaway). What made these roles and men qualify as heroes? Some of these men have been considered to be very attractive to women, even deemed sexy. Why? They were MEN!!! They were not pansies or momma’s boys. They loved adventure. They loved to fight. And they always got the girl. Every boy growing up has those same desires. Getting the girl comes later than the other two.

What happens to those characteristics in men? Our jobs take the adventure from us. Corporate etiquette takes the fight from us. Therefore we get lazy and lose our masculinity. Maybe not all of us, but many of us do. Look at the American church today, it is filled with men who feel out of place or they are completely bored. We are teaching men how to be sensitive, how to get in touch with their inner feelings or their feminine sides. Did God give Adam a feminine side? What about the heroes of the Bible? Name some… Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Elijah, David, and Daniel from the Old Testament, just to name a few. The New Testament heroes would have to include John the Baptist, Peter, John, James and Paul and of course you have to name Jesus as He is the hero of all heroes. Do you see any femininity in these men? I don’t think so. I see adventure, the desire to fight, and many wilderness experiences. Moses spent 40 years in the palace, 40 years in the wilderness, and then 40 years being the leader God created him to be. Jacob fought with the angel of the Lord, where? In the wilderness. Caleb at the age of 80 wanted to take his hill that was promised to him years prior. Elijah looked like a mountain man as did John the Baptist. John and his older brother James were called the Sons of Thunder. One author said they would have had on leather jackets and racing stripes on their camels. Today they would be in a motorcycle gang, according to the same author. These men that are noted were true men of God. They had their sense of adventure and willing to fight for the kingdom of God.

Are we willing to fight for the kingdom of God? Is our relationship with God an adventure? Or is it dull and boring? The Christian man needs to learn to live his life for God with all the adventure that is in his heart. Men need to stand up and be men.

Thoughts are generated from reading Wild at Heart.

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Providing Hope in Troubled Times

Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

August 28, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

In the spirit of Throw-Back-Thursday, I thought I would repost my most viewed blog. Originally posted Aug. 20, 2012

Ephesians 5:31-33

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

³¹ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³²This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ³³Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she^[a] respects her husband.

When a couple comes into my office the very first time, I usually ask each person what the problem in their marriage is according to their opinion. Many times one or both individuals will answer with “if my spouse would change, we would be fine.” I always chuckle at remarks such as this because we as people are always quick to blame someone else so we do not have to focus on our own behavior. Even after explaining that each person in the marriage plays a role in the harmony as well as the conflict, I have had several continue to insist that the problem in the other person in the relationship.

Today, I would like to share with you that an attitude like that is most likely the main problem in the conflict. You see, when a person is unwilling to examine his/her own life and own behavior, change will not occur which means that the conflict will just be a merry-go-round with some ups and downs but always end up at the same place. I don’t know about you but merry-go-rounds are not my favorite rides at the carnival. Matter of fact, I have not been on one at the carnival or fair in about 20 years when my children needed me to ride with them.

So how do you get off the merry-go-round in your marriage and begin moving toward the common goal of a harmonious relationship that is fulfilling for each person involved?

Here are several things that need to be addressed.

You have to take your eyes off your spouse’s behavior. When you are focused on your spouse’s behavior, you cannot look at yourself and the role you are supposed to play. You see, the Bible gives each the husband and the wife a role to play. There has to be a balance between the two for the relationship to work properly. (Now if your spouse is being abusive or committing adultery, that is another subject all together. This discussion is for those conflicts that occur in most relationships.)
You need to ask the question “What am I doing wrong?” As I have already stated that each person plays a role in the conflict as well as the cooperation. Are there areas of relationship that you could be doing things differently or better? Are you being selfish in some of your thinking? Are you more concerned about your needs than the needs of your spouse? All of these questions need to be answered. If any of them are answered “yes” then you have some work to do on your own behavior.
You need to ask the question “What am I doing right?” You might be confused with this question. Sometimes a person loses sight of what is good in his/her behavior. Many individuals believe the lie that he/she is the total problem in the marriage, which is not the case. (Again, we are not dealing with adultery or abuse here.)
You need to remember you are on the same team. Your spouse is not the enemy. Satan loves to bring conflict into marriages. He uses whatever means he can to separate the union that God has brought together, even if that means creating disharmony through friction. A husband and wife are to be one in spirit as well as flesh. If a couple does not remember this, the clash of the two will bring a chasm that is difficult to overcome.

When your favorite football team takes the field in a couple of weeks, I want to encourage you to notice if the offense is blaming the defense for the mistakes being made or for the losses incurred. Maybe the defense is blaming the offense for the losses. Which ever the case, that team is in trouble!! But, if when a team loses, everyone begins talking about the changes they need to make and they win as a team and lose as a team, there is hope for that team to improve. The same is true for your team of being a husband and wife. If you can identify what you are doing wrong and what you need to work on and allow your spouse to do the same, your marriage can be a winning marriage moving in the right direction of bringing God glory and you fulfillment.

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Helping Others Using God’s Principles

Does God Answer Prayer with Sin?

January 27, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

A young couple had been married for several years and they had reached a point that they were not satisfies in their marriage. Something was missing. They had children, owned their house, and drove fairly nice cars. Each had jobs that kept them busy and then they chased kids during the evening. They had very full lives but still there was something missing!! The wife began to pray about having a better husband. See, her husband said he was a Christian, but each Sunday he chose to stay home rather than go to church. He worked most Saturdays and so Sunday was the only day he could sleep in or do whatever “he wanted to do.” This attitude left his wife wanting more in the relationship. The husband would argue with her that he was working so much to provide for her needs as well as the kids needs. Those arguments still left her wanting more. He would just get angry and go out to the shop or work in the yard. He was a good dad, most of the time. He went to the kids events, when he could. He helped around the house, he thought. He was a good provider and that should be enough. The wife continued to pray for a better husband. One day she was talking with a man at her work. He was married and faithful to church. She started thinking that she wanted a husband like this man, which the more they talked she decided she wanted this man. What she didn’t realize was that he too was going through some struggles at home and he was looking for more. She began to believe that this was God’s will for them both to divorce their spouses and marry each other.

I could go on with this story. Many of you have heard it before or even could write a better version. I begin with this story today in order to address a question that I believe many Christians have answered incorrectly…Does God answer our prayers with sin? Your immediate response to this question should be a resounding “NO,” yet the scenario mentioned above is far too common in the church. Why do we even consider such a thing as God answering our prayers with an answer that leads us to sin? Here are a few suggestions as to why.

People have the wrong idea of God. We understand that God is loving, merciful, and full of grace. We concentrate on those aspects of God. (I am very thankful for the grace and mercy He shows me daily.) We forget that God is equally as just, holy, and righteous. We also do not wrong to think about the wrath of God. We have put God in a box that mostly reflects what we would like in a god. We do not see God as who He really is.
People are selfish. I know that this is an obvious statement. We allow our selfishness to control our thoughts and our actions. In our selfishness, we are also impatient when it comes to waiting on God to answer our prayers in His timing. When we pray for God to change someone or our circumstances, we must allow Him to do His work. Sometimes, God does things immediately while other times He works methodically which takes time.
People have their own idea of how the prayer is to be answered. When we pray, do we want God’s solution or do we want God to bless our solution? I know that Psalmist says that “God will give us the desires of our hearts.” What people fail to realize is that there are conditions to that promise. “Delight yourself in the Lord,” “Commit your way to the Lord,” and “Trust in Him” are the three conditions to the promise. (Psalms 37:4-5) When we are willing to follow the conditions, He is willing to give us the desires of our heart. Not before.

The Bible says in James 1:13b “and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” God has never tempted anyone to sin. He would not answer a prayer with a sin. When someone tells you that God has told them to do something that is sin, don’t believe them. God will not and does not go against His Word at any time. It is important that as we walk on our journey with God that we consider that God is wanting our lives to give Him glory and show His character to others. We cannot do that if we give God credit for the sin in our lives.

Finding Hope

January 23, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

Psalm 31:24 (NASB95)

24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in the Lord.

Romans 15:13 (NASB95)

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Recently I was talking with a man who had lost all hope for a future. As I was listening to his blight, I began to feel his hopelessness. Boy, I did not like that at all. It just seemed the world was getting gloomier and gloomier. As I was listening to him, I had to mentally picture the “Son” shining in my life. My conversation with this man reminded me that so many people have lost sight of the Hope that is in Christ.

When a person has lost their hope, there are several steps that I have found to be very helpful when needing to “find my hope.”

Remember — The Israelites were instructed to erect stones in the middle of the Jordan River as they crossed over into the Promised Land. The purpose of the stones was for the people to see them (not during the flood stage) and be reminded of what God had done for them. I think that a person needs to set up some “stones” of what God has done in his/her life for times of remembering. Writing them in a journal or in the back of a Bible helps keep them in a place that will be seen.
Repent — Again, using the Old Testament as a guide, the Israelites often would lose sight of God and turn to idols or their own wisdom. Each time they took their focus off of God, He would allow calamities, bondage, and defeat to happen. When they would turn back to God, He would require of them to Repent. Repentance happens when a person realizes that he/she is going in the wrong direction and turns around to go in the opposite direction. Repentance carries an attitude of brokenness and humility. If hope is lost, it might be because the focus is on worry or on loss and not on God. Repentance is needed.
Recite — The Israelites were told to recite the book of the law and to meditate on it. There is power in the Word of God. It is living and active, as well as being comforting and applicable. I believe that it is important that a person memorizes scripture to be used in times of need.
Refocus — Paul tells the Philippian church to dwell on the things that are good. It takes a great deal of effort to change focus, yet it is an exercise that is worth every bit of the effort.

As I have helped many people find the Hope that is in Christ, these steps have been extremely helpful. I hope that you find them as helpful as I have.

The But Stops Here

January 8, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

These are some excellent thoughts from a blogger I follow. I pray you are challenged as I was by reading this.

The But Stops Here.

I’m De HEAD!!

December 13, 2013 By bwatson Leave a Comment

I’m De’ Head!!

I’ve heard men actually say that in counseling sessions. I’ve had to laugh when someone has said that. I thought for a minute that they would start beating their chest to prove their dominance. I remember reading in a book that if you had to announce your headship, you weren’t the head.

1 Corinthians 11:3 (NASB95)

3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

Ephesians 5:23 (NASB95)

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

These two verses are the two that point to the fact that a man is the head of his wife and therefore is responsible as such. What does it mean for a man to be the head of his wife?

Here are a couple of thoughts about this Biblical principle.

It is a God-given responsibility. It does not say anything about the man being smarter or better than the wife. It is a position that is given based on God’s order and design.
This responsibility has a perfect example as Ephesians 5 says. A man’s example of how to be the head is Jesus Christ. You might be thinking that it is an impossibility to follow that example, so why try? We try because it is what is best for our marriage as well as our relationship with God.
This position can be misused and abused easily. Many men try to dominate their wives which is not leading them. Other men try to pacify their wives, which allows the wives to be the leaders. Both of these are abuses/misuses of the position.

Let’s look at our example and how He interacted with the people He was sent to lead.

Jesus was a servant. The main stories of Jesus serving the disciples is found in John 13. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Understanding the humility of His actions is extremely important. Jesus could have required someone else to do this because he was the master, yet he chose to do it himself. As husbands we must be humble and be willing to serve as it is needed.
Jesus was compassionate. There are several examples of his compassion with people. How he interacted with children, how he spoke with the “woman at the well,” how he was non-judgmental with the woman who anointed his feet with the oil and wiped his feet with her hair are a few of the examples that come to my mind this morning. Husband, are you compassionate with your wife? Do you care about her feelings, wants, and needs?
Jesus was forgiving. On several occasions Jesus told people that their sins were forgiven. I guess the main story of that is found when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery for Jesus to judge. If we are going to be the godly head of our wife, we have to have a forgiving spirit. No one has a perfect wife (mine is close tho) and therefore, we must be willing to forgive.

I could continue to show things about Jesus that we are to follow His example in doing as we lead our wives, but I am not trying to write a book with this blog post.

I want to conclude with what I think is the most important aspect of following Jesus’ example of being the head.

Jesus spent time with The Father. Men if we are going to lead our wives as we are supposed to, our relationship with God must be growing and dynamic. Without spending time with God through prayer and reading His word, we will not know how to follow Jesus’ example and will not be a good head.

When we follow Our Lord’s example, we will NOT have to declare that we are the head. It will be obvious!!

Hearing the Voice of God

October 23, 2013 By bwatson Leave a Comment

I was asked a few days ago by a couple of different people ” how to hear the voice of God.” The Bible says in Hebrews 3:7 (NLT)

⁷That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice,…”

Hearing God’s voice seems to come natural for some people, while others truly struggle with that concept. Dr. Henry Blackaby in his study, Experiencing God, wrote that God spoke in five different ways:

Through the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself, His purposes, and HIs ways.
Through the Bible.
Through Prayer.
Through circumstances.
Through the church and other believers.

This list might not be comprehensive, but it seems to be very accurate. I have heard God’s voice in each one of these ways on different occasions. Sometimes God uses a combinations of each of these.

Why do people not hear God’s voice? The conclusion of the verse quoted above says Hebrews 3:8 (NLT)

⁸don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.

I think the first reason that we do not hear God’s voice is that we have hardened our hearts toward God. We would rather rebel against God’s Word than be obedient to God’s Word. It seems to be easier to do things our own way than to look to God to find His way.

A second reason is that our lives are cluttered with a lot of “noise.” What do I mean by noise? I mean the cares of this world along with the hustle and bustle of life. We get consumed with what is going on at work, at home, or in our social circles that we cannot hear the still small voice of God. When Elijah needed to hear from God, God showed him several major events but He was not in any of them. Then the Bible says that Elijah “heard a gentle whisper” which the word means total silence. We have to be quiet before the Lord to hear Him. That is very difficult for us to do in 2013 as we have so many things that occupy our thoughts and our lives.

Do you want to hear God’s voice? In order to do so, we must be willing to be obedient to God’s Word. In order to be obedient to God’s Word, wemust spend time reading it. Secondly, we must be willing to be quiet and get rid of the noise around us. Are we willing to turn off the social media, TV, radio, along with any other distractions that prevent us from hearing? When we get serious about hearing from God, He will speak to us.

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