Author: myspiritualjourney

This scripture is long but a necessary read. Sometimes you just have to tell the truth, even when it goes against popular belief. This morning in my prayers I asked the Lord, if He listened to & answered the prayers of people who are not living in His will. Through 1 of my devotionals, I was giving this scripture. He answered me pretty loud & clear, this morning. 1 out of 401 told the king the truth & Ahab listened to the masses instead of to the 1. The truth is ugly sometimes but it is the truth. The truth can not be denied.

“Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.” But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied. So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ” All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.” The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.” When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.” The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ “ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “ ‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.” Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked. Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.” The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ ” Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him. But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.”

2 Chronicles 18:1-34 NIV https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2ch.18.1-34.niv

I am watching Girls Incarcerated: Young And Locked Up on Netflix. This show makes me cry. These young girls are behaving like adults but most of them are not old enough to be in high school. Our youth are walking around carrying so much anger inside of them. So many of them feel like their parents have let them down. However, I believe their parents are probably walking around with just as much anger inside of them. Most of these parents possibly are carrying around the same baggage as their children are carrying.

I believe generational curses are real. I believe we can pass down our good and bad traits to our children. What are we doing to help our kids do better than we are emotionally? How are we helping them heal now from their childhood hurts and pains that we know they suffer from?

I saw a FB post yesterday, it asked, would you join your mate’s church to make them happy? Most of the ladies answered, “No.” Part of me wondered, if they really thought about their answer or just gave a quick “no.” I believe a couple should have this discussion before they are married. To me, this decision is more important than any financial issues. Your church home is where you are spiritually feed, worship the Lord & build a foundation for your spiritual life and family. I believe there should be unity in this area. I stand by the fact that couples should be equally yoked spiritually. It balances the relationship when you can praise, worship, fellowship & learn the word with your spouse.

When Charles & I started dating we were attending different churches. Once we knew that we would get married, we discussed our church situation. At the beginning we tried to alternate the church we would visit each week. This become very hard to do because the pastors would preach a series of sermons and we would miss a part of the message. Our churches were different in a few ways. My church was Church of God & his was Non-Denomination. My church was a medium size church. His looked like a concert hall. I felt like it was no way that his large church could feel like a home. My pastors, elders and leaders knew everyone’s name at Community. It was a close knit family. I didn’t feel that at his church. It was all so different and overwhelming. I really wanted to run back to my church, even if it was by myself. So I understand the ladies hesitation to joining their mate’s church.

I prayed about it & I felt like God was telling me to follow my husband’s lead. I was also hearing from the elders of Community Church of God, that joining my husband’s church was the right thing to do. It would create unity in our marriage & strengthen the foundation of our blended family. I finally decided to join his church because it felt like the right fit for our family. I feel like I am not just being obedient to Jesus but I am also being obedient to my husband as well. (Ladies, we can have a discussion about the dreaded “O” word later.) Charles wanted us to attend the same church. Our children were forming friendships at church. The bouncing back and forth was confusing them. Attending 2 churches was just too difficult for our family.

It has now been over 2 years since I joined Victory. Once I gave our church a chance, I know it was the right decision for my entire family. I look at my husband and he is happy that we are members of the same church. I am happy, also. Pastor Dennis doesn’t know me by name but I have been able to speak to him and he has advised me on very important issues concerning my family. I do feel a sense of family at Victory World Church. I have connected with people and made friendships that I really need in my life. The resources for marriages and raising a blended family at church are amazing. The most important factor is that I feel the Holy Spirit in that huge building. My family is getting fed a thought provoking, Bible based good word. Charles and I are equally yoked, even when we backslide, we do it together. ☺️

What worked for my marriage & family may not work for yours but the most important part of what I am saying is HAVE THE DISCUSSION. Please don’t just give a final, line in the sand answer of “no.”

Worshiping with your spouse is like nothing else you can ever experience. When you are both being moved by the Holy Spirit and acknowledging the power of Jesus Christ, TOGETHER, that feeling cannot be beat. Plus, it gives you a good start to have conversations together. You can talk about your experiences during worship and what you learned from the message. Church is more than the building. It is more than a Sunday visit or in our case a Saturday visit to a gathering. It should be the catalyst to intensify your relationship with the Lord. Shouldn’t you share that experience with the most important human in your life, your spouse?

Love Ya

Shelley Wesley