In review, we have seen in two previous articles (here and here) that God is the least source of our problems; Satan is the second least source.       This flies in the face of those who ask, in the face of problems and difficulties, “Why did God let this happen to me”       The response to this accusation against God is that He is the solution:  Christ is the answer.       Blaming Satan by saying, “The Devil made me do it,” is easily denied by James 4:7:  “Submit yourselves therefor to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from thee.” Read More

      You may recognize this as the title of a book written by Hal Lindsay in 1977. It is. But the same arena is alive today as then – in fact ever since we were introduced to Satan in Genesis 3:1:        “Now the serpent was more subtle than   any beast of the field which the Lord     God had made. And he (the serpent) said      unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye      shall not eat of every tree of the      garden”       Since Satan cannot be overlook as a potential source of problems, let’s look at the impact of this brief introduction to the most devious force known to mankind. Read More

We will never be without problems yet we need never be without a solution.       Shakespeare said it this way:  “Sorrows (problems) come not single spies, but in battalions.” Another truism attests:  The harder I try the behinder I get. And a still familiar lament from a past television series puts these words to verse:  “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”       Needless to say, perhaps we have all been there at one time or another; but we need never be without a solution.       All problems come from one of four sources. We will look at these over the next several sessions because knowing the source of the problem will point us to the solution. Read More

      During the next six lessons we will look at the detail supporting these Biblical Ground Rules. We will begin with a brief review of the following: If we cannot agree we will not be disagreeable.       Granted, this is sometimes easier said than done. We should expect a man and a woman to bring different perspectives into a marriage relationship. To be different is not necessarily to be wrong. Different can mean to be better.       A husband’s perspective combined with his wife’s perspective can ultimately become their perspective. Genesis 2:24 re-enforces this conclusion:  “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” That is to imply to be of one perspective. Read More

      The Number-one reason married couples come to New Hope Counseling Service simply stated is:  “We have a breakdown in communication.”       Unless you are out of touch with the community around you, it is a known that the break down in the family structure has reached epidemic proportions.       Although not playing the blame game through the following reminder, Scripture is clear that the husband/father is the Spiritual leader in the family structure. He, of course, is to be supported fully by his wife the mother of their children. Often times she is the primary parent exercising direct supervision over the children.    Read More

      Without a doubt, today perhaps more so than ever, the family unit is under severe attack. The Christian family, in particular, is under attack at times by so-called religious- based groups who ignore God’s plan for the family.       The foundation of the family, as Christians know it to be, was laid in the Garden of Eden. We learn this from Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh.”       Dr. Ed Wheat in his book, Love Life:  For Every Married Couple, says, “These twenty-two words sum up God’s entire teaching on marriage. All else that is said emphasizes or amplifies these three fundamental principles originated here, but never changes them in the slightest.” Read More

      Today "submission" is often viewed as a curse word making the following biblical principle difficult to grasp.       Why The hurdles to understanding are due to a misapplication of definitions, usage and context.       This biblical principle, or tool, states: Submission If you submit, God is in control.If you resist, others are in control.       Note:  The words wife and husband do not appear in this biblical principle. Read More

      A continuing theme in this series has been:  An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure.       This lesson logically follows that which was taught regarding a breakdown in communication in any relationship but here specifically in marriages.       When a couple reaches a point in communicating where they say literally or figuratively I don’t, can’t or won’t they must return to a point where they can say “I do.”       We couple this time-tested truth with the following question:  What Christian would abuse another when practicing the Word of God The answer is obvious. Read More

Recently we have been looking into several aspects of communication breakdown that is the Number One reason people come to New Hope for instruction and counseling.       What do we, as a counseling ministry, when two people who once said, “I do,” now say:  I don’t, I can’t or I won’t       Before embarking on the mechanics of the solution two parties at odds with each other need to examine their commitment to healing the here-to-fore unresolved issue(s).       To help them arrive at their individual level of commitment to their marriage we give them a piece of paper on which is written four words in this configuration Read More

       This is a calculated approach that must have total commitment in order for it to succeed.       Although the word calculate doesn’t appear in the KJV of the Bible the principle is taught plainly by Jesus as recorded in Luke 14:28:       “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth (Greek:  psephizo:  generally, to compute) the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it” Read More