Facing Your Giants

You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. (1 Sam 17:45-46 NIV)

David sees what others don't and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David's, fall on the brutal, hate-breathing hulk. All compasses, sans David's, are set on the polestar of the Philistine. All journals, but David's, describe day after day in the land of the Neanderthal. The people know his taunts, demands, size, and strut. They have majored in Goliath.

David sees the armies of God. And because he does, David hurries and runs toward the army to meet the Philistine (17:48).

You might say that David knew how to get a head of his giant.

When was the last time you did the same? How long since you ran toward your challenge? We tend to retreat, duck behind a desk of work or crawl into a nightclub of distraction or a bed of forbidden love. For a moment, a day, or a year, we feel safe, insulated, anesthetized, but then the work runs out, the liquor wears off, or the lover leaves, and we hear Goliath again. Booming. Bombastic.

Answer Envy

Karen Ehman

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

Devotion:

Do you ever envy God's answers to someone else's prayers?

I remember almost choking on the words, "I am so happy for you!" in response to the breaking news that friends of ours from North Carolina had sold their house after it had been on the market for twenty days.

To them it had been a long twenty days. Houses were normally snatched up quickly in their area. In our shaky Michigan economy, however, it takes a bit longer. In fact, on the day she announced that her home now had a "sold" sign in the front yard, we turned another page on our calendar — marking how long our house had been for sale. Not twenty days, but twenty months to be exact.

Although I was genuinely thrilled for my friend, I was also a tad green with jealousy.

Silver and Gold

A few months ago a reader wrote to tell me how devastated she’d been by the breakup of her marriage. One day her husband simply told her he no longer loved her and wasn’t interested in working things out. The marriage was ended.

At times her pain was physical. She felt as though she were having a heart attack. But through the pain and chaos, she refused to doubt God, telling him she knew he was faithful and good. During the months that followed, this heartbroken woman kept seeking him, yielding her life again and again.
Now a year later, after living through what she describes as the darkest time of her life, she speaks about healing and a new freedom to love God that she never imagined possible. Her hope is palpable as she tells of her confidence that the best is yet to come.

TRAPPED IN THE TIDE POOLS OF LIFE

by dianegates

The morning was bright, the tide low, and a gentle breeze stirred along the shoreline. Gulls strutted the water’s edge and my heart soared as patterns of foam danced up the sand while pelicans glided just above the sunlit waves.

I splashed through the pools of salt-water left along the beach from the receding tide. Some were slim and shallow. Others wide and deep. Various shapes and sizes. Each one cut off from the ocean, left to evaporate as the sun rose and the tide shrunk back to the sea.

A glance ahead revealed two shapes lying just inside the ridges of the next tidal pool—starfish—trapped from their retreat along the ocean’s floor. Their source of existence ebbed with each taunting ripple of the next swell. They would bake in the heat of the rising sun and drying sand.

Does the Bible allow remarriage after divorce?

Mark 10:11–12

Jesus refutes the teaching that a man is “required” to dispense with his wife when he suspects unfaithfulness. Jesus finds such behavior intolerable, saying Moses did not “command” men to divorce wives; he “permitted” it because of the hardness of people’s hearts (see Mk 10:5). The springboard for right action should not be hard-heartedness, but love. Jesus says that only if a woman has done something that irreparably ruptures the marriage can such a divorce be right. But it isn’t a necessary response.

The Five Levels of Intimacy

Written by Barbara Wilson

Does God care about your love life?

First comes love…or sex?

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then here they come with a baby carriage.” You may recognize this little rhythm my generation used to sing to embarrass each other.  Based on today’s culture the rhythm could go: “First comes sex, then comes living together, and the baby carriage could happen anytime or with anybody, as does the sex.”

Casual sex has changed the landscape of relationships and marriage.  Before 1960 most people saved sex for marriage, but now according to a recent survey, most people have sex before marriage. So how has this new trend impacted today’s marriages? First, the divorce rate: prior to 1960 the divorce rate was less than 25%, today it’s closer to 50%. As the rate of promiscuity has risen, so has the divorce rate. But secondly, and what this article will discuss is how casual sex has inhibited our ability to build emotional intimacy into our relationships, and how this emotional deficit is impacting marriages today.

Why Benny Hinn’s Second Wedding Matters More

STEVE STRANG

 

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Benny and Suzanne Hinn were remarried at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla., last Sunday.

I attended Benny and Suzanne Hinn’s first wedding in 1979, so it was an emotional experience to attend their second wedding on Sunday at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla.

I’ve known Suzanne since she was 14 and Benny since he first came to the U.S. from Canada around age 25. I was involved in their courtship when Benny asked me to send Suzanne some flowers to make amends when they broke up once—because I was in Orlando and he was in Canada. (This was before the days of 1-800-Flowers.) I even hosted Benny’s bachelor party in 1979. So I have a unique perspective as a long-time friend of the family.

Over the years, Benny has been on the cover of Charisma twice, including in 1978 when he was largely unknown in the U.S., and I’ve published a couple of his books.

Bonnke, Hayford Call Benny Hinn Remarriage a Miracle

STEVE STRANG

 

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Benny Hinn said nothing until the end when he prayed over Suzanne as the visiting Christian leaders crowded around. (Charisma News)

Evangelist Benny Hinn and his ex-wife Suzanne were remarried on Sunday after being divorced since 2011.

The Hinns’ divorce was widely reported and represented the latest of several high-profile Christian leaders who have recently divorced. Pastor Jack Hayford, Suzanne's father Roy Harthern and evangelist Reinhard Bonnke repeatedly referred to the significance of the Hinns' remarriage, calling it miraculous.

At Issue - Rejection

2 Chronicles 11:13–17

Rejection hurts—when your boss hands you a pink slip, or your husband walks out on you, or a close friend deserts you. 

Rejection makes you doubt your abilities, your worth, your purpose in life. But not all rejection is bad. 

The Levites were rejected by Jeroboam, who wanted to choose his own priests to offer sacrifices to false gods. Painful as the rejection was, it motivated the Levites to move to Jerusalem to serve God there—a change they wouldn’t have made otherwise. 

America's Number One Problem

Our nation suffers from a sickness in its soul.

by Dennis Rainey
As a people, we are healthier, but not happier. We are drenched in knowledge, but parched for wisdom. The most prosperous nation the world has ever known suffers from a sickness in its soul.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the state of the family. The biblical values that built our great nation-once passed on from each generation to the next as a national treasure-are now dismissed. As a result, never before have we seen such deterioration in our homes:

Never before have so many children grown up in broken homes.

Never before have so many new married couples come from homes split by divorce.

Never before have so many new parents begun the journey of being called "Mommy" or "Daddy" with such a fractured picture of family.

Myth: “If I’m a good Christian, then nothing bad will happen to me.”

Genesis 50:20

This isn’t what I asked for, thank you. I want my old life back.

The one where my parents were the perfect couple. Where I was the only one among my friends whose parents were still together. And seemingly still in love.

The one where I was voted most likely to succeed and everyone, right or wrong, envied my life because it seemed so perfect. And I believed it was.

I want to go back to the times when I knew You were involved in my life. The ones where I prayed and You answered. I talked to You, and You listened. The times when I knew You were alive. Loving. And on my side.

I want the life where all I had to do was show up for class, and I got good grades. Name a job opening, and I landed it squarely. Speak my needs, and my husband moved heaven and earth to meet them.

It's Never Too Late For God

Written by Lisa Comes
I know a young couple who went through a really traumatic marriage tragedy. They were even Christians, active in church and the work of the ministry. But the devil began to attack their marriage. 

The husband became discouraged and drifted into sin. He slipped into worldly practices. One thing led to another. Finally, he got involved in adultery. He left home. In spite of his actions, his wife didn't want a divorce.

But he divorced her anyway. So this wife thought, "Well, I'll just go on with my life. I'll try to be happy. I'll do something for God." She was thinking about going to Bible school, traveling and doing things for the Lord. And God saw her heart.

She thought it was too late - it was all over. The devil told her there was nothing in God's Word that pertained to her situation. She didn't know where there was healing for her marriage - wrecked by divorce.

Feasting at God's Table

Written by Carolyn Savelle


It's that time of the year again! People are preparing for festive holiday dinners and get-togethers. The Thanksgiving holiday seems to kick off the chain of seasonal events! The children are busy making out their Christmas lists, the malls are gradually becoming more crowded, decisions are being made about where to spend the holidays, and the bank account is swiftly decreasing.

During all this hussle and bussle, it is very easy to get stressed out, depressed, bombarded, and most of all—sidetracked!

When I say sidetracked, I'm referring to your personal time with God. Most of us are guilty of getting so caught up in our Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday planning that our quality time with God takes a back seat for a while. "There's just not enough time in a day!"

The Scarlet Manifesto: The Rise of the Adulterous Woman

Back when I was in college, there were rules for the female students. We had to wear skirts to meals. Curfew was strict, broken under threat of expulsion -- or worse. Naturally, boys were not allowed into our rooms. These maxims were designed to "protect" us women -- we who were so easily taken advantage of, so at risk of being romantically duped -- not to mention reinforce the idea that we were expected to act in a certain way.

Which was fine. In those days, many girls, and their parents, thought of college as a means to a husband. (So many of my contemporaries who achieved that end are now divorced, some more than once.) Now, although finding a mate at college is still common -- and there are certainly Ivy League graduates who decide to make their lives as mothers and homemakers -- it's no longer what secondary education is about. Away at college, young people live in dorms in which male and female students share common areas, bathrooms, and even, at times, sleeping rooms. Sex is not necessarily part of the equation. And when it is? Well, we are, after all, talking about adults. But the bigger shift is one of perception: If there is any sort of expectation of "propriety," it is imposed on the guys as much as on the girls.

Is Cheating Contagious?

by Dr. Peggy Drexler

After 10 years of marriage and with two children under the age of 6, Sarah and Josh were getting a divorce. The reason: Josh had been having an on-and-off affair with Rae, a longtime friend and colleague, for nearly a year. Sarah, suspecting something was up but not sure what, had finally resorted to checking Josh's email, where her fears were confirmed. She threw him out that night.

Most of their friends were shocked. This, they thought, was so unlike Josh, who'd always presented himself as a thoughtful husband, conscientious boss, and devoted father. He was never cavalier about his friendships, nor was he especially careless or cruel. And yet it was revealed that only months earlier, he'd invited Rae to the holiday party he and Sarah threw in their home, something that in retrospect made most of their friends' stomachs turn--on behalf of Sarah, yes, but also themselves.

The New Face of Infidelity

Dr. Peggy Drexler


Research shows women may be cheating now almost as much as men. What are the tolls of new temptations?

Some 60 years ago, Alfred Kinsey delivered a shock to mid century sexual sensibilities when he reported that at some point in their marriages, half of the men and a quarter of the women in the U.S. had an extramarital affair. No one puts much stock in Dr. Kinsey's high numbers any more -- his sampling methods suffered from a raging case of selection bias -- but his results fit the long-standing assumption that men are much more likely to cheat than women.

A Letter To My Friend Whose Husband Is Cheating

Dear Charm,

I don’t know if you are a Christian, so I don’t think you will understand my perspective, but I thought you might appreciate it anyway because I know you are lost and hurting and you have a big decision to make and your mind is overwhelmed from shock and denial now. Let me just say, that you don’t have to make a decision at all right away, this is huge and it will effect so many people, you have the right to take as long as you want to make this decision, there is no rush, you can even take a year or two to make it if you want. For now, I advise you to wait and don’t decide. The main reason I’m saying that is because your brain is not working correctly, it is under a lot of stress, grief and shock and that is not the best situation to make a decision like divorce.

Naked for Christ? Christian Nudism

Anonymous
Guest Author
We get occasional questions about or from "Christian nudists." We think the Bible is clear that nudity is to be limited to the marriage relationship, but since no single verse says this it's not always easy to "prove" this point. The following was received from a gentleman who spent two years involved in "Christian naturism" several years ago. Having "been there" and "done that" the individual can speak to the issue more directly than we can, and he makes a strong case against nudism for Christians. The author, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he wanted to help others "so they don't make the same foolish choice I did."

If Shared Housework Brings About Divorce, You Need To Pick Better

by Laura Donovan

If you’re a lifelong clean freak like me, you believe that your living space can never remain immaculate for too long — and that you prefer to clean things your way. That could help explain the fact that couples who share housework are more likely to split up, according to new research, and prompt partners to only have one person fulfill such duties.

The research, which was compiled into a study titled “Equality in the Home,” reveals that the divorce rate is higher among couples who divide household chores than among those where the lady takes care of pretty much everything.

Finding Healing After Divorce

Living the Dream 

“You’re supposed to have Pine Sol here. Is that so hard?” Running a home seemed like a piece of cake. After all, many young girls dreamed of just that: a perfect husband, loving children, and a peaceful home to run — a happy every after fairy tale.