Truths About Priorities
From Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. . .
Taken from the chapter entitled "Lies Women Believe About Priorities". . .
"The essence of Satan's deception is that we can live our lives independently of God. . .If he can get us to try to "live the Christian life" without cultivating an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, he knows we will be spiritually impotent and defeated. If he can get us to do a great many things "for God" without consciously seeking the will of God through His Word and prayer, we may stir up a lot of religious dust, but we won't do Satan's kingdom any real damage. If he can get us to operate on our own thoughts and ideas, rather than seeking the wisdom that comes from God, he knows we will eventually get sucked into the world's destructive way of thinking." (pp. 121-122)
"Apart from abiding in Him - living in constant, conscious union with and dependence on Him - I cannot do anything of spiritual or eternal value. Oh, I can create a lot of activity, I can make a lot of decisions, but I will end up having nothing of real value to show for my life. . . It is impossible for me to be the woman He wants me to be apart from my spending consistent time cultivating a relationship with Him in the Word and prayer" (p. 124)
"Women have been liberated right out of the genuine freedom they enjoyed for centuries to oversee the home, rear the children, and pursue personal creativity; they have been brainwashed to believe that the absence of a titled, payroll occupation enslaves a woman to failure, boredom, and imprisonment within the confines of the home." -Dr. Dorothy Patterson (pp. 124-125 in LWB)
"In determining our priorities as Christian women, we must first ask: Why did God make women? What is His purpose and mission for our lives? The Word of God provides women of every generation and culture with the Truth about our created purpose and primary role and calling. When we embrace the Truth and establish our priorities and schedules around it, we experience true liberation." (p. 126)
Many families have "chosen for the mother to stay at home with the children. No, it's not easy; they don't have a lot of material things many people consider necessities today. Yes, they make sacrifices - in a sense; but the sacrifices pale beside what they are gaining in exchange. In virtually every case,
*these families are content and have joy;
*they have a better sense about values and the things that really matter than do many two-income families;
*they have learned how to pray and depend on God for everything from 'daily bread' to college tuition;
*the parents know where their children are and are able to monitor and direct their activities;
*the parents and children have close, loving relationships with each other;
*they are actively involved in serving others in practical ways that many families don't have time (or energy) to do when both parents are working outside the home.
Now tell me - who is really sacrificing?" (p. 128)
"In a fallen world, I realize there are some situations where the 'ideal' may not be possible. However, realities such as the prevalence of divorce and single moms should not make us throw out the ideal. It should make us more conscious of the desirability of God's way. We must resist caving in to the culture." (p. 129)
"It is true that many 'perfect jobs' may come and go during the child-rearing years, but only one will absolutely never come along again - the job of rearing your own children and allowing them the increasingly rare opportunity to grow up at home." -Dorothy Patterson (p. 129 in LWB)
"'Life: What a Beautiful Choice. These women have chosen life by bearing children (something only a woman can do, I might add); and they are choosing life every day. . .
*with every meal they prepare;
*with every load of dirty clothes they wash;
*with every trip they make to the grocery store, to school, to the dentist, to piano lessons, to soccer practice, or to the shoe store;
*with every scraped knee they bandage;
*with every encouraging word they speak;
*with every night hour they spend rocking a sick or scared child;
*with every dispute they arbitrate;
*with every moment they spend building Legos, coloring, helping with math problems, reading a Bible story, or listening to a husband or child describe his day;
*with every moment they spend interceding for the spiritual growth and protection of their family.
Day in and day out, they are building a home; they are being life-givers; they are laying a foundation and building a memorial that will outlive them for generations to come; they are honoring their Creator in the greatest possible way." (pp. 130-131)
Taken from the chapter entitled "Lies Women Believe About Priorities". . .
"The essence of Satan's deception is that we can live our lives independently of God. . .If he can get us to try to "live the Christian life" without cultivating an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, he knows we will be spiritually impotent and defeated. If he can get us to do a great many things "for God" without consciously seeking the will of God through His Word and prayer, we may stir up a lot of religious dust, but we won't do Satan's kingdom any real damage. If he can get us to operate on our own thoughts and ideas, rather than seeking the wisdom that comes from God, he knows we will eventually get sucked into the world's destructive way of thinking." (pp. 121-122)
"Apart from abiding in Him - living in constant, conscious union with and dependence on Him - I cannot do anything of spiritual or eternal value. Oh, I can create a lot of activity, I can make a lot of decisions, but I will end up having nothing of real value to show for my life. . . It is impossible for me to be the woman He wants me to be apart from my spending consistent time cultivating a relationship with Him in the Word and prayer" (p. 124)
"Women have been liberated right out of the genuine freedom they enjoyed for centuries to oversee the home, rear the children, and pursue personal creativity; they have been brainwashed to believe that the absence of a titled, payroll occupation enslaves a woman to failure, boredom, and imprisonment within the confines of the home." -Dr. Dorothy Patterson (pp. 124-125 in LWB)
"In determining our priorities as Christian women, we must first ask: Why did God make women? What is His purpose and mission for our lives? The Word of God provides women of every generation and culture with the Truth about our created purpose and primary role and calling. When we embrace the Truth and establish our priorities and schedules around it, we experience true liberation." (p. 126)
Many families have "chosen for the mother to stay at home with the children. No, it's not easy; they don't have a lot of material things many people consider necessities today. Yes, they make sacrifices - in a sense; but the sacrifices pale beside what they are gaining in exchange. In virtually every case,
*these families are content and have joy;
*they have a better sense about values and the things that really matter than do many two-income families;
*they have learned how to pray and depend on God for everything from 'daily bread' to college tuition;
*the parents know where their children are and are able to monitor and direct their activities;
*the parents and children have close, loving relationships with each other;
*they are actively involved in serving others in practical ways that many families don't have time (or energy) to do when both parents are working outside the home.
Now tell me - who is really sacrificing?" (p. 128)
"In a fallen world, I realize there are some situations where the 'ideal' may not be possible. However, realities such as the prevalence of divorce and single moms should not make us throw out the ideal. It should make us more conscious of the desirability of God's way. We must resist caving in to the culture." (p. 129)
"It is true that many 'perfect jobs' may come and go during the child-rearing years, but only one will absolutely never come along again - the job of rearing your own children and allowing them the increasingly rare opportunity to grow up at home." -Dorothy Patterson (p. 129 in LWB)
"'Life: What a Beautiful Choice. These women have chosen life by bearing children (something only a woman can do, I might add); and they are choosing life every day. . .
*with every meal they prepare;
*with every load of dirty clothes they wash;
*with every trip they make to the grocery store, to school, to the dentist, to piano lessons, to soccer practice, or to the shoe store;
*with every scraped knee they bandage;
*with every encouraging word they speak;
*with every night hour they spend rocking a sick or scared child;
*with every dispute they arbitrate;
*with every moment they spend building Legos, coloring, helping with math problems, reading a Bible story, or listening to a husband or child describe his day;
*with every moment they spend interceding for the spiritual growth and protection of their family.
Day in and day out, they are building a home; they are being life-givers; they are laying a foundation and building a memorial that will outlive them for generations to come; they are honoring their Creator in the greatest possible way." (pp. 130-131)
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