I am mobile!

I have figured out how to do blogger mobile, so yay! Now I just need tiny hands... Haha!

I leave you with a quote from Winston Churchill:

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm"

Live above the circumstances because God is good regardless.

Until next time, all for His glory, amen!

Biblical Predestination

This article is courtesy of Bible Truths.net.

Predestination, a Horrible Decree or God's Omniscience?

There is usually much mysticism experienced when man discusses the subject of predestination. There are admittedly many nuances and various types of predestination taught by man. To address every flavor of predestination advanced by the various religions would be beyond the space limitations of this material. Therefore, I shall focus on the core issues of predestination.

Many have charged God with being a respecter of persons based on their understanding of predestination. However, the Bible plainly asserts and affirms God is no respecter of persons. "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said," we are told, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10: 34, see also Rom. 2: 6-11, Eph. 6: 9, Col. 3: 25, Jas. 2: 1). Any doctrine, then, that places God in a position of being an arbitrary respecter of persons is patently false. Not only did Peter declare that God is no respecter of persons, but he proceeds to unmistakably show those whom God accepts. "But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Some confuse and equate Divine foreknowledge and foreordination:

"(1) Calvin's definition. Reprobation was, for Calvin, involved in election, and Divine foreknowledge and foreordination were taken to be identical. Calvin's mode of defining predestination was as the eternal degree of God, by which He has decided with Himself what is to become of each and every individual. For all, he maintains, are not created in like condition; but eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal condemnation for others. Calvin confesses that this is a 'horrible decree…'" (The International Standard Bible Enclyclopaedia, vol. 4, pg. 2436).

However, God can know a matter before hand without predetermining the matter to the point that the people (in this case) are excluded, as far as their will and participation are concerned (see more later). Some religionists, nonetheless, maintain such a radical view of predestination that in stressing the sovereignty of God, they have totally eliminated the will and role of man.

Our English word "predestinate" is from the Greek proonzo. "Pro, beforehand," W.E. Vine comments, "and honzo, denotes to mark out beforehand..., foreordain...." Indeed, predestination is a biblical subject: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son..." (Rom. 8: 29). Again, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will…" (Eph. 1: 4, 5).

Predestination as taught in the Bible. The scriptures teach the foreknowledge of God. God is able to "declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things are not yet done..." (Isa. 46: 10). Since God's scheme of redemption was planned from the original creation, it is obvious that God knew Adam and Eve would sin, etc. (I Pet. 1: 20, Eph. 1: 4,5, cf. Matt. 25: 34, Rev. 13: 8, 17: 8). Even though God knew Adam and Eve would sin, he did not force or program them to sin. As free moral agents, Adam and Eve elected to commit sin (Gen. 3). Man's will is involved in his salvation, not God's irresistible coercion (Jn. 3: 16, Matt. 11: 28-30). Nonetheless, God knew some would accept before they accepted (Acts 18: 9-11). Hence, some were "ordained to eternal life" because God knew they would obey the gospel when they heard it (Acts 13: 48, cp. Rom. 10: 16).

Predestination as taught by man. "God hath decreed in himself from all eternity by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely and unchangeable, all things whatsoever come to pass," writes man (Philadelphia Confession of Faith, ch. 6, para. 2-4). Calvinism teaches that man is so depraved that he cannot accept God's grace without a special, irresistible working of the Holy Spirit, independent of man's will. It is often in this vein that man teaches that God decided who would be saved and who would be lost before creation and that this decree was arbitrary on God's part (not involving man). Hear John Calvin:

"In conformity, therefore, to the clear doctrine of the Scripture, we assert, that by an eternal and immutable counsel, God has once for all determined, both whom he would admit to salvation, and whom he would condemn to destruction. We affirm that this counsel, as far as concerns the elect, is founded on his gratuitous mercy, totally irrespective of human merit; but that to those whom he devotes to condemnation, the gate of life is closed by a just and irreprehensible, but incomprehensible, judgment. In the elect, we consider calling as an evidence of election, and justification as another token of its manifestation, till they arrive in glory, which constitutes its completion. As God seals his elect by vocation and justification, so by excluding the reprobate from the knowledge of his name and the sanctification of his Spirit, he affords an indication of the judgement that awaits them." (Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated by John Allen.)

There have been many religious discussions relative to the role of God and man in man's salvation. It seems man is determined to pervert God's simple plan for man's salvation in either teaching man earns his salvation (God's grace not needed) or in asserting salvation is all of God (man's obedience not involved). The scriptures consistently teach and exemplify both God and man's part in the salvation of man. Man must believe, repent, confess Christ's deity, and be baptized in order to be saved. Since man is not sinless, God provides the necessary grace whereby obedient man can be saved. However, God's grace is not "grace alone," as the Calvinists contends (see addendum).

One early debate involving the matter of predestination was conducted between Augustine of Hippo and Pelagius. In fact, Augustine originally taught John Calvin's five-point system of predestination. Augustine taught that man has nothing to do with his own salvation. Man has inherited the totally depraved nature of Adam and Eve to the point they are spiritually incapable of availing themselves of God's grace, he further contended. As a result of the depraved Adamic nature being inherited, babies are born in sin and with a sinful nature. Augustine argued that the only way any are saved is by God intervening and choosing some whom he calls his elect to be saved. This choosing is totally arbitrary and independent of those chosen. Those thus chosen, cannot ever be lost or fall from grace. To the converse, those not arbitrarily chosen before the foundation of the world to everlasting life are irrevocably doomed to hell, having absolutely no hope of salvation, regardless of what they do or do not do. Such a doctrine as formulated by Augustine constitutes true "Calvinism" today.

Pelagius, on the other hand, taught that each man is created free just as Adam was and that each man must choose whether he will serve God or the devil. All men, contended Pelagius, are not sinners because Adam sinned, but because each man himself has violated God's law. Pelagius argued that when God extended the plan of salvation, it is for all who will obey, not just a few whom God arbitrarily chose, totally independently of themselves. Each man may cooperate with God and be saved through his faith and obedience to God's will.

It is tragic that most who "ruled" on the results of the debate at the ecumenical Council of Ephesus (AD 431), favored the views of Augustine. It is equally sad that many continue to embrace the godless doctrine of Augustine today under the name of Calvinism.

God is a God of love and ultimate equity. God's grace that brings salvation is accessible to all (Tit. 2: 11-14). God's elect are those who appropriate God's grace in simple submission to his will. Election is begun, continued, and climaxed in man exercising his free moral agency and choosing to accept God's extension of his grace (I Pet. 1: 2; I Thes. 1: 4-8; 2 Pet. 1: 5-11).

In closing, biblical predestination is proof of God's omniscience. Furthermore, biblical prophecy is predicated on God's foreknowledge and predestination (a marking out beforehand). Moreover, the fact that God knew that only a few would accept his Son is also indicative of God's love in sending his Son. "The few" who will be saved are not a group whom God arbitrarily and totally without any participation on their part, choose to be saved, but those who "enter in at the strait gate" and follow "the narrow way" (Matt. 7: 13, 14).

Addendum: The Christian stands in grace (1 Pet. 5: 12), grows in grace (2 Pet. 3: 18), and is to be strong in grace (2 Tim. 2: 1). Grace (charis) is God's favor. We are called by grace (Gal. 1: 15), justified by grace (Tit. 3: 7), and we are established by grace (Heb. 13: 9). The Bible also says we are saved by grace (Eph. 2: 5, 8). However, are we saved by grace alone? Beloved, Paul said God's grace "brings salvation", but he also affirmed God's grace "hath appeared to all men" (Tit. 2: 11). God has certainly done his job in universally extending grace. If it were just a matter of salvation by grace alone, all would be saved. However, only a few shall be saved (Matt. 7: 13-14). Hence, there is more involved than grace alone! Man must appropriate God's grace. It is true grace is a gift from God, man cannot earn it (cf. Rom. 11: 6, Eph. 2: 8-10). Some confuse earning and accepting. Man can and does receive God's grace in vain (2 Cor. 6: 1). Christians can also "fall from grace" (Gal. 5:4). In the wonderful text of Ephesians two, we have two elements, grace and faith, and two players, if you will: God and man. Paul wrote, "For by grace are ye saved through faith..." (vs. 8). Grace emanated from God, but faith is man's responsibility. No, grace alone does not save. Man seems determined to attach "alone" to grace, belief, and baptism. Man has participation in his salvation - from the beginning (accepting grace) to the end (continuing in grace, Acts 13: 43). Grace reigns through righteousness, man's humble obedience (Rom. 5:21).

Definition of "Quiverfull" parents

Definition of "Quiverfull" parents - In full submission to the Father in matters of the womb and fertility, and trusting the Father with the decision of family size and reject the worldly application andusage of anything to take the decision of conception timingout of God's sovereign and holy hands in order to place it within the fallible control of mankind.


~Obviously this excludes any hormonal or mechanical method of birth control, but what about condoms and diaphragms: are those okay?No

~Okay, so how about natural family planning? Basal Body Temps, CMC, and Ovulation Calenders: are they permitted? No

~Why not?Simple. Anything that in any way renders control away from our sovereign and holy God is disobedience to God's command of full and complete surrender and submission, is a product of a lack of faith and trust in the Creator of the universe and in His promise ofprovision to those who faithfully submit to His will, and is a sin because of the aforementioned attributes.

~*~In response to the following excerpt from the blog of a good Christian woman~*~

"The thought of "opening your womb" to God is a beautiful one. But you read stories of poor traumatized women who have birthed child after child with no regard to their own health, their children's health, space in the home, sanitary conditions, having enough food, etc. because they think that is what they have to do to be a good Christian woman. 

I don't think God ever intended us to slowly kill ourselves. I think opening your womb to God is not necessarily just having unprotected sex all the time and assuming that God will ONLY let you get pregnant if it is his will."

This is a very typical response that many Christian couples use to defend their choice to take the control of conception timing into their own hands by the use of birth control; be it chemical, hormonal, mechanical, or topical birth control. In focusing on the last sentence, I have to say that there is no assumption that God will only let a woman get pregnant if it is His will. It is absolute TRUTH that God will not allow conception if it is not His will. 
We know that GOD is the creator of life, and is, therefore, in complete control of the timing of conception:

"And the Lord formed from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7

"To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children: and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Genesis 3:16

"Eve said, "I have gotten a man from the Lord." Genesis 4:1

"And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: 'For God,' said [Eve], 'hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.'" Genesis 4:25

"And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir." Genesis 15:3

"And the angel of the LORD said unto [Hagar], I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude." Genesis 16:10

"I will bless her and surely give you a son by her.I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." Genesis 17:16

"And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee [Abraham]: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." Genesis 17:20

"And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him." Genesis 21:1-2

"And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived." Genesis 25:21

"And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren." Genesis 29:31

"And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, 'Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.' And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, 'Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also': and she called his name Simeon." Genesis 29:32-33

"And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan." Genesis 30:6

"And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son." Genesis 30:17

"And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, 'God hath taken away my reproach." Genesis 30:22-23

"And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude." Genesis 32:12

"And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the woman and the children, and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given to thy servant." Genesis 33:5

"And the name of the second called [Joseph] Ephraim: 'For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.'" Genesis 41:52

"And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, to me, I and I will bless them." Genesis 48:9

"Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless the with blessigns of heaven above, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:" Genesis 49:25

~We also know that GOD Himself not only opens the womb, but also induces bareness, according to His will, and bareness is understood as a curse in the Bible teachings:

"And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir." Genesis 15:3

"And Sarai said to Abram, Behold, now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing; I pray thee go to my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai" Genesis 16:2

"For the Lord had made barren all the females of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife." Genesis 20:18

"And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived." Genesis 25:21

"And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren." Genesis 29:31

"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I die.' And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, 'Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'" Genesis 30:1-2

"And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, 'God hath taken away my reproach." Genesis 30:22-23

"And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfill." Exodus 23:25-26

~We know from the story of Onan that spermicides, barrier methods (condoms, sponges, and diaphragms), and the practice of withdrawal are condemned.

"And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also." Genesis 38:9-10

*It is interesting to note that, taken into consideration the history of the time of Onan, he could have denied having relations with her and been still in good, honorable standing. Instead he selfishly chose to enjoy the pleasure of the act of sex, but deny the seed of conception. He was killed for his selfish choice. Since the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, I daresay that He would not make such an example of anyone today, but the implications of such an action will still unveil themselves in other spiritual and physical ways.

Also, on Abortion and Abortifacients (surgical abortion, herbal abortion, and chemical abortion, including the popular contraceptives- the intrauterine device or I.U.D., the birth control pill, Norplant, and the Depo-Provera shot), It is plain and blatent:

"Thou shalt not kill." Exodus 20:13

~*~ The "Quiverfull" lifestyle is exactly as described in the beginning of this exposition, an act of submission.Faith is living without scheming.

YES! This means that it isn't up to us to do anything other than what God intended!

God created Marriage as an institution against sin, a representation of Christ's relationship with His church, and as a means of reproduction.

*To defer sin:

"Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." 1 Corinthians 7:5YES! This means that the only time we are to avoid having sexual relations with our spouse is in order to devote ourselves to prayer. After we pray, we are to then come together and experience that holy union so that we are not given to temptation! Note that it does not say that it is okay to deny ourselves or our spouse the physical and spiritual benefit of the marriage union so that we do not have children. So, yes, natural family planning is out the window as well.

Thus, I leave you with a decision to make. There are two choices:

#1 - TRUST the Lord our God with your life, your family, and your womb, as He commands.

~or~

#2 - Keep relying on worldly methods of pregnancy prevention to do just that untilyou think you are ready, and, therefore, reject the soverignity of God, which is rejection of God wholly.

God never calls us to lean on our own understanding, but rather HIS!"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6~How do we do this? By letting go of all understanding, and letting God, who's will trancends all earthly understanding, take control of your life, your family, and your womb. He can and will do this with a willing commitment to just stop the worldly scheming and control battle, and let Him work His blessings in your life. 

~Didn't God give us freedom of choice and "common sense" to know when we should have children and when we should wait? NO! Good gracious no! God gave us "common sense" so that we could rightly, if used in submission to His will, distinguish between good and evil. God gave us free will so we could CHOOSE to love either Him or the world, and CHOOSE to do things either His way or the world's way.~So, what do I do now? Pray. Open your heart, your mind, your soul, and your will to conform to His. This means leaving all means of manipulation behind and just letting God be God! Seek the encouragement of others walking the same road of trust and faith.

Protect Your Womb!

Let's see what God says about our womb in His wonderful Word, which is called the "Wisdom of God." (Luke 11:49) I like that name, don't you? We can find God's wisdom relating to every matter in His Word, even in such feminine matters as the womb and breasts.

1.         IT IS OUR DISTINGUISHING IDENTITY.

Genesis 2:21-24. "The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.

The Hebrew word for man is 'ish'

The Hebrew word for woman is 'ish shah'

Webster's 1928 dictionary explains that the word 'woman' is a combination of the words, 'womb' and 'man.' Woman therefore means 'womb man' or 'man with a womb.' When God created woman, he put within her a womb. The womb is God's beautiful gift to women. In fact, God designed our whole reproductive cycle especially for us. Because it is His design and purpose for us, we should embrace it with all our hearts.

We should not resist it. We should embrace every part of our reproductive system - menstruation, ovulation, conception, gestation, parturition and lactation. God was preparing you for motherhood even in your mother's womb. By the time you were born you had over a million eggs, prepared and waiting for your destiny of motherhood.

We should not reject the way God created us. Romans 9:19,20 says, "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

We must positively seek to protect our womb. There is an unprecedented attack against the wombs of women today, which is inspired by the enemy. We must be aware of his tactics. In fact, this war began at the very beginning of time when God said there would be hostility and enmity between Satan and the woman.

Genesis 3:15 says, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

The word, “enmity” is 'eyvah' in the Hebrew.

It is a very strong word meaning, ‘hostility, hate, friction, and animosity.’

One translation says, "There will be war!"

Satan hates the womb. He knew that through the womb of a woman would come the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, who would destroy his head. He knows it is through the womb of the woman that the 'godly seed' still comes to destroy his works. Satan comes to "steal, kill and destroy." His attack is upon the womb through a number of areas:

1.   Abortion where human beings, created in the image of God in the secret place of the womb, are cruelly torn apart limb by limb or slowly burned alive.

2.   The Pill and IUD. Did you know that both the Pill and the IUD are abortifacients? Did you know that more babies are killed in the womb through the IUD and the Pill than even the holocaust of abortion? Your doctor doesn't tell you this. Your pastor or minister doesn't tell you this. Thus, many God-fearing people are ignorantly aborting their own babies. The womb, which is a sanctuary to nurture and protect life, has become an extermination camp. Satan is having a heyday! For more detailed information on this matter see companion manual, "God's Vision for Families."

3.   Permanent contraception such as Tubal ligations where the barren womb is denied the life it was created to nurture. When we decide on permanent contraception such as tubal ligation we are in actuality saying, "God, I don't appreciate the way you made me. You did the wrong thing when you gave me a womb. It doesn't suit my present lifestyle so I will make sure it can't be used." Now, I know that most women don't say those words as they go for a tubal ligation. Most women do it in ignorance, as they have been advised that this is the most convenient way to go. But if we take time to think about it and are really honest, this is the bottom line of what we are doing. The womb never says, "It is enough". Proverbs 30:15,16. God has created the womb to yearn for life. Mothers who are unable to conceive experience the heartache of the truth of this scripture. I am constantly receiving letters from women who have had a tubal ligation, but now a few years later, their wombs are crying out again, and they long for another child. The truth of God's Word is eternal and true. When we go against it, we do so to our own hurt.

4.   Drugs and the curse of sicknesses upon our reproductive organs.

5.   Unnecessary hysterectomies. Nearly 1 million hysterectomies are performed every year in the USA, one every 30 seconds. Only 4.7 per cent of these are necessary surgeries! All others could have been prevented by alternative surgery. Sixty per cent of these operations are performed on women under 44 years, women of childbearing age. Most disorders of the womb can be repaired without a full hysterectomy. Only cancer or emergencies should necessitate such radical surgery. If you are recommended a hysterectomy, please seek a number of other opinions before making your decision. Protect your womb.

6.   Curses. The sins of the parents from past generations can bring a curse upon the womb. It can also come upon us through our own sin or negative confession. We should be careful not to speak negatively about any of our reproductive organs. Guard how you speak about menstruation. When you call it 'the curse' or other negative names, you give an opportunity for the curse of barrenness or other disorders to come to your womb. A curse on the womb can be a failure to menstruate, painful or irregular menstruation, cramps, cysts, tumors, continual miscarriage and inability to conceive - in fact, anything that affects your reproductive organs. Now please don't get me wrong. I am not saying, that if you have one of these disorders that it is because of a curse. There are often other factors involved. But there could be a possibility. If you feel this is the case, you may like to pray this prayer:

"Dear Father, I come to you in Jesus' name. I confess I have not received my womb as a gift from You. I have ignored the power of my womb and my womanly functions. I repent. Please forgive me and cleanse me in Jesus' name.

Lord, I accept my womb as a gift from You. I accept the way You created me. I embrace it. I want to fulfill Your purposes for me as a woman.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I renounce all negative words, even jokingly, that I have spoken about my womb, about menstruation, about pregnancy and about my womanly functions. I renounce any curse that has been placed upon my womb or reproductive organs from my parents, grandparents or great grandparents on both sides of my family.

I ask that You will  now cleanse my womb and cover it with your blessing. I receive your blessing in the name of Jesus. Amen."

7.   Ignorance. Interestingly, as I have talked with mothers about this subject, many of them have  shared with me that ‘ignorance’ has been their biggest problem. “No one has ever informed me!” is their constant cry. The deceiver of our souls has effectively kept us ignorant about the power of our womb. So keep studying....

2.         IT IS LIFE GIVING.

Genesis 3:20 TLB says, "The man named his wife Eve meaning, The Life Giving One!"

Eve in Hebrew is 'Chavvah' meaning, 'Life Giver!" Eve was the prototype of all women - the first of her kind. She was a life giver. We also are life givers! We have the privilege of conceiving, nurturing and bringing forth a miracle of life from within our womb. Eve certainly obeyed God's command to "be fruitful and multiply."

Hebrew tradition says that Eve gave birth to hundreds of children! Wow, that's hard to believe isn't it, but remember, she did live for hundreds of years. The Bible only mentions the names of Cain, Abel and Seth but she gave birth to many sons and daughters and began the population of the earth. Genesis 5:4. No wonder she was called the "Mother of all living."

Isn’t it sad that when we are meant to be ‘life-givers’ that many would rather be ‘life-stoppers’?

3.         IT IS OUR BLESSING.

Genesis 49:25 speaks of "The Almighty who shall bless thee with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb."

Do you believe the scriptures? Do you receive your womb as a BLESSING from God? Before God gave conception and fruitfulness, He always BLESSED first. We need to affirm God's truth and confess that our womb is a blessing. We cannot have conception without His blessing.

Before God spoke the words to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth"He first BLESSED them. We see God doing this over and over again as we read the scriptures. God wants to bless our womb. Pray for the health of your womb. A beautiful ministry that a husband can do is to regularly pray over and bless the womb of his wife.

See manual, God’s Vision for Families , Chapter 3 for a list of 22 scriptures, which reveal that we receive conception through the blessing of God.

4.         IT IS OUR GLORY.

Hosea 9:11 says, "As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception."

When Ephraim turned away from the Lord, God pronounced judgment upon them. His judgment was to take away their 'glory'. What was their glory? The conception of the womb. Conception, pregnancy and motherhood are the glory of a nation and it comes through the wombs of women.

5.         IT IS THE SEAT OF COMPASSION.

Not only is the womb a place where life is conceived and nurtured, but the Bible also speaks of it as the controlling center of our emotions and the source of compassion. There are four different Hebrew words for the word, 'womb'. Each of these words is used to not only describe the womb, but also the emotions.

(a)        BETEN – ‘the womb, the inmost part, the bottom of the heart, deepest recesses of an individual.’ e.g. Genesis 25:24; 30:2; Job 1:21; Psalm 22:9.

·    Job 20:19,20, “Because he hath oppressed the poor…surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly (beten).”When we feel guilt, we feel disturbed right in the very womb.

·  Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, they go down into the innermost parts of the belly (beten).” When gossip or slander wounds us, we feel it in the depths of our womb.

(b)        RACHAM - from the root word 'to fondle'. It speaks of 'cherishing the babe in the womb'. It also means 'the bowels, to cherish, to love deeply, to be compassionate, to have compassion as God does towards men, to show great tender mercy and pity.' We understand this in the following scriptures:

·  Genesis 43:30, "Joseph...his bowels (racham) did yearn upon his brother.”

·  1 Kings 3:26, “Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels (rachem) yearned upon her son…”

·  Isaiah 49:15, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion (racham) on the son of her womb?

This word 'racham' is used interchangeably for a woman's womb and for God's compassion. Here are further scriptures where 'racham' is used in relation to the womb or showing compassion to one another:

Genesis 49.25, 1 Kings 8:50; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Proverbs 30.16; Isaiah 46.3; 49:15; Ezekiel 20.26; Zechariah 7:9.

This word is frequently used to describe God's mercies. Isn't it absolutely amazing to realize that God uses the same word 'racham' to describe His great mercy and tender compassions as He does for the womb?

Psalm 25:6, "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies (racham) and thy lovingkindnesses."

Isaiah 54:7, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies (racham) will I gather thee."

Isaiah 63:7, "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us...according to his mercies (racham), and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses."

Daniel 9:9, "To the Lord our God belong mercies (racham) and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him."

Here are further scriptures where 'racham' is used:

Genesis 43:14; Deuteronomy 13:17; 30:3; 2 Samuel 24:14; 2 Kings 13:23; 1 Chronicles 21.13; Nehemiah 9:19.27,28,31; Psalm 40.11; 51.1; 69.16; 77.9; 79.8; 103.4; 106:46; 119.77; 119.156; 145.9; Isaiah 47.6; 63.15; Jeremiah 12:15; 16.5; 42.12; Lamentations 3:22; Daniel 9:18; Hosea 2.19; Zechariah 1.16.

We see from this how the womb is more than something physical. It is the control center of our emotions. It is from our womb that compassion and pity emanates. This is why it is important to protect our womb. It is not just an organ, but also the seat of compassion.

(c)        RECHEM. It means 'matrix.' This is the masculine equivalent of 'racham' and includes the same attributes of tender compassion and pity. Look up these scriptures:

Genesis 29.31; 30.22; 43.30; Exodus 13.2; Numbers 8.16; 12.12; 1 Samuel 1:5,6; 1 Kings 3.26; Job 3.11; 10.18; 24.20; 31.15; 38.8; Psalm 22.10; 58.3; 110.3; Jeremiah 1.5; 20:17,18; Hosea 9.14

(d)        MEAH. 'The womb, heart, uterus - also to be soft and have sympathy."

Song of Solomon 5.4 "My beloved put his hand in the hole of the door and my bowels (meah) were moved for him."

Jeremiah 4.19; 31.20 "Ephraim...my bowels (meah) are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord."

Lamentations 1.20, 2.11 "My bowels (meah) are troubled."

It is also used in Genesis 15.4; 25.23; Numbers 5.22; Ruth 1.11; 2 Samuel 7.12; 16.11; Psalm 71.6; Isaiah 16.11; 48:18,19; 49.1; 63.15; Ezekiel 3.3; 7.19.

Notice the portrayal of deep emotions in the following scriptures where the word ‘meah - womb’ is used:

·  Job 30:27, ”My bowels boiled, and rested not.” Here it describes anger.

· Psalm 22:14, “My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” This scripture is a picture of discouragement.

Here's how some women felt after their womb was removed...

"It was like a curtain going down over my feelings. The highs and lows of my emotions simply flattened out." Another says, "The most I felt was a certain emptiness in the abdominal area, not like a great empty space, but a space empty of feeling."

It is especially important to protect your ovaries. Not only do they release the egg each month, but also they release estrogen, which has a big bearing on your emotions. Don't allow a doctor to take out your ovaries just because they 'might' become cancerous. Protect them at all costs.

It is interesting to note that depression is two to three times more prevalent after a hysterectomy operation than any other surgery. I know a mother of a large family who was a wonderful mother. Later in life she had a hysterectomy and an oophorectomy. It was astounding to notice that after this operation she no longer had the warmth and feeling that she once showed to children.

6.         IT IS A SEXUAL ORGAN.

Love, yearning and sexual desire can be felt from the womb. The Shulamite woman in Song of Solomon 5:4 said, "My beloved put his hand in the hole of the door and my bowels (meah) were moved for him."

A line from an ancient sacred-wedding poem says, "He is the one my womb loves best."

Many women confess to loss of sexual satisfaction after their womb has been removed.

Here are some quotes from various studies.

In a study of 171 women who had undergone hysterectomies, 69.2 per cent complained of a decrease in the ability to reach orgasm.

A marriage counselor revealed that 98 per cent of her patients were women with extreme sexual difficulties following hysterectomy.

A study by Dr. Niles Newton discovered reduced sexual drive in 60% of women who had hysterectomy and oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) 40% never resumed marital relations.

A study in the United Kingdom reports 33 - 46% have decreased libido after hysterectomy and oophorectomy.

A Japanese study states that 59.2% complained of decrease in ability to reach orgasm after hysterectomy.

Another research found 20 - 42% of women abstained from sexual intercourse following hysterectomy.

A woman that experiences uterine orgasm rather than clitoral will be more severely affected by a hysterectomy. It is sad that 1 in 5 hysterectomies are for sterilization, without any medical reason. Some women think it will be advantageous to them to have no more periods or worries about contraception, but are ignorant of the serious repercussions.

A woman in New Zealand shared with me that after her womb and ovaries were taken, she no longer had any sexual desire for her husband. She now realizes that the operation was unnecessary and wishes that she had got further opinions before immediately obeying her doctor.

7.         IT IS A SUPPORT STRUCTURE.

The womb supports other ligaments and organs in the pelvic area. When the uterus is removed, surrounding organs may cave inward or collapse causing pelvic pain, sexual difficulties and pressure on the bowels and bladder.

8.         IT IS A HAVEN FOR MIRACLES.

The greatest miracle in history took place in a womb! It was here that God became man! Jesus Himself was conceived in a womb! He identified with the womb of a woman. (Luke 1:35; 2:21.) It is in the womb that miracles continue to take place. Every child that is conceived in the womb is a miracle of God's creation. How blessed we are as women to have miracles take place in our body.

9.         IT IS A WORKSHOP OF GOD'S CREATION.

Isaiah 44:2,24 and 49:5 "The Lord that made thee, that formed thee from the womb."

The word formed means to be 'molded into a form as a potter does.' God molds each individual child in the womb.

Psalm 139:13-17 TLB says, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complete! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous."

10.       IT IS A WEAPON AGAINST SATAN.

It is the womb that conceives and nourishes the 'godly seed' who will come forth to be the light in the darkness and who will destroy the works of Satan in this world. God is looking for an army. The greatest threat to Satan in this world is godly parents who understand God's intentions and who will bring forth and train a godly seed to fulfil His eternal plans.

God's people have unwittingly decreased God's army in this hour. The womb is a powerful weapon against Satan. Some women fear to bring babies into this evil world - but this is one of the greatest reasons for having children - to be the light in this dark world!

11.       IT BRINGS FORTH GOD'S REWARD. 

Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward."

God chooses the womb to reward His people. In Hosea 9:16 God calls children the "dearly beloved fruit of the womb." The context of this passage is that God was going to destroy the “rewards” that He had given them because of their continual disobedience, but it shows how God views children and also how the early Hebrews felt about their children.

Here's what some of the other translations say...

NIV     CHERISHED OFFSPRING

RV       BELOVED CHILDREN

NAS    PRECIOUS ONES

NEB    DEAREST OFFSPRING

JER      DARLINGS

NAS    TREASURES OF THE WOMB

Ruth 2:12, "The Lord recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel." What was the full reward? Ruth 4:13 gives us the answer: "The Lord gave her conception and she bare a son."

12.       IT IS A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.

The Hebrew word 'rechem' for womb is 'matrix' which means 'a place within which something originates or develops.'

Exodus 20:5 says, "I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." Iniquity is willfully following our own way rather than God's. Rebellion in the parents can also be passed on to the children. Psalm 58:3 says, "The godless are perverse from the womb." Also read Isaiah 48:8.

Recent studies clearly show that an unborn baby is affected deeply by the attitudes of the mother. If the mother rejects the child in her womb, her child will suffer from this rejection at some stage in his/her life. If the mother is full of fear, that fear will enter her unborn child.

If the father who gave the seed of life or the mother is willful, that iniquity will touch the unborn baby. Tempers, unforgiveness and bitterness that are not dealt with will be passed on to future generations.

The following are a few examples of how the mother’s attitude to her baby in the womb had a detrimental affect upon the baby. I know these women personally. A mother had a horrific birth experience at her second birth. It put such fear into her that when she was pregnant with her third child she was paranoid about giving birth again and was full of fears. Somehow these fears entered into this child, for this baby who is now grown, is still struggling with fears today and they have plagued her all her life.

A backslidden girl fell pregnant. She wanted this child to grow up with a mother and a father and so decided that she would give this baby to a loving family. She was naturally a very loving person, but in order to not get too attached to her baby as she planned to give it away, she thought of it ‘as nothing’ or as a ‘bit of stone.’

However, at the very end of her pregnancy she met the father of the child again and at the last minute they decided to get married. And so of course, they kept the baby! The baby was born and received with love and joy and was totally mothered. However, as this baby grew into her second year, she became abnormally affected and screamed with terror if her mother even went out of the room.

As their pastors (the husband had come to the Lord and the wife had been restored to the Lord), we prayed about it, and wondered if she was suffering from rejection of not being accepted during her time in the womb. We prayed over this little child and asked God to heal her from this rejection and from that moment she never had the problem again.

There is an interesting story mentioned in The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Dr. Thomas Verny. When this particular baby was born, it would not move its head toward the breast of the mother but would turn away.

The doctor thought she may be ill but when she drank milk from the bottle in the nursery he ruled that one out. Next day the same thing happened so the doctor thought he would try an experiment. The next day he gave the sleepy baby to another mother who had consented to try to feed her. Immediately the baby rooted for the breast and sucked for all she was worth.

The doctor was now more than interested. He then went back to the real mother and asked, “Did you want this baby?” “No, “ she said. “I wanted an abortion. My husband wanted the child. That’s why I had her.” That was news to the doctor, but not to the baby! She had been rejected and was now rejecting her mother.

Mothering starts in the womb,

not just when the baby is born!

13.       IT IS A SITE OF JUDGMENT.

Because the womb is so sacred and precious, God uses it as a place of judgment.

· 2 Samuel 6:20-23. Michal received judgment upon her womb when she despised her husband and she did not have a child.

· Deuteronomy 28:15,18; Leviticus 26:21,22. Disobedience brought the curse of barrenness in these scriptures:

·  In Numbers 5:11-31 we read of how adultery brought judgment upon the womb. It says, "The curse shall go into thy womb!" The womb should be kept pure. It should not be defiled through fornication or adultery. If this has been the case, there should be repentance, confession and prayer for the cleansing of the womb. The womb must be kept pure and holy for the nurturing of the "godly seed" that God desires.

14.       IT IS A BIRTHPLACE OF DESTINIES.

Psalm 139:16 TLB says, "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book!"

God's destiny for a child is upon them in the womb. We see many examples in Scripture.

John the Baptist was "filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb."

Luke 1:15,16,41.

Paul says that God "separated me from my mother's womb...that I might preach Him among the heathen." Galatians 1:15,16.

Samson said, "I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb." Judges 16:7.

The prophet Isaiah said, "The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name." Isaiah 49:1; 49:5.

God said of Jeremiah, "Before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Jeremiah 1:5.

Start praying daily over your baby as soon as you know the wonderful news of conception. In the last three months of pregnancy, the baby in utero is able to hear.

This is an important time to speak lovingly to the baby and welcome it to your family. It is time to start reading the Word of God to your baby. It is a good time for the baby to get to know the father's voice. When our sixth grandchild was born at our home, we were all amazed to notice that the moment her father took 'Meadow' in his arms and began to speak to her that she was arrested by his voice. She already knew it. He had been speaking to her daily, putting his mouth right on his wife's womb.

15.       IT IS A SECRET PLACE.

The womb is a sanctuary of protection. Psalm 139:15 says, "I was made in secret." God has planned for the womb to be a sanctuary. It is a 'secret' place where God forms life away from the eyes of man. It is not to be interfered with by man. Satan wants to tamper with the womb and destroy it. God initiates life and performs miracles in this secret place.

Just as parents love to give surprises to our children, so our God loves to give us surprises! He loves secrets too. His gift of a baby is a special surprise and I believe that He wants it to be kept secret until the time that He is ready to deliver it to us. Ultra sound can be necessary in times of emergency, but I wonder about using it just to find out the sex of our baby.

I think we take away from the wonderful surprise that God wants to give us. One mother suggested that it is like the molding of a stature. No one is allowed to see it while the sculptor works on it until the day of the special unveiling ceremony.

Another mother shared that when she was expecting her third baby, friends and family pressured her to find out the sex of her coming baby. Was it going to be another boy, or was she having a girl this time? To satisfy their cajolings, she went for the ultra sound and found out that she was having another boy. She was happy about this of course.

However, she said that at the time of the birth it was a let down! The baby came and everyone already knew that it was a boy and even knew his name. The only thing left to say was, “He’s here!” After getting surprises for her first two births, she noticed how she missed out on much of the suspense and excitement with already knowing God’s secret ahead of time.

16.       IT IS A HOLY PLACE

The womb is a holy place and the entrance to the womb is holy. It is a type of the temple in the Old Testament where the Holy Place was separated from the Holy of Holies by a thick veil. The only person who could enter the Holy of Holies was the High Priest. God has also created the hymen in a virgin to protect the entrance of the womb. It is a type of the veil that protected the Holy of Holies and could only be entered by the High Priest. 

The hymen, the protection to the womb, should only be broken by one man. God’s plan is that on the wedding night, two virgins come together and the hymen (the veil) is broken by the one who will become her husband – the priest of her home.

Read Deuteronomy 22:13-21; 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 2 Corinthians 6:17,18.

17.       IT IS A HOSPITALITY ROOM

As we discussed the importance of our womb at our Mothers Bible Study, one of the mothers received another understanding of the womb. I will let her share in her own words:

“The womb is actually a room. We are walking around with a special guest room in our body, which is a temple. Just as the temple of King David’s time had a Holy of Holies, so our womb is a sanctified place for God to bring forth life. I was challenged to realize that just as I prepare a guest room and have it ready for when guests come to stay, so I should prepare my womb and dedicate it for whomever God sends my way. ‘Yes, Lord, I will take in whoever you choose to send and I will nurture them with food, love and safety for the amount of time they are here. Sometimes, it might be three months, or six, but hopefully nine months. After the door to that special room is opened, they will be with us for a short time or a long time. That is up to You, Lord. My part is to welcome with a hospitable spirit any child You choose to send to my womb home.’”

18.       IT IS A PLACE OF DEPENDENCY.

David said in Psalm 22:10, "I was cast upon thee from the womb." The womb is where we learn our first and most important lesson - reliance upon God. Independence, which comes from pride and rebellion, was the sin that caused Lucifer to be cast out of heaven. We are cast upon God from the womb and this should be our attitude right through our lives. Psalm 71:6; Isaiah 46:3,4.

* * * * 

Reprinted from

THE POWER OF MOTHERHOOD – A STUDY MANUAL FOR MOTHERS.