The Wisdom Of Faithfulness (July 27th)

On Sunday, July 27th, we delved into the profound teachings of the Book of Proverbs, focusing on the theme of faithfulness and the wisdom it brings. The sermon emphasized the call to follow God’s ways amidst the many competing voices in our lives.

We began with a reflection on Proverbs 2:12-19, where wisdom is depicted as a guiding voice that saves us from the ways of wicked men and the seductive words of the adulterous woman. The passage warns against leaving the straight paths and walking in darkness, highlighting the importance of staying true to God’s will.

• Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “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.”
• The voice of wisdom calls us to walk in the light, as emphasized in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

What Are The Competing Voices?

Throughout the morning, we identified two voices that compete with the voice of wisdom:

• Wicked Men: These voices encourage us to deviate from the straight path and indulge in darkness. They delight in doing wrong, contrasting with the delight in God’s will mentioned in Psalm 40:8: “I delight to do your will, O my God, and your instruction is deep within me.”

• The Adulterous Woman: This voice represents immorality and seduction, pulling us away from the covenant made before God. Proverbs 2:16-19 warns that her paths lead to death and destruction.

The Call to Faithfulness

We stressed the importance of faithfulness in marriage and to God:

• Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10 were cited to emphasize the sanctity of marriage vows and the importance of staying true to them.
• We highlighted that true love is a choice, not just an emotion, urging couples to choose love even when emotions wane.

Avoiding Immorality

The sermon also addressed the pervasive issue of immorality, particularly pornography:

• Statistics revealed the alarming prevalence of pornography, even among churchgoers, with 68% of church-going men acknowledging regular viewing.
• Proverbs 5:1-23 was explored, urging believers to “drink water from your own cistern” and remain faithful to their spouses.

Walking the Straight Path

We concluded with a call to:

• Walk in the light and avoid the paths of wickedness.
• Seek help and accountability if struggling with issues of immorality or marital challenges.

In a world full of distractions and competing voices, we were urged to heed the call of wisdom and remain steadfast in our faith. By aligning our lives with God’s word, we find safety, peace, and the true path to wisdom.

RESOURCES FOR MARRIAGES:

It’s somewhat easy to stand up and preach the truth that God wants all couples to honor their marriage vows. One of the statements from Sunday was: “Vows aren’t just for when things are easy, when you feel madly in love with the person you married. Vows are more specifically for when things get difficult in your marriage.”

The following resources can help provide great wisdom, insight and possibly your first glimmer of hope in a while. If you’re not struggling, they can be used to strengthen your marriage so that Lord willing you don’t get to a point of crisis!

Marriage Resource #1 – The website www.fiercemarriage.com is filled with great videos/podcasts that you can listen to or watch together or individually. Here are some pointers when watching the videos:

1. Watch the videos with a mirror rather than a magnifying glass. In other words, we have the tendency to process teaching through the lens of “my spouse should really hear this” rather than “what can I learn from this?” One of my top leadership strategies is to avoid blaming others and ask myself “How is this my fault? What have I done or failed to do that has led to or contributed to the problem?” In marriage, we tend to only see the faults of our spouse (who we can’t change…only God can) and ignore our own faults (which, with God’s help we can change). 
2. Eventually discuss the content of the videos with your spouse. Whether you initially watch the teaching by yourself or together, plan a time to discuss the teaching together. It’s very difficult to learn in isolation!
3. START WITH THESE TWO VIDEOS: On the home page of www.fiercemarriage.com there are about 12 videos, but then there are 34 pages of additional videos. In other words, there’s a lot of content, so it can be hard to know where to start. Talk to your spouse and start with either: “The Unstoppable Power Of A Grace Filled Marriage” or **Especially If You’re Currently Struggling** “True Friends Will Advocate For Your Marriage And Not Just For You”. 
4. Don’t try to fix everything all at once. Start with listening to one video and applying the principles you learn in that video. Work with your spouse to figure out the right pace to then watch another video and begin implementing the principles from that video.

Marriage Resource #2 – There are a lot of good articles at www.thrivingmarriages.com  I would encourage you to use the principles 1, 2 and 4 under “Marriage Resource #1” as you use any resource we suggest. Here’s a couple articles I would suggest as a launching point from www.thrivingmarriages.com 

1. “If Wedding Vows Were Honest” – process the meaning behind the honest vows that are suggested.
2. In the blue rectangle at the top of the page, there are tabs labeled “Communication”, “Sex”, “Spiritual Growth”, etc… I’m not going to make suggestions from each tab, but here are a couple for communication:
   1. “3 Types Of Conflict In Marriage: Don’t Confuse Them”
   2. “Overcoming Obstacles In Your Marriage”

Marriage Resource #3 – RightNow Media is a great video resource. If you’re not connected to RightNow Media, just click this link: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/user/NORTHWINDS Once you’ve signed up for an account, click “Browse” in the upper left corner of the screen. This will open up a page with a lot of topics. Click on “Marriage” and another page with a whole bunch of video teaching options will open up. Select the one you want, and commit to watching a session together on a consistent basis (maybe twice a week). 

1. I have personally used “The Art of Marriage” and would recommend it. 
2. I haven’t gone through the whole study, but what I’ve previewed of “Us In Mind” by Ted Lowe looks like a great study.
3. There are A LOT of marriage studies…pick one, I doubt it’s going to harm your marriage, lol.

Marriage Resource #4 – We have developed a relationship with two different professional counselors. We are happy to cover half the cost of at least the first 6 sessions with either of these counselors:

1. Bright Living Therapy (Renee Bright) – 330-347-1710
2. Willow Branch (Boomer Bauman) – 419-869-4069