#1 The Principled Patriarch: The Introduction

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

Patriarchs are light unto a dark world. Their lives are to be living examples of traditional biblical values that teach others to glorify God, the Father. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor can a leader who functions in his God-given abilities. He is a light to all citizens who need to find their way.

The world around us is lost and is in need of true dynamic leaders to show them the way. Patriarchs train patriarchs. This training starts on the home front. The whole goal and purpose of leading the home is for the community--training the next generation to be “lights unto the world.” People are designed by God to follow--each seeking to find a leader to believe in and follow. If the biblical patriarch had the mentality of “being fruitful and multiplying the earth,” we would change a dark world within several generations. But since the average male has the mind-set of “taking care of himself,” we fall short of God’s purpose of biblical manhood.

Our role as men should spill over into the communities we serve. All of the ways and actions we appropriate within our homes should be the very manner we manage within the community and work world.

If a man desires a position of leadership within the church, community, or nation, he desires a good thing. A man who lives with his wife in an understanding way, has his children under control, and manages his household with a servant-style leadership is well prepared and qualified to lead in society. The home is the starting place and training ground for public leadership. Many men today have this backwards--accepting leadership positions outside the home before their homes are a biblical model of proof of their ability to lead.

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 that women are not to be teaching or having authority over men. Why? Adam was formed first, then Eve. Those who were created first are given the command to “lead” those who were given the mandate to “follow” in church, community, and home. Therefore, if a woman desires a leadership position, it must be under the headship of her husband--or if not married, her father. The point being is what works for the leadership of the home is the same standard of leadership God uses in society.

A man cannot be trusted as a qualified leader (light unto the world) in the community unless he has proven his leadership within the home. The family is like a training institution for the man’s leadership. When he has passed the test of having his household in order, he will be a prime example of being a light unto the world. When a man attempts to lead in the community without having his family in order, he is sure to have a “trainwreck.”

The wisdom of this kind of direction and counsel has rarely been questioned until equalitarianism became the norm for family, church, and then community. Once a godly patriarch disregards the societal pressures of Christian feminism, he will be able to embrace the Truth of God’s order of male leadership.

Men, who hide behind the “light of women” or the spiritual leadership of women, resist the light of God’s ordained order. This results in the confusion and the emasculation of men. Men, who function as true lights of the world, live and operate by the life and light of God, the Father. God will only shine His light through His order of creation. He will not bypass His own order to please His creation.

In our society today, women open their own doors, defend themselves, and demand to be treated equally. Who is to blame for this? It is that of man! The need of a man to practice male manners is more critical today than any other time in history. Because women are so accustomed to caring for themselves, men have habitually taken the backseat to being gentlemen.

One would think that the women of today’s culture would have learned to demand their rights to be treated fairly due to men not treating them fairly. Well, this is simply not true. Women who function in independence do so because of their observations of men not treating their authority figures with all dignity. Men who do not show courtesy and manners to their authorities are modeling a lifestyle of disrespect and independence. Men bear the responsibility of showing their followers honor by honoring others. When a man honors his “up-line” first, he will then find it relatively easy to honor his “down-line.” How can we expect women to honor us, if we ourselves do not honor our authorities?

Honor looks like respect, courtesy, and manners. When a man honors authority, he will offer his services by allowing leaders to go first, helping them carry their load, serving them, and doing what he can to make their job easier. This is what most men expect from their women. If the patriarch is not doing like-minded service for their leaders, how can they expect their women to do differently? God may require women to service their disobedient male leaders, but it certainly is not the ideal way. Respect, courtesy, and submission require modeling such a role. Leaders, who expect honor without personally practicing honor, border on abuse of authority. Christ Himself didn’t even demand such honor. He modeled it first and then requested honor and respect from His body.

Man needs to show his respect for authority by demonstrating honor/manners to the woman who is called to serve him. This is accomplished through opening car doors, serving her needs first, or simply treating her as a “weaker vessel.” When a man shows common courtesy to a woman, he is demonstrating how Christ honors the Church.

Being a gentleman is the most perfect way of honoring God. When a man is respecting the guidelines of society, church, and God, he is revealing the order of God. A man, who is interested in honoring God, is recognizing the ordained roles God has assigned to His earthly structure. Men should care for all women in the same way they are commanded to care for their wives. Women should respect all men in the same way they are mandated to respect their husbands. This certainly does not mean that men or women should act out their marital roles with individuals outside their home. It does mean they should show the same kind of honor and respect to all. Although, it should be noted that women should maintain God’s “chain of command” even within society. In like manner, men should treat all women with the same dignity they tend to show their wives. A word of caution to men: do not allow your willingness to be a gentleman breed a familiarity of passion or attachment (intimacy) that belongs to your wife--or if not married, to Christ Himself.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY

Due to the need for men to understand the basic functions of biblical manhood, this study has been written to give each patriarch the outline needed to fulfill it. Men need to get back to the traditional principles of patriarchy. Our women, children, communities, and nations need a few good men--husbands, fathers, and leaders who are willing to lead according to the divine Word of Truth.

We are in the middle of a cultural battle that wages war against the male and female genders-- boys becoming emasculated and girls becoming masculated. Whatever happened to the patriarchs of our day? Why are women asserting more male dominance than our males? Why do men default to women in leading their families, homes, and communities? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered in The Principled Patriarch.  

This study is not for “interested onlookers!” This study is for the serious at heart--men who seek to find God’s solutions to man’s historical problems. This study is designed for small groups or individual private study. The Principled Patriarch is guaranteed to challenge and refresh the souls of all men of intent. 

Next article: Threats to Patriarchy

The Principled Patriarch: The Introduction. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#24 You Are a Victor!

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25). 

You are a victor in Christ Jesus! Don’t ever forget this. The enemy will do all he can to have you consider this to be just another study series. God has done a mighty work in your heart and life. You are blameless in Christ and you should embrace this Truth with a great deal of joy. Give God all the glory, majesty, dominion over your life, and authority to rule you each day. When you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free (John 8:32). 

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:23-24). 

It is my daily prayer that God will give you His peace each day. I ask the Lord to sanctify you in every area of your life. I hope your spirit, soul, and body will be made complete and without blame until Jesus comes to greet us in His Second Coming. God is faithful in calling you to daily repentance and godly living. He will bring all of your struggles with temptation to pass. This is a promise and commitment to you by the one and only living God. 

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21).

The Lord’s covenant (promise) with you comes through the seal of the blood of the eternal covenant of Jesus Christ. Because of this seal, He has equipped and empowered you to accomplish His will in your life. When you rest in the reality that God does this work through you, through the Holy Spirit who resides in you, He will be well pleased with all the efforts you apply in the Spirit. This promise, written in blood, will “seal the deal” in all of your warfare activities. We may be sheep, but He is the Lion of Judah!

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

I trust that you will dedicate all of your efforts to the One who is able to do for you more than you could ask or even think about asking. Your resources are limitless in Christ Jesus. Never fall into the trap of thinking that God does not care about the small and insignificant things in your life. He not only cares about the small things, He reveals to us that those of us who are faithful in the small things, He will entrust much to us (Luke 16:10).

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Phil. 4:23).

It is my prayer that God’s grace (unmerited favor) would be poured out on your spirit for daily living. As Satan tries to condemn you with feelings of guilt and condemnation, know that God’s grace is never going to change--no matter what you choose to do in walking after the flesh. Condemnation may be one of the major tools the enemy uses to keep you from walking in your victory, but God’s grace is what sustains you to face the lie and walk in what is true about you.

"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it" (Col. 4:17).

God is not just interested in setting you free from the deeds of your flesh. He wants you to step into the ministry that He has called you to fulfill. It doesn’t mean you have to quit your “job,” but it certainly means He wants to use your “job” to accomplish His mission for you and those around you. Consider praying about how God would want you to spread the Word of the Gospel in your daily living. It could mean going into full-time ministry, discipling one-on-one (men with men; women with women), teaching Sunday school class, giving your testimony publicly, helping with a ministry you have come to love, or simply ministering to your family. Whatever it is, He wants you to fulfill it.

If you need help in locating your calling, get with an experienced discipler (biblical counselor) to aid you in discovering how you can give the life of Christ away in your daily living. This element of healing is critical for your ongoing growth as a believer.

“Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:13-14). 

One of the easiest and most beneficial ways of reaching out to others in need is helping other ministry leaders accomplish the work to which God has called them. Find out what their pressing needs are and then give time, effort, money, material possessions, skills, or whatever you have to offer. This way the people and ministries you believe in can be fruitful and multiply the works of God. You and I must engage in good deeds to meet the pressing needs of God’s ministry.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!” (2 Thess. 3:16).

As God allows circumstances to flood your world, cling to the peace that will surpass all of your understanding. You will find that this kind of peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). He has already promised that He will be with you through it all (Heb.13:5). Therefore, press on to the mark of excellence. Don’t look behind; just fix your eyes on Jesus and He will direct you in all of your plans (Heb. 12:1-2).

“Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’--which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you” (1 Tim. 6:20-21).

God wants you to put up a shield (guard) around the persons, places, and things He has entrusted to you. Remember, your shield is faith and faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26). Apply what you have learned and do not slip back into worldly discussions and arguments that are falsely called “knowledge.” These friends or strangers claim to be wise in their own eyes, but their debating and wrangling of words have caused them to go astray from the faith. Avoid such men!

“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth” (2 Tim. 4:17).

Jesus Christ has a mission to stand with and strengthen you in all your ways. He wants you to proclaim all of what He has shown you to others. This is how He accomplishes His divine will for mankind. He wants all men to hear and experience the freedom you have been given. You were rescued; now go help others be rescued!

“Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say” (Philemon 1:21).

Take great confidence in what God has done for you. Your obedience to complete this and other studies of the Lord are for a divine purpose. Many of you will accomplish far more than what I have as a servant of the Lord. One of the greatest privileges of being a minister is watching others embrace Truth and carry it far beyond the measurement that initially was given to me (the teacher).

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

It is my hope that we have been able to cover a multitude of your sins with the grace of Jesus Christ. I trust that this series has brought you into a more dynamic relationship with Christ. This study does not offer a lifetime guarantee from insults, persecutions, difficulties, and/or distress. Christ Himself doesn’t even offer that. In fact, He warns us of suffering as He has suffered (1 Peter 2:19; 5:9; Acts 9:16; Romans 8:17). God is more interested in what we do with our sufferings. If we embrace the Truth that all things work together for the good (Romans 8:28), we will not consider it strange when the enemy brings temptations and attacks our way.

Most stories of victory are birthed from pain, struggle, and perseverance. Your story is probably no different. I hope your story is His story in the making.

This is the conclusion of our series, Faithful Father: Restoring Hearts of Children to the Father. Thank you for going through this study. I pray that your walk with the Groom is rich, free, and full. Please feel free to contact me for special counsel or if you have any questions. I will attempt to answer them personally--Stephen Phinney!

You Are a Victor. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#23 The Daily Affirmation Prayer

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

We are near the end of the series - Faithful Father: Restoring Hearts of Children to the Father. I strongly encourage you to proclaim The Daily Affirmation Prayer aloud for the next 10 days and return to this prayer as often as needed. It will build a spiritual foundation in your soul; help you maintain the ground you have taken back from the enemy; and remind you of the victory you have in Christ Jesus.  

THE DAILY AFFIRMATION PRAYER  

Today, I deliberately choose to submit myself fully to God as He has made Himself known to me through the Holy Scripture. I honestly accept it as the only inspired, infallible, authoritative standard for all life and practice. In this day, I will not judge God, His work, others, or myself.  

By faith, I recognize that the true God is worthy of all honor, praise, and worship as the Creator, Sustainer, and End of all things. He is the Alpha and the Omega. I confess that God, as my Creator, made me for Himself. Therefore, in this day, I choose to live for Him. 

By faith, I recognize that God loves me and chose me in Jesus Christ before time began. By faith, I recognize that God has proven His love to me in sending His Son to die in my place, in Whom every provision has already been made for my past, present, and future needs through His representative work. Also, I recognize I have been quickened, raised, seated with Jesus in the heavenly places, and anointed with the Holy Spirit. 

By faith, I recognize that God has accepted me since I have received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; He has forgiven me; He has adopted me into His family, assuming every responsibility for me; He has given me eternal life; He has applied the perfect righteousness of Christ to me so that I am now justified; He has made me complete in Christ; and He offers Himself to me as my daily sufficiency through prayer and the decisions of faith.  

By faith, I recognize that the Holy Spirit has baptized me into the Body of Christ; sealed me; anointed me for life and service; seeks to lead me into a deeper walk with Jesus; and fills my life with Him.  

By faith, I recognize that only God can deal with sin and only God can produce holiness of life. I confess that in my Salvation, my part was only to receive Him. He dealt with my sin and saved me. Now I confess that in order to live a holy life, I can only surrender to His will and receive Him as my sanctification; trusting Him to do whatever may be necessary in my life (without and within), so I may be enabled to live today in purity, freedom, rest, and power for His glory.  

For this day, I make the decision of faith to surrender wholly to the authority of God as He has revealed Himself in the Scripture--to obey Him. I confess my sin, face the sinful reality of my old nature that is dead, and deliberately choose to walk in the light--in step with Christ--throughout the hours of this day.  

For this day, I make the decision of faith to surrender wholly to the authority of God as revealed in the Scripture--to believe Him. I accept only His Word as final authority. I now believe that since I have confessed my sin, He has already forgiven and cleansed me. I accept at full value His Word of promise to be my sufficiency and rest and I will conduct myself accordingly.  

For this day, I make the decision of faith to recognize that God has made every provision, so that I may fulfill His will and calling in my life. Therefore, I will not make any excuse for my sin and failure.  

For this day, I make the decision of faith to deliberately receive from God the provision that He has made for me. I renounce all self-effort to live the Christian life and to perform God’s service; I renounce all sinful praying which asks God to change circumstances and people so that I may be more spiritual; I renounce all drawing back from the work of the Holy Spirit within and the call of God without; and I renounce all non-biblical motives, goals, and activities which serve my sinful pride. I receive Jesus as my sanctification, my deliverance, my anointing, and my promise for daily living.  

In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen!


Daily Affirmation Prayer Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#22 Heart of a Warrior

By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

"He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse" (Malachi 4:6).

Covenant Prayer of Armor *  

Dear Abba Father, Heavenly Father, I desire to be obedient by being strong in the Lord and the power of Your might. I see that this is Your will and purpose for me. I recognize it is essential to put on the armor that You have provided, and I do so now with gratitude and praise. You have provided all I need to stand in victory against Satan and his kingdom. Grant me wisdom to discern the tactics and sneakiness of Satan’s strategy against me. Enable me to wrestle in victory against the princes, powers, rulers, and wicked spirits who carry the battle of darkness against me. I delight to take the armor You have provided and by faith, put it on as effective spiritual protection against the forces of darkness. 

I confidently take the Loin Girdle of Truth You offer me. I take Him who is the Truth as my strength and protection. I reject Satan’s lies and deceiving ways to gain advantage against me. Grant me discernment and wisdom to recognize the subtle deceiving ways in which Satan seeks to cause me to accept his lies as truth. I desire to believe only in the Truth, to live the Truth, to speak the Truth, and to know the Truth. I worship and praise You for leading me only in the ways of Truth. Thank You that Satan cannot stand against the bold use of the Truth. 

I hold close the Breastplate of Righteousness You offer me. I eagerly accept it and put it on as my protection. I ask You to cleanse me of all the times I have counted my own goodness as being acceptable before You. I bring the Righteousness of my Lord directly against all of Satan’s working against me.  

I embrace the Sandals of Peace You have provided. I desire that my feet should stand on the solid rock of peace. I claim the Peace of God, which is mine through justification. Thank You for not giving me a spirit of fear--but of love, power, and a sound mind. Thank You that Satan cannot stand against Your Peace.  

I lift up my Shield of Faith against all the blazing missiles Satan and his hosts fire at me. I recognize You are my Shield and that in Your incarnation and crucifixion, You took the arrows of the enemy for me. By faith, I count on You to shield me from above and beneath; on my right and my left; in front of me and behind me--that I might be protected, walled in, and encapsulated by You, so that Satan may not be able to hurt or destroy me from fulfilling Your will today. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are a complete and perfect Shield and that Satan cannot touch me apart from Your sovereign purpose. 

I take my Helmet of Salvation and choose to put it on. I cover my mind and my thoughts with Your Salvation. I recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Salvation. I invite Your mind to be in me. Let me think Your thoughts, feel Your love and compassion, and discern Your will and leading in all things. May the Salvation of my Lord Jesus meet and defeat all satanic thoughts that come into my mind. 

With joy, I take and embrace the Sword of the Spirit, which is the trustworthy and infallible Word of God. I choose to believe it and to live in its Truth and power. I accept Your cleansing from the sin of neglecting Your Word. Empower me to have proficient recall and skill in using Your Word against all of Satan’s attacks against me, even as my Lord Jesus used the Word against Satan. I take back any ground the enemy has gained while I was lazy and disobedient in proclaiming Your Word. Thank You that Satan must retreat from Your Word applied against him. 

Thank You, Father, for prayer. Cause me to keep my armor well-oiled with the power of prayer. I desire to pray at all times with depth and intensity as the Holy Spirit leads me. I reject all fleshly praying as sin. I trust the Holy Spirit to enable me, and to intercede for me and through me. All of these petitions, intercessions, and words of praise, I offer up before the True and living God in the name and worthy merit of my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The Bride’s Armor Against Torment  

Satan is consistent in attempting to find chinks in our armor. These are areas of our lives that we do not keep covered-–areas in which we are not effective at being spiritually responsible. If God should remove our protection, Satan would come in like a roaring dragon to devour us. We must thank our God daily for His loving protection, even when we are irresponsible. God allows minimum attacks to “wake us up.” Isaiah 51:9 tells us: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; Awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces, Who pierced the dragon?” These allowances bring us to humility and dependence, not only on God but on each other.  

Today you prayed a covenant prayer of God’s armor, which will equip you in putting on individual pieces of the full armor of God. But now we must explore why the enemy works to torment us in daily living.  

Torment of the Unsaved: The literal translation is “hell.” The English word (from the root meaning “to hide” or “cover”) had the original significance of the world of the dead. The word has come to mean almost exclusively the place of punishment of the lost or unrepentant; the place of torment of the wicked; or to be absent of the Father’s love. 

Christian Torment: The literal translation is “Sheol.” This word occurs in the Old Testament sixty-five (65) times. This word sheol is derived from a root word meaning “to ask,” “demand,” or “always wanting more.” 

Since Satan cannot bring the Father’s people to Sheol (hell) with him, he diligently works to make Christians “always wanting more.” 

When the Father’s children are always in the “wanting,” they cannot enjoy the presence or intimacy of their Father. 

GUILT VS SPIRITUAL WEAPONRY 

A believer who learns to grasp the tremendous power of his spiritual weaponry, through understanding passages like this, will find a new joy in prayer. Learning to pray aggressively will not only change one’s life, but the lives of those for whom God calls you to pray. 

Satan will do almost anything to divert men from warfare prayers. This is when we go toe-to-toe with the enemy. It is critical to be bold and direct in applying the weapons of warfare in our daily living as believers. Aggressive prayer plays a mighty role in the believer’s effectiveness in living the victorious Christian life. It is my prayer that the Lord grants you new insight to its importance and effectiveness in fighting the good fight.  

Key Note: You are a child of the living God, purchased by the blood of Jesus. All of your sins (past, present, and future) were permanently dealt with on the Cross over 2,000 years ago. What God did for you then applies to you this very hour. You have already been delivered from the domain of darkness and placed into the mighty power of God’s Light. You are in Christ Jesus; Satan cannot take you out of His hand. The work of the Cross has cancelled out all of the enemy’s lies, schemes, and wicked plans against you. When you pray, you are appropriating the victory that was given to you on the day of your Salvation. God owns your mind, will, and emotions. Nevertheless, Satan never stops trying to deceive you into thinking that he has the power to own you once more. When you were unsaved, he owned you. Now that you have been reborn, he will never again have ownership of you. Yet, he works moment by moment to deceive you into thinking this is not true. Moreover, he does this through your “feelings.” 

Satan wants you to believe that your “feelings” are what is true about you. The enemy’s system of attack is FEELINGS, FACT, and then, FAITH. If Satan is successful in causing you to follow his system, you will never get to the point of appropriating his FAITH. That is his goal. FAITH never follows lies. FAITH only follows the Truth of the Living God. What God says is FACT and one’s FAITH is needed to activate His Truth. Don’t worry, your feelings will follow in due time.   

Guilty Conscience: 

The enemy’s goal is to have the Father’s children live a life of guilt and shame. There is nothing more torturous to a child than not being able to enjoy sweet fellowship with a father, particularly, the Abba Father. A troubled conscience cannot respect the Father and therefore, cannot experience intimacy with the Father. Until a child has a “clear conscience,” he/she is an object of torture for the enemy to “get back at God.”  

Clearing the Conscience: 

The Word of God teaches us that our Groom (Christ) is our advocate before the Father in order to clear our guilty conscience. For He certainly knows that a mind filled with shame cannot “feel” complete enough to communicate with God the Father. It is a good thing that our Husband paid the price for our guilt. Jesus’ act of “paying the price” was an act of “rewinding” our souls back before the fall, to a spiritual state of being “naked” and not ashamed. 

Five Warning Signs:  

There are five warning signs the Father gives us regarding walking with a clear conscience.  

1. All Bridal Members with a guilty past can still enjoy a clear conscience (a mind redeemed from the consequences of sin).
2. None of our efforts or “works” can clear our conscience. Only our Husband can do this.
3. The Holy Spirit uses the Bride’s conscience to renew their mind. 
4. The Bride’s conscience is an indicator of the level of deception being embraced. 
5. The Bride’s conscience can be seared if unguarded. These are Bridal Members who refuse to break loose from “doctrines of demons.”  

Seven Actions of the Bride:

The Word shows us seven actions the Bride can take to preserve their clear conscience. 

1. Pursue and respond to the Groom as if their life depended on it.
2. Pursue and respond to other Bridal members with peace and harmony. 
3. Embrace what the Father has already done for the Bride.
4. Enter the room of the Holy of Holies regularly in order to keep our conscience clear.
5. Always approach the Father with confidence, repentance, and humility.
6. Be bold in asking the Father to cleanse the Bride’s conscience.
7. Wash the Bride’s mind with the Word before, during, and after each time with the Father. Remember, the Word renews the minds. 

The Action that Seals Our Renewal: 

The process of sealing our “renewal of mind" is that of reconciling and restoring our hearts with others. 

Faithful Father Conclusion and Challenge:

The Father makes it clear that He is the Beginning and the End. If we were able to find all the spoken and inspired words describing God in the Word of God, we still would not come close to describing the Father of heaven. It will take eternity for us to discover all the attributes of God. This is the primary reason we should be so excited about going to the Father and spending eternity with Him.  

A Bridal Member who understands the key elements of finding intimacy is one who is in search of it. The more time we take to get to know a friend, spouse, child, or God, the richer and more intimate the relationship becomes. So much of mankind’s sinful flesh wants everything right now. God is a God of perfect timing; it will be in His timing that we come to know Him completely. We should learn to enjoy each moment of Truth in the moment and portion that it is given to us. For in these moments the FAITHFUL FATHER will reveal Himself in all of His glory. 

* Covenant Prayer of Armor based on Eph. 6:13-18.

Heart of a Warrior. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact. 

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.