Discerning Doctrine

Introduction

Hello Ladies! Welcome to another episode. Thank you so much for joining me today. I am your host, MelbaToast. If you are new, welcome! I pray for you who are listening, that this episode blesses you and that it glorifies God.

Before we get into today’s topic, I want to update you on some news. Thoroughly Equipped is now part of Striving for Eternity’s Christian Podcast Community! Striving for Eternity is a ministry that provides articles, educational resources, speakers, podcasts, etc. all centered around the Christian faith. I heartily urge you to visit their website at https://strivingforeternity.org, check out all their great resources, and all their great podcasts. 

I have found some great podcasts in the Christian Podcast Community, that have really been a blessing to me and can’t wait to promote and share them with you! Again the address is strivingforeternity.org, a great website to find solid biblical resources.

Today I want to talk about discernment, a term that has taken on many meanings in Evangelicalism today. So I’d like to talk a bit about what discernment is and isn’t. Why we women should put effort into growing in discernment and what Scripture says about it. 

First I want to talk about the title of this episode. Most of you probably know Titus 2 and it’s instruction to older women to teach the younger certain godly attributes to be encouraged in and pursue. 

So why and how does discernment fit into the titus 2 mandate? Well, I believe it has everything to do with Titus 2. When Paul instructs Titus (and by-proxy) other elders and shepherds of the Church, he instructs the elders to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine and instruct the older women in their flock to teach what is good. So how does one come to know sound doctrine and that which is good so that they can teach it? This is the practice of discernment. The ability to know truth from lie, evil from good. And as we will see, it is an ability that one matures into, one that a person must exercise, practice, and train themselves in. We must separate truth from lie, evil from good so that we can teach and do that which is good to and for others, the very service of love. 

Not only do I want to make a case for WHY you should make an effort to learn how to discern truth from lie but I want to show you HOW right doctrine, good teaching affects our sanctification, and produces certain good works.

WHAT IS DISCERNMENT

What IS discernment, ladies?  

Let’s first look at what discernment is NOT. 

We often hear quoted in relation to discernment, this verse: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). 

Most often in American Evangelicalism today, this verse is used in the context of discerning new, private revelations. James W. Goll from Charismamag.com, in a podcast he’s done on discernment, teaches a series revolving around the presupposition that a believer should be receiving personal revelation from God. And this is the very common teaching that centers on discernment: How to discern the heart impressions, thoughts, and subjective revelations one believes is from God. “Learning to listen with discernment means that you begin to recognize the voice of God so well that other voices sound unfamiliar.”(Prophet: Learning to Listen With Discernment, James W Goll; Charismamag.com)

I have to lay this out, because if the common teaching that Christians should be receiving personal revelations is true then, yes, we should be taught how to discern these heart impressions, thoughts, dreams, and subjective experiences, as we would have to learn how to differentiate between our own thoughts, demonic influence, or God’s voice. But what if that presupposition is false? If God has already spoken, and we have all we need in the Scriptures for godliness, and good works, then there is no need to discern these subjective experiences. 

(Now, I’ve gone through how Scripture contradicts the very popular teachings on Hearing the Voice of God. This topic is dealt with in the “Let’s Talk About Lysa Turkeurst’s Book: Is God Speaking to Me” series, and the “Two Opposing Doctrines: Sola Scriptura vs Discerning God’s Voice” episode. There are also some very good resources which helped me on this topic that I would Highly recommend to you, such as Jim Osman’s “God Doesn’t Whisper”, Greg Koukl’s “Decision Making and the Will of God” lectures, and Justin Peter’s lectures titled “Clouds Without Water”, these men have gone into this topic and do a much better job arguing for the sufficiency of Scripture than I do)

So… if there is no need to discern heart impressions, experiences, dreams, and personal revelations, then what is this verse talking about? What is it that we are discerning?

Let’s take a little time to look at this verse in context.

Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 3:24-4:6)

So let’s first take notice of how John states that those who keep God’s commandments abide in God. We can know that we abide in God because the Spirit of the living God abides in us causing us to obey His commands. This is then where John contrasts the living Spirit with false spirits urging us to test these spirits. What are these spirits tied to? False prophets. Did you notice that? The reason we are to test the spirits is because false prophets have gone out into the world. Prophets are people who claim to know God and receive His words. They proclaim the Word of God that we are to trust and believe in and obey. True prophets have God’s revealed word, while false prophets claim they have God’s revealed words but actually have their own word (Jer. 23:16) leading people astray. So these spirits we are to test are teachings, doctrines, and words that come outside of ourselves. Words that come from people who claim to hear from God. Not subjective heart impressions or personal revelations that we believe could be from God. These people give teachings that John states either confess Christ has come in the flesh from God or deny that Jesus is from God. These people are teachers that present doctrine that contradict in some way the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They speak from the world because they come from the world, not from God.

And then John clarifies and gives a very practical way of testing these spirits; and that’s this: That those who know God will listen to the Apostles. “Whoever knows God listens to us” he says, “whoever is not from God does not listen to us (the Apostles). By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error”.

This is discernment. Discernment is examining everything carefully; holding fast to that which is good, [and abstaining] from every form of evil (Thess. 5:21-22). 

Discernment is comparing that which we hear, read, and are taught to Scripture, where we find the words of God given by the Holy Spirit, through the Prophets and Apostles. We have the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament that witness to the  preincarnate Christ, the proclamation of His coming and the new covenant (Luke 24:27), and we have the apostles in the New Testament who proclaim Christ come in flesh as from God, who were chosen by Christ to be eyewitnesses to His life, death, and resurrection. 

In the Old Testament those who discern, are described as acquiring knowledge and understanding (Prov.15:14; Prov. 18:15; Psalm 119:125). It is knowledge and understanding that centers around the statues of God. With this knowledge and understanding  one then exercises discernment in differentiating between that which is true (God’s word/statutes) and that which is false, that which is good and that which is evil. Romans 12:2 sums this up beautifully: 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world,³ but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

SO WHY DO WE WOMEN NEED TO EXERCISE DISCERNMENT?

So as you can see Paul contrasts the conforming to the world  from the renewing of our mind. That by testing and discerning the will of God, that which is good, acceptable and perfect, we can therefore present our bodies as living sacrifices to that will.

This is why discernment is so very important to train up into.

Because the doctrine that we take in will guide our works. For the christian woman, all the doctrine that surrounds the gospel will drive us to present our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, because our faith in God’s word and specifically the Gospel, is what delights God. As Titus 2 states in regards to women teaching that which is good, it encourages us to do the good works that God calls His women to do. So here is where we will look at the practicality of good doctrine in a woman’s life. 

What happens to a Christian woman when she studies the Scriptures to equip her for every good work? How does holding to these good doctrines, taught to us in Scripture, affect our homes? 

In the last 2 Titus-2-Time, I went over why it was important to learn what is right, good and true. That was because it DOES something. WHat we come to believe, what we trust and put our faith in produce actions. And these actions are guided, either by God’s teachings or man’s teaching. Let’s look at just a few Scriptural doctrines and how they will affect and guide the life, and actions of women and their homes.

 TRUE DOCTRINE AND RIGHT TEACHING EQUIP AND ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO GOOD WORKS

I’m just going to look at certain aspects of the Persons of the Trinity to bring to light how right doctrine taught on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can have a huge impact on driving us to good works. Believe me, these are just a few observations as there are numerous implications that can be gleaned from good theology and its impact on our lives.

1. First, and most importantly, the Gospel should be the foremost in our learning. The proclamation that God sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins first humbles us and then reveals the great love that God has for us, it teaches us about His holiness, His justice, His wrath, our sinful nature, what we deserve, God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and His great love for us. This is why Paul urges the church in Hebrews to Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…(Phil.2:3-5).

The Gospel drives us to love and forgive others as Christ loves and forgives us (Col. 3:12-14).This, as Christian women, is applied to everyone but especially to our husbands and children as learning that which is good, the Gospel, will draw us to be Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 women.

2. Learning and trusting in the truths, found in Scripture about God the Father will bring faith without fear, leading to true submission and love without fear.

The Scriptures teach us about God, that He is Triune in nature, That in the GodHead there is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, are the testimonies of God and His work in history. The New Testament is composed of eye witness accounts of the Son come in flesh and the recordings of what He taught as the Holy Spirit brought to remembrance these teachings and directed the authors of the epistles to write them down. Basically, the Scriptures teach us about God. When we learn about God and come to actually know Him we begin to trust Him more and more. What we know about Him can be seen through our actions. I believe one of the most revealing ways to see where a woman’s trust lies is in her submission. 

Now, God willing, I hope to do a full episode on this, looking in depth at 1 Peter on submission. But for a quick explanation of what I mean here is that for most, and it was especially true for me, my battle with submitting to the Headship of my husband came from my lack of trust in the Sovereignty of God. That was until I studied 1 Peter. And especially focused on what it meant to be a daughter of Sarah as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.(1Pet.3:6)

When a Christian woman has not come to the understanding that God’s hand is EVERYWHERE, even working in the lives of husbands who may be “disobedient to His word”, we can feel it is our duty to direct our husbands morality, spiritual growth, and household leading. This is because we fear that our husband’s decisions will hurt and affect us negatively. A right doctrine on the Sovereignty of God also instructs our love for our children and our friends in the same way. It brings us to love without fear. So when we are confronted with our children’s sins, the sins of family members and friends, there is no fear in whatever the circumstance because God is our Father. While sinful disobedient choices do hurt us, a Sovereign God is at work even in those decisions, working out ALL things for our good. Even with the suffering and hurts that come from sin, God is so good and so sovereign He works it out to grow all of His children in sanctification. See, ladies, this is theology in practice. 

3. Learning and trusting in the truths found in Scripture about the Son and His work will bring joy and assurance leading to peace. 

The more we discern right doctrine about the 2nd Person of the Trinity, the Son, and meditate on who He is and what He has done, the more we have joy. Romans 15:13 states:  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Notice where Paul states where he prays all our joy and peace be in: believing. This believing, of course, is in that which is good and true. We discern that which is true and right and believe in it, and by it comes our joy and peace. This simply stated prayer teaches us what Paul desired for those who read this epistle. That we be filled with all joy and peace in believing what he has taught (in Romans specifically, but we can say in all of Scripture as well), so that by the filling of this joy and peace in believing, we may, by the power of the Holy Spirit, abound in hope. 

In practicality, when we come to know Christ and His accomplishments, especially that He reconciled us to the Father. That anyone [who] is in Christ,  is a new creation.² The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting [our] trespasses against [us],… and  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corin. 5:17-19; 21). 

What joy, peace and great hope come from the doctrine of this reconciliation. A doctrine so rarely taught in most Evangelical churches today. For most churches the teachings revolve around either being better, or actions one displays as a “quote-unquote” Christian or they revolve around the declarations, or positions we have as Christians, reminding you that you are awesome, and that God thinks you’re so special, He has great plans for your life. Instead, we should be focusing on the truths that this Gospel, this plan of God’s redemption, of this eternal life that was promised before the ages (Titus 1:2), is secured for us in Christ, by which NOTHING can thwart His work.  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom.8:31-39)

It is by this doctrine that we are filled with joy and peace. This will drive our hope, and will result in actions of love.

4. Learning and trusting in the truths found in Scripture that revolve around the Holy Spirit expose and produce the work of the Spirit.

When we can differentiate between truth and lies in teachings of the person of the Holy Spirit, and believe that which is true regarding Him we will produce that which He will work in us: The fruits of the Spirit. The persons of the Trinity are one and so interconnected that when we learn about the Father and His work, the Son and His work, we will produce the work of the Holy Spirit. His work in convicting us of our sin (John 16:7-11), comparing ourselves to a holy and righteous God, bring humbleness and a reliance on God’s grace and mercy, drawing us more and more to Christ and His work more and more. His work in bringing us to know truth as He is truth (John 14:15-17) causes us to go to Scripture for all life and godliness (2Pet.1:3). His work in our regeneration (our spiritual birth)(John 3:6-8), bringing us to faith in Christ to trust in His work and call Him Lord. The Spirit living in us (1Corin.6:19) produce fruit in us (Gal.5:22-23), helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us (Rom.8:26) drawing us to go to God in prayer and effectually working God’s will by them, and His work helps us to be a witness to the work of Christ and the Gospel (Acts 1:8) in our own lives.

There is sooo much more we can say about Scriptural doctrines and the blessings they bring when exercised. But now that we know some of why learning right doctrine is important, we can make a case for why cultivating discernment is so very important to the Christian life. When we understand that learning and trusting in ALL the words given by God in the Scriptures will CAUSE us to walk and become more like Christ, we will become like David declaring that …Through [His] precepts [we] get understanding… Therefore [we] love [His] commandments above gold, above fine gold. Therefore [we] consider all [His] precepts to be right; [we] hate every false way. (Psalm 119:104;128).

So let’s ask ourselves: Is this me? Do I have understanding? Do I love His commandments? Do I consider all His words given to me in Scripture to be good, right and true? All I need to equip me for every good work? Do I hate every false way? This is the heart or motivation behind discernment. It is a reverence and love for God’s word and a hatred of that which distracts from or contradicts it.

SO HOW DO WE CULTIVATE DISCERNMENT?

1. We must renew our mind. 

Rom 12:1-2 states: I appeal to you therefore, brothers,  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul explains to us how we should present our bodies as living sacrifices. That when we do this we worship God. And then he states how we are to do this: by not being conformed to the world (doing things and acting as the world behaves) but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This takes work and effort,  it is a process of consistent action. A renewing which consists of changing the thoughts, ideas, philosophies, presuppositions, worldviews, etc. Taking these that we believed in our flesh, exposing where we have suppressed truth in unrighteousness, revealing our sins and false beliefs to the light of God’s Word. Thereby renewing our thoughts and taking them captive to obey Christ (Corin.10:5) and comparing all we already know, believe and trust in, and all we hear to God’s revealed truth in His written word. THIS will cause us not to be conformed to the world; that by testing and discerning what is God’s will, that which is good, acceptable and perfect, we then present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him, doing that which He instructed us to do.

We are presenting our minds to the altar, renewing it every time we dive into Scripture and let it divide the soul and spirit…judging the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Heb 4:12).

2. We must hold fast to true Doctrine

As we hold fast and contend for that which is true, we will hate that which is false.

John, in writing to an unknown woman of the Church, after commending her for her and children walking in the truth, and warning her of the many deceivers gone out into the world, he states: Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. ⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.(2 John 8-11)

While this verse is in the cultural context of hospitality, the heart of this passage is how separated we should be from those that teach deception. We are to guard against any teachers who bring any teaching that is contrary to God’s already revealed word. 

Notice that this passage has two actions instructed to the lady: 1) abide in the teachings of Christ and 2) do not receive or give greeting to false teachers/deceivers. He informs her that to even greet them is to partake in their wicked works. Seems a little harsh, but to greet them, or in other words, “to cheerfully or joyfully hail” them, in a way diminishes the importance of truth. Any false teachings  that surround Christ and His work given to us in the Gospel, these put people’s salvation on the line. That is most definitely a wicked work that we do not want to partake in.

3. We must contend for the faith

In Jude, we have a whole epistle written to the church urging them to contend for the faith. Jude, who was eager to write about the common salvation to those who are called out, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ; instead felt that it was necessary to appeal to them to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1-3). It was because certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

In both epistles (and other passages which warn of false teacher) we are instructed to draw a line between true and false doctrine, and to reject the false. This is discernment in action. But Scripture takes it further. Not only do we exercise discernment and hold fast to that which is true we are called to contend for the faith. Contend means to struggle to surmount or overcome, to assert something as a position in an argument.

This is the goal of Thoroughly Equipped: To Show you how Scripture renews your mind, helps you learn how to compare the teachings you receive to Scripture, discerning that which is good from that which is false, and then to contend for the teaching from Scripture as surpassing all other teachings praying God will grow you in your faith.

SO after going through WHAT discernment is, some of why good doctrine grows us in sanctification, and HOW we exercise discernment, in all of it what should be the goal behind discernment?

THE GOAL OF DISCERNMENT (CONCLUSION)

1 Thess.5:19-22 tell us to … not quench the Spirit. 20 [To] not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. The purpose of Christian discernment is to learn that which is good and hold fast to it.

The act of discerning the good from the bad, truth from lie, good from evil, is useless if we do not hold fast to that which is good for it will cause us, as Paul relays, to abstain from every form of evil.

There are 3 reason why women should exercise discernment:

1 – we discern so that we may not sin and advise and guide those we love into the truth of God’s word so they may not sin.

Whether you realize it or not, the teachings we accept as true we will give. Like the Scriptures say false teachers speak that which is irreverent babble, [as] it [leads] people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene…[swerving] from the truth… upsetting the faith of some. (2Tim.2:16-18)

False teaching spreads from one person to the next.

Jesus warns His disciples of leading people astray in Mark 9:42-50. He says, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,⁷ it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” 

At minimum, false teaching hinders the growth of a Christian, at its worst false teaching turns people away from the God of Scripture to follow a God of their own devising, causing them to sin. These teachers claim to have heard from God, prophesying out of their own imaginations, following their own spirit, yet really have seen and heard nothing (Ezek.13:3). Their teachings  draw people away from the faith to follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons (1Tim.4:1) to which they transgress the 1st and the 3rd Commandment, to have no other Gods before Him and to not misuse or misrepresent the name of the Lord.  We must be careful that we do not hinder our loved one’s spiritual growth by bringing false teaching to them. 

And yes ladies, in some form or other, we all teach each other by word or deed. Any one of you who have children or husbands understand this. Even those of you who are not married or do not have kids, know that your words and actions teach your friends, coworker’s, etc. What you say and what you do will teach and inform others of who you are and what you believe, especially if you claim to be a Christian, your walk and talk will reveal who your Lord is.

For this exact reason flows number 2 – that what we have discerned to be good, right and true will affect our works, our walk. This is the practicality of exercising discernment. Because when we trust in the truths of Scripture the fruits of our faith will be done by theSpirit for our neighbor. We will, in realization and trust in the sovereignty of God, who directs all men’s hearts, who uses the suffering you and I may go through to bring us closer to Him, we will without fear willingly submit ourselves to one another. 

We will, in discerning the truth of Christ and His work, live in peace with all, knowing we are secure in the justification received through Him. And we will, in discerning the work of the Holy Spirit, go to His word to thoroughly equip us for all we need for life and godliness and every good work. Trusting that He is at work in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Christ.

Ladies, if you are convicted, as I am and have been, at past instances where you may have believed false teachings and/or spread false teachings…repent, and trust in Christ for those sins, know that you are clothed in His perfect righteousness when you do this, as if you talked and walked like Him, teaching people like He did, loving people like He did. We, on this side of eternity, in this sinful flesh, will not get everything right nor walk perfectly, but thanks be to God that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom 8:23). And now, God in His sovereignty has brought you to repentance and will, by the Holy Spirit guide you and sanctify you in His word, as it is truth (John 17:17).

And That is where our 3rd goal comes in: the learning of God’s doctrine, the exercising of discernment, the holding fast to Christ’s teachings, and the contending for the faith is ultimately to glorify God in all we do. Christ directs us to pray and ask that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt.6:9-10). This starts with us. Through Christ’s work in the Gospel, in God’s sovereignty and by the Holy Spirit working in the individuals of His chosen people, God’s will is being done. The answer to this prayer is being worked out when God’s people discern that which is true from that which is false. It is being done when we have discerned the truth by the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures to obey Christ commands. God’s will will be done on Earth as it is in heaven! And it starts with you dear sister. It starts with me. It starts with our discerning the good to live out in our daily lives, serving those in our home and those out into the world. Wow! 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; ²  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. ³  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. ⁴  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ⁵  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ⁶  for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.(Psalm 1)

May God be glorified in all of it! 

So ladies, till next time, I pray, you are meditating day and night on Scripture, being firmly planted and holding fast to Christ and His word. May, you with all knowledge and discernment contend for the faith, loving your husband, children, friends, family, though encouraging them to go to Christ in the Scriptures. Fighting the good fight, so that you may hear, well done good and faithful servant…i pray you are in His word,