f you are sincere about changing your family and receiving the peace of God in your home you will probably have to change some of the ways you do things. You will learn as you read this chapter that the tools of a Christian are extremely important. They are the most important things in my house because they produce eternal life for so many people. A carpenter wouldn't go into business without a hammer and saw, so anyone who is serious about having victory over the circumstances that affect their lives, as well those in their family, will need the right tools. Set a plan that fits your time schedule. Start within a week to change something in your life to make things work God's way. If you're not reading your Bible, read at least one to ten scriptures in your New Testament early in the day, then talk to the Lord throughout the day and ask God to give you insight into His Word. As Solomon did, ask for knowledge and wisdom to help others (2Chronicles 1:7-12) great blessings come from a spirit to help others. Also let Him know that you want him to change your life and the lives of those around you in anyway that it would be pleasing to Him, just as Esther did when she was in preparation to be the King's new queen. Praise and worship the Lord for what he is going to do for you. When you are in this kind of yielded attitude to the Lord, the Holy Spirit starts working for you in the morning, He continues all day long and into the night. This way God can guide you simply because you are obedient, and be there for you with miracle power when you really need that extra help.

Make sure you have a Bible you can understand. If all you have is a King James Version, I suggest that you eventually get something easier to read. The one I like best is the NIV (New International Version). We have read many different versions of the Bible but the one that reveals the most depth and insight to God's "spiritual meaning" of his word is the Life in the Spirit Study Bible. It has footnotes from the prospective of a person who has obeyed the commandment of Jesus, which was to receive the fullness or infilling of the Holy Spirit as described in Luke and Acts. I'll be explaining more about this later.

The NIV Bible is available to read on the Internet at: http://www.biblegateway.com other versions are also available there. If you want to purchase a NIV Life in the Spirit Study Bible and your bookstore doesn't carry it (because many people don't believe they need the infilling of the Holy Spirit and some believe it came with salvation) you can get it through Amazon.com from our web page. It is available in leather or hardback.

You can listen to the Bible on CD or cassette tapes if you like. The Audio Bible is also available to listen to on the Internet http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html but you'll need Real Player to hear it. (http://www.real.com Be sure to look for the free one and uncheck all the things that you don't want during the install.)

Save up to buy the NIV Bible on CDs if you don't already have it. Everyone should own at least one set. I have several; my favorite is the NIV Audio Bible Dramatized CD. When you fill your house or car with the Spirit of God that comes from the word it benefits everyone. The tools you make assessable to your family are so important. I have given them as gifts to people that I love. These are also available from links on our web page if you can't find them in the store.

Always read or listen to the Bible as though God is talking to you personally. Even if you don't feel like it, verbally agree with God's way of thinking, it will increase your faith and keep Satan from stealing God's powerful word from you. He knows that if he can't steal or diminish God's Word in your mind, it will drop into your soul and you will defeat him with it later. (Read: The parable of the sower and what it means. Matthew 13:1-9 and Matthew 13:18-23) Gather your strength from the New Testament. It was written for us, who live under God's grace instead of the law. Don't start reading in the Old Testament until you have gone completely through the New Testament three or four times, and then you will be able to tie the Old Testament into the New Testament to produce great living conditions in your life. If the Lord wants you to have a certain knowledge that is in the Old Testament, he will direct you there.

Music softens the heart of a person so that when the word is dropped into it, through reading or hearing, it will remain there and produce faith. Even a sinner will feel the draw of the Holy Spirit through Christian music. Use music regularly in your home or car to create a Godly atmosphere. Even though expression of praise through music is one of the greatest forms of worshiping the Lord never replace the Word of God with music; music doesn't make you grow to maturity in the Lord.

Be sure you talk about what you have read or heard with your husband, children, family and friends. Never keep it just for yourself or they won't grow; and if they don't grow you have problems. God's blessings are greater when you share his Word. Never allow a thought to intimidate you or keep you from talking about Jesus. Matthew 10:32-33 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."

1. The mind of a human being is the playground of Satan and his workers. He invades it as often as a person will let him. He twists everything that he can possibly twist for his own purposes. Clean house in your mind. Get rid of every thought that would not please God. Most people don't realize the power they can have over their own mind, so they let any thought that comes, live there.

   2Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2. Even though a thought is not a sin until you put it into action, never toy with something Satan puts in your mind. It'll imprison you as much as anyone behind bars and eventually he will convince you that you should do it. How long do you suppose Satan tempted Eve before she ate the forbidden fruit? What was she doing hanging around that tree anyway? The Garden of Eden was full of beautiful tress with good things to eat. (Genesis 2:8-9)

3. Fill your mind with songs and scriptures about the Lord. This will always push Satan out. Demolish his playground.

   Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Even if the one you are talking to doesn't like you telling about what you've learned, try different ways to get the Word into them. Start small; it's just a lack of faith when people rebel against God. They don't know enough about Him, how he loves them or what he'll do for them, so they let some form of anger take over their mind. After all it's rebellion against God that lives in a sinful heart, not faith. They're doing what comes naturally. It's sad to think that every person who is now in Hell is finally a believer and wishes they could change their past. (Read the story of the rich man in hell and Lazarus, the beggar, who was in Abraham's bosom, a place where holy people went who had died before Jesus was resurrected. Luke 16:19-31 This is not a parable like Jesus used for so many of his stories, people in the parables had no names. Lazarus was a real person.)

Therefore, reach people anyway that you can and keep trying. The only way people get faith is to hear or read the Bible. It doesn't come through prayer, singing, fasting or just wishing you had more faith.

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

2Corinthians 3:6 He (God) has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant (the covenant with God through the blood of Jesus, which is written of in the Gospels)--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The message is the Spirit of the Word or the life that brings about Godly changes when a person hears or reads the Bible. The fact that the Spirit of God is living and life changing allows God to deal with each individual person in the inner most part of their being, and to make corrections working from the inside of that person, changes which will eventually show up on the outside.

If you find it hard to get someone to listen, you can also write scripture to stick on the refrigerator, mirrors or put a scripture in a snack or lunch. Don't preach or refer to it as "they need it", treat it as you have found a secret and your willing to share. They will accept it easier and soon will desire to grow as you are growing. It's the sinful nature people are born with that makes them want what others have, so stir up that nature in them to receive the good things of God. If you are going to help your family you need to make a decision right now that you will always find something to teach them, and that tools will be available to them. You may have to do all the work in preparing the tools and having them ready and available but eventually they will go get what they want by themselves. Many people have trouble feeding themselves the word of God and if they're not taught they won't grow, so feed your family life from the Bible. Persevere in this; it will get easier with time as you learn what's in the Bible and they develop a hunger for the things of God. The Lord will bless your efforts and your family will respond, never give up.

2Timothy 4:1-2 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

1Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

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