Are You the One Wearing the Pants in the Marriage?!?

I used to LOVE wearing pants both figuratively and literally.
I have since traded them for skirts, figuratively and literally. :)

I don't know about you, but I am SUPER girly! :)

I love being feminine.

I love looking feminine.

I thank God for making me a woman! :)

But, before the Lord convicted me of my sins of pride and rebellion,

I was the one wearing the pants in the relationship, or at least
I insisted on wearing the pants! 

(Dong still had his pants on though, but I was pulling them off of him all the time during my most controlling years. I am talking figuratively, by the way!!!)

2011

Suffice to say, I felt SO masculated.

I felt SO manly.

I felt SO unfeminine.

And I hated it. :(

I was SO miserable. :(

I was a WOMAN, betcha by golly wow.

Well.. a worldly woman, that was.

And I had no desire to be the man in the marriage.

2008

* * * * * * *

BUT...

I was so headstrong, driven, ambitious, and take-charge before the Lord changed me.

Not exactly bad character traits, except when one happened to be the wife in a marriage.

THEN...

That's when those positive character traits which figured so well and were actually assets in the workplace, became negative or created GREAT FRICTION in the homefront.

My newscaster look. I was
extremely career-oriented. - 2011

How was I to know that I was supposed to use that side of my personality only at the office and eat humble pie and take on a submissive and respectful attitude once I stepped within the premises of our home?!? I never saw that in my parents' home. I never saw it in anybody else's home.

In fact, I grew up in a very matriarchal clan where the women ruled! 

Biblical submission was an alien concept to me! (as I believe it is an alien concept to sooooo many too!)

* * * * * * *

Dong and I were (and still are) the bestest of friends.

2009

I've always enjoyed his company and he's always enjoyed mine.

Except when I was in one of my deep, dark moods in the past, which usually went on for weeks.

 During those days, all I would be thinking about was:

- how lucky he was to have me

- how unlucky I was to have him

- how hardworking I was

- how unmotivated he was

- how unappreciated I was

- etc. etc.

I was prone to focusing on my husband's sins and
faults while overlooking and glossing over mine. :(
2011

In short, I went on a pity party for days. I cherished my feelings of bitterness and resentment against him. During those days, I would just pout and sob in one corner and I would not allow him to touch me. He would look confused, forlorn and helpless. I used to LOVE it when he'd appear concerned towards me after I'd acted hurt for days. It showed that he cared about me, and that he'd better do something about the situation because I was affected, I was not happy, and I was not pleased with him or his behavior!!!

Everything revolved around ME.

I felt that he deserved my ill treatment.

I felt that my ill feelings were justified.

Well, that was what I felt.

But that was not what the Lord saw.

He saw right through my unforgiving heart, 

and it was full of sins. :(

 1 Samuel 16:7

"Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Matthew 15:19

For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.

I sure had a LOT of evil (prideful, self-righteous, judgmental...) thoughts, alright! I even had ridiculously arrogant thoughts of: "If he cannot provide for me, then I would provide for the family! I could do that much better than him! I "pray" that I don't die earlier, because he cannot support our children! Lord, you better make him die earlier than me!!! The family needs ME!"

Yikes. :(

I am a very girly type of woman, but "wore the pants" during my most
controlling years. - 2012

It made me cringe now just writing about it. But, dear sister, this is why I blog in the first place. This is why I spend so much time writing for an unknown audience in the worldwide web. This is why I accepted the Lord's prodding of writing about what it is to have a godly marriage...  Not to make you think that we have the "perfect marriage" or to brag about my so-called "perfect life"! I certainly do not have claims to both! I am writing in order to "boast" about my faults, in the hope that you may see yourselves in me, be convicted by the Holy Spirit, repent to God, and start a new life in Christ; and thus experience TRUE FREEDOM! If it happened to super prideful, controlling, crazy ME; it can happen to you too! :)

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

I love my godly womanly role! I love wearing
skirts, literally and figuratively! :) - Feb 2014

My husband is a kind and loving man. He is self-employed and he provides for our basic needs. He is selfless and would not mind not buying himself anything, just so the kids and I are happy. He is very helpful, considerate and has no qualms in serving me! Imagine that! He served me, even during that time when I was bitter and prideful and a pain in the @ss to live with! He loved me unconditionally when I disrespected him blatantly. I was thinking back then of "how lucky he was to have me", when all along, it was I who was lucky to be married to him! Yes, he was not perfect, but neither was I! But, in my eyes, it was all HIS fault! I was so spiritually blind!!! :(

It was only when God opened up my spiritual eyes, in September 1, 2013, that I saw through my sinful and pretentious heart, and appreciated Dong for good. It was then that I decided to let go, let God and gave up on wearing the pants. It really did not fit me. It looked bad on me! Dong wore them far better than I ever could! (We are still talking figuratively here, just to be clear! :)

Dear sister, are YOU wearing the pants in the relationship? 

Or, are you unaware if indeed you are?

(Note: Things may vary from household to household. These are just some signs that you are already starting to look like or are already "the man of the house".)

Here are some signs that you are the pants (and belt and buckle!) wearer in your marriage:

I acted like the "star" of the household
and always "stole" my
husband's pants from him,
when I was still so spiritually blind
to my mountains of sins!!!! - 2012

1. You get to have the first and last say in all family matters.

2. You are the sole/primary provider for the family. 

3. You are the one protecting your husband/children from trials, hardships and problems.

4. You are the one who gets to decide with finality on what the family will do, where the family will live, etc. Connected to number 1.

5. You are the one handling and holding on to the family's finances. 

6. You are the one disciplining the children. Kids are more "scared" of you than they are of Daddy.

7. You dictate to your husband what line of work he should go into, what he can or cannot do, what he can or cannot say, what he can or cannot be.

________________________________________________________________________________

Here are some Bible verses in a nutshell, compiled by a godly and older mentor, Mrs. Lori Alexander of Always Learning, which talks about our roles as biblical women:

Gen. 3:16...and he shall rule over thee. 
I Cor. 11:3...the head of the woman is the man 
Eph. 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 
Eph. 5:24...so let the wives be {subject} to their own husbands in every thing. 
Eph. 5:33..Let the wife see that she reverence her husband. 
Col. 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.. 
I Tim. 2:11,12..I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man 
Titus 3:4,5 teach young women...to be obedient to their own husbands 
I Peter 3:1...be in subjection to your own husbands... 
I Peter 3:5,6 ...being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. 

I love being with my man! - October 2013, newly submitted

I don't know about you, but it's no fun being the "man of the house".

The Lord made me a woman.
I want to be a woman.
I want to act like a woman.

And usurping my husband's roles as provider, protector and leader in the past, made me a man. Eeek. :(

Being the "man" of the household emasculates your man. You want him to "man up"? Stop doing his roles. Stop being the "man" of the house.
Start acting like a woman - a gentle, quiet and godly woman.
It may take time (looooots of time) for him to start acting like the man that he is and should be, but unless you are willing to allow him to be the man of the house without your interference, he may never be able to step up the plate. He many never get the chance to man up.

Try letting go and letting God, dear sister in Christ.

Try Jesus.

Biblically submissive and trying Jesus' Ways! March 2014

Try following His Commandments to us wives, and see your marriage bloom from bad to good, or from good to best. His Ways are not our ways, and His Thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa 55:8). If you have tried everything the world has to offer and are still are coming up short, why not try God's Design for Marriage, where the husband is the head of his wife and the wife is subjected to her husband?

Believe me you, it's freeing! It's liberating! I have not felt this womanly nor this feminine ever. I have not felt this peaceful ever. I have not seen my husband this manly or this respectable ever. Truly, God knew what He was doing when He created Man and Woman!!! :)

ARE YOU THE ONE WEARING THE PANTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP?

Stop wearing the pants, sister! Hand those jeans/slacks/maong pants over to your husband and start wearing skirts. (I am talking figuratively again, by the way, although I always wear skirts and very rarely wear pants literally, nowadays.) 

 With the pudding I baked. :) - July 2014

1 Peter 3:7 

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

YOU ARE A WOMAN, THE WEAKER VESSEL. 
(This is not an insult by the way. God knew what He was doing when He designed you. 
You are in need of Man's protection. God cares for you that way.)

EMBRACE YOUR GODLY FEMININITY.

IT'S GOD'S GIFT TO YOU AND TO YOUR MAN.

Dong, my husband: "YOU'RE THE MAN!" ;) 
- 2014

May we all be richly blessed. :)

The 7 Gifts of the Spirit vs. The 7 Capital Sins (Choosing Jesus over satan)

As I was writing the post on CONTROL, the Lord directed me into also discussing about the SEVEN CAPITAL SINS. Most probably, because CONTROL and SIN are related.

 The seven capital sins stem from the ABSENCE of SELF-CONTROL.

It would be good to point them out and find out if we were guilty of one,

some, most, or ALL (!) of the seven sins.

These sins are called CAPITAL because they engender other sins and other vices.

For non-Catholics who are unfamiliar with what the Church teaches, according to its catechism, there are two major kinds of sins: MORTAL SIN and VENIAL SIN.

Allow me to define the two:

Mortal Sin: 

The Church believes that if you commit a mortal sin, you forfeit heaven and opt for hell by your own free will and actions. It is the complete turning away from God and embracing something else in place. It’s deadly to the life of grace, because it insults the honor of God and injures the soul of the sinner. Mortal sin is like a malignant tumor or a critical injury that’s lethal to the spiritual life.

Cain killed Abel. This is the FIRST MURDER, a MORTAL SIN.

Three conditions are necessary for mortal sin to exist:

1. Grave Matter: The act itself is intrinsically evil and immoral. For example, murder, rape, incest, perjury, adultery, and so on are grave matter.

2. Full Knowledge: The person must know that what they’re doing or planning to do is evil and immoral. 

3. Deliberate Consent: The person must freely choose to commit the act or plan to do it. 

A "white lie" is considered a venial sin.

Venial Sin :

 The Church defines it as less serious breaches of God’s Law. These are sins that meet one or two of the conditions needed for a mortal sin but do not fulfill all three at the same time, or they’re minor violations of the moral law.

* * * * * * * * *

I would like to point out though that ALL SINS do grieve God's Heart. One should not go about deliberately sinning against God just because one's sins are deemed only as "minor" or venial. Every sin when done consciously no matter how "innocuous" it may seem initially, will eventually become a habit. Bad habits cause the conscience to be jaded and hardened. When one's conscience, which determines an act as either good or bad, already considers a "minor" sin, not anymore a sin, but just a "normal occurrence", it can make the sinner level up in his/her sinning. This makes the sinner vulnerable to committing far graver or mortal sins. One has to always nip sin in the bud, in order to not live an immoral life open to temptations and influences by the enemy.

An Example would be:

• A woman befriends a male coworker. He is fun! He is also married. They have many common interests. It starts out as a good friendship.

• They hang out together. They even talk about their spouses and their families. It becomes a fulfilling "platonic" relationship.

• Later on, the woman finds herself confiding to this man. She enjoys his company. He understands her. She cherishes the time they spend together as she talks about her problems.

• They are together all the time, sometimes even just the two of them, at work, and during breaks.

• Soon, he is now dropping her off from work daily.  They give each other "harmless" goodbye kisses on the cheek.

• Suddenly, the woman's husband takes a month-long trip away from home due to his job.

• The woman becomes lonely and needy.

• She seeks the company of the male coworker even more.
  

• The male coworker "comforts" her in her loneliness and lonesomeness.

•  It won't be long before the male coworker makes a pass.

• She is too vulnerable and too sad to resist.

• They kiss, this time on the lips.

• Before they know it, they are already having sex!

• What started out as "innocent" friendship has turned into an adulterous affair!
  

• Like has turned into Lust.

• They are now deliberately living a life of SIN. :(

I would like to point out  that NO sin is "harmless". Every sin offends God. Every sin can lead us farther and farther away from God. That's why the Lord wants us to take captive every thought for Christ. So, the moment the sinful thought crops up, we immediately kill it on the spot! Because sinful thoughts eventually lead to sinful actions and continual sinning will put us  in deep spiritual bondage.:(

That is a life of "death". :(

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Note: The following info is taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church]

Here are:

THE SEVEN CAPITAL SINS

CAPITAL Sin #1 :PRIDE 

Lucifer fell from heaven because of PRIDE.

- Pride is undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with God.

- It is essentially an act or disposition of the will desiring to be considered better than a person really is. 

- Pride may be expressed in different ways:

•  by taking personal credit for gifts or possessions, as if they had not been received from God

•  by glorying in achievements, as if they were not primarily the result of divine goodness and grace

•  by minimizing one’s defects or claiming qualities that are not actually possessed

•  by holding oneself superior to others or disdaining them because they lack what the proud person has

•  by magnifying the defects of others or dwelling on them. 

- When pride is carried to the extent that a person is unwilling to acknowledge dependence on God and refuses to submit his or her will to God or lawful authority, it is a grave sin.

Jesus taught us humility.

Bible Verses to Live By:

1 John 2:16
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world.

James 4:6
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 16:18 
Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.

_______________________________________________________________________________

CAPITAL Sin #2 AVARICE/GREED 

(from Latin avarus, “greedy”; “to crave”) 

This picture went viral  around the Philippine netosphere
when the Napoles scandal broke out.

- Greed is the inordinate love for riches.

- Its special malice, broadly speaking, lies in that it makes the getting and keeping of money, possessions, and the like, a purpose in itself to live for.

- It does not see that these things are valuable only as instruments for the conduct of a rational and harmonious life, due regard being paid of course to the special social condition in which one is placed.

- It is called a capital vice because through it many other sins are committed.

- It is more to be dreaded, in that, it often cloaks itself as a virtue, or insinuates itself under the pretext of making a decent provision for the future.

- In so far as avarice is an incentive to injustice in acquiring and retaining of wealth, it is frequently a grievous sin.

- In itself, however, and in so far as it implies simply an excessive desire of, or pleasure in, riches, it is commonly not a mortal sin.

Jesus taught us simplicity and the absence of' 'love' for worldly things.

Bible Verses to Live By:

Proverbs 15:27 

A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.

2 Peter 2:3 

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

James 3:14-16 

14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

_______________________________________________________

CAPITAL Sin # 3: ENVY

The infamous picture of Sophia Lauren  "eyeing" Jayne Mansfield's bosom

-  Resentment or sadness at another's good fortune of the seven capital sins, envy is contrary to the tenth commandment.

- Envy is not quite the same as jealousy.

- Jealousy seeks another advantage for oneself while envy tries to destroy another advantage.

- Jealousy can be good depending on what one is actually desiring. St. Paul wrote that his apostolate was to make his fellow Jews jealous of Christians — not so that they would persecute and try to destroy them (as in envy) but so that they would seek the spiritual advantages of conversion to Christ (see Romans 11:15).

Jesus always claimed that the Father "was greater than I" even though 
he and the Father "are one".  Totally no power play and no envy on his part.

Bible Verses to Live By:

Proverbs 14:30 

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Psalm 37:1

 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

Galatians 5:21

envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

_______________________________________________________

CAPITAL Sin #4: WRATH/ANGER

- The desire of vengeance.

- How we judge it depends upon the quality of the vengeance and the quantity of the passion.

- When these are in conformity with the prescriptions of balanced reason, anger is not a sin. It is rather a praiseworthy thing and justifiable with a proper zeal.

-  It becomes sinful when it is sought to wreak vengeance upon one who has not deserved it, or to a greater extent than it has been deserved, or in conflict with the dispositions of law, or from an improper motive.

- The sin is then in a general sense mortal as being opposed to justice and charity. 

- It may, however, be venial because the punishment aimed at is but a trifling one or because of lack of full deliberation.

- Likewise, anger is sinful when there is an undue vehemence in the passion itself, whether inwardly or outwardly.

- Ordinarily it is then considered a venial sin unless the excess is so great as to go counter seriously to the love of God or of one's neighbor.

Jesus teaches us that it is not a sin to get angry,
especially if it is righteous anger as in the case of his cleaning out the Temple.
But he also reminds us that in "our anger, we should not sin."

Bible Verses to Live By:

Romans 12:19

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

James 1:19-20 
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Matthew 5:21-24 

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift…” 

_______________________________________________________
CAPITAL Sin #5: LUST 

- The inordinate craving for or indulgence in sexual pleasure.

- The evil of lust is reducible to this: that sexual satisfaction is sought for either outside marriage or, at any rate, in a manner which is contrary to the laws that govern marital intercourse.

- Indulging in lust is a mortal sin, provided of course, it is done in a way that is voluntary in itself and fully deliberate. This is the testimony of St. Paul in the letter to the Galatians, 5:19:

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury… Of the which I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God.” 

- This teaching applies to external and internal sins alike: “Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

Women were respected and treated with kindness by our Lord Jesus
Christ. This was the Samaritan woman at the well  whom Jesus asked water from. 

Bible Verses to Live By: 

1 Peter 2:11

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

1 Corinthians 6:18 

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.

Hebrews 13:4 

Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

_______________________________________________________

CAPITAL Sin #6: GLUTTONY 

- Overindulgence in food or drink.

- The moral deformity discernible in this vice lies in its defiance of the order postulated by reason, which prescribes necessity as the measure of indulgence in eating and drinking.

- A glutton wants things according to the apt rendering of Father Joseph Rickably: too soon, too expensively, too much, too eagerly, too daintily.

- Clearly one who uses food or drink in such a way as to injure his health or impair the mental equipment needed for the discharge of his duties, is guilty of the sin of gluttony.

- It is incontrovertible that to eat or drink for the mere pleasure of the experience without desire of nourishment or table fellowship, is likewise to commit the sin of gluttony.

- Someone habitually gluttonous is so wedded to the pleasures of the table as to live merely to eat and drink, so minded as to be of the number of those, described by the Apostle St. Paul, “whose god is their belly” (Phil 3:19).  Such a one would be guilty of mortal sin. 

- Likewise a person who, by excesses in eating and drinking, would have greatly impaired his health, or unfitted himself for duties for the performance of which he has a grave obligation, might be guilty of mortal sin.

Jesus would always eat with his apostles. He even drank some wine with them.
He also ate with sinners and tax collectors.  Eating is a great way to have fellowship with people but always with moderation. 

Bible Verses to Live By:

Proverbs 23:21   

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty:

and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.

Deuteronomy 21:20  

And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard.

Proverbs 23:2  

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [be] a man given to appetite.

_______________________________________________________________________________

CAPITAL Sin # 7: SLOTH 

A real-life picture taken of a tambay (Filipino word for jobless) lazily sitting
while some American/Canadian volunteers paint and build his house.

- A culpable lack of physical or spiritual effort; acedia or laziness. 

- One of the seven capital sins which represent the “I don't care” feeling.

- A man sees that the practice of virtue is hard and so resists the service of God.

- He becomes slothful and his soul grows sluggish and lazy at the thought of the painful life journey.

- The idea of right living inspires not joy but disgust, because of its laboriousness. - This is the notion commonly obtaining, and in this sense sloth is not a specific vice according to the teaching of St. Thomas, but rather a circumstance of all vices.

- Ordinarily it will not have the malice of mortal sin unless, of course, we conceive it to be so total that because of it one is willing to reject some serious obligation.

- In this sense sloth is directly opposed to charity. The man who is slothful violates, therefore, expressly the first and the greatest of the commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength.” (Mark 12:30).

- Sloth can also indicate a wasting due to lack of use, concerning a person, place, thing, skill, or intangible ideal that would require maintenance, refinement, or support to continue to exist. (Wikipedia)

Jesus had only 33 years to live on earth; of these, three of which were supposedly

spent on his ministry. For sure, He never wasted any minute fulfilling the Father's Work!

Bible Verses to Live By:

2 Thessalonians 3:10

10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Proverbs 19:15

15 

Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,

    and an idle person will suffer hunger.

1 Timothy 5:8

8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

___________________________________________________________

Knowing now the seven capital sins, I wonder how many of those did you check? One, two, three... all? 

It would be so easy to feel like the scum of the earth because of our sinfulness and just wallow in self-pity and guilt. But, take heed; don't despair! The Lord came to earth not for the saints, but for sinners like you and I. (Mark 2:17) God sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life! (John 3:16) God demonstrated His Love for us, in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners!!! (Romans 5:8)

All He is asking from us, is that we "REPENT (Acts 3:19), turn away from our sins,  turn to the Lord, and be faithful to the gospel." For us Catholics, that was what the priest told us to do, when he put the ash on our foreheads last 
Ash Wednesday --  the start of the Lenten season. 

It is Christ's call to all of us Christians --  
Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostal Christians, Evangelical Christians, Baptist Christians, etc...  

-- no matter what denomination.

This coming Good Friday, if not today, ("for if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts!" (Hebrews 3:15)) let us crucify our old selves with Jesus on the cross, "that the body of sin might be done away, so we should no longer be in bondage to sin"! (Romans 6:6)

As we commemorate Holy Week, may we reflect on the life of Jesus, and decide to follow Him not a moment later, in order that we no longer become "slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness." (Romans 6:18)

It does not end with us being sinners. It ends with us being saved from our sinful lives, and being given new selves, in and through Jesus Christ!!!  (Gal 2:20) 

If on one hand, there are SEVEN capital sins that ensnare us and bind us to the world, to the flesh and to satan; on the other hand, there is a list of corresponding SEVEN gifts of the Holy Spirit that believers will possess, when they decide to let go and let God rule their lives. 

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. They are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ but are found in all Christians who are in a state of grace. 

If the SEVEN CAPITAL SINS were :

1. PRIDE
2. GREED 
3. ENVY
4. WRATH
5. LUST 
6. GLUTTONY   and 
7. SLOTH

The SEVEN GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT are:

1. WISDOM 
2. UNDERSTANDING
3. RIGHT JUDGMENT
4. COURAGE
5. KNOWLEDGE
6. PIETY    and
7. REVERENCE or FEAR OF GOD

And as a bonus, not only will we possess the SEVEN Gifts of the Spirit, But we also get to have the NINE Fruits of the Spirit, once we submit our lives to our Lord Jesus Christ! 

Winner all around!!! 

We experience these (I bask in them daily!!! Praise God! Unless I give in to sin, and I have to suffer the loss of it till I repent and go back to a state of grace.) when we have died to our old selves and have decided to live for Jesus Christ.

The NINE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT are:

1. LOVE
2. JOY
3. PEACE
4. FORBEARANCE
5. KINDNESS
6. GOODNESS
7. FAITHFULNESS
8. GENTLENESS      and
9. SELF-CONTROL 

Galatians 5:22

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and  envying each other.

The Gifts plus Fruits (of the Spirit) outnumber the (capital) sins!!!

          *satan's team                             Jesus' Team                                         

                                                

      7  Capital sins                                           7 Gifts of the Spirit
   +                                                           +             

       many other sins              vs.                     9 Fruits of the Spirit 

_____________________                   _______________________

7 capital  sins + Countless Tortures                        16  Gifts and Fruits + Countless Blessings   

Prize: Eternal Damnation and a Ticket                        Prize:   Salvation and a Ticket to                                         to Hell                                                                          Heaven

Whose team are you on?

___________________________________________________________

This Holy Week, may you choose Jesus. 

He is waiting for YOU.

May we all be richly blessed! :)

* I do not capitalize satan's name. 

He does not  deserve a capital letter.