Week 14 Chapter 12 “The Fruit of the Womb” Precious & Pleasant Riches

As we look around at our society and see abortion, child abuse and incest, we wonder when our country began to hate children. Scripture tells us that there are two foundations, one built on the rock and the other on sinking sand. Women, we are on sinking sand and now great is our fall. (Matt. 7:26)

Blessed are the barren. Jesus predicted that there would be a time more woeful than even His crucifixion. The time is now! When the Jewish women were mourning and lamenting over Jesus, He turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ” Luke 23:28-29. How many times have you heard women telling another woman who was pregnant, “Better you than me!” ? How many times have you heard women with small children (even Christian women) say, “No way! I'm not having any more!”?

And God blessed them. Jesus was facing the lowest point in His life, yet He said there would be a time that would be worse! When you see the feminist movement and their push toward lesbianism and the reduction or elimination of children, you can see we are in the beginning of the time Jesus was talking about. Are you mourning and lamenting as Jesus said the daughters of Jerusalem should? Or, are you believing the deception? “And God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.' ” Gen. 1:22.

Why do you call me Lord? How did the “anti-children” movement begin? It began about 30 years ago when birth control became possible and we have been sinking ever since. Birth control says:

I don't want children yet.

I don't want too many children– one, two, three, or even four, but no more!

I don't want them too close together.

If, and I say if, I want children I want them when I want, how often I want, and how many or how few I want. God is no longer in control; I am! I know what's best for me and what I can handle. I choose my own destiny, Lord!

“Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?” Luke 6:46.

Be fruitful. To have Jesus as Lord of your life, you must follow His teachings and principles. “And God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' ” Gen. 1:28.

Unless the Lord builds the house. We must be willing to have as many or as few children as God sees fit. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” Ps. 127:1. Allow Him to build your family, one pregnancy at a time.

Because you are lukewarm. Once we Christians started to tolerate the “gray areas” beginning with natural family planning, it was then easy to slip into a darker gray, the Pill and the IUD. Now we have the black area - ABORTION! “So because you are lukewarm [using birth control], and neither cold [which is abortion] nor hot [trusting God entirely for your fertility], I will spit you out of My mouth.” Rev. 3:16. How can we who hate abortion (and maybe even work in the Pro-Life movement) convince a woman who is contemplating abortion that the child she carries is a blessing, when we are refusing a blessing ourselves?

They may breed abundantly. In Mary Pride's book The Way Home, she states: “Family planning is the ‘mother of abortion.' Once couples look upon children as 'creatures of their own making,' all reverence for human life was lost. Children as God's gifts whom we humbly receive are one thing; children as articles of our own manufacturing are another. You can do anything you like with what you yourself have made. Hence, abortion, incest, child abuse.” “Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” Gen. 8:17.

Populate the earth abundantly. God said “Be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth” in Gen. 1:22, Gen. 1:28, Gen. 8:17, Gen. 9:1, Gen. 9:7, Gen. 35:11, Gen. 48:4, Lev. 26:9, Deut. 7:13, Deut. 8:1, Deut. 30:16, Jer. 30:19, Jer. 33:22 and Heb. 6:14. He told us 14 times!!

“And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” Gen. 9:7.

“God also said to him, I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you.” Gen. 35:11.

“Then I Myself shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and shall bring them back to their pasture; and they will be fruitful and multiply.” Jer. 23:3.

Fill the earth. But haven't we already filled the earth? We continually hear today about the dreaded “overpopulation problem,” but two experts give us a different picture:

“We could put the entire world population in the state of Texas and each man, woman and child could be allotted 2,000 square feet [the average home between 1,400 to 1,800 square feet] and the whole rest of the world would be empty.” Mary Pride’s The Way Home,  pg. 62.

“Every person in the world could stand, without touching each other, within the city limits of Jacksonville, Florida.” Bill Gothard’s Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) Publications

Fill the earth. The Truth is that we are a dying nation! This means that we are not replacing ourselves. One of the “fruits” of our disobedience is that we now know that the Social Security meant for us will never be. There will not be enough children to work to supply the funds when we are old. “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’ ” Gen. 9:1.

A gift of the Lord. But I'm afraid that if I let God have control He will give me 20 children! Do we really believe what the Bible says? “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3. We Christians are picky about which blessings we will receive. Give us more cars, a bigger house and a higher position in our job and the extra responsibility, trials and work that go along with them. But for “heaven's sake,” don't give us any more children!  God says that children are a reward, not a curse! We have been brainwashed by the feminists and by a worldly viewpoint! As a Christian, whom do you choose to believe, God or the feminists?

Opened her womb. Statistics show that in developed countries, the average woman without birth control will have five or six children, not twenty. Look at the Bible. Noah had just three, Sarah had only one, and both Rebekah and Rachel had only two. Ladies, this was prior to birth control. Large families were the exception in the Bible, and also the most blessed.

Leah had six sons and a daughter but Rachel had just two sons. “Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” Gen. 29:31. “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.” Gen. 30:22. God gives exactly how many children He wants to give each woman. He gives them in exactly the perfect order and at God's perfect timing. In your desire to control your fertility, have you missed a blessing? “God also said to him, I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you.” Gen. 35:11.

Closed fast all the wombs. Not having children is God's curse or punishment. “They will play the harlot, but not increase.” Hosea 4:10. “For the Lord closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.” Gen. 20:18. This also shows us that it is God who opens and closes the womb. “For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs…” Gen. 20:18. “And He opened her womb.” Gen. 29:31.

God shall supply all your needs. But what if we can't provide for any more children? A lot of what we are lacking is faith. Claim this verse: “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19. We need to reevaluate our priorities. Could your needs actually be “wants”? “We are the richest people in history, yet are the most fearful about the costs of child-rearing.” Mary Pride’s The Way Home, pg. 48. Let's be “…free from the love of money.” 1Tim. 3:3.

She who remains at home. As a homemaker you can claim this verse as you seek to provide for your family. “…And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!” Ps. 68:12. Many of us, because we are at home, shop at garage sales and thrift stores. Also, many with large families have shared that those women who have chosen to limit their families have given them bags and boxes of brand-name clothing.

With these we shall be content. A lot of what you want to give your children is something that later will ruin them and lead to their destruction. Aren't the children who “have it all” - the toys, clothes and their own rooms - the most spoiled, ungrateful and miserable? Aren't these the same children who as teens are drawn into drugs and cults, or are often suicidal? Here is what Scripture says: “And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.” 1Tim. 6:8-9.

Being content. Do you want your children to be discontent when they are married because you have set them up with so many riches? Shouldn't you teach your daughters to be content so they are not forced to work outside the home? Shouldn't our goals with our sons be to teach good work ethics? Wasn't it the rich man who walked away from Jesus and was unable to enter into the kingdom? Do you remember how hard it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle?

So it's not that we are afraid we cannot provide for the needs of our children and our future children. We are deceived and are actually making this decision based on providing “wants” which will lead to their destruction. “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have….” Heb. 13:5.

Love of money. It seems that children today tend to be a financial burden for almost twice as long as they once were. The contribution from children to the family and society has now been delayed for years while they play and go to school. The young people in previous generations helped with preserving food, sewing clothing, and plowing and harvesting the fields, or they worked in apprentice positions to help the family financially. By the time they reached their teen years, they clearly became an asset instead of a liability. We all know many young people who are still living off their parents well into their twenties. This is even after their parents have paid out great finances for a college education. Ask yourself why you feel it is important to send your children to college; is it for godly character? “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.” 1Tim. 6:10.

Fear. Instead of the fear of “having children” that the world keeps telling us about, let's talk about the fear of what they are not telling us. Not only do we miss blessings, but we are living dangerously by what we use to stop God's blessings. Remember, “God is not mocked, what you sow this also you shall reap.” Gal 6:7. Why do we want to sow a seed (by being intimate) and yet not reap the fruit of the womb (a baby)? With abortion, we actually rip the root right out of the soil! Ladies, how can you possibly trust God for your salvation, but not trust Him for the number of children you should bear? We trust Him for our eternity, yet we can't trust Him with our fertility!

Multiply your seed. What are the dangers of stopping our own fertility? “The Pill - an abortifacient; it disturbs the lining of the uterus (endometrium), assuring that any baby who may have been conceived cannot implant himself correctly. Thus, the baby starves to death at about seven to nine days of age. The tiny infant is then cast out of the womb - a victim of abortion. The pill also causes hypertension, blood clotting, diabetes - hence the rise of maternal diabetes and a mandatory test is now recommended for all.” (Info from various IBLP publications) “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.” Gen. 22:17.

They labor in vain who build it. Many of us believed in Natural Family Planning. We believed that if our husbands and we “planned” our family “naturally” we were working with God. Weren't we just being responsible? No. We were still saying we knew, above God, what was best for our families. Those of us who decide to trust God have experienced such freedom. Giving this responsibility over to God lifted such a burden. Some of us never had any more children and others had a few more. By trusting the LORD to build our house, we had the confidence that we had His best. “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it….” Ps. 127:1.

Wasted his seed. What about those contraception methods used by men, those that are barrier methods? Not surprisingly, the Bible has covered them all, when the “seed was spilled.” Gen. 38:9. “And Onan…wasted his seed on the ground, in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He took his life also.” Gen. 38:9-10.

Was barren. As women began playing “God” with their bodies by deciding when and if they were to be pregnant, they began deciding the life or death of the baby they were carrying. When we begin to follow the lie that those who are pro-abortion use: “we can do whatever we want with our bodies,” we see these consequences.

Sterility. So many women are unable to become pregnant because of birth control, multiple partners, and damage from previous abortions. This has caused an obsession among American women to have a child “at any cost.” “Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” Gen. 29:31. As a result, we have:

Abortion. We are told that it is wrong to allow “unwanted” children to be born. But the Truth is that those babies are definitely wanted. The long years of waiting for those wanting to adopt a baby are proof.

Invitrofertilization.  Many see no wrong in test tube babies for a childless couple. Now we have been alerted to the many fertilized eggs that are disposed of in the Petri dish and also aborted from the womb. Since this method is so expensive, the doctor inserts several fertilized eggs, hoping that some will embed. Many times a “multiple pregnancy” results and the couple choose “which and how many” will be spared and which will be aborted. Many of us are also aware of the doctor who used his own sperm, to save time and money, and is estimated to have fathered hundreds of children in the Chicago area.

Surrogate mothers. These are women who are paid to carry a man's child for another woman. This is not new. Hagar is the first and most well known surrogate mother. The hate that Sarah felt for her and the destitution of Ishmael and Hagar, not to mention the wars that have continued to this day, tell us the result of this sinful way of getting a child “at any cost!”

Unpaid prostitution. The lie of “free love” is nothing more than women prostituting themselves. But women have paid the price. Since the feminist movement began and the invention of the pill, a “one-night stand” is supposedly our right as women. Now we have widespread venereal disease, AIDS, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, infertility, mental and emotional shame, higher suicides (especially among teens) and low self-worth. These are some of the results of freedom from abiding by God's Laws.

Homosexuality. Now I am sure you wonder how birth control and sterilization have encouraged and spread homosexuality. “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Rom. 1:26-27. We have seen some of the “due penalty” of their error. AIDS is running rampant, especially among homosexuals. When women despise children, stop bearing the fruit of their wombs and voluntarily sterilize themselves, this is unnatural! Homosexuals believe (those who have removed the possible result of the union between a man and a woman) the clear message that physical union is for pleasure and not for the reason of producing fruit from the man's seed.

Let's sum up what God has been telling us so far in His Word, since “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness….” 2Tim. 3:16:

Children are blessings. (Gen. 1:22, Gen. 1:28)

Our children are our rewards. (Ps. 127:3)

God opens and closes the womb. (Gen. 20:18, Gen. 29:31)

God commanded us to multiply and fill the earth. (Gen. 1:22, Gen. 1:28, Gen. 8:17, Gen. 9:1, Gen. 48:4, Lev. 26:9, Deut. 7:13, Deut. 8:1, Deut. 30:16, Jer. 30:19, Jer. 33:22 and Heb. 6:14.)

The earth is not filled; we are not overpopulated.

We are not to give wants to our children or it will lead to their destruction.

God supplies all our needs; we don't have to worry. (Phil. 4:19)

Not everyone will be blessed with a large family; some will only have one or two without even “helping God” with birth control or sterilization.

By using any form of birth control or sterilization, we are imposing a curse or punishment on ourselves as God did on those in the Bible. (Gen. 38:9-10)

We can't really say we are Pro-Life if we use birth control since it is the foundation of abortion.

Happy is the man with a quiver full. What do you do if you want more children and your husband doesn't? First you need to pray and repent of anything that you may have done to encourage his turning from the desire to be “happy” since, “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them….” Ps. 127:5 KJV. Do you murmur and complain about the amount of “work” from the children God has already given you? “Do all things without murmuring and complaining.” Phil. 2:14. When your husband arrives home from work, do you make him your “helpmeet,” expecting him to help you around the house? “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a help meet for him.’ ” Gen. 2:18. Are your children pleasant to be around or are they unruly and disrespectful? Do they rule your home and you? “A child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” Prov. 29:15. (Don't miss lesson 14, “Your Mother's Teachings.”)

Hearts of the fathers to children. Pray these three Scriptures: (1) Ask the Lord to speak to your husband's heart concerning future children. “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Ps 127:3. (2) Ask God to restore your husband's heart to your children and toward future children. “And He will restore the hearts of the fathers to children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:6. (3) Ask the Lord to turn your husband’s heart. “The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Prov. 21:1. If your husband tells you to keep taking the pill or watching for signs of fertility, don't resist his authority; just pray. Trust that God will direct him. Your husband is ultimately responsible, not you. What you are responsible for is to submit to the authority God has placed over you, and that is your husband. “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.” Eph. 5:24.

What do you do if your husband has had a vasectomy or you have had a tubal ligation? Many couples have confessed to me that they are so burdened that they had made the huge and life changing mistake of having themselves sterilized. Some have taken the step of having this permanent sterilization reversed. You can find out about having this mistake reversed by contacting a Dr. Pohl in Houston, Texas who specializes in microsurgical vasectomy reversals, who has done 1,800 of these surgeries and has a money back guarantee! His number is 1-713-Reverse. Or visit his very informative website at vasectomyreversal.com. The doctor just upstairs, Dr. Rawson does tubal reversals. His number is 1-281-363-4445 and his website is fertility.com Before you rule either of these out due to the costs involved, pray that God would provide the funds. He is the God if the impossible and the God of second chances!

Every thought captive. What do you do if it is you who has decided to limit or space your children? Examine your motives and your fears. Is your motive selfishness, wanting more material things or more time for your “self”? If you have bought that lie, remember this Scripture: “But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” Mark 10:43-44. Certainly a mother, especially of many children, is in a place of servanthood. God tells us that we are great! Being a servant was the message that Jesus spoke and lived when He walked on this earth, and one of His most forgotten messages today. Cast down false reasoning. “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2Cor. 10:5.

Makes flesh his strength. Do you feel overwhelmed with the children you have? First check to see if you are following God's wisdom in Proverbs concerning child training. (See lesson 14, “Your Mother's Teaching,” and the book Workers@Home for “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge….” Hosea 4:6.) Don't rely on Christian or secular child experts or authors; go to the Author and Creator of your children for the answers. “Blessed is the man who trusts the Lord.” Jer. 17:7. “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength…” Jer. 17:5. Check to see if all that you do for your children (all the “extra” curricular activities) have eternal worth. “Cut back” to an absolute bare minimum those that do not qualify. It's Satan wearing you out and causing you to be defeated so he can achieve his goal “to stop more Christian children from being born!”

Fear brings a snare. Is it the fear of childbirth? Begin to examine your birthing decisions to find the way that most follows God's intent for childbirth. Have faith in Him and how He created your perfect body, the body that carries the baby being created within your womb. Will He say that you are “on your own” when it comes time to give birth, or even to feed that child? Has He lacked in how He made you, even though He created this perfect baby within you? “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.” Prov. 29:25.

There is a wonderful and POWERFUL book that I just read that I highly recommend for every women to read and believe -- Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize! A mother of 6 (who has a restored marriage and whose husband is a doctor) told me about it. She said that her first three she had naturally, the last three she had supernaturally PAIN FREE!! I ordered the book and was totally awestruck. I am going to use these principles and Scriptures to prepare my three daughters for their future pregnancies (and mine too if the Lord has plans for us to have more!). You can read testimonies on Amazon.com, but my friend’s testimonies and after reading the book, I am totally convinced it is not only possible, but it is God’s plan for His own!

My people perish. “My people perish for a lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6. What knowledge can be gleaned from seeing so many broken and troubled marriages? A lack of submission or having a rebellious spirit will eventually destroy your marriage and prevent you from receiving protection. If your husband desires children or if he doesn't, submit to him. “Wives, be subject to your own husbands.” Eph. 5:22, Col. 3:18, 1Pet 3:1 (See lesson 8, “Wives, Be Subject,” for “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge….” Hosea 4:6.)

Workers at home. When you work outside the home, the children you have, and any future babies, become a burden, not a blessing, because a lot of your pay goes to childcare. One woman sat down and figured her profit from working full time. She found that she only cleared $1.00 an hour after paying childcare for her three children.  Leaving the home is usually part of Satan's plan to divide and conquer. You must consistently pray to remain in your home. Because so many women are working outside the home, our homes are sitting empty and they are crumbling. “To be sensible, pure, workers at home….” Titus 2:5. (See lesson 13, “The Ways of Her Household,” for “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge….” Hosea 4:6.) Also, going back to school has been a major contributor to women falling into adultery and being forced to leave little ones. Eve wanted and desired knowledge. “…in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened…knowing good and evil.” Gen. 3:5.

Preserved through the bearing of children. God has a promise for those who trust God concerning the bearing of children. “But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.” 1Tim 2:15. Here are just a few examples:

Two of the most contentious women I have ever met are mothers of large families and have been blessed with extremely devoted husbands. Their marriages have been “preserved.”

We have had women who share how, because of a pregnancy or young baby, they were “spared” from difficult situations. They were “preserved” from outside difficulties.

One woman was spared medically because each time her doctor wanted to perform a medical procedure now known to be dangerous, she was pregnant. She was “preserved” physically.

Another woman said that her in-laws continuously harassed her husband to make her go back to work and earn her keep. Once her fourth child was born her husband checked into child care and found that they would actually lose money if his wife worked. His parents stopped pushing. She was “preserved” and able to stay in her home.

In Conclusion

Who is the enemy? Ultimately, it is Satan. This is who is behind sin, and those who listen to his lies are his slaves. We have many vocal spokesmen for him; at this time they are known as feminists. Their goal has been to pervert God's way for women to have and bear children. The NOW organization literally hates men and has turned to other women for their companionship and to the government for their protection. These are the women you are emulating when you too refuse to bear and obey the command to “be fruitful and multiply.” These same women who will never know or want to know a man, have convinced masses to “kill or murder” their own children as a sacrifice to the feminist god of “self.” May God forgive us for listening to and agreeing with their lies, “for they are of their father,” the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Then obey Him. If you choose to follow the world's beliefs, you have ultimately chosen to follow and be a slave to Satan. If you say you believe God, then obey Him! “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?” Luke 6:46. Have you decided to ask the Lord for His salvation, but He is not really your Lord and Master? If He is your Lord, then act like it. If babies are a blessing, than act like it and trust God with your fertility!

May God Bless You!

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine,

Within your house,

Your children like olive plants

Around your table.

Psalm 128:3.

Personal commitment: To trust God in all areas of my life, including the bearing of children. “Based on what I have learned from God's Word and from observing the fruits of this generation's disobedience, I commit and surrender my body to my Lord. If I am past childbearing years, or permanently unable to conceive, I commit to spreading the Truth and confessing my faults to others in order to discourage them from making the same mistakes.”