Ken,

I believed life was going well for me and my family. We had been married for almost 20 years and had three children. There was no yelling, no physical violence, and no harsh words to or about each other. To me, it seemed like the "American dream."

That changed when my wife said she woke up in the middle of the night to a voice that said, "Look at your house!" She realized that her dreams about marriage and family weren't coming true. When she shared her frustrations, I started looking for answers. From my perspective, this would be fairly simple.

I began reading books about marriage, but none of them provided a complete answer to our needs. Then a Google search recommended the book, Discovering The Mind of a Woman: The Key To Becoming a Strong and Irresistible Husband by Ken Nair. Initially, I bristled at its implications as I read it and put it down for several weeks. Then the Holy Spirit nudged me to revisit it. Restarting it, I became fully absorbed in its message and was severely convicted. I devoured it several times and discussed its principles with my wife. Her confirmation of the accuracy of Ken's insights and how well he described both of us was humbling. We read specific chapters together, which furthered our desire to find solutions. This led me to search for more information, eventually leading us to Ken and Christ Quest Institute.

We're only halfway through the Freshman portion of the CQI curriculum, which has fundamentally changed our marriage. I'm getting biblical answers to life's questions that I didn't even know existed. And my desire to get God's answers to life is yielding rewards beyond anything I could have imagined — relationships with my wife and children are being experienced in a way that is beyond my comprehension.

Chase Smith

Here’s a picture of me and my friend John. I was hoping he could join our Christ Quest Institute Zoom classes (notice the thoughtful look on his face). He seemed interested until (notice the serious look on my face) I mentioned he couldn’t bring his pistols or rifle to class.

About 5 years ago I planted a peach tree and it’s finally growing peaches. But the birds are trying to get them before me. So, I built an 8ft. square cage to keep the birds out and it worked.

Notice too that I put a lock on the door, so the peaches don’t get away. 

Make sure you look for the August Update to read the rest of the story!

I’ve Got a Gift for You.

Psalms 37:4 (AMP) tells me, “Delight yourself in the Lord, And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.” The definition of that verse has totally changed for me since I’ve become aware of my own human spirit, I’ve gained a uniquely spiritual perspective about that verse.

Let me start by explaining what the message of that verse used to be to me: “That there were certain things that were delightful to me, so I’d petition God and He’d fulfill those desires of mine for me.” 

But I discovered a problem exists within that perspective — mind-set. Those desires only portrayed my perspective. Those desires and petitions were the product of my own human thinking. But in Isaiah 55:8 (AMP), God tells me through Isaiah, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.” Uh oh, now I’ve got a problem. 

But there’s another scriptural truth that moved me to re-evaluate my understanding of Psalms 37:4. It’s found in Luke 6:38a (AKJV) where it says, “…give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over…”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard that verse quoted except when the offering plate was making its way through the church — and those implied effects never took place for me. 

But God Himself is still offering the principle of giving and receiving expressed in Psalms 37:4. So, let’s examine the word “give”. In Hebrew the word give is nathan, pronounced naw-than and used with great latitude. But here are its basic meanings: to give, put, make, add, supply, appoint, ascribe, assign. Those emboldened words are what ignited my new understanding.

Here’s what it’s telling me now, “If I cause Him to experience delight when I demand of myself, to become a living example of His Son Jesus, the Christ, God will substitute my desires (those desires I have within my heart, my spirit) He will supply, appoint, ascribe, and assign, and replace my desires by putting His desires within my heart, my spirit. That’s what He’s talking about when He says. “He will give me the desires of my heart.” 

II Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NASB) reinforces that concept, “11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will consider you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness (goodness: God and godliness) and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Parenthesis, underlines and emboldens mine)

When that takes place — it’s because His desires are in me and that’s what brings the blessings of godliness within my spirit and is helping me to master life!

Can I give you a gift as an example that delights and blesses me? It’s an easy way to memorize scripture. Recite it to (give it to) three people and it will become a part of your life and memory (be memorized) you’ll have received the gift of God’s Word, putting you on the path of mastering life. That’s Christ Quest Ministries’ goal for you too.