Everyone has friends, but you must choose your friends wisely. This is because they can be a great asset or a great source of regret. Yeah, your friends can either make you or mar you. Their influence is very strong. It is not everyone that comes your way that qualify to enter into your friend zone; this is the reason you have to review your friends from time to time.
To review and choose your friends, ask questions like:
Who are your friends? Are they from Christian homes and do they attend to the things of God with honour? Do they tell lies? Do they say vulgar jokes? Do they encourage you to do good or bad?
Look at the questions and truthfully answer them. This helps you to know who to continue to have as a friend, and who to cut off from your side. The questions will help you to choose your friends.
Great people do not become friends with just anyone; they are careful with the people they call friends. This does not mean you should not be good to everyone or that you should not greet some people. It just means that it is not everyone that they share their life with. It is not everyone that they take counsel from. Friends are people you communicate well with, and therefore you have to choose your friends wisely.
It is my prayer that God will keep you, and that He will bless you with good friends. Amen.
Prayer: Lord make me a better friend and bless me with good friends.
Action point: Make a list of all your friends and start to examine that friendship list critically. Choose your friends. Then deliberately distance yourself from people you do not want to have as f
Those who honor was taught by Pastor Dunamis Okunowo on the 16th of May 2021 at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, Beside Trans Amusement Park, Bodija-UI Road, Ibadan.
To Listen to the audio of this message, kindly go HERE or HERE
Proverbs 4:20; 7:24
The reason we pray long most times, for years often is that we are violating principles
How To Honor
1. You honor your father(either spiritual or biological) by paying attention to his words.
What you take in is what will bring the quality out of your life. It is also what will determine the gloriousness of your future.
Ephesians 6:1-3
When you honor, nothing can cut your life short.
Obeying your parents is giving them honor.
God looks at your heart and, not your actions.
When your heart is bad everything else will be bad.
As bad as the devil is, he can’t access your life unless you give him permission – That is when you go agsint God’s instructions.
Don’t allow your heart to be a deposit of junk.
Learn to obey because it translates to honor
Don’t allow strife, hurt, anger, bitterness get the best of you.
One day of favour has the ability to rubbish a hundred years of labour.
The devil came, but Jesus has come too.. John 10:10
Stay with the word, enjoy God.
Honoring God requires sacrifice.
2. Honor your father by paying attention without arguing – Titus 2:9
Whoever you argue with, you dishonor.
Paying attention causes you not to talk back. It is an honor to listen first. You can go as far as prostrating for a person and still dishonor that person.
It is your heart that matters most (the content of your heart and motives).
The gloriousness of your destiny is dependent on what you take i.
3. Honor by paying attention to all instructions whether big or small – John 2:5
Signs of Dishonor
Isaiah 53:3
Your absence can be a sign of dishonor – 1 Samuel 15:28-30
Your failure to call on someone can be a sign of dishonor. Matthew 2:15-16. Refusal to answer a call is also a sign of dishonor.
Disregarding advice. Deuteronomy 5
Leaving can also be a sign of dishonor – Luke 15:17-18. When you leave unceremoniously, you are disregarding your parents.
Your stubbornness can be a sign of dishonor – Exodus 14:3-4
The Covenant of help was taught by Pastor Sophia on the 16th of May 2021 at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, Beside Trans Amusement Park, Bodija-UI Road, Ibadan.
To Listen to the audio of this message, kindly go HERE or HERE
Times and seasons are in the jurisdiction of God.
God is cutting a covenant with us where he is arising, saying that it’s our time and season.
What part do I have to play in the covenant?
1. Put the word of His help in your heart and on your lips. Meditate on it
I need help and I also need to come to the realization that I need help in my destiny, marriage, ministry, career e.t.c.
Isaiah 50:7
Get busy with God, meditating on scriptures, praying, worshipping and you won’t have time for the flesh – genesis 49:25, 1 Chronicles 12:22, Psalm 46:5
The word of God never dies.
2. Believe the word
Never doubt God’s word regardless of the circumstance.
God’s every word is interwoven. God can do more than we can conceive. The word of God eliminates the agenda of the devil.
3. Be consumed by the word
There is always work to do whichever way you take, whether the way of the covenant or the way of the world.
4. Thank God for the word of help
The process of faith is not complete without gratitude.
Focus on Him. The process of obtaining from God will have to do with all of you. Your whole life, attention, thoughts. e.t.c
God is a jealous God and so he requires that you give him your all.
5. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit
God will accomplish his help by his spirit
God wants us to show forth and show off and do the impossible in your life.
I startedthis topic yesterday and I will be concluding on it today. Other signs that shows that your marriage needs attention on time before it becomes too late are:
5. Your spouse cannot be trusted.
In this case trust has been ruptured in time past by some events and the spouse in question has done nothing to build back the ruptured trust. The spouse is also still doing things that makes his spouse suspicious like keeping secrets, passwording phone, not been able to receive calls when your spouse is around, deleting messages, keeping late nights and the list goes on. Your marriage needs a lot of help and both of the spouses will need to be counselled. Forgiveness on the faithful spouse and repentance on the erring spouse will be necessary for healing.
6. When there is extramarital affairs.
Nothing breaks marriage like extra marital affairs. Whatever the reasons for this, scriptures enjoins us that no matter what, we should never drink water from another Cistern unjustifiably. For no reason should any of the spouses go onto an extra marital affair. The book of Proverbs especially chapter 6, talks about transparency. Couples should be sincere, open and truthful to each other.
7. When both husband and wife are not on the same page.
The very essence of marriage is that the couples be naked and are not ashamed, and that the union produces oneness that no man can put asunder. When both couples are not on the same page, the power of agreement is broken. Couples can no longer pray the prayer of agreement and see results. There are several reasons for this, that’s not what we are looking at today. The couple should not just wait, hoping some day things will turn out better. Time doesn’t make things better only intervention help sort out issues.
8. Unresolved conflicts.
Nearly all marriages have had several conflicts in their marriage. In fact, conflicts show that you married a human being with feelings and different opinion to yours. What makes the difference and marks the boys from the men, is the ability to resolved issues and get better and stronger together. It takes a whole lot of maturity to resolve conflicts. Unresolved conflict, no matter how small or little the conflict was, has the ability to break a marriage. Always resolve every issue and ensure no party is in unforgiveness, bitterness, anger.
9. Criticism
Couples should have constructive criticism which is healthy for the union. When criticism become frequent, destructive and done outside of love, then it is a sign the marriage needs help and the erring partner should be educated.
10. Finances
When couples are not transparent and open about their financial dealings, the marriage needs attention. When you hide your money, your investments, your debt, your financial givings, things you buy, and the language “my money” is often used rather than “our money”, something is terribly wrong. Your marriage needs help. You need to seek wisdom. I never want to know who is responsible, but couples should pull their resources together and jointly forge ahead. Any issue in marriage that attempts to pull you away from each other makes you need help. You can sort for help in several means, you can pray about your marriage, you can read books to enlighten you, you can take up the matter with your mentors, or change your character for the better. Whichever method is chosen, don’t just gloss over issues on your marriage.
May God grant us more understanding. God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I pay attention to my marriage.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to pay attention to my marriage.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Most times, family members are the most ignored set of people. We tend to think that they will always be there or they don’t need much from us. We pay more attention to people that we meet on the street than to the people we have inside the house. You can easily apologize to a random person you stepped on in the street, but you find it difficult to say ‘sorry’ at home. That is not how it should be!
Now take a good look at your relationship with your family members. Do so by asking yourself these questions and giving an honest answer to each of them:
How often did you tell or show them you love them?
How many times did you help them when they needed it?
How often did you help your parents at home?
How often did you obey parental instructions?
How many times did you pray for your parents or siblings?
What was the last gift you gave your family members?
How often did you spend time with them?
How often did you fight your sibling?
These are personal questions that will guide you. You can and should add yours to these. Showing love to your family is important and gladdens the heart of God. One of the reasons is because the family is the fundamental unit of the society; when things are right there, things will be right in the larger society. As a Christian child, you are supposed to value the family system. Christianity itself is a family of believers in Christ. May the Lord bless you in name of Jesus. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, I am grateful for the family you have blessed me with. I thank you for my parents and siblings. Help me to value them more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action point: Start by saying a big thank you to your family members for being there for you throughout the year. You can make a big “thank you” card for them.
