So she caught him…That is a language used when you set a trap and you catch a prey, isn’t it? You see when you are locked up in the embrace of a strange woman; with a woman who is not your spouse and yet will not leave you alone, you have been caught!
You might think you are a good toaster, but nay, you have been caught! You might think you are having some free stuff, but you have been trapped. That is why the Bible says, “she caught him!”
The word “caught” in literal Hebrew is interesting. It is “Chazaq” which means to “fasten upon,” “seize,” “to bind,” amongst other meanings. The next time you are entangled in bed with a strange woman, you are not a champion; you are a prey!
2. Her seduction tactics are aggressive
… and kissed him (Proverbs 7:13b KJV)
She doesn’t waste time and there is no time for rapport. The strange woman will gladly offer her body in one-night stands, with strangers in public toilets and anywhere in exchange for money.
3. She is stubborn and resilient in her seduction
…and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee (Proverbs 7:13-15 KJV)
A strange woman will not give up easily. Do you remember Delilah? She vexed Samson until she got what she wanted. When a guy begins to offer some lame excuses saying, “I never wanted it even for once, she was always the one intimacy…well, you are gone! If you were offered Rice cooked with rat poison, and you know, would you eat it and say it was because she served you?
Tomorrow, I will give you more signs of the strange woman. Don’t miss it.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not fall into the trap of the strange woman.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Oh Lord, deliver me from the strange woman.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed (Proverbs 7:19-20 KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Are you noticing strange behaviors in the life of someone around you? Take action now.
The Fear and Mercy Of God was taught by Rev. Dunamis Okunowo on the 1st of August 2021 at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, Beside Trans Amusement Park, Bodija-UI Road, Ibadan. The first service of the day was on ‘The Fear Of God’ while the second service was on ‘The Mercy of God.’
Some of the points Rev Dunamis made during the first service are as follows:
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (KJV)
That Scripture talks about several things we are to do in order to be able to understand the fear of God.
Receive
Hide
Incline (set at an angle)
Apply
Cry
Lift up your voice
Seek
Search
It is when you fulfil these parameters that you will come to understand what the fear of God is.
Fearing the LORD is a basic quality every believer must have.
What you do not understand, you cannot do.
The fear of God is awe, reverence… not being frightened or scared or trembling.
What establishes your relevance in heaven is your relationship with God.
During the second service Rev Dunamis talked around The Mercy of God. He made the following points:
You are a product of God’s mercy. You are the one that God has shown mercy.
Rest in God’s mercy. Lean on His mercy.
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:6 (KJV)
But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Genesis 39:21 (KJV)
The mercy of God sets you apart.
You do not get married by looks, but by the mercies of God.
One of the greatest things God has done for you is mercy.
And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
2 Chronicles 1:8 (KJV)
Mercy has a voice. Inside mercy there is prosperity.
To listen to messages of Rev Dunamis, go HERE or HERE
A point of frustration could be deliberate or not. But if one is faced with the reality of your spouse frustrating you, what do you do?
Well, in this kind of situation, you just have to exercise patience. Have a lot of understanding and don’t react. Reacting will mean retaliating or giving it back to your spouse in the same coin or measure it is given to you.
If the frustration is as a result of some form of sickness or disease, you just have to pray to God for healing and the strength to bear your spouse’s burden.
You may be frustrated because you are not a patient person or because of temperamental differences, background differences or simply male – female differences.
If you are newly wedded, your frustration could be out of misunderstanding of the things you don’t like. Especially if you had a long distance courtship or relationship. The tendency is to want to either retaliate or withdraw from the source of your frustration or pain. Please don’t do this.
In marriage, you and your spouse are a team. United you stand and divided you fall. Know that whatever comes, you are still married and you intend to still remain married.
Let your point of frustration drive you positively to seeking help, change of character and into seeking God. You can start to pray for your spouse every day consciously. Lift your spouse up in prayer and it will be to your account.
When you are also at the point of frustration, don’t keep silent on each other and don’t seek friendship outside of the marriage. Some have done this and regretted their actions. This will only draw a big gap between the two of you. The more you grow apart, the more the gap grows and the more things get difficult.
Just know that marriage requires constant working at it. It requires daily commitment, communication and patience. There are times when all is well and rosy like heaven. There are other times when you just have to keep the flame ablaze and fan the flames.
The bottom line is, don’t give up on your marriage. Don’t make a permanent decision based on a temporary situation. The frustration you are facing is only temporary. That phase will definitely fade away.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not frustrate my spouse. I am patient with him/her.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for grace to be patient with your spouse
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Genesis 2:24, KJV “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Don’t give up on your marriage
We started out discussing this topic yesterday – on the ways we can take care of our parents. We will continue in that light today. Dear child, you have to understand that your parents are the guardians God has appointed over you, here on Earth. They are responsible for you and will give an account of their guardianship over you to God.
Help make their work easy by obeying them. Their actions are meant for your safety – physically, mentally, academically, and spiritually. They are working hard at giving you the life that God wants for you. That is what they are doing! They are not there to do you evil. Your parents do care for you and are making efforts to take care of you
Therefore, do not jeopardize the efforts of your parents and your future by not listening and following their instructions. See what the Bible says in the book of Proverbs:
Prov.4:20 ” my child, listen carefully to everything I say.”
By following the rules and instructions, you will grow into a humble and loving person. These rules and instructions, also, will help you discover, develop, and put to maximum use your God-given talents and potentials.
Your parents were put in your life for a reason – to teach you all about God and why He created you. God didn’t make a mistake by giving you to them.
Prayer: Pray for your parents: Lord, I declare I’m a good child. I make training easy for my parents. I want them to give a good account of me to you, Jesus name. Amen.
Action point: Be conscious of your actions towards your parents.
Declaration: My children are supportive. They love, value, and appreciate every work I do.
She is a “talk” person, not to be muted! This is very crucial and your understanding of this will save you a lot of marital squabbles.
Allowing her to express herself without fear, trepidation, and inhibition is allowing her to be all that God has created her to be. Allowing her to be all that God has created her to be is fulfillment and prosperity for her and for you eventually.
The greatest misfortune that can befall a man is living daily with a frustrated wife. When she is not allowed to express herself, she would begin to internalize. The more she internalizes, the more it can really become dangerous and you will not be happy about that.
It’s been said that an average man speaks about ten thousand words in a day. But an average woman speaks about twenty-five thousand words daily! By the time the husband returns from work, he has probably exhausted his quota of ten thousand words at work, with colleagues, with friends, and over the phone.
By the time the wife comes back from work, she probably would have done about ten thousand words as well. But, you see, she still has about fifteen thousand words bubbling in her entrails that she wants to unleash on her husband, children, and anybody available.
Now, this is the reason all the man wants to do is eat, listen to the news, check emails, have Jeru trip, and sleep! This is also the reason why your wife wants to talk a lot and explain a lot of things that the husband deems unnecessary!
So when a man asks his wife, “how was work today?” Bam! That question will be well answered with every detail of what happened since she drove out in the morning while the husband is wondering, ‘Why did I ask this question. What did I ask, what am I hearing?” You need to understand this need of ladies.
It is also the reason why many husbands doze off while the wife keeps talking. And then she asks, “Are you sleeping already,” and you tell a “holy” lie, “no I am listening, dear!” Now, it becomes even more intense when your wife has not started work or she is a housewife! My God, the words are piling up, day in day out, they are being carried over!
This is why as a man, you should sit down with her and talk to her deliberately. Ever wondered why some ladies would be in a relationship with drivers, cooks, and gardeners, and so on, well the reason is obvious. They need to talk and they talk with whoever gives a listening ear. This is why you also need to avoid strife like a plague in your matrimonial home. If you have not been talking to your spouse for days or weeks, that can be dangerous. You are inflating her vulnerabilities because she will find somebody else to talk to, and God forbids that the allegiance shifts!
But what if she offended me and she is wrong? Well, end the strife first, even when you have to apologize for what you didn’t do, then after that, you can discuss intelligently. Ladies are to note, however, that expression of yourself in your matrimonial home as healthy as it is has boundaries. When you cross the line to the dangerous milieu of “Nagging” it can be very counter-productive!
Talking with your husband is different from nagging him! As singles, if you are being muted already, something is not quite right. If communication is defective, slow down and find out why rather than ignore all the symptoms and rush into marriage only to discover it is a mistake!
Singles, never say to your fiancé/fiancée these two words: “Shut up!”
If a lady “shuts up for you and you think you won, you are joking!” Ever seen molten magma before? That is what it is like when a woman shuts up every time. The day the volcanic eruption comes forth, it can be disastrous. Be wise, keep the communication line open. Stop saying you are busy and that is why you have not called her in one week! What is your phone meant for? When you love a person, you want to talk with that person! Single ladies, there is a difference between courting a guy and courting disaster.
When a guy has not called you once in three months, the truth is that you are not in a relationship. Move on with your life, be happy, develop new friendships, and don’t allow anybody to keep your life suspended.
