Today’s topic is very important, And I want you to give it rapt attention, “Don’t let joy wither from your marriage”. I know youare a perfectionist. You like to fix everything and everybody. You don’t like things out of order. You feel the compulsion to fix your spouse. They have to be in a certain way. Eat in a certain way, laugh a certain way, or talk in a certain way. Oga, free yourself! You are not the Holy Ghost. You cannot change anybody so don’t kill yourself trying.
You are sensitive. If things don’t go the way you want, your day or week is spoilt.
It is good to demand high standards from our spouse and children lest we become mediocre. We have to understand that we can only influence people to change.
Most of our frustrations in marriage is because we are trying too hard to fix our spouse. Don’t forget we are only privileged to be married to our spouse. They are as much individuals just as we are. They have their own opinions, view points, ideologies and standards.
Even your babies are individuals and must be treated with respect. We should respect the fact that they are separate entities. How much more should you respect your spouse!
If you become too forcy about trying to have things done your way, first you won’t get the best of your spouse. They will be living under your shadow, not expressing their individuality. Things will be boring around you. You want to force people to be and do exactly like you want?
Learn to be joyful. Be happy. Be someone with gladness all the time. Let your spouse be happy around you. Give room for expression of their individuality.
Don’t let joy wither from your home and marriage. Celebrate your wins. Celebrate small victories as though they are big wins and eventually the big wins will come.
Things dry up because you allow joy to dry up. Finances, testimonies, breakthrough are all a response to our joy.
The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord ; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Joel 1:9 – 12 KJV
Things dry up when we allow joy to dry up. Let nothing steal your joy.
As couples, consciously and intentionally make room for joy. Learn being cheerful. Practise it. It is a command from God.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 KJV
God won’t ask us to do what He knows we can’t do. He asked us to rejoice. It is not a suggestion. It is not based on our situation. The word is the same under favorable and unfavourable situations.
Rejoice in your home. Rejoice in your marriage. Rejoice ever more.
We have to consciously respond to the joy in our spirit. That joy is in us. It is in our recreated human spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22 – 23 KJV
As a wife, the tempo and atmosphere of the marriage and home depends largely on you. So maintain your joy. If the devil cannot steal your joy he can’t have your goods. He can’t have your marriage. Your marriage and home belongs to God.
Whatever you are trusting God for, rejoice, celebrate and be thankful, sing songs of joy.
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 KJV
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am joyful always.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray for the spirit of joy in your home.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 KJV
Single or married, you dare not approach the vicinity of God’s presence in the old Testament. Even the priests who go to offer sacrifices once a year on behalf of the people had to do so in trepidation and fear. Ropes will be tied to their legs in case they died and they would simply be pulled out.
Such was the case in the old Testament.
In the new testament, it’s simply amazing. Not only could we approach God’s presence, but we are also told to come boldly.
E shock you? There is more. This same God we could not come near in Old Testament becomes a God we carry! What?
Take a look at the scripture.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:27 KJV
Christ is now in us and He is the hope of that glory. In other words, we can taste that glory once He is in us because He is the hope of that glory.
We are now supernatural beings. We cannot be defeated. We cannot be delayed maritally. We carry God! And who we carry ultimately determines who we marry.
There is no fear that our spouse won’t show up. Nobody can refuse you because you carry God whom no mortal can resist.
You carry God, so you cannot attract a time-waster, an empty Casanova, or a suitor with an ulterior motive.
You simply live with this understanding. You relish in it. You dive into it and the reality of that supernatural life becomes our experience.
You say it to yourself and confess it till it becomes your experience.
May God grant more understanding!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I carry God
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, open my eyes to see and know who I am
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Col 1:27 (AMP) To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Study the bible reading for the day
You must learn to acknowledge God as ‘My Provider.’ God is a provider. He gave life, air to breath, legs to walk, hands to use, eyes to see and so much more. What else can’t He give you? What lengths can’t He go for your sake? What can’t He do for you? As long as you are His child (accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour), God will always provide for you.
You should acknowledge God as ‘my provider.’ When Abram was asked to give Isaac to God as an offering, the old man obeyed without throwing one question at God. Even at the last stage when it seemed like God wasn’t going to show up, he went on. And at the last minute, God showed up – showed Abram the ram for the sacrifice.
You need to hold on to the promises of God to provide for your needs, no matter how much, enormous, ridiculous, expensive, and impossible those needs are. Don’t trust in man, trust in God. Believe Him for that which you want. Know Him as ‘my provider.’
He doesn’t need to invest in a business so He can reap the profits in six months’ time. Then give us what we need. He doesn’t need to borrow before He gives us. He has no need to beg anyone for help. He doesn’t need anybody’s permission to take money out of any account nor does He need to create an account in any bank. He doesn’t need to sell anything. He owns heaven and earth and all that is in it “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” That is your God, dear child. You should learn to acknowledge Him as ‘my provider.’
One of the most difficult things to do is to try and maintain the spiritual glow now that you are married. Before marriage, my husband would read about 40 chapters of the bible, pray in tongues for hours and practice the presence of God. Apart from the fact that he is a pastor and must study and pray, all those times given to reading 40 chapters are no longer there.
When you are a married couple your time just seemed to be shared. It is no longer your time. The home is there, the kids are there to take care, responsibilities keep piling up and you just have your 24 hours in a day to maintain all that balance.
With maturity comes the ability to do a lot of things together at once, it is called multitasking.
As a mother, if you don’t know how to multitask, you have not yet started, especially if you are a career woman. If you have a job you do, I mean 8am to 6pm job like I used to do, and you don’t have a maid, and you have a ministry and God’s people to oversee, you had better know how to multitask, because multitasking is a must skill.
You have to learn to continually maintain the spiritual tempo not only of yourself but of the home. I am not there yet and I have to repent sometimes of not doing what I should be doing in terms of spiritual activities. I just come to terms that what has to be done must be done. So my daily reading of God’s word, my daily prayers, my daily confessions must be observed no matter what.
So, you must make a quality decision to make your spiritual glow a priority.
May God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY We are strengthened
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, strengthen our marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 2Sa 22:33 (KJV) God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
Living The Supernatural Life was taught by Rev. Dunamis Okunowo on the 22nd of August 2021 during the first service at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, Beside Trans Amusement Park, Bodija-UI Road, Ibadan.
In his teaching, Rev. Dunamis made mention of the following important points:
If you do not have understanding, you cannot step into the fullness of the power and strength that you have.
If you have Christ in you, you can pull into that glory and express the Christ in you. You can live the supernatural life.
GLORY comes from the Greek word ‘Doxa’ which means heavy or intense. The glory is made manifest in prosperity, increase, glow, etc.
We are all called to live and express this Glory. The glory of God is not for you to have goose bumps, but for you to express the glory for the world to see. It is in living the supernatural life.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Isaiah 60:1,3 (KJV)
We are called to live a glorious life – a life where every need is met, no lack whatsoever.
Declare to yourself: I AM A SUPERNATURAL BEING. I LIVE THE SUPERNATURAL LIFE.
Christ comes from the Greek word ‘Christos’ meaning ‘the anointed one and His anointing. Christ in you is the hope of glory.
To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Colossians 1:27 (KJV)
As a believer, there are things you do not take, because Jesus took them! You do not take sickness; Jesus took it! You do not take defeat; Jesus took it! You do not take poverty; Jesus took it! You must know that Jesus has a supernatural provision for everything we will ever need. Live the supernatural life.
You should take control of your office, your home, your environment. Take charge! There are things that you should not allow to happen.
The substance of your message, as a believer, is the release of glory. Everything the devil is after is the glory. What makes you different from the ordinary man is the glory.
To listen to messages of Rev Dunamis, go HERE or HERE
