Imagine two love birdsintending to get married. They are so much in love. And then comes a time, when the parents of the bride wants to know where the intending groom lives, and as a consequence where their daughter will be domiciled.
And then he proudly leads them to his house, a makeshift shaft, tent-like material supported with tiny sticks which can collapse anytime.
Right there and then, the parents will change their mind.
Jesus spoke about a house built on sand and the other built on the rock. If you were to choose one, which will you choose?
In a deliberate manner, every couple must decide to build their marriage with Cedars and not just some fancy sticks that will give way to irreconcilable differences.
The scripture that inspired my write up today is found in
Son 1:17 (KJV) The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
A cedar is pleasing to the eye and smell, hard, and never eaten by worms. It is combined habits and practices with which you build your marriage.
Never allow your marriage to be built with materials of carelessness, indecisiveness, mediocrity, laziness and visionless leadership.
Rather, surround yourselves with regularized prayer life, confession laden marriage, strife free zone, and a perpetual giving lifestyle.
These are what will birth cedars with which a great marriage is built.
Take communion regularly, don’t wait till Sunday. Be open to each other and be extremely honest, naked and not ashamed.
Let the husband love his wife as Christ love the church by laying down his life, and let the wife see that she honour her husband, giving him all the honour and respect that he deserves.
Let the love of God be shed abroad in your hearts, forgiving quickly and loving each other with God’s love.
Dear husband, dear wife, have a great and fulfilling day!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My marriage is built with the right resources.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask God for the builder’s wisdom.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Song 1:17 (AMP)The beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters and panels are cypresses or pines.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Be deliberate about your building materials
Life can be tiring. Relationships can become wearisome really fast especially when there have been disappointments after disappointments. Discouragement can creep in so stealthily that it transforms into despondency quickly.
The pain of broken engagements is not good on the heart in any way. Delay in finding the right person can really get any strong person doubting and tired. Entanglement with the wrong persons can make your faith fizzle away that you get to a point of giving up and blaming God.
What do you do at those points when you are so down?
God’s voice reverberates through His words at those moments.
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
It’s an invitation for you. And it comes with a powerful promise. He will take your labor and whatever it is that makes you heavy laden, and give you rest in its place.
I really love what it says in The Passion Translation
Mat 11:28 “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.
There is a refreshing that awaits you, a refreshing of your life and destiny, a refreshing of your broken heart, a refreshing of your shattered emotions, and guess where that refreshing is coming from?
It’s coming from God because He is your oasis!
How powerful can that be?
Rather than resort to the hate and bitterness which comes as a result of how you have been treated, you can choose to hand it all over to your oasis and you can be sure there will be a refreshing.
It is this refreshing you need to start afresh, to begin again, and to get the best despite what has happened.
Have a wonderful day!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I receive a refreshing from the oasis
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray for rest
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Mat 11:28 “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.
Sexual Addiction was taught by Rev. Dunamis Okunowo on the 18th of August 2021 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:
It is to the extent to which you are free that you can help others.
Sexual addiction is a mental disease.
The problem that follows you to marriage started when you were single. So you must learn to deal with the issues you see in your life as a single. The earlier you deal with sexual addiction, the better for you.
3 Building Blocks Of Sexual Addiction
Fantasy
Pornography
Masturbation
Some sex addicts do not need pornography to start fantasizing.
Some Characteristics Of Sex Addicts
Poor self-image
Mood alteration and escape
Denial and delusions
Most of our problems began when we were little, and until we go back to the beginning we may not be able to break free.
There are some unhealthy family rules which can serve as a root of sexual addiction. Some of these rules include we don’t talk, we don’t feel, we blame others for our problems, we minimize our problems, we deny our problems.
You have to come to the place of honesty to be absolutely free. As a single person, you must learn to talk.
If you don’t rewire your brain, you cannot be all that God has called you to be.
The lying spirit prevents any help from coming to you. So when the devil wants to deal with you with sexual sins or sexual addiction, he brings lies and deception with it, so that you don’t tell the whole truth and be free. You therefore live in continuous denial and setback.
You must therefore learn to speak up, not to just anybody but to mature people who watch over you e.g. your pastor, etc.
To listen to messages of Rev Dunamis, go HERE or HERE
So today, let’s ask ourselves what did God say about our marriage? Do we see anything in our marriage right now that is not meant to be so? Are there things in our marriage that are aberration to what God said in the beginning?
Hear what is written concerning you and your marriage from the beginning:
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:18 , 24 – 25 KJV
Let’s glean from the above scriptures what God said about my marriage and your marriage.
Before that which was written about our marriage can find expression in our lives, we need to give attention to the Word
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Proverbs 4:20 KJV
We have to be able to see the Word, behold it and then handle it, before finding expression in our lives. Our marriage must be what God spoke it to be, Amen. Anything short of that is not acceptable.
The process of ‘Seeing’ the Word is also the process of faith.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands Have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 1 John 1:1 – 2 KJV
There is a process of faith. The process of calling the things that be not as though they are.
You have to call your marriage blessed. Call it good. Declare my husband is amazing, but you have to ‘see’ it first.
Lessons from 1John 1:1
1. You have to hear the word first 2. See the Word working in your life and marriage 3. Behold it, conceive it, through meditation and declaration 4. Handle it by focusing on the word and having a clear vision of what the Word says. 5. The Word will manifest in your life, it will become flesh.
That’s the faith process.
God’s word concerning your marriage will be fulfilled in Jesus name. Your marriage will be what God says it will be. Keep declaring the word and it shall come to pass.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will follow the faith process.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to follow the faith process
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands Have handled, of the Word of life;
The faithfulness of God never ceases to amaze me. It is beyond every explanation. It is beyond the parameters of cognition. It supersedes the highest of the mountains, the loftiest of the buildings, the grandest of the beauty in nature, and the calmness of the night seasons.
It is a thing to know God is faithful, it is another thing to JUDGE God faithful. Ever thought of that?
The scripture elucidates here;
Heb 11:11 (KJV) Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Our discourse tonight centers around the verse above. I want you to see it as I see it and as God wants you to see it. The reason Sarah received strength to conceive seed and was delivered was because she JUDGED God faithful!
Oh, how that percolates to very bone marrow!
Can you judge God faithful in your relationship? Can you judge God faithful in that broken relationship and abandoned wedding plans?
Everything about Sarah’s conceiving looked like a mirage, but she JUDGED God faithful.
I now love the Passion Translation!
Heb 11:11 (TPT) Sarah’s faith embraced the miracle power to conceive even though she was barren and was past the age of childbearing, for the authority of her faith rested in the One who made the promise, and she TAPPED into his faithfulness.
Whoa!
Can you dare to tap into His faithfulness today concerning the deepest desires of your heart? Can you tap into God’s faithfulness concerning that brother or sister? Can you tap into God’s faithfulness concerning that issue that looks like delay?
Oh sure, if Sarah did allow the authority of her faith to rest in the one who made the promise, then you can too!
I pray that God grant you more understanding to TAP into His faithfulness!
Be blessed today and always!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I judge God faithful.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Go ahead and tap into the faithfulness of God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Heb 11:11 (KJV) Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
