I want to write to you this morning as a father would write his son or daughter on qualities to watch out for in deciding who to get married to.
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. – Son 1:15-17 (KJV)
Let’s get into this by the Holy Spirit.
1. Beauty and Comeliness
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair… – Son 1:15(KJV)
The word fair means “goodly, pleasant, well.”
Attraction is important. Physical endearment is of utmost importance.
The pulchritude should not be ignored in the equation of marriage. Get married to someone that you are attracted to.
God will never lead you to someone you hate with a passion. He is not an author of confusion.
No matter how many dreams you had about someone, if he or she is someone you loathe and despise, do not be coerced into a relationship by some spiritual experience you can’t prove its source.
He should be pleasant to your eyes. She should be pleasant to your eyes.
After the wedding, you should wake up singing in the Spirit when you behold him or her, not pleading the blood of Jesus against him or waking up with a hiss and regret. So, this is important, okay.
Marriage is not a hundred meter dash, it is a marathon and you are in it for the long haul. So, your lover must be pleasant.
In reality, nobody is ugly. Beauty is in the beholder’s eye.
Your lover may not be pleasant to all, but he or she must be pleasant to you. That is all that matters.
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My eyes are opened. I look well before making a choice
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, open the eyes of my understanding
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Song of Solomon 1:15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.
The year 2022 is very strategic and we need to position ourselves to be ready to partake of all God has for us.
You know, most of the time, we all think of what we should be or should have been doing. Sometimes, we even feel sorry about not doing those things. We feel bad and we figure if we had been doing those things how much we would have been happier and our lives would have improved.
The scary thing about this is that God will only tug at our hearts to do those things that will make us live a happier and fulfilled life or to stop doing certain things.
God will never force man to do what is right. God is a just God and He created us with the right to make our own decisions.
People are going to hell because they didn’t decide or make up their minds they are NOT going to end up in hell. Some other factors are responsible like disobedience, not forgiving, etc, but what I am saying is that, there is tremendous power in our decision. No devil can stop us once we take a decision.
Did you miss out on yesterday’s devotional, we’ve got you covered kindly go HERE. For KHC video Devotionals kindly go HERE
We all need to come to a point where we make up our minds and make decisive efforts. Not making a decision is a decision in its self.
Here are some decisions you can make this new year.
1. To spend more time with God and practice His presence
2. To spend more time with God’s word daily.
3. To read more widely.
4. To be an intercessor.
5. To be deliberate with loving people
6. To be a more happy person and not waste time being moody.
7. To save more money and be an investor
8. To exercise daily and watch your diet.
9. To live a life of giving and sacrifice
10. To be a doer of the Word.
11. To have mentors and follow them closely.
There are some other decisions you take daily or several times a day. Learn to live your life purposefully.
May the Lord grant us strength.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I live life more intentionally
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, give me strength to live on purpose
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 16:2 (KJV) All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Write out your own decisions for 2022
How are you preparing for this year? Have you started working on making better decisions? I hope you are. This morning, we will be touching on an important part of your life; your family. You will be learning how to make better family decisions.
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.
Take a good look at your relationship with your family members. Do so by asking yourself these questions:
1. How often did you tell or show them you love them?
2. How many times did you help them when they needed it?
3. How often did you help your parents at home?
4. How often did you obey parental instructions?
5. How many times did you pray for your parents or siblings?
6. What was the last gift you gave your family members?
7. How often did you spend time with them?
8. 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 parents and siblings is important and gladdens the heart of God. As a Christian child, you are supposed to value the family system. Christianity itself is a family of believers in Christ.
Prayer: Lord, I am grateful for the people 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 last year. You can make a big “thank you” card for them.
Declaration: I value my family. This year, I am more committed to them than ever before.
Today, I want to pray and bless you being the first day of the year!
I want to invoke the anchor scripture of this ministry over you and yours.
If you are a member of KHC, and particularly if you are a partner, it is simply your heritage to partake of the blessings of the mandate.
Fourteen years ago, KHC began with newsletters which were circulated all over Nigeria.
The scriptures God give us then is what I want to use to pray for you this morning.
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, – Eze 37:1 (KJV)
If the hand of the Lord is upon me, why would I be set in a valley of bones? I thought I would be taken to a mountain of meat and drinks!
Are you in a valley experience in your relationship or marriage where everything seems dry?
Listen to me, you are not going to die there!
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. – Eze 37:2 (KJV)
God wanted the prophet to see first of all that naturally speaking, the situation is beyond repair.
Lo, the bones were very dry! Everything looked awry. Finances is in a mess.
In relationship and marriage, it is a definition of abandonment and disappointment.
The bones are dry! But you know what? There is nothing in your life right now that God cannot fix!
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. – Eze 37:4 (KJV)
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. – Eze 37:7-10 (KJV)
The bones were not only dry, they were scattered.
Are you in a place like that? Nobody has asked you out in a while. Dry bones. Those that asked you out were unbelievers and irresponsible men. Dry bones.
Adam said bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh… but what we have here are only bones!
But as he prophesied, something began to happen. The bones that were dry suddenly received life. Bone that were scattered started looking for each other. Sinews came upon them. There arose a great army!
Whatever area of your life this morning that looks like dry bones, life is coming upon it in Jesus name!
This morning, I prophesy as I am commanded, let there be a noise and a shaking.
Let there be a shaking away of every shame and disgrace in your life in Jesus name!
Let there be a noise, a noise of joy coming from your home and your family in Jesus name!
A noise of rejoicing coming forth from your life in Jesus name.
I prophesy to the bones that are scattered, the spouse that seems scattered away, let there be a coming together now in Jesus name.
Yes, let there be a supernatural coming together in Jesus name!
I prophesy and release the breath of God, the power of the Holy Spirit on every area that is dry, receive life now in Jesus name!
A great army of finances is arising for you.
A great army of resources is arising for you in Jesus name.
In the very valley which have been dubbed a valley of dry bones, a great army arose!
In the very land where you have been afflicted and you have toiled, God will give you the victory and make you rejoice in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My bone is locating me this year.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to locate the bone of my bone.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
It is sure too early to get hurt or to entertain bitterness, to be in strife or malice, Wale told Sade.
Those words hurt her the more. The feeling of having fell straight on her face was not a good feeling.
I thought I had overcome this ‘hurt’ issue. Where did I lose it? At what point exactly did I lose it? Why did I not nip it in the bud? Why did I not snap out of hurt? Why do I find it difficult to talk about issues, especially when I am hurt?
Why do I have to let things degenerate for weeks before trying to salvage things? Why do I even hurt so badly and deeply?
These and many more questions were what filled Sade’s mind as their two weeks old strife and not talking to each other, gradually eased off.
In those two weeks, Sade had experienced a whole lot of emotions. She had moved from anger to being hurt, to giving Wale the silent treatment, to being frustrated, to feeling sorry for herself (self pity), to a feeling of abandonment just to mention a few.
Did you miss out on yesterday’s devotional, we’ve got you covered kindly go HERE. For KHC video Devotionals kindly go HERE
Wale was not left out in the different shades of emotions. He was first confused, then frustrated and then he become angry. Angry because he could not understand how his wife will not be able to express herself if something bothered her. And the silent treatment was just unbearable. The truth of the matter was that Wale was already getting pissed off.
He also had learnt to ignore Sade when ever she decides to go on her withdrawal escapades. Now she had withdrawn and Wale had also decided to leave her. Those two weeks were not funny at all.
Think of what could have happened. The devil could have exploited them at this point and caused some terrible tragedy. Thank God, Mercy said ‘No’. Mercy kept bearing them up for those two weeks they were vulnerable.
In the process, Sade learnt some valuable lessons I will be sharing with us.
Let’s look at some of them, take these lessons learnt so we don’t fall as Sade fell.
1. Let out the hurt. Don’t keep it brewing.
2. Learn to find a good time and opportunity to talk about issues that hurt you or that are bothering you.
3. Separate the issue from the person.
4. You don’t solve a problem by wishing it will go or hoping your spouse will get to know. You talk about it intelligently.
5. ‘I am sorry’. It works wonders in marriage and resolves issues faster.
6. Strife, malice and bitterness is the devils domain, avoid going there by all means.
7. The silent treatment is bad. No spouse can take it.
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My marriage is blessed. I do not harbour grudges.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to forgive my spouse at all times.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
