The habit of thanksgiving is good. In fact, it makes everyone around you want to do something for you, you know why? That’s because everyone loves to be appreciated.
Let me show you something interesting. Even the bible says we should give thanks in everything.
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. KJV 1Thessalonia 5:18
Giving thanks is God’s will for us as his children. His desire is for us to be appreciative of everything and anything.
The bible says “in everything”, another translation says “in every circumstances.”
In essence, all the time is when we should give thanks.
Giving thanks or saying thank you shows you are a grateful person, and grateful people get more things, unlike someone that isn’t appreciative.
So many things happen when we give thanks, to God, our parents, friends and everyone.
1. You make the person receiving the thanks or appreciation happy
2. You get blessed the more. It’s very simple, if you say thank you for biscuits you’ll get more. Try it.
3. You can multiply what you have by giving thanks.
Remember Jesus, when he fed the five thousand, he gave thanks and broke the bread, then gave his disciples to share. He feed five thousand people and more with five loaves of bread and two fishes.
How do you learn this habit?
1. By asking the Holy Spirit to help you be a grateful person.
2. By thanking God all the time for what you have.
3. By being appreciative each time you get something.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be thankful always; Amen.
Action point: Study the word “gratitude”
Declaration: I am grateful to God. I thank my maker every day of my life.
If you are not married, don’t demand for sexual gratification. If there is respect, you won’t want his/her virtue compromised to satisfy your own lust. Real love and respect is waiting.
2. Communication
Don’t discuss your past, inadequacies and failures in great detail at the inception of the relationship. Some details are better left until there is acceptance, trust and understanding between the two parties.
However, basic issues like health status, genotype, family history and some other crucial issues need to be discussed as early as possible. If he/she finds out years later, mistrust can easily rear up its heads.
3. Chastity
Don’t start kissing someone you met two hours ago. Don’t end up in a car or in corner in a sexual encounter with a total stranger. That is gross irresponsibility and indiscipline. Moreover, you will be offending God.
4. Emotional Needs
Do not depend on one another for the fulfillment and satisfaction of every emotional need. Your partner is not the Holy Spirit. Participate in activities outside your romantic relationship. Don’t be parochial. Be creative and be open to ideas that will further move your relationship forward. Learn, read books, attend seminars together.
5. Selflessness
Guard against selfishness. Both sides should be involved in giving. Love should be reciprocal. It is not a one way affair, it is a song done by a duet. In marriage, there are no spectators; both are actors striving to get better and sowing energies and time into the marriage to make it work.
Stop quarreling everyday of your courtship. Follow the principles of God and stop every compromise. Make sure your foundation for marriage is rightly laid.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Our love is rekindled daily. I love my spouse and I am committed to our marriage.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, open my eyes and show me what I know not.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gal 6:7 GNB Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Talk to God. Pour your heart to Him now
If you are married, never deny him/her in bed. It should not be used as a reward or punishment in marriage. Always be there for him or her because if you are not, he or she becomes vulnerable to others outside who may be putting pressure.
2. Communication
Don’t hide anything from your spouse. Be very open. The moment you start hiding things, you are opening the doors for the devil. Whatever is covered would never be healed. Iniquity is perpetuated in the atmosphere of secrecy.
3. Chastity
As a married person, don’t play with infidelity. Don’t hang out with colleagues discussing your home and marriage. Respect the marital covenant you have with your spouse. Don’t be too fast giving up on your marriage because of personal differences and opinions that will surely show up.
4. Emotional Needs
Do not manipulate your spouse with emotional antics. Your spouse cannot satisfy ALL your emotional needs. Some of the emotional emptiness you feel are as a result of deep emptiness in the soul that can only be satisfied with God and His word. No wonder the scripture says, ‘He restoreth my soul!’
5. Selflessness
Cover the back of each other. Avoid tit for tat! In marriage, you are one. When you fight or hurt your spouse, in reality, you are fighting or hurting your destiny. Don’t shoot yourself in the leg. Put your ego aside and apologize quickly.
Be very sincere, and run away from deceptive tendencies. Let your spouse trust you any day any time. Learn to say sorry and forgive quickly. Think about it, if God stops forgiving you when you ask Him to, how would you have survived it? Work together as one and your progress will be ensured.
I pray for you this morning that God will give you the wisdom you need in your marriage, family, home, career, work, business, and other endeavors in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Our love is rekindled daily. I love my spouse and I am committed to our marriage.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, open my eyes and show me what I know not.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gal 6:7 GNB Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Talk to God. Pour your heart to Him now
Learning to treat people right is important. Do you like to be shoved away, kicked, punched, pinched, teased, mocked, bullied, and lied at? These are just some terrible things that can happen to you.
Other children or even adults can do these wicked things to you just because they can or they think you deserve it. How would you feel? Really ask yourself this question.
On the other hand, you could be the one doing these same unfair acts to other children.
Maybe in collaboration with other children, you could be bullying a classmate who has bushy eyebrows. You could mock them with a name like “the bush”, “bushbrows”, “bushy” or any other name you think is cool.
Do you think they would like that? Really ask yourself this.
You definitely won’t like to be on the receiving part and shouldn’t do that to another person. They also won’t like it. If you won’t like it, they most likely won’t like it too.
Jesus condemned treating people wrongly and told those around him to not do so. He was teaching them to value others with respect, love, and care.
“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” – Luke 6:31
He was saying that you should treat others the way you want to be treated. If you want to be treated well, treat people well. That’s the right thing to do.
May you receive the strength to treat people well. Amen.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I obey your command and will treat everyone well. Strengthen me for this task. Amen.
Action point: You can start by apologizing to the people you have treated badly in the past. Then begin to treat other people well.
Parents usually wish to see their grandchildren on time. Also, they get anxious about your success in life and wouldn’t want you to miss out on any advantage of life they feel is due to you at the time, this can also constitute pressure.
Do not yield to such pressure just to satisfy your parents when you know in your heart that God isn’t leading you yet. You cannot please your parents at the expense of God.
Your parents cannot sustain your marriage, it is only God that can. While it is good to obey and listen to your parents according to the scripture, you cannot obey them when what they are asking you to do clearly violate the principles of God.
Environmental and Media Pressure
A lot of destinies are warped today because of the warped outlook of a given society at any point in time. We live in a sexualized age aided by print and media broadcast, which makes available pornographic and other sinful materials.
However, the environment is not an excuse in any way as God expects that your light shine’s forth in the midst of the darkness. God expects that you stay chaste and refuse to compromise despite all the pressures that come your way. That is how to show your maturity in God.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I refuse to stay under pressure of any kind. I am in control through the Spirit of God. I exercise authority over all situations and circumstances in Jesus name. I will not crumble under pressures in Jesus name.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, strengthen me daily to withstand every kind of pressures in Jesus name.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. James 1:13 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Identify all stress sources, and work towards eliminating one at a time.
