Dear Child, today we’ll be learning about corrections and instructions. As children, you know you don’t know everything. You still need the help of adults around you to give you instructions and correct you when you need it.
Corrections won’t always go on your good side, that’s because you will be scolded when need be.
As a child, taking instructions is necessary. You always need someone to guide and direct you so you don’t hurt yourself or make grievous mistakes
See what the bible says;
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. –Proverbs 9: 8-9(KJV)
When a wise man is rebuked (corrected), he will love the person that corrects him more. Why is this? It’s because he loves to be corrected and he or she has realized that it’s only people who love you and want the best for you that will correct you.
You also should love to be corrected, regardless of how you feel after you have been rebuked.
When your parents and adults around you correct you, it’s not because they hate you, it’s because they love you and want you to do better.
Another thing this verse says is that, when instruction is given to a wise person, he or she becomes wiser.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? It’s true because a wise child will follow every instruction given to him or her. This will inevitably make the child wiser because you do what you are told to do and you learn from it.
Do you want to be wiser, smarter and better at what you do? Then what you need to do is accept every correction and follow every instruction you are given, and you will see a great transformation in what you do and how you do it.
May God help you to take corrections.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to listen when I am corrected.
ACTION PLAN: Put up the right attitude whenever you are corrected.
First of all and as a background, I will like you to see the meaning of the word “virtuous”, this will help us put proper perspective.
The word “virtuous” is from the Hebrew word “Chayil” which means virtue, valor, strength, and wealth.
When we say a virtuous woman, it actually means “strength” A virtuous woman is a virgin and someone who has kept herself because that is a definition of some strength, but that is not all to it! A virtuous woman is also a lady who despite all she has gone through refuses to give up and makes up her mind never to compromise again!
Don’t get me wrong, a virtuous woman is a lady that is clean and refuses to sin, but a virtuous woman is also a woman who has sinned so much or has been abused so much and yet comes out to stop sinning and fulfill her destiny!
For example, Joyce Meyer is indeed a virtuous woman! Her father slept with her constantly into her teenage years. She was abused sexually, verbally, and in all ways. Her self-esteem was crushed. Her first marriage ended in divorce. Yet out of the ashes of her messed-up life, she rose with the help of God’s Spirit and built a worldwide ministry!
You couldn’t mention three names of women in ministry today without her name popping up! That is what a virtuous woman is! She was broken but she ended up becoming a master at mending!
Let me convince you more.
The word “Chayil” from which “Virtuous” was translated is from the root word “chûl chı̂yl” which means to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), that is, (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain, fall grievously (with pain), fear, form, great, grieve, (be) grievous, hope, look, make, be in pain, be much (sore) pained, rest, shake, shapen, (be) sorrow (-full), stay, tarry, travail (with pain), tremble, trust, wait carefully (patiently), be wounded.
Those words present a picture of someone who has gone through so much and yet continues to fight to overcome those things. If I can make a sentence out of that definition, it will look like this:
Somebody who has been twisted and whirled around, abused and messed up, gone through so much pain and grief, has been wounded, and yet refuses to lose hope but allows all the experience to shape her into who God really wants her to be!
To be continued
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have victory in my mind and so I am victorious in my life and marriage. I am replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father in the name of Jesus, I ask that you flood the eyes of my mind with revelation light.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. -2Corinthians 4:18 (AMP)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Consciously begin to replace the negative thoughts in your mind with positive ones.
Expecting your spouse to change overnight will leave you heavily disappointed. It is entirely different if either spouse is an unbeliever; change in that sense is possible and can be anytime.
But when we talk about habits, attitudes, and behavioral patterns it can take a while.
Take note of these few points:
1. Patience
You will need to exercise patience! It takes a while. Let’s assume your spouse was twenty-five years old by the time you got married. It means that he or she has been formed into a certain mold for twenty-five years. Coming into marriage and expecting a quick change because you sermonized or lectured him or her will not make a change in a few days, expecting a quick change, may leave you disappointed.
Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud… -1Corinthians 13:4 (CEV)
I think in marriages, you always get to understand that virtue called “long-suffering!”
2. Don’t Lecture Or Sermonize
Your lectures and long talks do nothing at the end of the day; it only turns you into a nag, a domineering spouse, and an impatient spouse.
Between a husband and a wife, one will talk more than the other; don’t ever make the mistake of thinking your ability to package words is effective on your spouse.
It is even much more annoying and irritatingly hilarious if your spouse is a phlegmatic who doesn’t want trouble; he or she will allow you to talk and talk, and then will promise you there is change, only so that you can stop talking!
Only to do the very thing you’ve been talking about again!
You feel like escaping from the marriage, but sorry, you are hooked already!
Trust God that things will get better.
3. Pray Rather Than Talk And Talk
Your most effective and sure way to create any change is to pray. Take it to God and stop wearing yourself out.
Try and think about it, you’ve been complaining about something for seven years, yet no change! and you keep complaining!
Don’t you think in seven years, your spouse has disconnected himself or herself from your complaints?
He or she has mastered the art of closing the gate of his heart; you are only talking to the ears!
It does nothing and it would do nothing!
Pray about it!
4. Get Back Into Dating Mode
You used to love yourselves! You used to overlook and ignore some things you are bitterly complaining about now. What happened?
You need to get back into that romantic mode and love each other again rather than thinking your spouse is the problem of your family!
Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. -1Corinthians 13:7 (CEV)
Be supportive, be hopeful, and trust again. Cast your cares unto Jesus and stop focusing on the flaws of your spouse.
Get back into appreciating him or her in their area of strength.
I pray that God will help you need and send the very help you need in Jesus name.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am patient
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to love my spouse again
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, and never gives up. -1Corinthians 13:7 (GW)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Read Myles Munroe’s book on the Myth of Singleness
The word search is a verb; it is an act of looking for something. Looking for something with passion and not giving up until it is found.
There are several things that the word of God encourages us to search for, wisdom is one of it.
It’s very important that we seek to be wise as God’s children!
There are several reasons why you should search for wisdom as a child of God. One will be that it helps us to represent our father better because wisdom makes us exceptional.
The book of proverbs has helped identify more reasons you should search for wisdom, and want to be wise.
I hope you are set to learn something new this morning! Let’s look at our focus verse.
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.” –Proverbs 8:34-36 (NIV)
First of all, let me show you something interesting about this verse. You don’t get wisdom by wishing you were wise, or just praying to be wise. Wisdom comes by;
1. Watching Daily
2. Waiting daily
These two things denote taking efforts to search out something, and patients because it will take time to attain a certain level of wisdom, but that’s if you put in the work daily.
So, the question this morning is why should you and I search for wisdom?
Whoever finds wisdom will find life.
Whoever finds wisdom will receive favour from God.
Whoever doesn’t find wisdom will eventually harm himself.
Whoever hates wisdom loves death.
PRAYER: Father, help me to search for wisdom
ACTION PLAN: Memorize the Focus verse for today
DECLARATION: I am wise, I search for wisdom every day, and I have the help of God
A faithful man is a trustworthy man. He is a truthful man! A truthful man is not deceptive. He is not magma of flowing wickedness within covered with the façade of a nice man and waiting to erupt.
A faithful man loves a lady genuinely for who she is and not for what she gives. A faithful man is not out to satisfy his lust only to discard the lady later.
A faithful man will not insist on pre-marital sex, nay, his love for God will not prevail on the lady to compromise her virtue and offend God.
A faithful man is the protector of the lady’s body. He is not one to take advantage of her femininity!
A faithful man is not a Samson that lacks self-control and would not mind using his anointing to desecrate the one he is meant to take care of.
A faithful man is not a Samson that will preach and move in the Spirit one moment only to end up frolicking with prostitutes and ending up on Delilah’s lap.
A faithful man is not an Amnon that would profess his love one moment passionately and then would rape a Tamar the next moment.
A faithful man is not a Uriah that loves his job more than his wife all in the name of loyalty and then died in the process!
A faithful man is not a Judas that would greet and beg you with a kiss as a friend when all he is out for is your body to be crucified!
A faithful man will not compete with his wife. He is secure and he is happy when his wife is progressing.
A faithful man loves and does not lust. A faithful man does not scheme. He does not suddenly give his life to Jesus in order to marry a naïve and unsuspecting child of God and then takes his life back from Jesus after getting what he wants.
A faithful man will not raise his hands against a lady. The fear of God will not allow it knowing that he would be shooting himself in the leg by doing that!
A faithful man is not a gold-digger. A faithful man is not getting married to a lady because of papers and documents. A faithful man follows God’s direction in his life. A faithful man does not marry for money!
A faithful man does not teach against sexual perversion on the pulpit only to be caught up continually with masturbation, pornography, and fornication and yet without repentance!
A faithful man does not double date. He does not take advantage of the fragile emotions of ladies.
A faithful man does not scheme and he does not pretend.
A faithful man is a Joseph that loves God and will say a big NO to compromise knowing that compromise can truncate his destiny.
A faithful man learns to run away like Joseph in the face of sexual pressure and will not start speaking in tongues at such times. He learns to flee and will not spiritualize it by saying “let us reason together!
The list goes on but I will stop here for now. You can add your definition in the comment box.
Stay blessed!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a faithful man/virtuous woman.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to become the person you have created me to be and let the faithful man/virtuous woman in me emerge
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. –Psalms 12:7 (KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Commit every issue in your relationship into the hands of God
