The word vessel means receptacle. It is talking about your spirit man. When you serve God, that is oil in your lamp. When you climb the pulpit to preach, that is oil in your lamp. When you preach in the bus, that is oil in your lamp. When you work tirelessly, that is oil in your lamp. All those are necessary and they surely have their place, but when you do all of that to the detriment of personal devotional time with God, you are being careless with oil in your vessel.
That you sing in the choir will not compensate for the time you ought to be in God’s presence in the morning. That you resume at the workplace very early every day of the week will not make God understand your prayerlessness. Nothing will ever replace the time you spend in God’s presence daily!
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. – Mat 25:7 KJV
When they woke up, all of them trimmed their lamps, but sadly, the lamps of five of them were gone out!
You see, there comes a time when activities without priority on God’s presence will fail. There comes a time when energy and service bravado will fail! When the oil in the lamp goes out, it is the oil in your vessel that will save you!
When you are serving God passionately with your time, energy, and resources but are still embroiled in habitual sexual sins and other transgressions, you are just being foolish! Ouch! That hurts! But it is the truth!
It is the truth that will make you free. I am not here to tell you what you want to read or what appeals to your ears, but to declare the undiluted word of God!
When you are seen as a spiritual person and others are even looking up to you and yet you know you are empty when it comes with a personal relationship with God, you are being foolish! Ouch!
If you are a pastor that only reads your Bible to preach, that is oil in the lamp and nothing more than foolishness! Ouch! You don’t read Bible to preach alone, you study it to live!
If you are a lady in the protocol or ushering in church, always prompt and active, and you don’t know what it means to practice the presence of God, neither do you read your Bible regularly, you are not being wise! Ouch!
If you are the most active in church and yet you are living in adultery, that is utter foolishness.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. – Mat 25:12 KJV
When they wanted the door opened to them, Jesus simply said he doesn’t know them! Is it possible that one can think He knows God and God does not know that person? Yes, I think it is possible.
Let us all get back to getting oil in our vessels regularly. That is how you won’t make mistakes in your marriage.
Oil in the vessel! That is how to keep your marriage together. That is how to run your home!
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the church!
Make up your mind this morning to be wise!
Selah!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the wisdom to run my home.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will give you the wisdom to stay in His presence
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Mat 25:5 KJV While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place, or thing that is influencing you negatively.
It will probably bring more. You have one more life to manage. If you cannot manage yours and you venture into marriage, it will be a disaster. When the children start coming, there will be more pressure. Learn to take pressures head-on by casting your care on Jesus and refusing to worry as the scripture advises.
5. Marriage is not all about lovemaking.
Ask somebody who is married. Yes, sexual intercourse is a marital glue, a healing balm in the soul for couples, and a blessing that keeps couples together. But it is not like you think intercourse in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Average couples actually make love twice or thrice in a week. However, the more frequent it is for married couples, the better for them.
6. Your spouse will neither be a magician nor is he the Holy Spirit.
He will be a human being with his own issues. You will always need God. He might be very anointed on the pulpit and filled with God’s glory while she is ministering in the choir, but at home, he or she is a human being with all the weaknesses complete. Learn to separate the office or position of your spouse from his or her person at home.
7. Marriage is not all about kisses, flowers, cinemas, cakes, chocolates, and vacations alone.
It is about cooking, pampers, crying babies, working, paying school fees, and so on. It is about budgets, plans, strategies, and divine wisdom. It is about submission to your husband who you sometimes think is hard, insensitive, and unloving. It is about loving your wife who you sometimes think is stubborn, does not want to be corrected, and can nag from morning till the next day. Few Things Marriage Will Not Do For You
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I keep on praying over my relationship in season and out of season.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, let your grace rest upon my relationship in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Php 4:6 KJVBe careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Decide to be a happy single
Wisdom is powerful. In life, you are either operating in foolishness or wisdom. That is why the scripture talks about the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. It is such a thin line that one can easily cross the line from wisdom to foolishness when care is not taken.
In the case of the five wise virgins and five foolish virgins, they were all born again and they all were expecting the bridegroom. They all go to church. They all have their lamps with them and the scripture says the word of God is a lamp unto our feet.
They all had oil in their lamps. We know that oil is a type of the Holy Spirit. They all know something about the Holy Spirit. They were all spiritual to an extent. We know that the parable is talking about believers because the scripture says
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. – Mat 25:1 KJV
What made the five virgins foolish? The scripture tells us.
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. – Mat 25:2-4 KJV
You can be attending service, be a worker, be all over the place, and yet be operating in foolishness! The foolish took their lamp but no oil. The wise took OIL IN THEIR VESSELS plus the oil in their lamps.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the wisdom to run my home.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will give you the wisdom to stay in His presence
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Mat 25:5 KJV While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place, or thing that is influencing you negatively.
We live in a dissatisfied generation. Those who are short in height wished they were taller. The white is tanning their bodies trying to get dark, the blacks are bleaching trying to get white. The young are tinting their hair white, the old are dyeing their hair black.
Singles are posing with wedding ring, those married forget to wear it, those with beards are shaving off, those with none are using methylated spirit to grow some!
Today, I have a story to tell. Are you ready for it? Here we go. Once upon a time, (time – time), when I was single, I looked forward to marriage. Now that I am married, I missed the time I was single! End of story!
Singles will hardly believe that because all in their mind is to get married so that everything can change. I have been happily married for twenty two years and here are a few things I have learned that might bless you if you are still single.
1. Marriage will not make you happier.
Be happy before marriage. Marriage has no power in itself beyond the two people involved.
2. Marriage will not change you.
Change begins inwardly. Marriage is not a change agent. Marriage will not improve your attitudes, it will expose them. Marriage does not eliminate your weaknesses, it will amplify them. Start working on your attitudes and weaknesses before marriage.
3. Marriage will not cure loneliness.
There are several married people who have their spouses with them by the second, but are extremely lonely. Loneliness is more of a state of mind than availability of people around you.
The loneliest people in the world are sometimes the ones with large number of fans and crowd around them. Only God’s word can cure the root cause of loneliness. Few Things Marriage Will Not Do For You
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I keep on praying over my relationship in season and out of season.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, let your grace rest upon my relationship in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Php 4:6 KJVBe careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Decide to be a happy Single
SINGLES – Three Types Of Men Ladies Need To Know About
Continued from yesterday…
2 SCAVENGERS
They capitalize on the weaknesses of ladies with low self esteem. They weaken already weak ladies. They take advantage of their weaknesses.
They have a way of locating needy ladies and low self esteem ladies who will offer their body endlessly in order to get love which will forever remain elusive.
The scavenger is not looking for love or romance, he is simply looking for intercourse, and he will feign love and care to get what he wants. The day he stops getting that, he moves on, and the lady is left heartbroken.
What the scavenger does not know is that life is all about seed, time and harvest! He has unwittingly sown bad seeds and the harvest will spring up in time.
How do you avoid a scavenger? Learn new creation realities. Know who you are in Christ. Meditate on his word and develop God-confidence.
What do you do as a single if you find yourself here? Stop offering your body! Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Start over and get out of all ungodly relationships
3 GARDENERS
These are the real men and I know this is where you belong! They cultivate their women, make them blossom, fruitful and bring out the best in them.
Ladies, you are like a fruitful vine, tender, yet full of great potentials. You have the responsibility of watching where and who plants you.
The environment (relationship) you agree to get involved with determines whether you will blossom or not.
Is the guy you are going out with a hunter? Is he always draining you financially, telling you it’s ok, promising to marry you? Is he a scavenger? He knows your story of abuse, low self esteem, that you have been deflowered and he feels he is the next person to sleep with you?
Make sure you do not enter into a relationship until you can vouch that the guy is a ‘gardener’, ‘a real man’, a ‘groom’, someone who will cultivate you, lead you and take you on a journey of self discovery and self confidence.
You can do it by God’s grace, if you trust and seek his help.
Always remember this, the wisdom you need to resolve the present issue lies with God.
I pray for you this day that God will surround you with His love.
Ladies, you will blossom in Jesus name. You will burst forth with full manifestation of your gifting in Jesus name.
Men, receive grace and wisdom to be the best that God has called you to be over your wife and your home! Three Types Of Men Ladies Need To Know About
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not fall into the hands of a hunter or scavenger. I am a a fruitful vine.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Father I receive help to be all you desire me to be. I refuse to be the object of abuse of any man.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ‘Thy wife shall be like a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house’ Ps.128:3
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Get yourself out of any abusive relationship. Seek advice and help where necessary.
