Still reading from our anchor scripture Genesis 38:16, 18
…And Judah turned unto her by the way and said, go to, I pray you, let me come in unto you: And she said what will you GIVE me, that you may come in unto me? And he said what pledge shall I give you? And she said, your SIGNET, and your BRACELETS and your STAFF that is in your hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. –Genesis 38:16, 18 (KJV)
SIGNET is ‘chotham chotham’ in Hebrew language and it simply means a seal or a signature ring, it represents authority. It also implies, ‘finality’.
You rule in this world with authority. When Jesus was leaving his disciples, he gave them authority. It is the mark of your reign on earth; it is the proof of your royalty. And yes, that is what you let go when you desecrate yourself with what would have been rightfully yours in marriage!
BRACELET is ‘pathiyl’ and simply means twine or lace. It represents the dignity and the glory of God in your life. It is a mark of favour that makes you outstanding and beautiful in this sinfully ugly world.
STAFF is ‘matteh mattah’ which figuratively means a tribe, a rod, whether for chastising, ruling as in a scepter, and also means a support of life as in bread!
No wonder the devil plays the card of free and cheap compromise all over the place. No wonder he glamorizes and makes sin looks like the usual thing using the dual passage of technology and the media!
I have gone all the way to expatiate on this to let you see the implication of compromise. I want you to know that bed antics is spiritual and it does not end in the brothel or the hotel, it actually begins!
Would it be worth it to exchange the three most important things in your life for some few minutes of pleasure that will bring heartache and untold agony later?
Joseph would have lost the signet, bracelet and staff of a Prime Minister-ship in Egypt had he compromised with Mrs. Potiphar!
This message is not to condemn you! On the contrary, it is to call you to order. That is the anointing and unction on Kisses and Huggs Club and to the glory of God, thousands are being touched and affected from every continent on this planet!
It is your turn to drink from this grace! It is your turn to turn around!
I want you to run to God this morning. If you feel your signet, bracelet and staff are all gone and lost, God can restore! All He wants is your genuine turn around! It is as simple as that.
Ask God to give you a new beginning and He will! His love is ever available for you, and all you need to do is to embrace that love! He will not only forgive you, He will also forget about it! Believe it!
Talk to him right now! If you are still struggling with guilt and you have nobody to pray with you, you could give a call.
I pray it will be a new day for you and that all you have lost will be restored in Jesus name as you call upon God now!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have grace, wisdom and diligence to develop myself as I prepare for marriage.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Father in the name of Jesus, I resist every hindrance to my success in my assignment.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God. – 2Chronicles 27:6 (KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Write out all your attitudes, positive and negative. Find ways to improve on your good attitudes and eliminate the bad ones.
There is a common lie of the devil. If the bed antics are good, then the woman or the man must be a very good person. The truth is that the character of a person cannot be determined by how good or bad they are in bed.
If that is all the motivation behind getting married to you, the danger here is that if your partner sees anybody better than you in bed, then he/she dumps you. The source of a thing is also the sustainer thereof.
It is a violation of God’s principles to get involved and focus on sexuality when you are not married. There is no other way to see it and there is no other explanation to offer. It is simply out of order.
“But I can’t control myself when I am with a lady!”
“Yes, you can! All you need to do is open the door!”
Sin is perpetuated in the atmosphere of secrecy. The moment you expose it, you have destroyed its power. Pre-marital sex is not something you do in the open, so avoid being alone.
In a bedroom-driven relationship, the only criteria by which you are measured is how good you are in bed, to the exclusion of integrity, vision, diligence, and other critical virtues.
Judgment by that alone reduces you to the level of a prostitute. It is an insult to the dignity of the human being; it is an affront to the creative ingenuity of God.
Singles, stop compromising because of the money or pleasure you will get there. Your body is not a business commodity. You are not a commercial article to be prized and bargained on. Your destiny is not for sale!
Don’t allow anybody to price you! Value yourself! You’ve been bought and redeemed by the costliest and most precious thing in this world and all of eternity, and that is the blood of Jesus!
That is the reason the Holy Spirit will dwell in you if you are a child of God. It is also the same reason your body is now the temple of the Holy Ghost! How dare anybody try to fondle and defile the temple of the Holy Ghost!
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am delivered from the spirit of mammon. I am free from lust. I am freed by God.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY I destroy every yoke in my emotions, body, and mind by the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY what the sinful nature does is clear. It enjoys sexual sins, impure acts, and wild living. – Galatians 5:19 (NIV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Study on “My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.”
…And Judah turned unto her by the way and said, go to, I pray you, let me come in unto you: And she said what will you GIVE me, that you may come in unto me? And he said what pledge shall I give you? And she said, your SIGNET, and your BRACELETS and your STAFF that is in your hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. –Genesis 38:16, 18 (KJV)
This scripture shows that Judah made a certain exchange to have sex with this woman. He exchanged his Signet, Bracelets, and staff.
Signet: which signifies your AUTHORITY
Bracelets: which is your BEAUTY
Your Staff: represent STABILITY
Many people do not realize that at every compromise there is always an exchange. There is a lot of significance to the things he exchanged; apparently, he didn’t see it that way. Just like most people do not consider the things they give out at every compromise, for every sexual escapade either as a man/woman, you lose something.
You lose those three things each time you compromise in adultery or any other form of sexual perversion.
Every time you had a quickie that is misplaced, every time you thought you were having fun, every time you thought you were cheating on your spouse, some part of you actually die.
Let’s look at some of those words:
What PLEDGE shall I give you..?
The Hebrew word is ‘Arabon’ taken from a root word that means ‘in the sense of exchange.’
So it was actually an exchange! It was a transaction.
I pray you will not exchange your destiny because of lust! Esau exchanged his destiny over a plate of porridge and the Bible says he sought for it with tears later. We are advised not to be a fornicator, and a profane person like Esau was.
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have grace, wisdom, and diligence to build my marriage.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Father in the name of Jesus, I resist every hindrance to my success in my assignment.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY So Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God. -2Chronicles 27:6 (KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Write out all your attitudes, positive and negative. Find ways to improve on your good attitudes and eliminate the bad ones.
Here is the stage a lot of relationships break up. Here, the differences between the lady and the man become glaring and very obvious. Differences in attitudes, characters, and mannerisms may result in misunderstanding. Immaturity and selfishness may result in break-ups.
It would take two people with the love and peace of God guarding their hearts to go through this stage successfully. If your love is based on ephemeral conviction, it cannot stand this stage. If your conviction is not really founded in God, the foundation collapses at this stage.
4. Endurance
Only relationships built on the solid foundation of God’s Word can endure this phase. Here, it seems that all you have in common apart from God are just differences, differences, and differences! At this stage, quarrels seem to be the order of the day.
The knowledge of the basic differences between a man and a woman, constant prayers offered for the relationship, and the presence of a good mentor over the relationship are very helpful to avoid break-up here. This is the stage you often reach the conclusion that the marriage cannot work.
When I got to this stage, I wanted to break up, and she wanted to break up. But every time we decided to go our separate ways, we lost our peace! We always came back. It is at this stage you decide to embrace God’s plan instead of being selfish and egotistical.
This is the most critical stage; any relationship that goes through this stage successfully will be established.
5. Enjoyment
After endurance comes enjoyment. Here you realize the rewards and blessings of relationship. The Biblical truth of two being better than one, and two being able to chase ten thousand while one could only chase a thousand, becomes a physical reality. Here, the differences are seen as a blessing, not as a challenge. The two enjoy their relationship. They align their visions; they now understand each other. They forgive easily. They stop getting hurt at everything and they decide to forge ahead in God!
Let me note here, that presence of good mentors and exposure to knowledge often helps to minimize issues in these stages.
I pray for you this day, that at whichever stage you find yourself, the wisdom of God will be available for you in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am patient. I am not hasty. I am led of God
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY I receive the grace to be patient in Jesus name. I receive help from God’s Spirit to stay with God’s plan for my life and relationship
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Jas 1:2-3 MSG Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Locate which stage you may be in right now and discuss with your fiancée or spouse on how to pull through
Be committed to the things of God. Don’t be so busy with your career or family life that you abandon your purpose and the assignment for which God created you. Make sure you pursue your purpose because that is where true riches and fulfillment lie.
5. Love or lust?
Be selfless! That is how your marriage will last. Let the love of God propel you in all you do. Let the love of God be shed abroad in your heart. Love her truly. Respect him indeed. That is the blueprint that keeps divorce away!
Respect means a lot to a man while love means a lot to a woman. Rather than go back and forth on who is right or wrong, go ahead with agape love, unconditional love and you will keep your home together.
6. Space and Forgiveness
Forgive easily. It is the way to go if you want your marriage to last. Practice advance forgiveness. Never hold your spouse in bitterness. Men, be patient with your spouse and make sure you love her genuinely.
Women, do not close up your spirit against your husband to a point you now live like strangers in your matrimonial home. Those are dangerous precursors to divorce!
7. Mentors
Adulterous relationships and extra-marital relationships are rooted in secrecy. The moment you can hide something from your spouse, you have planted a seed for chaos. Be open with each other. It kills the power of infidelity.
Learn to have a joint mentor who you trust, whom you can report yourselves to that will help you sort out issues that are beyond you. Take issues as they come and don’t store up hurts.
God will help you and give you grace in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not be in haste concerning my relationships. I will be led by God’s Spirit.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, guide my steps so that I will not start wrong relationships in Jesus name.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 2:10-12 KJV When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Make a list of the qualities you want in a man and use it to pray.
