Beauty and the Beast is a timeless fairy tale that explores themes of love, transformation, and inner beauty. The story follows a young woman named Beauty, who sacrifices her freedom to live in a mysterious castle to save her father from the wrath of a fearsome Beast. Although his appearance is terrifying, Beauty discovers the kindness and sorrow hidden beneath the Beast’s exterior. Through their growing bond, she learns to see beyond his outward form and recognizes the goodness within him. Her love ultimately breaks the curse, transforming the Beast back into a handsome prince.
This heartwarming tale reminds us that true beauty lies not in outward appearances but in the heart.
This story holds profound meaning when applied to our individual lives. Within each of us resides both a “beauty” and a “beast.” The “beauty” represents our spirit—the godly, virtuous nature that reflects the image and likeness of God. It is this divine essence that empowers us to act with love, kindness, forgiveness, and selflessness.
On the other hand, the “beast” symbolizes our flesh—the part of us prone to selfishness, anger, envy, jealousy, unforgiveness, and indulgence. These vices seek to dominate and control us if left unchecked.
The key to personal transformation lies in nurturing the “beauty” within us while weakening the influence of the “beast.” As we strengthen our spiritual nature through prayer, faith, and walking in alignment with God’s Word, we become better versions of ourselves.
Galatians 5:25 (KJV) “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
By yielding to the Spirit, we resist the desires of the flesh and cultivate virtues such as love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.
Ultimately, there is a “beauty” inside all of us waiting to shine. The more we nurture it, the weaker the “beast” becomes.
Let us embrace the transformative power of love and choose to walk in the Spirit, unlocking the full potential of who God created us to be.
This is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn in life, relationships, and marriage.
Deuteronomy 30:19 [KJV] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Our text today tells us we can choose life. In order to live and enjoy life, we have to choose our lives. We must exercise our power of choice.
For many years, I was led by my feelings and emotions. I must admit I was a very slow learner. Thank God He never gave up on me. I allowed my feelings to direct my moods, feelings, thoughts, actions, and inactions.
This got me into a lot of trouble—troubles I could have avoided. If someone hurt me, my day was literally ruined. I wasted years on this roller coaster of emotions. It was as though I was stuck.
I was where the devil wanted me. A place where my emotions were in control. I didn’t know how to allow my spirit and the word of God to control my life. If I woke up feeling bad or down, my whole day was going to be bad. How many opportunities have we allowed to slip by as a result of not managing our emotions?
But thank God, our God is a restorer. He will restore the year that the caterpillar has eaten and destroyed. We can be in control and in charge of our emotions and say No to the voice of our feelings.
Let the Word of God dwell in you richly. Choose to live above your feelings. When you choose to obey God rather than your feelings, your feelings will catch up with your decisions and eventually line up. As you do this, you will begin to experience the quality of life God has for you.
As women, the fact that we are emotional beings doesn’t mean we should be controlled by our emotions. People can hurt you with their words and actions, but move past it. Forgive, forget, and love on. You get better off for doing this.
Am I saying you will not be hurt? On the contrary, move past it with the help of the Holy Spirit and be in control. Tell yourself you are in charge here.
Experience a richer life by not living by the dictates of your flesh and feelings.
I believe the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ provides a level ground of play for everyone who has been redeemed. Jesus had already paid the ultimate price for us.
There are some things that should not be. They are aberrations. Both things we engage in and the things we permit in our lives, relationships, and marriages.
Let me zero in on today’s topic on the negative use of our tongues.
Our tongues are very powerful. We are created in God’s image, and we know that God is a speaking God.
We change the course of our lives and destiny by the proper use of our tongues
Our text this morning admonishes us to use our tongues positively.
If you are in a relationship and your fiance or fiancee has a bad mouth and tongue, that’s a red flag.
Don’t take this lightly, trivialize, overlook, or dismiss them, as they will change after we are married.
Putting a ring on someone’s finger does not change anybody. Put your feet down and let him/her be schooled about the proper use of the tongue.
James 3:9-10 [TPT ]We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image! Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sisters, this should never be!
To the married, Jesus was speaking through James, that the negative use of the tongue ‘should not be’
It is not permissable. In other words, ‘don’t allow it’
As Christians, there are things we should not permit. We should say no to mean words, demeaning words, hurtful words, and abusive words spoken to us, our children, about our marriage, career, finances, health, etc
We have the authority to refuse it. When we rebuke that spirit, it has no choice but to flee from our marriage. We need to take responsibility; Jesus won’t take that responsibility on our behalf.
Remember, this should never be in your relationship and marriage.
By now we all know the scripture God gave us and are standing on it for manifestation. The little we know is all that is needed.
While meditating on this scripture, the Holy Spirit told me that this scripture also relates to the family.
Isa 60:22 (KJV) A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time
When we become truly united in the family, ‘our little’ becomes a thousand. God has designed it so that our interdependence with each other will produce far more than our individual effort, grace, anointing, strength, influence, and productivity.
In God’s arithmetic of marriage, one plus one never equals two. One Plus one equals three. It goes on and on until our one plus one equals ten and multiples of ten. It will always start with the little – husband and wife.
When husbands and wives walk in unity, bringing their unique ideas, graces, and anointing to the table, we don’t have a better idea, we have a completely new idea that is better than either the husband’s or wife’s initial idea.
Unity is not just sameness but complementary. You don’t have to be the same but complement one another. That’s humility and preferring one another to ourselves.
This is the atmosphere for thriving, blossoming, and flourishing. There is a powerful principle in the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. That’s the power of effective listening, first seek to hear before you are heard.
Effective listening brings unity which is necessary for us if our little is going to become a thousand.
Let’s work towards agreement in our marriages. The devil will challenge our agreement and unity. We should be wiser than the devil and not let go of the unity in our marriage. Our fight should be against the devil, for ourselves to defend ourselves.
How beautiful would it be if all marriages could strive and work at attaining this stage where they truly become a thousand?
Great victory will be won for the kingdom of God and great disaster done to the devil’s kingdom.
Abigail is one of the women in the Bible, with rich lessons to teach and wisdom to glean from.
Her story is in 1 Samuel 25: 1 – end.
Her story teaches us how to handle any difficult relationship. Whether it is a relationship with an employer, an associate, a colleague, a child, a mentor, a mentee, a spouse, or a family member, it’s the same principle and it can be applied for success.
1 Samuel 25:3 [KJV] Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
Emotional intelligence, people management, and good understanding were virtues that Abigail possessed. Abigail had a good understanding of herself, her husband, her situation, and her household.
Our focus is not on Nabal’s behavior but on her ability to beautifully manage and navigate the situation.
It is our year of supernatural growth and our emphasis should be growing in the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 [KJV] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The more we learn to develop the fruits of the Spirit, the better our relationships will be even if the persons are “churlish and evil in their doings” like Nabal
We can see her good understanding being displayed in her attitudes, speech, actions, and the quality of her inner life.
Her good understanding helped her to know the times and seasons and how to salvage a situation that would have led to the murder of every life associated with Nabal, both young and old.
The story of Abigail is not just for wives but also for men, who want to know how to manage people. People are ladders, especially those relationships God brought into your life.
Don’t discard people because of offenses and unforgiveness. You need to understand that not every man has developed fully in the fruit of the Spirit. They might just be the help you need at certain junctions in your life.
There are some things we have control over and some we don’t have control over. You don’t have control over other people’s behavior but you have control over your attitudes.
It’s all about how you react when others treat you badly.
Being married to Nabal was a lot, but Abigail was a woman who had a good understanding.
Isaiah 11:2 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
I pray the Holy Spirit will impact our lives with Good understanding in Jesus’ mighty name amen
