The spiritual husband will put the things of God first place. He takes charge of the family in the place of spiritual oversight and knows how to hear from God.
A man that doesn’t know how to hear God can make the whole family suffer because of wrong decisions.
Every day, a man is making decisions, but the consequences of his decisions go beyond him, they affect the whole family.
However, ladies don’t just want a spiritual husband. They also want a romantic husband.
4. The Romantic Husband
If he is spiritual but unromantic, he will be a bore!
Ladies would be like “Is it only Bible reading and speaking in tongues all the time? Going to the movies once in a while nko?
Ladies want a man that knows his onions when it comes to being romantic.
Every wife wants a man that can read the Bible but can also read their moods. They want a man who can interpret tongues and can also interpret non-verbal cues. They want a man who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit and is also sensitive to their needs!
Abi ladies, is that not what you want?
5. The Humorous Husband
Every lady loves her husband who can make her laugh! What is the point of frowning all over the house throughout the day?
Pastor, is it when there is no money that we would be laughing? Well, read your Bible very well.
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh… – Job 5:22 (KJV)
Laugh about it and stop looking like Lucozade!
Make your wife laugh!
Those times when your wife is not really happy for whatever reasons, sometimes they themselves don’t even know why you should know what chords to strike that will tickle her.
If all you do is make that lady frown and sad, your relationship or marriage is at risk the day one colleague starts making your wife laugh!
You must know her password. You must learn her love language and learn how to deploy the words strategically to get her out of any pit of depression!
Laughter is like medicine! So, husbands, loosen up.
Guys in courtship, all this frowning all over the place because you are trusting God for money to get a house and settle down is not the way out. Get into God’s word, eat them and let it become a joy and rejoicing of your heart!
As you stay joyful, God will give you ideas that will bring more income, will favour you, and cause an in-flow of funds that will position you to experience God’s supernatural supply system!
I pray that God will give you more understanding!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will go after wisdom. Knowledge is pleasant to my soul. I enjoy reading God’s word. Discretion will preserve me. Understanding will keep me.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY O Lord, flood my heart with the light of your word.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY And here’s why: GOD gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. (Pro 2:6 MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Start searching for knowledge of God’s word now.
Proverbs 20:6 (KJV) Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
Most men will tell you all kinds of stuffs while toasting you, but where is really that faithful man?
A faithful man will abound with blessings. If you have a faithful husband, treasure him. If you have a man that will not cheat on you, you are blessed!
We are in a generation where ladies would open their legs without asking for it.
If you are unfaithful, if you are careless, if you have no self control, you will fry yourself alive!
See me, I have made up my mind o… there is no going back by the grace of God!
Making up your mind doesn’t mean you are boasting, it means you are consecrating yourself unto God and by His Spirit to stay true to His word.
I am an Ijebu man. We are very shrewd.
Which one weighs more? Your destiny or seven minutes of sweating and jacking up and down? Just asking ni o!
Enjoying yourself in the pleasure of adultery or fornication versus losing God’s favour and even losing heaven when you are unrepentant! Which one?
2. The Responsible Husband
The responsible husband will ensure his family is taken care of.
He would not spend money drinking around town while his kids are sent home for not paying school fees.
He would do all possible in God to ensure the best is provided for His family.
He is not lazy.
Every woman should pray for a responsible husband.
My heart bleeds to hear of many women who are breadwinners of their families, struggling to make ends meet because they are married to a man who is full of promises and talks but will never do anything.
Marrying a lazy man is an affliction in itself. Before you walk down the aisle, watch it.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am led by the spirit of God. My feelings do not control me.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, lead me to the rightful person for me
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Happy New Month to all partners and members of KHC. This month, your dreams shall become a reality.
From the first to the third of March, we will be waiting on God in fasting and prayers. If you are in Ibadan, Nigeria, join us by 6 pm at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, beside Trans Amusement park, Bodija-Ui road, Ibadan.
Continued from yesterday…
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. – Song of Solomon 2:10 (KJV)
Or maybe you are in love with the one who is not in love with you… and that can be an affliction of the soul and the body. But much more than this, there is a voice that gives power to your lover’s voice.
There is the romantic voice and there is the spiritual voice. The romantic will always be dependent on the spiritual. Both of them are good, but one is terrestrial and the other is celestial. And the glory of the celestial will always surpass that of the terrestrial.
This is the voice of Yahweh. If your lover has heard Him in the morning, then his or her voice will not be muted towards you that day.
The voice of God is powerful, breaking cedars and shaking the wilderness of Kadesh. God’s voice will shatter the eerie silence that wants to dominate your relationship and marriage.
Have you heard Him this morning? That is only when you can speak like a true lover to your loved ones with your speech bringing grace!
No wonder we have it here:
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. – Colossians 4:6 (KJV)
This only becomes a reality when humanity has a synergy with divinity, when you have been with the Lord, your mouth will not lack adequate words to everybody around you and particularly to your loved one!
What has your communication been like? Does His voice or her voice still tickle you? Do you listen to the voice of your maker at the dawn of the day?
This is what keeps your love life going, not just in the right direction, but with the right person. This is what keeps marriages and homes together. Without that voice, it will be a wasted effort.
I rest my case this morning as I conclude with this scripture:
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. – Psalms 127:1 (KJV)
You will not waste your years.
You will not labour in vain.
You will not fall in love hopelessly.
You will not waste your years in loving the one that will never love you.
You will not build shacks!
If GOD doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks… – Psalms 127:1 (MSG)
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not fall in love helplessly.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the Grace to recognize the voice of your lover
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY My lover has arrived and he’s speaking to me! Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover—come to me! – Song of Solomon 2:10 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Are you truly in love? Think about it.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. – Song of Solomon 2:10 (KJV)
The Message Translation says:
My lover has arrived and he’s speaking to me! Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover—come to me! – Song of Solomon 2:10 (MSG)
The voice of your lover! There is always something about that voice!
If your lover is not speaking, something is wrong.
My lover has arrived and he’s speaking to me! So says the Message Translation.
You see, the proof of His arrival is His voice whose rich vocals fill the house.
If you want to really know the lover that has “arrived” with you, his or her voice will be busy. If your lover has arrived in his or her heart, if you are truly on the same page, his voice would not be muted.
The moment you have not heard the voice of the one you called your lover for weeks, he has not arrived! You are not on the same page!
If he or she is always busy, and the vocal cords are tied, and the voice is scarce, then something is wrong somewhere.
When married couples have been silent, rendered incommunicado by trivial quarrels and immaturity, that marriage is not in a good state. After silence comes assumptions and innuendos, and assumptions are the lowest form of knowledge.
Are you really in love? We will know by reason of when you spoke last. We will know if you are talking regularly. We will know if you are just doing surface talks and throwing banters with nothing deep or serious.
We will know if the love is one-sided and lop-sided with only one party doing the calling, the wooing, and the pursuing! We will know if he or she sees your voice as a rant, irritated at your calls, making you look like a nuisance.
That, my dear, is no love!
To be continued tomorrow…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not fall in love helplessly.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the Grace to recognize the voice of your lover
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY My lover has arrived and he’s speaking to me! Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover—come to me! – Song of Solomon 2:10 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Are you truly in love? Think about it.
Poverty is not your portion! Lack is not part of your redemptive package!
Your prayer should be that God should help you obey Him in giving and other instructions.
For constant financial blessings, there are seeds that must be in the ground. It is a universal law that will never be broken as long as you see day and night.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. – Genesis 8:22 (KJV)
You can break the back of poverty with your seed and your confession, not just with prayers.
So, your prayer should be that God should give you a heart that gives and obeys God promptly. Always listen to what He has to say and do it.
You should reject poverty with every fibre of your being. Refuse to accommodate flashes and pictures of lack and insufficiency!
The devil likes to flood your mind with images of lack and insufficiency. Passionately refuse, reject and divorce those images. Rather, fill your mind with God’s word about increase and prosperity and that becomes your experience.
4. Mediocrity
We serve an excellent God and we are to do things excellently!
God loves excellence.
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. – Deu 33:26 (KJV)
He is an excellent God! Everything you do should be done, not with the least energy but with all you have, surpassing expectations and going before the norm.
Oh, when you have that excellence perspective, nobody can just slide into your skirt or trousers! No way!
That excellent spirit abhors chaos, disorder and gate crashing! When a guy wants to gate crash, the excellent spirit in you will not allow such invasion!
Mediocre spirit accommodates nonsense and every kind of violation! Mediocrity celebrates generosity of one’s body!
An excellent spirit births a strong self esteem that makes you secure in who you are in God!
Say with me, “I have an excellent spirit!
May God grant more understanding.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will no longer be delayed. I cooperate with God.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray against the spirit of delay.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
There are trends in your life you should reject completely. They are not God’s plan for your life.
Never call them “My problem” They are not your problems, the devil is only trying to impose them on you.
There are things that are already dealt with and finished as a result of the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s take a look at them.
1. Delay
There are delays caused by natural situations. There are self inflicted delays as a result of disobedience. But there are also demonic delays, a direct attack from hell.
Whichever way, whatever is attempting to steal your joy is not of God. In God, the price is paid through Jesus Christ.
Whatever has been a hindrance and obstruction on the path of your destiny, it is removed in Jesus name!
A major cure for delay in your life is a passionate cry unto the Lord to satisfy you early with mercy that you may be glad all the day of your life!
Mercy Lord!
2. Compromise
Like plagues, that is how you treat habitual sins, because that is what they are!
Listen to me, if your life must gain traction, if help must reach you, if the heavens be opened over you, you have to let go of habitual sins.
Sin is not supposed to lord it over you again. Jesus dealt with it once and for all!
Read these verses slowly and meditatively.
A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. [3] God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that. The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. [4] And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us. [5] Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! – Romans 8:2-5 (MSG)
Hallelujah!
To be continued tomorrow…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will no longer be delayed. I cooperate with God.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray against the spirit of delay.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Alright, so when you come and say, I don’t have feelings for him or her again, the question is “was it feelings that led you before?”
Again, to test the genuineness of the loss of your feelings, do you already have feelings for somebody else? A coded way of double dating? And then the sense of guilt pushes you to disconnect with the former, thereby telling him or her, I don’t have feelings again.
Jumping from a feeling-led-relationship into another feeling-led relationship is like jumping from frying pan into fire!
A quick way of dropping the former is to say “I don’t have feelings again.” But you must check the intents of your heart and be sure it is conviction leading you.
Again, when you are dropping someone because you are in love with another one, it is not always healthy because you have initiated a love adventure with a new person without ending the former.
So you try to proceed into the new while you are still intertwined with the old. The new will be frustrated.
And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. – Luke 5:37 (KJV)
Not having a sufficient time to heal and pray can often be a decision made out of feelings!
5. Feelings will not equate to God’s voice
Finally, do not allow feelings to replace leading.
You must be led.
Feelings can confuse the soul.
What a married man or woman has for a colleague are feelings and those feelings can get him or her into serious trouble if he decided to feed the feelings.
Learn to not give attention to your feelings especially when you are on the terrain of iniquity. Feelings and lusts are pals. They are close pals, so you need to be careful here.
It was a rush of feeling and lust that David had for Bathsheba. And it led to adultery and murder.
Decide to hear God’s voice and not just rely on feelings.
Take time to ask God for His leading, if you are going through a period of knowing who to marry. Also, if you are already in a relationship or you are married, take time to ask God to help you in your emotions so that you don’t get into trouble. Emotional affair is as real as a physical one.
I pray that God will help you in your emotions and love life and help you discern what is right from what is wrong.
God will help you! The heavens are opened over you! So shall it be in Jesus name!
Don’t forget to SHARE the devotional.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the Grace to stay faithful in a perverse world
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
This happens a lot and I get to hear this from time to time.
Pastor, I don’t have feelings for him again.
Pastor, I don’t have feelings for her again.
I will tell you five things quickly that will put things in perspective and help you judge your loss of “feelings” whether they are genuine or just some ruse.
1. Feelings are different from conviction
A feeling is the voice of your flesh. It is an emotional state. A conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
So, when it comes to relationship and falling in love, as a child of God, you need to ask, is it just feelings I have for this person or do I have a “leading” from God?
They are two different things entirely.
2. Feelings are fickle
Feelings are not bad in themselves, it is just that you should not trust them.
They are fickle, and they don’t have a forever a status.
You can wake up with seven different feelings for a supposed loved one in seven different days.
They are also temporal and they often don’t last. Feelings come and go!
Feelings are not deep. They are surface surfers. Feelings cannot endure. Feelings are like fair weather friends.
3. You will not always have feelings for him or her
The next thing you need to realize is that you will not always have feelings for him or her.
So, in effect, feelings cannot be a standard for measuring your love!
Even in marriage, there are times you wake up to see your spouse and all the feelings have gone on holiday to Bahamas or some Island of no communication!
What do you do? Are you going to file for divorce?
You see, beyond your feelings, there must be a genuine commitment arising from a conviction towards the person you want to get married to!
So, you cannot afford to be led by what you “feel” alone.
Feelings are too weak to sustain you in the midst of love adventure. Feelings will abandon you at the slightest pressure.
It is only conviction that can travel the whole length with you, in cold or summer!
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am led by the spirit of God. My feelings do not control me.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, lead me to the rightful person for me
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
“But that is what you are doing! It is firstly sweet in your mouth, but afterward, it turns into gravel. The mastication process will go awry. So says the scriptures.”
“I don hear. Holy sister.”
“But candidly speaking, your perspective is wrong. Don’t waste your time on what will not work.”
Phone rings, as they made to enter their room.
Nancy picked up her phone and looked at the name on the screen. It was one of her boyfriends, the one that was not caring, but gives her a lot of money.
“I beg, make I pick important call, my foodstuff don nearly finish!”
As she chatted away, Angie sat down on the edge of her bed and ruminated. She prayed silently to God to help her communicate and help her friend who is obviously dancing with imminent disappointments.
She knew what she was doing wouldn’t work. It was simply not God’s order. She wondered at how her roommate had trivialized what is clearly a sin, how she kind of mocked God with her attitude to life.
She seemed to be enjoying it now and she prayed for her silently as the scripture came to her mind:
Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. – Isa 50:11
She knew all Nancy was reveling in were sparks…and she prayed to God to send light her way, before the night time, when her bed would have been decked up with sorrow!
Despite all she is doing, she knows God loves her deeply, but that is not enough, she needs to love the Lord too and that is where the real blessing is!
When she sees the light, then she would realize she has been living in the sparks!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the Grace to stay faithful in a perverse world
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
“Thank you, sister Angel. I love my boyfriend and he loves me. When we are married, we will go to church.”
“Who told you that you will get married to him?”
“I know! He told me we will.”
“And who told you that you are the only one he is promising?” Angie said.
“Yes, I may not be the only one, but I am the first on his list”
“List? Nancy, why go through this humiliation?
“Which one is humiliation there now? Is there any man out there that can be faithful?”
“You always get what you expect! I will be married to a man who not only loves me but also loves the Lord,”
“Such men are all dead, I beg!”
“No, they are still alive.”
“You are simply inexperienced. You don’t know guys. I currently have three boyfriends and my back is covered. If one fails, I will latch unto another.”
“Your back is not covered.” You are toying with your life and destiny.”
“There you go again, pastoress.”
“But candidly, it is not like God doesn’t want you to have a boyfriend, but He wants everything done His own way.”
“What’s His own way?”
“No sex.”
“That is not possible”
“It is possible. I am an example.” Angie said.
“So, I will not test wetin I go buy for market? Nancy said shaking her head.
“How many times have you been sexually involved with your boyfriend?
“Which of them?
“See your life?”
“I can’t count o… Am I supposed to be recording that? I be secretary?”
“Ok, let’s just say twenty times… So you have been testing? For how long will you test in the market? Will you ever get home? Is the market not your home now?”
“Leave that one, I dey enjoy am, plus lots of bucks.”
To be continued tomorrow…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the Grace to stay faithful in a perverse world
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
The day has been a hectic one. Having six lectures back to back was not an easy task. Angie and Nancy are two of a kind. They were roommates in one of the private Universities. As they walked back to their hall, they struck a conversation. It was more than a conversation. It was a state of their hearts.
Welcome to the world of Angie and Nancy.
“There is only one thing on my mind now, can you guess?” Angie asked.
“What else will it be, other than to go and eat and sleep off?” Replied Nancy.
“Waoh! You are in the Spirit, you got it. Flesh and blood hath not revealed that unto you.”
“What about me, guess what’s rolling on my mind?” Nancy asked.
“Same thing now, are you not hungry and tired?”
“Yes, I am hungry and tired, but it is not food and sleep that will appease the goddess now”
“Ok o, Miss goddess, what is on your mind?” Asked Angie?
“What’s on my mind? It’s more than Facebook status o…”
“Ok, na Twitter, abi?”
“You sure don’t want to know, Nancy said giggling.”
“Your boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Nancy said, almost screaming, and eyes bulging. “I want to be wrapped in my boyfriend’s arms.”
“Wrap? You be foo-foo, abi? You don’t know more than that, Jesus is coming soon o!
“Please, can’t we have a decent conversation without you sermonizing me?” Nancy said with a slight hiss.
“Oh oh…why the beef now? And where is the sermon? I have not even quoted a scripture. I have not even told you that the soul that sinneth shall die!”
“Please! All of us are sinners. It is God that knows who is serving Him!”
Calmly, Angie said, “I disagree with that. It is not only God that knows. Those who are serving Him also know. I spoke to Him this morning!”
To be continued tomorrow…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the Grace to stay faithful in a perverse world
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
We are still on things that are popular and prevalent but not necessarily of God.
4. We have to seek Prophet’s consent
This is another nonsensical pursuit. It is a waste of time. What you need to know is that there are prophets for profit. They are hungry and they need to eat, so they will always see something. These fake prophets have obfuscated the real and original prophets because people are readily drawn to deception.
Even when you give them three non-existent names, they will still see something! That spirit in them will not be able to identify that those are non-existent names.
In the Old Testament, the people will consult the prophet for direction because the Holy Spirit is only upon these prophets. But in the New Testament, the primary function of the prophet has moved from foretelling to forth-telling.
The Holy Spirit is now upon all believers, and you are supposed to be led by the Spirit of God individually. If your prophet or pastor confirms what is already in your heart, that is okay. I have done that for a lot of people, but pastors or prophets are not to be sought for direction on who to marry!
You are to decide, they can confirm! If a pastor insists you must marry somebody you dislike and you are not in love with, that is nothing more than emotionalism and manipulation!
5. I don’t really love him or her, but I need the citizenship
This is another wrong reason to get married. Getting married to an older person to get some papers? Don’t be that desperate; allow God to do what He wants to do in your life.
What if you are not supposed to be in that place according to God’s direction for your life? You would have sentenced yourself to a life of non-fulfillment and dissatisfaction.
You might end up having some Dollars or Pounds, but you will never have the peace of mind that way, and there is all likelihood that such marriages will not last!
You don’t have God’s support when you venture into such deals.
May God grant more understanding!
I pray for you, you will not miss it. God will surround you with His mercy!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will follow God all the way. I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will help you stay true till the end
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
Yesterday, I started writing on things that are popular and prevalent but not necessarily of God.
2. He has to be ‘mobile’ (He‘s got to have a car!)
Well, this is good! Who doesn’t want the best of things and who wants to ‘suffer’ first? If your fiancée has a good car before marriage, great! You are blessed!
But to make this a criterion will be a great error. The important thing is to find out God’s plan for your life. His thoughts towards you are thoughts of peace and not of evil!
Are you marrying the car or the guy? What if something happens to the car? There are seemingly rich guys today who are on their way to being massively broke. But there are also guys who are seemingly broke today but are on their way to being unrepentantly rich!
As a lady, you need to follow your heart and you have to be able to “perceive!”
3. We have to be compatible in bed
You just want to satisfy your lust, simple! How do you measure this compatibility in bed? What would he or she do that will give a pass mark?
And if he or she is not compatible according to your judgment, what happens? Look for the next available person and jump in bed to measure compatibility? Compatibility in bed is a figment of the imagination, and that is why you keep measuring after the first “measurement”
It is high time we stop that deception. It is high times ladies woke up and stop being easily deceived.
If the lady was good in bed, you’ll say she is too exposed; she has slept with too many people. If she is naïve in bed, you’ll say she is Mummy’s girl! So, exactly what are you up to?
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will follow God all the way. I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will help you stay true till the end
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
This morning, we would like to set some things straight. There has been so much ignorance and wrong counsel.
There are things that are popular and prevalent but not necessarily of God. That something is nearly ubiquitous does not validate it. The voice of the people is sometimes reverberations and echoes of hell!
The voice of God is what stands any day, any time. The voice of man and the principles of man are often fraught with errors and casualties.
In God, there is nothing like Democracy, it is Theocracy. All of God or none of Him!
There are things that have been defined by the media and societal inclination; but as long as they are not founded in the word, they are as fickle as a flower that blossoms today and withers tomorrow.
You cannot build your life on such, or else when the storm rages; the wind blows and the rain falls, great will be the ruin of such building.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11 KJV)
So, what are some of those things?
1. She Has To Get Pregnant Before Marriage
Some families will insist on this before they agree on any marriage. They want to be sure that the daughter they are bringing into the family is fertile or the guy that wants to marry their daughter is not impotent.
No matter how logical this looks, it contradicts the principle of God in terms of making the marriage bed undefiled.
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4 KJV)
However you want to see it, what is wrong is wrong. When your marriage is therefore founded on disobedience, it cuts short the blessings of God. It is not the ‘fertility’ of the lady or the potency of the man that will guarantee the next pregnancy after marriage.
There are couples who are very okay and have nothing wrong with their bodies and yet it takes a while to get pregnant. So how many times will the poor lady be subjected to some sexual rendezvous all in a bid to get her pregnant? And if she doesn’t get pregnant, she waits for another man, while she is discarded like an unwanted element?
How about her self-esteem? Self-worth? And who says the woman is always the issue in the event of no pregnancy?
This idea is definitely not of God and not from God!
Don’t allow yourself to be subjected to such affliction! Learn to trust God because God cannot lead wrong! He may lead you round, but He will never lead you wrong.
May God grant more understanding!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will follow God all the way. I choose to do it in God’s way.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will help you stay true till the end
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4 KJV
As they sat before me in the office, I counseled them and then explained a few things.
1. While you were on campus, you gave access to the devil in your life when you flouted the rules of the fellowship. That deception was the loophole that the devil capitalized on to have an inroad into your life. You see, one degree away from truth is falsehood. When you start telling lies, you are dancing on the terrain of the devil because he is that father of all lies.
2. You had no mentor or pastor over your relationship. There will always be issues you wouldn’t be able to handle alone. Mentors are supposed to save you from the tormentors of life.
3. God is never mocked. All the time you combined ministering with deceptive lifestyle, it was only the mercy of God that kept you alive. You were sowing the wrong seeds that would later haunt you.
4. The compromise you had then has destroyed trust between the two of you. And up till now, that trust is still missing. You now need to do something about it so that you don’t crash your marriage eventually. No marriage will survive without trust.
5. You asked God for forgiveness and He forgave you, but both of you have refused to forgive yourselves.
6. You need to forgive yourselves and allow the trust to be rebuilt again in your life. If you keep on being victims of your past, your past will control you.
7. As a married couple, find someone to mentor both of you.
8. And now, an important point. Consciously build trust again. You do that by constant communication. Never hide anything from each other again. Be open; be naked and not ashamed. Don’t allow secrets to be discovered. That will rupture trust the more. If anybody is disturbing you, open up immediately. If he or she has to discover, then trust is ruptured the more.
9. Pray together regularly. You cannot ignore that.
10. Relax together. Talk a lot. Go on outings together. Spend time together and rebuild that trust!
I see you come out victorious.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not be a victim of the past arrows
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will help you to heal from wounds of past arrows
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 1:18 [GW] Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that he calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit.
They were in love with each other the moment they set eyes on each other, and they expressed their love for one another. However, the executives of the fellowship were not allowed to initiate a relationship or be in courtship while in the office unless they have started a relationship before assuming the office. So, they had to keep the relationship secret.
However, they were so much in love, and in no time, they began to get physical. They haven’t gone all the way yet, but it was like they got involved in everything apart from actual penetration.
It wasn’t a good time for them, because they would ask God to forgive them and they would be there again. Eventually, they went all the way and they compromised. It was difficult for them because everybody looked up to them. They began to live in deceit. They needed help but they didn’t know who they can talk to without being seen as the greatest and the most monumental disgrace and disappointment to Christianity!
After a while, the deception went to another level. Bode’s conscience became seared and he believed the lie that God must be overlooking what he was doing since he would still operate under the anointing. Bode would sleep with Terry and then would still preach on fornication. He was a walking error…and he didn’t know.
Terry could not handle that level of deception. Eventually, she went to seek help, and both of them were summoned over the holidays and restored back to their fellowship with God. They stopped from that time on till they eventually got married, but a wrong seed has been sown into the foundation of their marital journey and that is what is haunting them six years after marriage.
Terry believed that Bode would still compromise at any opportunity because he could accommodate deception while he was the president of the fellowship. Bode believed, that since Terry could not stop him then and be strong, she is still probably weak and vulnerable and he keeps searching her phone suspiciously all the time.
To be continued tomorrow…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not be a victim of the past.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will help you to heal of the past
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 1:18 [GW] Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that he calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit.
The home of the Johnson’s has always been tense. Like the humorously wicked characters in Tom and Jerry, they fought constantly. By the way, if you have two boys in the house, don’t allow them to watch Tom and Jerry too often, otherwise, they wouldn’t like themselves!
Bode and Terry Johnson never trusted each other. They were born again, tongue-talking, demon-chasing believers, but they are usually suspicious of each other.
They have been married for six years, yet the issue of trust is still a big deal. The other time Bode traveled out of the country for about three weeks, they still fought on the phone on issues that bothered on trust. They were constantly checking on each other, about who they were with, who visited them, who they visited, and so on until they got on each other’s nerves.
Bode was there, wondering about who his wife might be with at work. Terry too never had peace of mind because she never seemed to know what Bode was capable of doing.
Trust is fundamental to the success of a relationship or marriage, but here they are with their trust for each other in question.
In situations like this, there is usually a source of the fears they have for each other. Something has happened in time past that keeps the trigger of suspicion on all the time.
As they sat to be counseled, I began to probe into their past and beginning from where and how they met each other.
First of all, both of them had come from a home where either of the parents cheated at least once. Whether they agreed or not, they both came into a relationship with some attitude from defective parental examples.
They were both born-again Christians when they met. As a matter of fact, they met in the fellowship. Bode was the president of the fellowship while Terry was the prayer secretary. Both posts were pivotal and they are practically the leaders of the fellowship.
What else did I find out about Bode and Terry?
To be continued tomorrow…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not be a victim of the past.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will help you to heal of the past
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 1:18 [GW] Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that he calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit.
Valentine’s day is here and it will go. But there is a decision you must make, do not let your destiny go with it.
How shall we do Valentine and then life is crystallized into agony afterward. Don’t lose it. You are a child of God, remember that.
Demons of lust, adultery, compromise, and all other sexual perversion are on overdrive today, do not cooperate with them.
Today, the atmosphere would all be set. Your body would literally crave for it. But you would be making the greatest mistake of your life if you listen to your body.
A strong desire does not authenticate that which is desired. The voice of your body is not superior to the voice of your spirit. The spirit ought to take ascendancy and not the body.
This is what Apostle Paul was saying here
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. – 1Co 9:27 (KJV)
Your body would scream for compromise, but don’t listen to it, for decisions taken in the flesh will always lead to some form of death.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. – Rom 8:6 (KJV)
The amplified version expatiate further
Now the mind of the flesh [ which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit ] is death [ death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter ]. But the mind of the [ Holy ] Spirit is life and [ soul ] peace [ both now and forever ]. – Rom 8:6 (AMPC)
Don’t go to areas that are already set to trap you. Evening parties, clubs, guest houses, love gardens, and hotels. Any meeting in such places today would end in regrets.
On the other hand, while at home, do not stay behind closed doors with a lover or intending lover. It takes a closed-door to close up your destiny.
Don’t drink. Things happen when you drink.
Don’t be deceived by that deceptive statement, let’s just touch ourselves, we won’t do much! Dry humping each other will end in some wet humping and could drown you.
Be vigilant. Stay close to God’s word.
Whether you have a Val or not, find an evening church program and attend.
Thankfully, today at Shouts of Grace Center in Ibadan, if you are around, you can join us as we take a dive into teachings on sex and relationships. Also, we have a valentine’s dinner for singles. You can check HERE for more information.
Stay with God, you will have the victory and the last laugh.
Let me end my admonition with this scripture in The Message Translation:
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. – 1Pe 5:8-11 (MSG)
Be blessed. Be safe. Stay spiritual!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not miss it in marriage.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, open the eyes of my understanding.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 1:18 [GW] Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that he calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s day. There are so many stories about who valentine actually was. Here is one of the prominent stories.
He was a Roman priest during the 3rd century A.D. when Emperor Claudius II was the king at the time. He decided to ban marriage, because of the notion that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers. Valentine secretly officiated marriages.
He was eventually found out arrested and imprisoned. He was then beheaded and he became a martyr by the Church because he gave up his life to perform the institution of marriage.
By the 5th Century, Pope Gelasius declared 14th of February to be Valentine’s day!
Well, Valentine’s day is no longer a sacred day as it were! In the lives of some ladies, that day would probably be saddest days of their lives.
To some others, it would be the day they would be introduced into the world of sexual compromise!
A lot more have penciled the day as the day they would desecrate the one they profess they love.
It is not so much of celebration of love again but a celebration of iniquity, a validation of Jeru trip and a total affront on the injunctions of God in the areas of marriage!
Here are few things to note:
1. Be extremely careful. Sin is glorified in a day like this and it is democratized.
2. Do not go to places where you are not supposed to go to because you want to celebrate Valentine. Watch your legs.
3. Do not go to nightclubs and do not stay with him or her alone! You already know what they do in night clubs. It’s not prayer vigil!
4. If you are alone, the mood in the air might set your already fired up emotions and push you into the dangerous terrain of sexual adventures.
5. Don’t allow gifts, chocolates, ice cream and things like that to buy your resolve. A virtuous woman cannot be bought because the scripture says her price is far above rubies.
6. Do not make the mistake of passing the night with the one you are not married to. If you try it, something you will regret later might happen. It’s as sure as you see your palms that something will happen.
7. Don’t take alcohol. Things happen when you get tipsy. Don’t take drinks from strangers or somebody you met two hours ago in the name of Valentine.
Alcohol is for people who are dying, for those who are in misery. – Pro 31:6 (GNB)
8. Don’t allow him or her to talk you into sexual compromise and disobedience saying, it’s just one day! The devil doesn’t need more than one day to rupture your destiny! That will not be your portion!
9. There are things you do for seven minutes and you regret for seven years. There are people you kiss for a second and your destiny is crucified. There are strange hands you allow in your blouse or skirt and your life is messed up! Be careful!
10. All in all, stay on the God side and you will be good!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not be distracted on Valentine’s day
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, open the eyes of my understanding.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 1:18 [GW] Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that he calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Celebrate Valentine’s day well
Betty: Then start working on yourself. Marriage is made up of two real people with their different opinions and perspectives, and if it must last, they must be quick forgivers.
Angie: I have a problem with forgiving people. I am usually deeply hurt.
Betty: Anybody can be hurt, but love is supposed to cover a multitude of mistakes. You have to learn that if you are going to have a good marriage.
Angie: Must I be the one that will be forgiving all the time? Won’t that crush my esteem?
Betty: Which is why you don’t want to marry just anybody because of pressures. You want to marry someone you know that both of you are on the same page in terms of beliefs, serving God, and loving God
Angie: God help me
Betty: When you marry a man that really fears God, it becomes much more easier.
Angie: God, give me a man that loves you
Betty: Wrong prayer
Angie: Eeeeeh! …so what is the right prayer?
Betty: Lord, make me a woman that loves you.
Angie: Ok, Auntie…thank you so much
Betty: You are welcome.
Angie: I have to go now, to think about all you’ve said and see how to apply them.
Betty: Ok, my dear. Always remember that God has a plan for you and that staying close to Him helps you to actualize that plan.
Angie: God will help me.
Betty: You must help yourself first…by your obedience…that will now unlock His help and blessings.
Angie: I hear! I need to go and call this man that wants to sleep in my house tonight. I want to tell him not to bother. We are not married! I want to do it God’s way and I don’t want to delay myself again.
Betty: Good girl!
Angie: Bye, Auntie.
Betty: Bye, I will see you later.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not miss it in marriage. I am led of God in finding the right person.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me in my journey of finding the right person
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Allow God do the finding for you.
