God is a God of systems. Structures. Principles. This divinely systemic nature of God helps to regulate the entire universe, nothing missing, nothing broken, or we will all be dead in a few seconds.
He upholds all things by the word of His power. Everything exists in a delicate balance, yet entirely firm and solid. You couldn’t look far before you see the hand of the Lord and His wisdom dotting the horizon of humanity.
Financial structure of this planet is in the hands of the Lord. That is why He said He is the one that gives power to get wealth. Reward systems and structures are in the hand of the Lord and God ensures that every man reaps what he sows. That is why the Bible says God will not forget your labour of love.
Now to my emphasis today:
1Sa 2:8 (MSG) He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, RESTORING DIGNITY AND RESPECT TO THEIR LIVES— a place in the sun! For THE VERY STRUCTURES of earth are GOD’s; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation.
You have gone through broken relationships. You have been jilted. You have been disappointed. You have been frustrated. You have been used and dumped. Whatever might have happened to you is not strong enough to thwart you, because today, God is restoring dignity and respect back into your life.
How am I so sure God is going to do that? The very structure of the earth belongs to God, and that structure can be tweaked for your advantage such that your dignity and respect which you think have been eroded are easily restored by God Himself.
The structures of this earth begin to favour you from today in Jesus name.
Fresh hope is being injected into your life right now and every area where it seems dark and out, light is shining forth, bring you into a place of light and explicit knowledge of God and His marital plans for your life.
Remain blessed today!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My dignity is restored. I receive full restoration.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray for restoration.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord ’s, and he has set the world in order. 1 Samuel 2:8 NLT
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Meditate on the word “restoration”
We startedlooking at this all-important topic yesterday. “How to relate with in-laws without strife” We looked at 2 scenarios and we will look at more scenarios today.
It is impossible to deal with all possible scenarios but this is just to help you draw wisdom from them and know that you are not alone.
There are no custom-made problems. You just have to draw the needed wisdom and handle your own situation.
Scenario 3 Ronke’s mother-in-law is a good woman and she has heard a lot of good reports from her husband about how she single-handedly raised her son and sent him to the University against all odds. So, naturally, Ronke was happy when Tunji announced that mama was coming to spend the rest of her life with them in the city. Unknown to Ronke was that mama was very petty.
They were all excited to welcome mama to her new home and she loved it in the city. Mama would always express her view and air her opinion which Ronke didn’t mind until it was getting too much.
Ronke likes flowers and would always buy flowers for decorating the sitting room. Mama would ask how much she bought them and would complain that they were too expensive since it was not food. Mama would complain whenever Ronke went to the stores and came home with nylons of household needs. She would ask how much each item cost and Ronke would tell her only for mama to scream of wastage.
Tunji would always wake up early to prepare breakfast because the nature of her job is quite strenuous and need extra sleep to be refreshed of the next day’s job. This mama frowned at seriously and even took offense at.
In other for her son not to do this, mama will wake up early to prepare breakfast. During breakfast, mama would look at her with displeasure and this continued until Ronke decided to be eating out. Tunji noticed this and called his wife to order.
Mama too noticed and all the time something went wrong between mama and Ronke, mama would go inside her room and sob. This was getting on Ronke’s nerves and Tunji was in a dilemma.
What should be done?
To ask a parent-in-law to stay with you has a lot of disadvantages especially a long-term stay. Before they come, the husband and wife should be in agreement. The husband must promise to protect the wife. After much discussion, if there is no other option, she might come to stay, but not after all options have been exhausted. They might look at the option of sending money to her regularly, get her a house help etc
If she would eventually stay, the husband must always be ready to defend his wife at the slightest opportunity. She must not come in between them. She must be made to mind her business and know that this is her son’s matrimonial house.
The husband and wife must be very prayerful and patient to accept her and her excesses.
Scenario 4 Bode’s father-in-law is in a cult. At first, they didn’t know but just felt he was unnecessarily hard on Bode. He showed little or no compassion for them when they first got married and had financial crisis. He had the money but was not just disposed to helping them.
Bode first noticed that each time they took the children for a visit to see grandpa outside town, they will be down with fever. Each time he also comes visiting the same thing happens.
It was difficult for them to stop visiting. Kemi was not happy especially because it would mean not seeing her mother who was more than an angel to them. They also noticed that the father-in-law would always give the children money.
After such gift of money, they would notice a financial hardship at that period. This would last for a while and go after they have prayed. This went on for a while and this usually caused conflict between them.
What should be done?
They should reduce their visits and if confronted for not visiting, they should say they are very busy. They should minimize their visits to only important occasions and should not sleepover. The children should be protected and once given money, it should be given away.
The wife should find other means of communicating with her mum especially since she had been good to them.
The husband should be very prayerful, avoid quarrels with his wife and understand her sentiments. He should try and get his wife to his side on every decision.
They should both pray for divine intervention.
You will always find different situations in different homes. No two situations are exactly the same but may have similar situations. Follow through with wisdom, be patient, mature, and godly.
Remember, you too will be a parent-in-law someday. Every action is a seed.
God bless your marriage
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I am wise as regards all in-law issues.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father, teach me your ways as regards my in-law issues
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his own wife.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Begin to handle every in-law issues in your marriage with God’s wisdom
There are a lot of questionsabout in-laws that some of us might need answers to. An In-law issue is a very complicated one that one needs a lot of wisdom to address. You love your spouse very much, you don’t want to hurt or offend them, and yet there are issues with his/her parents.
They have been the ones taking care of your spouse before your spouse met you, so they cannot be wrong. They are flawless. They are saints, so does your spouse see them. How do you handle them in such a way that it doesn’t cause frictions? We will try and look into some of these issues.
Scenario 1 She grew up with her mum in Kaduna, who has been taking care of her ever since her dad traveled to South Africa when she was 12 years old. She is the firstborn and has been very close to her mum since then. Now she is married. Her mother does not understand that she is married. They live close to each other and their mum visits them every day. The husband is infuriated and irritated each time he sees her. She even passes the night and spends weeks with them.
Initially, she helps with the daughter. The husband complains a lot about this but the wife feels he is taking things too seriously. The wife, who is a Medical Doctor, is sure divided between her mum and her husband. Her time is divided, her attention, her finances, her care, she is divided in spirit, soul, and body.
Her mum will often take her time talking with her. She enters their room and she has no boundaries whatsoever. She gets on the husband’s nerve so much that they often have open confrontations. Instead of the mother seeing that she is intruding, she sees it as enemies not wanting her to stay with her daughter. The husband has instructed his wife a number of times about her mother but only falls on deaf ears. She claims ‘will I send my mother away?’
What should be done?
This is a clear case of over-familiarity. The bond between the mother and her daughter is so close, more so that she is more or less separated from her husband who has not been home for many years.
The husband should be patient and use a lot of wisdom while being firm. While they are looking for another accommodation far away from where the mother lives, the husband should try and reduce their dependency on her.
The husband should be very strict and put certain instructions and rules in place. The husband should also be very prayerful and very patient. No matter what, he should not allow himself to be provoked.
Scenario 2 The husband is the first born and lived with his parents before he got married. He was to get a house after the wedding but one week became six months.
The wife is not finding it funny but she tries her very best to be a good daughter in-law. The wife leaves her job as a Pharmacist in Abuja to stay with her husband in Ogun state where he leaves with his parents.
The wife doesn’t have a job yet in the new place and she is frustrated. They fight, quarrel and the husband concludes she’s not been patient enough. The husband’s job is not that stable so he doesn’t know whether he will settle in Ogun state, Abuja or outside the country.
The problem is with the mother in-law. She is so attached to the son. Her body language is that they should stay and keep living with them.She behaves like her son’s wife. She takes care of him, asks what he will eat as though the wife does not exist. She competes with the wife over him and for his attention
What should be done?
The husband has to try as much as possible and get a house in where he plans to settle down. Even if it is a room, he needs to take a drastic decision because it is obvious his wife is running out of patience. With that distance, they can reduce their proximity to the mother. They will still remain in touch through regular calls.
The wife should be full of prayers and very patient at this time not to do anything she will later regret. She should be calm and try harder to endure till it’s over.
They also need counsel and should be guided all the way.
Tomorrow, we will consider more scenarios and pick out lessons from them.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive wisdom to handle all in-law issues.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father, give me wisdom and discernment to handle all in law issues.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his own wife.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Begin to handle every in-law issues in your marriage with God’s wisdom
BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16-17
Do you know God as The Lord our Righteousness? That’s Jehovah Tsidkenu in Hebrew. It’s important you understand this dimension of God.
“But the Lord rules forever. He sits on his throne to judge. The Lord will judge the world by what is right. He will decide what is fair for the nations.
Psalm 9:7-8
God is our righteousness. He decides what is right and fair. You need not worry as a child of His if his decision will favour you or not.
Remember, He said that His plans for you are going to be good. Even if they don’t seem good right now, understanding who God is and how He works should put your mind at ease. He is the Lord our righteousness.
Who is righteous? No one. Not even your parents or grandparents.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
Sin created a gap between us and God which was bridged by the death of Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ was the only one whose righteousness could cover this gap. Follow carefully as we try to understand the Lord our righteousness.
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Christ died that we might be righteous before God.
Why does God need us to be righteous? God needs us to be righteous at all times so that our fellowship with Him can be pure just like it was at Eden. The way He had planned it.
God also needs us to be righteous so that He can bless us with His presence. When we continually sin, God can’t fellowship with us because of the stain of sin upon us. You might say, Jesus has died for my sake, He took my sins and that’s it. So we can call God the Lord our righteousness.
Jesus died once for you to be in right standing with God, but you have to keep maintaining that which He died for you to have – direct access to the Lord Almighty. Accepting Christ is not the only criterion for having easy access to God, in as much as it is so important, but consciously walking in that righteousness is equally important.
When you have a consciousness of this and practice it constantly, with help from God, that is when you can boldly come before the throne of God to receive mercy and grace. This indeed is the work of the Lord our righteousness.
Another reason for righteousness is that the enemy will not accuse us when we come before the presence of God. How does it happen? You sin and don’t ask for forgiveness. When you start to pray the devil starts to play this sin in your mind, tells you that God won’t forgive you because you are a sinner, thereby discouraging you from praying. But as a child of God who knows that your God is your righteousness, you will do the right thing by quickly confessing your sin and receiving forgiveness.
Prayer point: God, you are my righteousness. Help me to know that you are ‘the Lord our righteousness’ always. I thank you for this. Amen
Man is a curious being. Perhaps, extremely curious. Man doesn’t like being oblivious. And this has driven man to quests for knowledge, inventions, and technological advancements.
On the flip side, it has also driven man into the supernatural. Man has studied all available stuff to be studied, from science to psychology and to paranormal terrains. The occult is not exempt.
A man wants to know, period.
As you come to know the Lord, this thirst doesn’t go away. You simply want to know. And the good news is that God is not denying you from knowing. As a matter of fact, He wants you to know the lover more than you want to know. It’s actually the devil that doesn’t want you to know a thing.
However, the first order of what to know is God Himself. It is in your quest and pursuit to know God that you begin to know yourself and as a consequence, you come into the discovery of God’s purpose and intent for your life in terms of your marital choice.
God wants you to know the right person to marry. He doesn’t want you to miss it in any way! It is sure not God’s plan for you to jump experimentally from one person to another searching for love that was never lost. He wants to lead you! The question is, will you be led?
Jer 33:3 (KJV) Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Here, God gives you the all-clear-access to ask Him!
I love how the Message Translation put it.
Jer 33:3 (MSG) ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that YOU COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN.’
One of the things you might never be able to figure out on your own is who to get married to. Ask Him, for He promises to answer you and show you this.
Rather than follow your emotions and dabble into a relationship whose story will touch the heart later, patiently follow God and let Him show you His will.
That is where peace is.
That is where favour is.
May God grant you more understanding in Jesus name!
This is me, Pastor Dunamis, saying “I love you, and I’m praying for you, even as you read!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I know the lover to marry.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, teach me how to know the lover to marry.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Jeremiah 33:3 (NLT)Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.
David was very much loved of God. He was simply God’s favorite. Just as today, we are all God’s favorites through the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
However, he fumbled along the way. From adultery, he descended so fast on the lane of iniquity, fueled by lust of the eyes and of the flesh. From the cage of adultery, he dug further into the dungeon of a murderous act.
In one swoop of his signature, he exterminated the life of one of his most loyal men, in a desperate bid to cover up a pregnancy.
And after all of that, our God’s man gathered enough temerity to convert the widow of the man he murdered into his harem. This did not go down well with God.
He had to be confronted, because his present deception will put him into eternal jeopardy.
Out came the fiery man of God, Prophet Nathan, in one of the most dramatic confrontations ever recorded in the scriptures.
David was cornered. But he did something so powerful I want you to see. He did not live in denial or delusion once confronted. He owned up. Psalm 51 was a prayer from the heart of a repentant man.
One verse that struck me however, which inspired this morning’s discourse is this:
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
He knew if the Holy Spirit is gone, he is finished. He must have remembered Saul, and what happened to him when the Holy Spirit departed and took His mercy away from him.
Perhaps in your quest to settle down and get married, your greatest asset is the Holy Spirit.
He is the revealer. He is the teacher. He is the comforter.
Protect your relationship with Him. It is a key to a lasting relationship and marriage. He is the one that will show you who to marry, just as He showed me!
May God grant you more understanding!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY The Holy Spirit is my greatest asset. I value his friendship.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Thank God for the Holy Spirit. What a great asset!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Do you know God can heal you or anyone you know from any medical condition? God has the healing power! It could even be healing from a negative way of thinking. He can heal you of bad thinking. His healing ability goes beyond the body but to the mind, spirit, and soul.
Don’t believe what the enemy or anyone tells you. Not even what the doctor says. God is the greatest doctor of all. Yes, you will still have to use your drugs, do the exercises, stop watching those wrong movies, but God is still the one that has the power to heal you.
Don’t let your mind dwell on people who didn’t recover from a medical condition like yours or someone else you know. Believe that your case is different with God. This is because you know that God has the healing power.
It is God’s will that you are healed and stay in good health. The bible tells us so in
3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” KJV.
Look at the ways God demonstrates His healing power; the way God comes to heal us.
Jesus, the son of God, was beaten and died on the cross for your health to be restored and made stronger. The bible records that “…we are healed because of his wounds.” Isaiah 53:5 ICB.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells inside of us
“You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.” 1Cor. 6:19 ICB.
Where God’s spirit is, no pain or disease can remain there, as long as you have the faith that God can heal you, through His healing power.
Jesus healed people during His stay here on earth. The woman with the issue of blood believed if she just touched His garment she would be healed. And she was healed.
The disciples healed many people in the name of Jesus Christ. Ordinary men who believed in God and filled with His power were able to perform many healing miracles.
You don’t need to do any activity other than to put your faith into action by asking for God’s healing power and, believe too.
Today’s topic is very important, And I want you to give it rapt attention, “Don’t let joy wither from your marriage”. I know youare a perfectionist. You like to fix everything and everybody. You don’t like things out of order. You feel the compulsion to fix your spouse. They have to be in a certain way. Eat in a certain way, laugh a certain way, or talk in a certain way. Oga, free yourself! You are not the Holy Ghost. You cannot change anybody so don’t kill yourself trying.
You are sensitive. If things don’t go the way you want, your day or week is spoilt.
It is good to demand high standards from our spouse and children lest we become mediocre. We have to understand that we can only influence people to change.
Most of our frustrations in marriage is because we are trying too hard to fix our spouse. Don’t forget we are only privileged to be married to our spouse. They are as much individuals just as we are. They have their own opinions, view points, ideologies and standards.
Even your babies are individuals and must be treated with respect. We should respect the fact that they are separate entities. How much more should you respect your spouse!
If you become too forcy about trying to have things done your way, first you won’t get the best of your spouse. They will be living under your shadow, not expressing their individuality. Things will be boring around you. You want to force people to be and do exactly like you want?
Learn to be joyful. Be happy. Be someone with gladness all the time. Let your spouse be happy around you. Give room for expression of their individuality.
Don’t let joy wither from your home and marriage. Celebrate your wins. Celebrate small victories as though they are big wins and eventually the big wins will come.
Things dry up because you allow joy to dry up. Finances, testimonies, breakthrough are all a response to our joy.
The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord ; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Joel 1:9 – 12 KJV
Things dry up when we allow joy to dry up. Let nothing steal your joy.
As couples, consciously and intentionally make room for joy. Learn being cheerful. Practise it. It is a command from God.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 KJV
God won’t ask us to do what He knows we can’t do. He asked us to rejoice. It is not a suggestion. It is not based on our situation. The word is the same under favorable and unfavourable situations.
Rejoice in your home. Rejoice in your marriage. Rejoice ever more.
We have to consciously respond to the joy in our spirit. That joy is in us. It is in our recreated human spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22 – 23 KJV
As a wife, the tempo and atmosphere of the marriage and home depends largely on you. So maintain your joy. If the devil cannot steal your joy he can’t have your goods. He can’t have your marriage. Your marriage and home belongs to God.
Whatever you are trusting God for, rejoice, celebrate and be thankful, sing songs of joy.
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 KJV
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am joyful always.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray for the spirit of joy in your home.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 KJV
Single or married, you dare not approach the vicinity of God’s presence in the old Testament. Even the priests who go to offer sacrifices once a year on behalf of the people had to do so in trepidation and fear. Ropes will be tied to their legs in case they died and they would simply be pulled out.
Such was the case in the old Testament.
In the new testament, it’s simply amazing. Not only could we approach God’s presence, but we are also told to come boldly.
E shock you? There is more. This same God we could not come near in Old Testament becomes a God we carry! What?
Take a look at the scripture.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:27 KJV
Christ is now in us and He is the hope of that glory. In other words, we can taste that glory once He is in us because He is the hope of that glory.
We are now supernatural beings. We cannot be defeated. We cannot be delayed maritally. We carry God! And who we carry ultimately determines who we marry.
There is no fear that our spouse won’t show up. Nobody can refuse you because you carry God whom no mortal can resist.
You carry God, so you cannot attract a time-waster, an empty Casanova, or a suitor with an ulterior motive.
You simply live with this understanding. You relish in it. You dive into it and the reality of that supernatural life becomes our experience.
You say it to yourself and confess it till it becomes your experience.
May God grant more understanding!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I carry God
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, open my eyes to see and know who I am
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Col 1:27 (AMP) To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Study the bible reading for the day
You must learn to acknowledge God as ‘My Provider.’ God is a provider. He gave life, air to breath, legs to walk, hands to use, eyes to see and so much more. What else can’t He give you? What lengths can’t He go for your sake? What can’t He do for you? As long as you are His child (accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour), God will always provide for you.
You should acknowledge God as ‘my provider.’ When Abram was asked to give Isaac to God as an offering, the old man obeyed without throwing one question at God. Even at the last stage when it seemed like God wasn’t going to show up, he went on. And at the last minute, God showed up – showed Abram the ram for the sacrifice.
You need to hold on to the promises of God to provide for your needs, no matter how much, enormous, ridiculous, expensive, and impossible those needs are. Don’t trust in man, trust in God. Believe Him for that which you want. Know Him as ‘my provider.’
He doesn’t need to invest in a business so He can reap the profits in six months’ time. Then give us what we need. He doesn’t need to borrow before He gives us. He has no need to beg anyone for help. He doesn’t need anybody’s permission to take money out of any account nor does He need to create an account in any bank. He doesn’t need to sell anything. He owns heaven and earth and all that is in it “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” That is your God, dear child. You should learn to acknowledge Him as ‘my provider.’
One of the most difficult things to do is to try and maintain the spiritual glow now that you are married. Before marriage, my husband would read about 40 chapters of the bible, pray in tongues for hours and practice the presence of God. Apart from the fact that he is a pastor and must study and pray, all those times given to reading 40 chapters are no longer there.
When you are a married couple your time just seemed to be shared. It is no longer your time. The home is there, the kids are there to take care, responsibilities keep piling up and you just have your 24 hours in a day to maintain all that balance.
With maturity comes the ability to do a lot of things together at once, it is called multitasking.
As a mother, if you don’t know how to multitask, you have not yet started, especially if you are a career woman. If you have a job you do, I mean 8am to 6pm job like I used to do, and you don’t have a maid, and you have a ministry and God’s people to oversee, you had better know how to multitask, because multitasking is a must skill.
You have to learn to continually maintain the spiritual tempo not only of yourself but of the home. I am not there yet and I have to repent sometimes of not doing what I should be doing in terms of spiritual activities. I just come to terms that what has to be done must be done. So my daily reading of God’s word, my daily prayers, my daily confessions must be observed no matter what.
So, you must make a quality decision to make your spiritual glow a priority.
May God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY We are strengthened
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, strengthen our marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 2Sa 22:33 (KJV) God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
What’s with saying “Thank you?” Why all the fuss? These and many more may be the questions in your heart as a child. Maybe you have heard your parents tell you, over and over again, to always be grateful for every act of kindness you receive from anyone, and you are wondering how to do it so that you will do it well.
Now saying “thank you” is much more than speaking the words. It should come from deep within you. It is a sign that you truly appreciate what was done for you.
Being grateful is sweet because it tells the person doing you the favour that the help they rendered to you was indeed needed by you. No one wants to receive what they don’t need. So also, no one wants to give help or do favours that are not needed.
Again, your show of gratitude (through a ‘thank you’) tells the person that their time wasn’t wasted on you. If you refuse to say or show your gratitude, you are saying to them that they just wasted their time and resources on you. That you don’t need it. Or even value it.
That’s very unfair and could mar your chances of ever receiving from them again. And when you continue that way, a time will come when no one would want to do you good. That’s a bad place to be!
Today and onwards, learn to show your gratitude with your words (saying ‘thank you’) and actions. Let these two things tell people you are an appreciative person.
I am continuingfrom where I stopped yesterday. We started on the topic how to experience fruitfulness is marriage
Now, in the natural, there is a God-ordained way for a woman to go before her womb will carry a child. There must be intercourse with a man. So if you want your womb to be fruitful here are 4 God-ordained way to go about it.
1. Have a relationship with God.
Here I don’t mean a casual church service relationship with God. I mean love Him, with the whole of your heart. Love him with your life. Decide to marry this gracious God. Seek after him. Be a God chaser. Go after him. Let your heart long for him. Reach out to know the God that so love you and have good plans for your destiny.
2. Have intercourse with God’s spirit.
Just like there is no conception without intercourse, there is no birthing of your glorious destiny without fellowshipping with the Spirit of God. Get filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Spend time with the Holy Spirit. You cannot be “gisting” with your friends all day long and expect a conception from the Holy Spirit. There are no postage conception, you have to be physically available.
3. Make God’s word your greatest treasure.
God’s word contains His mind and thoughts. Give attention to God’s word. His word has transforming powers. It changes us from one level of Glory to another.
4. Let your life be so full of thanksgiving and praise.
Let no evil come from your mouth except praises and thanksgiving. Learn it. Every mother had to learn the act of motherhood. You can adjust and learn to be a God praiser. Learn to be a gracious talker. Saying the great things God has promised you in His word rather than your present situation. If it looks like your life is barren, begin to prophesy to yourself, ‘ I am fruitful. My womb shall not be empty.’ And indeed, you shall indeed have what you say.
I pray for you once again, like every pregnant woman, who will carry her child till full term before delivery, you will carry your destiny to full term. You will not suffer an abortion of glory and destiny.
You will learn delayed gratification. You will learn to follow God all the way. You will enjoy the Grace of God over your life. Your life and destiny will be colourful and sweet. Your helpers of destiny will arise on your behalf. They will help you deliver your miracle child in Jesus name. Your womb will have fruits to show God’s faithfulness.
The womb of your marriage shall not know regrets in Jesus Name. Where there have been disappointment, there shall be restoration. Double for your trouble. Beauty for your ashes and songs of praise for your times of mourning. God will give Grace and Glory and no good thing will He with hold from you.
In your career, business and health, God will meet you at the point of your needs. He will order your steps and lead you in the way you should go with His eyes upon you. You will not be a misfired arrow in life in Jesus Name. May you major in the major and minor in the minor. May you continually choose that which is beneficial to you destiny.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am fruitful. I will conceive
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the grace to be fruitful in all areas
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY “You’re here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!”” (Gen 9:7, MSG)
Verse 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Thank God I am not Jesus! He simply dealt with the opposition first. If it were you or me in our full strength of humanity, you will take a look at the disciples, and say something like,
“How dare you talk to me, your creator like that? Is it me that you asking a question whether I care for you or not? Now all of you go to the corner of the ship, where the storm is really strong, kneel down, and raise your hands. That is your punishment. Because of ordinary storm, you are talking to me like that? Now, I want to go back to sleep, and none of you should dare disturb my godly sleep!
But God is a God of mercy. Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke to the wind.
How can Jesus rebuke the wind? How can he be speaking to the wind? You see, Jesus actually addressed the spirit behind the wind and the sea. You don’t rebuke a chair or a table, or Television set. But you can rebuke and speak to the spirit behind any anomaly in your life.
What Jesus has done is what he would have wanted the disciples to do. Rebuke the situation and speak to it.
When you see a persistent negative trend in your life, rebuke it. Resist it and reject it. When you sense the storm of delay in your relationship or marriage, come against it and take authority over it rather than keep asking God why he has abandoned you!
After Jesus has dealt with the situation, what did he do? Let’s take a look at the last verse we are looking at today.
Verse 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
There are two pertinent things here.
a. Jesus asked them to stop being fearful.
b. He asked them to have faith.
In other words, if these two things have been in place, there would not have been a need to wake up Jesus before dealing with the situation. The disciples really delayed themselves by being fearful!
What are your fears? That is there is a generational curse? That all the ladies in your family end up in divorce or separation in marriage? That none of the ladies in your family gets married before forty-five? That all the men in your family had child-birth issues? That there seems to be an ancestral curse? That the men in your family have irresponsibility issues? What is that storm?
Refuse to fear! Fear is a weapon in the hands of the devil. Refuse to fear because Jesus already got you the victory!
Stay in faith. Stay in God’s word. The more you read and study God’s word, the more you build your faith. When these two factors are in place, go ahead and rebuke that storm! There will be calm!
Listen to me, God will answer your prayers. Focus on Him, refuse to be distracted and stay away from all sins! Stay away from all Jeru trips! This month, God will answer you!
Say after me: I refuse to fear. I have faith in God. I rebuke every storm, I come against every wrong spirit behind my situation. I bind you in the name of Jesus. I proclaim my freedom today, for whosoever the son of man shall set free shall be free indeed! I declare today, that my prayers are being answered speedily in Jesus name. Every curse is broken, every delay is terminated. I receive speed in God to arrive at my God-ordained destination in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I walk in faith, not in fear.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Come against all forms of fear in your relationship.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Mark 4:39(MSG) Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.
Sandra has been a child of God in all respect. She serves God with her time and energy, but she is not happy. She is getting older and all her prayers about getting the right man and settling in marriage seemed unanswered. Why does it seem God is not answering her prayers?
Bode on the other hand is married, but his marriage is full of challenges. His sweet fiancée then, is no longer his sweet wife after three years of marriage and he is wondering why he is getting tired of his marriage, and it looks like God is not answering all his prayers to salvage the situation.
Let’s delve into the scriptures, as we trust the Holy Spirit to bring to the fore precious truths that are specific to our situations.
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (Mark 4:37-40 KJV)
Let’s pick it up from verse 37
Verse 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
There are two things I want you to see in this verse.
There arose a great storm of wind. In life, we have not been promised that there would never be storms, but that in the midst of the storm, if we can trust and look unto God, we will not be hurt! Our father has promised us a resounding victory in the midst of the storm.
The waves beat into the ship. The storms of life are targeted at you. It doesn’t mean you have done something wrong, it only means you are a child of God and the devil is not comfortable with that!
Let’s take a look at the next verse.
Verse 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
After the disciples have done all they could and yet the storm persisted rather than be abated, they went to Jesus out of frustration, and to their consternation, Jesus was asleep.
In Message translation, they said:
“Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?”
How many times have you been there in your marital issues and you are like,
‘Master, carest not thou that I am single?’ ‘Teacher, is it nothing to you that I am getting old?’ ‘Master, carest not thou that my husband is wayward?’ ‘Teacher, is it nothing to you that I am being abused by one guy after the other?’ ‘Master, carest not thou about my finances, career, or marital issues?’ ‘Master, is it nothing to you that I am still childless?’
How many times have we felt like the disciples in our lives? Where is God? Why have the answers to my prayers lingered this much? Lord, where are you?
What did Jesus do? What will you do if it seems God is not answering you?
We will continue from there tomorrow. Don’t miss it!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I walk in faith, not in fear. God is answering my prayers.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Come against all forms of fear in your relationship.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Mark 4:39(MSG) Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.
The almighty God! What does it mean to be more than enough? How does one become more than enough? Can anyone be more than enough? Humanly speaking, it is outrightly impossible to do or be so. But not with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
God is El Shaddai – the Almighty God who is more than enough for us. His power to help, protect, provide, and deliver us is more than we need. Imagine for a second, you need two cups of cereal to eat and there are ten cups of it in the package. You take the two needed and keep the rest, knowing in your mind that there are still eight cups left. You keep going back for more when you need to.
When God does something for you, don’t think He is out of stock. Rather, He has an indefinite supply of every and all the things you need or can ever need. Be it knowledge, strength, finances, friends, healing, jobs, protection – just name it. Remember, He created the world by just saying “Let there be….” He is the almighty God!
El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient One, gives us life, nurtures us through His word and Spirit, and pours Himself (blessings) daily into us. Let’s look at a mother and child relationship.
Your mother gave birth to (life) and weaned you at her breast (nurture) – that means daily, she kept pouring herself into you (developing a deep and intimate relationship between you two). The relationship brought you comfort, protection, and security. As you think of this, think of the almighty God.
As a result of the nourishment received from her, you grew in good health and matured. She never worried that she could be out of breast milk. Why? Because nature has seen to it that she will always have an abundant supply to feed you with. In fact, the moment she got pregnant with you, nature had ensured that breast milk was going to be available for you. So, there was a supply of it – nourishment, waiting for you even before your birth.
El Shaddai isn’t worried that He doesn’t or won’t have enough to give you because He is the God that owns heaven and earth. He is the almighty God!
God is always filled and prepared to meet our needs. He wants to comfort and pass His being into us through His Word and Spirit. Just like a mother won’t forget or ignore her crying child, El Shaddai won’t and doesn’t forget you. In the event that a mother forgets or ignores her child’s cry, El Shaddai won’t.
“The Lord answers, “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child she gave birth to? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you. see, I have written your name on my hand. Jerusalem, I always think about your walls.” Isaiah 49: 15-16, ICB.
Two things to remember – God is never out of supply (no scarcity or lack) and there is nothing you need that God cannot give or do for you. He is indeed the almighty God.
Prayer: El Shaddai, thank You for the abundance of Your love for me. Come be El Shaddai more in my life. Let Your over-sufficiency cover up all my insufficiencies. Amen.
This morning I prophesy to you, the womb of your life shall not be empty. Receive the power to experience fruitfulness in your marriage in the name of Jesus
This prayer is not just for married women only looking for the fruit of the womb but for every man and woman who wants to be fruitful, to multiply and to fulfill destiny in life. God abhors fruitlessness and you will see God in scriptures opening wombs and causing them to conceive and bear children.
I am persuaded this morning that if you are trusting God for your own miracle child, just hold on to God. He is ever faithful to do that which He has promised.
Every womb is destined to carry babies, that is God’s intention, so for the womb not to fulfill that purpose is an error. Now, your womb is that part of you that makes you function in the class of God.
Your womb is that God ordained part of you where you conceive God given ideas, where your brain child is nurtured and ready to be birthed. It is that part of you that connects you to divinity making you relevant and a celebrity on earth. Your womb is that place where the greatest miracle of all time takes place. It is a part of you God has access to, where you share in His ability to create.
Your womb shall not be barren or empty. God’s blessing and favor will come upon your life and you will accomplish all your heart desires. You will fulfill life and destiny. Your life will turn out beautiful. You will be celebrated and relevant in this life. Generations after you will refer to you.
You will reach the zenith of your life. You will not be cut off in the midst of your days. Like Esau, you will not trade your glory for a morsel of bread. You will not offer your glory on the altar of pleasure.
So shall it be for you and yours.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY
I am fruitful. I will conceive
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Lord, I receive the grace to be fruitful in all areas
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“You’re here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!”” (Gen 9:7, MSG)
Have you ever thought of God as ‘my Rock’? Have you ever held a rock in your hands? How did it feel like? Were you able to crush it?
Look at how huge and dominating the mountains are. What do you think can ever move them? Who can lift them from where they are to another place? Who can lift them on his shoulders? Who has the strength to lift them?
Can all the water of the seas move any mountain? As you digest these questions, think of God.
An attribute unique to God is that He is a rock – unbreakable, untouchable, unmovable, unshakeable. No one can claim that he can touch God to the point of moving, shaking, or breaking Him. That is how strong your God is.
A mountain is a huge rock that towers high over the land and it cannot be moved. That’s how God towers over you when he protects you. He doesn’t move but stays right there in front of you. He doesn’t move
“The Lord also will be a refuge and a stronghold for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble;” Psalm 9:9 AMP.
It takes a great amount of firepower to blast a mountain apart. No power both on earth and in heaven can confront God and break Him. So when He stands in front of you, there’s an assurance that He won’t be shaken or destroyed.
“And those who know Your name (who have experienced Your precious mercy) will put their confident trust in You, For You, O Lord have not abandoned those who seek You.” Psalm 9:10
When you call, believe, and see Him as your Rock, nothing can shake, break, touch or move you because you are right behind God. He protects you from any harm or danger. Whatever cannot touch Him cannot reach you. He becomes a shield for you, covering all around you.
When tough situations come your way hang tight to Him, say to yourself that the Lord is your Rock, He is Jehovah Tsuri.
“The Lord is my rock, my place of safety, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength. The Lord is my high tower and my place of safety. The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.” 2 Samuel 22: 2-4 ICB.
Prayer: I bless You my Rock and Shield. Thank You Jehovah Tsuri for always being who You are for me. Glory be unto Your name, in Jesus name. Amen.
Many of us have some unpleasant things going on in our marriages. We may have been praying for a long time for God to answer our prayers. We may be frustrated about God not answering our prayers.
I don’t know if you have been there before. A friend came to visit me and she told me when discussing that it’s a man’s world.
For wives, in our marriage, we always feel that way. We have to go through God in prayers for God to speak to our husbands before we have some of our desires. That is the process for every God-fearing woman to take when it comes to dealing with our husbands in marriage
There is a very powerful scripture that tells us that God is so concerned about us and had given us all things
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:3 KJV
God has blessed every man, woman, couple, boy, and girl with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
He has already blessed us with peace in our home, joy in our marriages, health in our bodies, soundness of mind, favor, material blessings, possessions, et cetera, all spiritual blessings.
These blessings are spiritual in nature and in heavenly places. You may ask why? It is because our God is a spirit and a spirit can only give spiritual blessings. The blessings are in heavenly places because that is the best place for them to be kept safe from Satan.
God gives us all things to richly enjoy. He gave us all things because we are the object of His love. God loves you so much. You have to receive and accept that by faith.
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. John 3:16 KJV
God has already given us everything we need. All we have to do is receive them. Every believer must be a Receiver. Our faith does not change God. Our faith makes us receive all that God had for us.
God has His ATM of blessings. We have to learn to withdraw from it. The blessings are limitless. There is no boundaries, no limits.
The moment you believe you received, you have those things. Believe in your heart those things you desire are already yours. No doubts in your heart
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. James 1:5 – 7 KJV
Go ahead and receive your joy, peace, understanding, love, unity, oneness etc. Remember they are already yours.
Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 1 Corinthians 3:21 KJV
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I receive all that God has for me
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:3 KJV
1. He wants you to have a conscious and deliberate relationship with Him evidenced in your consistent time spent in the word and prayers. As a wife in the making, you will be able to derive and draw a lot of strength from the presence of God in other to succeed at the multi-tasking nature of a woman’s role in the house. Spending consistent time in His presence will help you to avoid burn-out and stress. It is in the presence of God you get fresh oil and get rejuvenated to cheerfully attend to your duties as a wife and a mother.
2. He wants you not only to birth children but also to birth miracles, open doors, promotions and everything desired in the place of prayer. A woman is anointed and empowered to birth. God wants you to birth the picture you desire in the place of prayer. As a single in waiting, God wants you to birth the family you desire in the place of prayer.
A woman is like a spiritual factory where miracles can be birthed if the price can be paid. Rather than worry about that issue of delay, cast your care on Jesus and get into the place of your strength, the place of prayer. Pay the price and wait on Him.
3. He wants you to take care of your family by being motherly and caring. God wants you as a woman to strike a balance between your career and motherly responsibilities. At the end of it all, your children would be the greatest legacy you have, so it is important to spend time developing them and nurturing them in the ways of the Lord.
May God grant you more understanding!
What else do you think God wants from you as a single lady/ Let’s hear in the comment section.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY God will guide me in the right path. As a lady, I will not make a mistake.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, I ask that you open my eyes of understanding in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Psa 144:12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take an inventory of your life in the light of God’s principles
