1. After emotional involvement, reasoning faculty becomes biased After you fall in love with a person, the truth is that your reasoning faculty becomes biased in favour of that person, because of the deep feelings and emotional connection that often accompany the process of falling in love. If this is the case, it is wise then to be cautious about the person you fall in love with. For example, you want to be careful about developing a close friendship with an unbeliever, to avoid the possibility of falling in love with such a person. When you fall in love with such a person, you are going to close your eyes to the fact that such a person is not a child of God. You are going to turn a deaf ear to people around you who are warning you because you have fallen in love. So you see, you have to define your relationships.
One of the greatest humiliations one can be subjected to is in the hands of a wrong person you have fallen in love with but who is not in love with you! You will practically become a puppet, as it were, in the hands of a puppet master, wielding enormous power over your emotions, abusing you, and yet unable to disconnect…may you never be in that spot! It even gets worse when you become sexually involved with such a person and there are emotional ties. Have you ever being in a relationship with a person and everybody is warning you?
Your pastor calls you and says you are making a mistake. Your parents call you and warn you sternly about the person. Your closest friends call you and tell you something must be wrong with you. Deep down in your heart, even your conscience tells you that you are making a huge mistake. But you are in love…at such times, you really need to hit the pause button! Go and pray and ask God to help you. One of the ways you can pray is to first disconnect or distance yourself from that person so that your mind can be clear to pray.
I will conclude tomorrow.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not fall in love helplessly
In today’s devotional, I’d be speaking mainly to our women, but men can still learn a thing or two from this. We’re looking at how you can influence your husband as a wife. A woman isso influential- that her role or her absence in a man’s life can be easily felt. Have you ever thought of why most men will eventually remarry after their wife dies? No matter how much he claims to love his wife. Even if he stays without remarrying for a long time or mourns her for a long period of time. He will still eventually get married.
For the women, it is not so. Usually, a woman will stay unmarried after her husband dies. The men will always have one excuse or the other, who will help take care of the kids? But even if the kids are all grown up they still remarry. They would say, who will they talk with? The truth is that a man cannot do without Jeru trip for long. He needs that release for him to be okay and complete.
So if a wife is that important to a man’s life, let wives use their influence well. Don’t let us just reduce it to the other room, taking care of the children and the kitchen. As a wife, you can use that power to positively challenge your husband to move the family forward.
Here are some areas that a woman can influence her husband positively;
1. A wife can encourage her husband to be more spiritual. It is known that women are more spiritual than men, at least they have a heart for God. A woman can encourage him for bible reading, daily devotions, and prayer time.
2. A wife can encourage her husband to go to church.
3. A wife can influence her husband to be committed in God’s house and serve God.
4. A wife can encourage her husband to make financial investments.
5. A wife can influence her husband to build a house and start a business.
6. A wife can encourage her husband to be a nice person.
7. A wife can influence her husband to live healthily and have a healthy lifestyle.
8. A wife can encourage her husband to treat in-laws and family members rightly.
9. A wife can influence her husband to get better at what she knows he can do. e.g get a better education, study a course, pass his exams.
10. A wife can encourage her husband to start something innovative and develop his dreams, talents, aspirations, achieve his goals and start something altogether new.
There is no end to the influence of a woman. Women have been known to influence kings, defeat nations and do near-impossible feats.
God gave you the power to influence. Find out what it is that your husband is called to do and influence him positively. Influence him to be the best in his field of endeavor. Be known for something and let it be a positive influence.
God bless your marriage
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a positive influence on my husband
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to be a positive influence on my husband.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY A woman shall compass a man
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Begin to deploy your power of influence.
Joshua and God also had their own adventures together! As we continue this series, we will be looking at the life of Joshua today.
After the death of Moses, the Israelites needed a new leader.
After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them- to give to the Israelites. (Joshua 1:1-2 NIV)
Moses died before he got to the Promised Land and God needed to fulfill His promise to Abraham. So, God chose Joshua to continue from where Moses had stopped. Since he had been an aide to Moses, he was the best fit for the job of leading the descendants of Jacob to the promised land. And so it became Joshua and God.
Joshua also fought many wars to win land for his kinsmen. God also showed and used His great power during this period. Through praise, he had the wall of Jericho fall down so that the Israelites could defeat the people of Jericho. The Jordan also parted for the Israelites to walk through it just like the Red Sea, in the time of Moses. The sun stood still so the Israelites could win their fight against the Amorites (chapter 10) and victories over many more battles. It was in Joshua’s time that each tribe of Israel received their portion of the land promised them by God. This is part of the adventures of Joshua and God.
God was with Joshua just like He was with Moses. He did everything He promised. He gave provision and protection as always. On any adventure, God always watches over His children.
If you have been in courtship for some time, the likelihood is that your lover/fiancé has at one point or the other probably told you, “You don’t respect me!”
You see, you need to understand that the way a man thinks and the way a woman thinks are so different and are miles apart. While the man is thinking, “She doesn’t respect me, the woman is thinking, He doesn’t love me!
One important thing you need to know about men is that they are logical and so tend to interpret most things from logic.
The logic is “I am the head of the house. The decision rests on me. The bucks stop at my table.”
A woman interprets things from a relationship point. Her thoughts are “If he really loves me, he wouldn’t do this or that, he would spend time with me and so on and so forth.
Now, if your fiancee ever looked you in the face and tell you, “You don’t love me,” you don’t need to argue at all. She is the one that is supposed to receive the love and she can’t feel it. Rather than get logical and rant about what you did last year and so on, be humble and try to understand what she is trying to say and what love means to her.
In the same way, if your fiancé tells you repeatedly that you don’t respect him, you don’t need to get hurt or moody over that and manipulate his emotions through silent treatment until he comes to apologize for saying what he feels. Rather than get hurt over that, simply try to enter his brain through loving communication to find out his concept of respect.
To one man, it could be as simple as genuflecting (bending the knee a little). He is simply “traditional” and he has seen his mum and siblings do that for his dad for thirty years. It has been tattooed into his brain and if he voices that out to you as what he wants, be smart enough to do it.
It wouldn’t reduce you, it will bring peace to your home and the surprising thing, after a while he wouldn’t demand that again because in his mindset would be the statement, “My fiancee respects me!”
To some other man, it is cooking a good meal. The important thing is to find out what your fiancé deems as respect and do it!
If you keep getting hurt over everything at your fiancé, after a while he would simply keep quiet and that would impact communication. You wouldn’t want to know the consequences of that.
Study your fiancé. Generally, men don’t talk until they are sure of what they want to do or the decision they want to take. Have you ever asked him about some pressing issues and he refuses to say a word? And you are hurt because he ignored you?
Let me tell you something, he didn’t ignore you. The reality is that he didn’t know what to say or what to do. The proper thing is to say, “Dear, give me some time to think about that.” But most times, when a man is confused, he will simply keep quiet and refuse to say a word. His ego would not allow him to own up and say something like, “Dear, on this issue, I am as confused as you!”
Here is the difference between a man and a woman
A man thinks his way into a decision
A woman talks her way into a decision.
So, there is always tension and difficulty in communication when a woman wants to talk her way into a decision that a man has not thought about!
Learn about him and there would be fewer conflicts. This is why a lot of marriages crack and most courtships dissolve.
In the same vein, study your fiancee and simply do what she wants as long as there is no scriptural contradiction. Find out the love language of your lover and speak it. Spend time with her and give her attention! And have peace of mind!
May God grant more understanding.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I understand my partner properly.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray for wisdom to understand your lover.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 1:18 (KJV)The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Start speaking the language of your lover
This morning we’ll be looking at the topic “This is what your husband wants from you”
If youthink anticipating Jeru trip with your spouse is a sin, then you are holier than God. When a man craves, longs anticipates, imagines, and sends SMS to his wife for the eventual Jeru trip later in the night, there is nothing wrong with that.
Religion may tell you that it is wrong. And then this need of the man becomes suppressed and then finds himself in some sexual sin with another.
You see, marriage does not address the lust problem. After you are married, these Jeru trip feelings will not go. You will see other ladies that are still beautiful, and you will still be barraged in your mind about exploring.
If you lack self-control; you will still find yourself messing around with other ladies. That is the quickest way to ruining yourself and your family.
So, what God does is to train you and to teach you how to put your body under. He trains you how to say “No” to compromise.
That is how to live long. That is how to preserve your family. That is how to please God. And this is why he tells you, don’t do it before marriage.
But in marriage, He says, don’t deny each other. What is unavailable to you as a single becomes always available after marriage!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I love my spouse
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, teach me to be faithful to my spouse
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Rom 8:37 (KJV) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Study agreement in the scripture. Use a concordance
Moses and God had their adventures too. Let’s start from the beginning. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Push, “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. (Exodus 1:15-17 NIV)
Pharaoh passed this law during the birth of Moses. Through Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob, the Israelites had settled in Egypt (read Gen. 37-50). This order was made out of fear the Israelites in their large numbers might harm the Egyptians. But, thank God for the midwives that refused to feared God more.
Raised by Pharaoh’s daughter in his palace and when the time came for God to set His people free, Moses’ adventure began.
First he ran away from the palace because of a crime he committed, then he had the burning bush experience, meeting with God for the first time
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exo. 3:4-6 NIV)
God used Moses to get the Israelites out of Egypt. It was one adventure that witnessed the absolute and miraculous power of God. The plague, eating the Passover meal, parting of the Red Sea, the sun standing still, manna from heaven, water from the rock and many battles fought along the way. All these and more happened on this God and Moses Adventure.
God protected and provided for the Israelites throughout their journey to the promised land.
You have been configured to live and survive by the help of the Holy Spirit and not by yourself. Each time you try to do it on your own, you will be frustrated.
Joh 14:17 KJV Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
It is by the help of the Holy Spirit that you will overcome the flesh.
Gal 5:16 KJV This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
That is the solution to overcoming the lust of the flesh right there. You have to walk in the Spirit. You want learn to put your body under? You have to walk in the Spirit. You want to be able to resist sexual sins and say No to sexual sins? You have to walk in the Spirit. You want to be able to know God more and understand what He is leading you to do? You have to walk in the Spirit. You are frustrated with having to repeat the sexual sins you just confessed the day before and at the point of giving up? You have to walk in the Spirit. You want to be able to hear God? You have to walk in the Spirit.
The question is “what does it mean to walk in the Spirit?”
The keyword here is “walk” In the original language from which this word is translated, the Greek word is “peripateō”
It means “to tread all around, to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or votary): – go, be occupied with, walk (about).”
The implication here is that you should be around the person and the things of the Spirit. When you deport yourself to the Holy Spirit and follow Him as a companion, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
See it better in Amplified translation:
Gal 5:16 AMP But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
You have to be responsive, be controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit!
The next question is probably “why is it so important to walk in the Spirit? Why can’t I just be? It’s right there in the scriptures. Read it slowly and absorb it.
Rom 8:5-8 AMP (5) For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. (6) 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]. (7) [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot. (8) So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.
You see, if you don’t walk in the Spirit, you cannot please God. And if you don’t please God it means you are not in faith!
Heb 11:6 KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him…
You see the connection right there. Being in faith, which comes by hearing the word, and walking in the Spirit, which comes by a conscious relationship with the help of the Holy Spirit, are essential for a victorious Christian life. This is how you can position yourself for the fullness of God’s blessings over your life!
This is how to walk down the aisle by walking the spirit. Through walking in the spirit, you will have direction, locate your spouse and settle down in marriage
I pray for you this year that you will indeed experience the fullness of God’s blessings and marital direction in Jesus name.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I choose to walk in the spirit.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to walk in the spirit daily
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gal 5:16 AMP But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
Every husband musthave loved the wife they married, if not they won’t be in marriage. That you are married shows that you loved each other. Whether the love grew or diminished is now another thing.
If the love has diminished, our aim is to help you find it back. But part of the way to find back this love is to try and care of your wife. Care is spelt being kind and gentle with her. Care also means being deliberate in looking out for the one you love, being concerned for, or about her well-being spirit, soul, and body.
It is about the little things we do to the wife we love that go a long way to show how much we care. There are several other little ways you can show that you care and love your wife, in words and in actions.
For example, telling your wife she is beautiful. This is very simple but it goes a long way in affecting her esteem.
Some wives feel worthless and not able to maximize their potentials because all they hear from their men are negative words. You can replace that with positive words of affirmation.
Words are very important to women. Remember, when she was created the first encounter was with words. She was spoken to by the man in her life. She was told how wonderful she was and how good it is to have her around.
So, it applies that the source of a thing is the sustenance thereof. God showed us that example. For a woman to function optimally, words, positive encouraging words have to be spoken to her.
Another way to care for the woman you love is by showing concern over all her affairs. Show that you care. Show that you are interested. For example, some husbands never care whether their wives have eaten. It’s simple, but my husband asks me if I have eaten from time to time, especially when I am at work.
Ask your wife how she is feeling, especially, if she is the quiet type. You will be surprised by the weight of emotions she’s carrying. Ask her if anything is bothering her. Let her know she has someone to count on. Don’t let that role be taken over by someone else. Be the man and the keeper of her soul. Ask about her welfare spiritually. Does she have certain fears? Ask about her future plans and aspirations. Tell her to go do some checkups medically. Be there for her. Show her care and concern.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I love my wife
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to love more
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” (Hebrews 12:15, KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Share the post above. Invite your friends to join KHC
1. Singles have all the time in this world. They don’t know the meaning of “busy.” When I hear singles say they are busy, I just smile. They should wait till they are married. A married couple lives busy lives, especially when the kids start arriving.
Lesson – Do all you want to do now, don’t postpone anything. Stop making statements like you will serve God more after marriage. You are going to get busier. I read the whole Bible many times over as a single in one or two months. As a married man, it takes me like six months to do that, and not as frequently as I used to do it. Married couples, make sure you strike a balance in your life. God first, your family, and then your work.
2. Most of the time, singles simply live for themselves. They are accountable to no one and they can go anywhere when they want. An ideal couple lives for each other, placing each other’s desires above all. There has to be a lot of plans and consultations.
Lesson – Singles, live deliberately and not irresponsibly. Make sure you have a mentor or an authority figure you defer to. Married couples, learn to carry along one another in decisions, you are no longer single.
3. Singles who have jeru trip constantly end up confused in their soul and get the relationship broken, because they are violating God’s principles. When God’s principles are violated, the soul enters into confusion. Married people who have jeru trip constantly WITH EACH OTHER and who remain faithful to each other are bonded the more. Jeru trip within marital sanctity is healthy for a couple and it is a marital glue.
Lesson – Singles, don’t slow yourself down with jeru trip or any other sexual sin. Don’t dip your hands into sin, only to come and conclude that there is a generational curse somewhere. Married couples, never deny each other, don’t unwittingly open up yourselves for devil’s attacks in your sexual life.
4. Singles who abstain from jeru trip before marriage and stay clean in other areas of their lives will have God’s favour, blessing, and grace working for them. They will know the true joy and blessings that follow obedient children of God. Married people who deny each other jeru trip or use it as punishment or reward are outrightly living in disobedience and God will not answer their prayers.
Lesson – Singles, there is a blessing in following God. There is a blessing in refusing to compromise. God will honour you for that. Married couples, you can keep the devil at bay by being faithful to your spouse.
5. Singles who double date are rehearsing for adultery. Whatever you rehearse for a long time, you become an expert at.
They are sowing wrong seeds into their lives, and the harvest would not be desirable. Married couples who are adulterous or into extra marital are deceived, and they are sowing seeds of regrets and pain. Adultery is not only sinful, see what the scriptures say about it:
Pro 6:32 AMP But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks heart and understanding (moral principle and prudence); he who does it is destroying his own life.
Here is Message translation
Pro 6:32 MSG Adultery is a brainless act, soul-destroying, self-destructive;
Be wise and let these lessons sink!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a wise single. I learn all the lessons I need for my advancement.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for wisdom to apply all the above lessons rightly.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Prov 6:32 (GW)Whoever commits adultery with a woman has no sense. Whoever does this destroys himself.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take these lessons to heart
Jacob ran away from home after stealing his brother, Esau’s, blessing from their father, Isaac. It was while he was resting, on his way to his uncle, Laban, that He had an encounter with God. Jacob’s adventures with God began.
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying…” (Gen. 28:12-13 NIV)
If you read further down to verse 15, you will see that God was pretty much telling Jacob the same thing He had told Abraham. And Jacob too had a change of name like his grandfather. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Adventures with God is interesting, as we are seeing.
Even when Jacob was cheated by his uncle, Laban, God still ensured that Jacob ran into no losses. God made Esau forgive Jacob for stealing his blessings. Jacob had 12 sons born to him. These sons formed the 12 tribes of Israel. From one of the tribes, Judah, Jesus Christ was born.
Jacob had some trying events on his adventure with God. He lost his wives, heartbroken when he thought Joseph was dead, fleeing from Laban and more.
Throughout the journey, God did all He promised to do for Jacob. He never compromised once. Again, on adventures with God, God always does what He promises to do.
1Co 6:19 MSG Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you.
Now we have the power to put the body under, and not the body putting us under! Now, sin shall no longer have dominion over us, our bodies don’t have to lord it over us again. When my body cries for alcohol, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I say No! When my soul tries to instruct me to falsify figures, I say No by the power of the Holy Spirit. When my flesh wants some jeru trip or adulterous flings, I can say No way by the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells me. The old man in me who was used to sinning and compromising has been crucified with Jesus and the new man, the new creature, the new species that I have become gains ascendancy over the old man!
Now, you understand why you need to be baptized with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
It is not just about speaking one weird language you don’t understand, it is about having victory in this world! Your life is built up, and the home of your life rises like a gigantic edifice as you learn to pray in the spirit!
Jud 1:20 AMP But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;
What a love! There is only one way to handle this love. This is not the kind of love one rejects or will regret. If you are thinking, you will know it is unwise to reject the stretched-out arms of your maker. The one that can end your life with a breeze like when you put out a candle and yet has not done so! The one that has been faithful to you when you have been so unfaithful, and yet He keeps blessing you! That is the one to revere!
That is why death is not to be feared. Jesus conquered death and took the keys away! Death is no longer an ending for a believer; it is actually a beginning, a simple transition. You are no longer bound by the fear of death, because death lost its power over you when you accept Jesus as your Lord and personal savior!
1Co 15:55-58 MSG (55) Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now? (56) It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. (57) But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three–sin, guilt, death–are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! (58) With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.
Be free from that fear that has been holding you captive now in Jesus name!
All these for you! God decided to reach out to you, heaven kissed the earth on your behalf, you are no longer to live hopelessly and helplessly, lost in a maze of sin and iniquity, but to live a victorious life, enraptured and enamored in His incredible love for you! You have woken up this morning again. The devil has lost over you again and He will keep losing because of God’s love over you! God loves you like no man will. You will not be able to find that kind of love and acceptance in man, the emptiness you often feel in your soul will never be satisfied by another man or woman, not with jeru trip or dope, not with money or fame, not with political power or influence but by the unexplainable and un-debatable love of God!
The only thing required for us to do is to respond to His unparalleled love over us. How do you respond to His love for you?
Accept Him. Serve Him. Talk about Him to others. Live for Him. Walk with Him. Seek His face. Support His work. Be His friend. Stay away from compromise. Talk to Him daily.
That love will keep you safe. It will guide you. It will protect you. It will stay with you. God will forever be committed to you until it is completed!
This morning, I am enraptured in that love. Like billows, it sweeps over my soul, will you join me in a few minutes and just lift your hands, worship Him, talk to Him, surrender all and tell Him how much you appreciate the love He has for you. As you do that, you will experience burdens practically being lifted, your eyes get teary, and it’s okay, because of this unrepentant love that the lover of your soul has for you! Take a few moments…and just worship Him…as you experience His touch of grace and anointing over every storm of your life…yes, it’s his peace that comes with responding to His love…it’s Shalom, nothing missing, nothing broken!
CONFESSION FOR TODAY I embrace and celebrate the love of God.
PRAYER FOR TODAY Lord, help me to understand your love for me.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY 1 John 3:1(ERV) The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him.
In today’sdevotional, we’ll be looking at the topic “Some Lies every married couple should avoid”. Let’s delve right into it
1. As a wife, looks don’tmatter Most wives with these erroneous beliefs and attitudes have had themselves to blame later. Once you are married, all other women out there don’t become ugly and your husband doesn’t become blind. Yes, the husband should look once and move on. But wives too should help your husband by taking care of themselves.
Men are moved by sight. Be feminine. God is not against making your hair, using cologne, and make-up. Watch what you eat. If you are already gaining weight and your husband is beginning to complain, it’s time to reduce your food intake.
2. Marriage is a necessary evil. I’m in it for my children. People with bitter experiences would say this. But another man’s experience does not have to be your own experience, and you don’t have to believe it.
Even though one of the reasons for marriage is procreation, it is not solely for that. Marriage is far more than childbearing and rearing.
3. I can be untruthful and deceptive; it’s all part of the game. Marriage is not a game. It’s a covenant that requires absolute truthfulness. It is “naked and not ashamed.” Naked means no mask, no dress, nothing covering your nakedness. It means what any other person cannot see, your spouse will. That includes your thoughts, past, present, and every in between.
Unfortunately, the world is making nudity a public show. Scanty dresses and little respect for the body only in marriage. Little wonder, there is so much fornication and adultery.
4. I don’t have to tell my spouse everything Some married couples still believe there is wisdom in not telling their spouse everything. Well, maybe the wisdom of this world that is sensual. But the wisdom that is from above, God’s own wisdom, teaches us to be open and tell our spouses everything.
Don’t make any investment without telling your spouse. Don’t buy a house, land, or give out any money without the knowledge of your spouse.
5. There is no fun in marriage as it is boring and full of pressures. Marriage might come with its pressures. Life itself comes with pressures. For the believers, God has promised us a way of escape. He told us He has overcome the world with its pressures.
There is all that is needed for fun and excitement inside marriage. You have to discover how to get the fun out of it. It’s a lie of this age that you have to go outside of your marriage to catch fun. Don’t fall for it.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I learn the truth from God’s word about marriage
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, teach me your way
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness (Proverbs 8:17-18 KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Avoid all these erroneous beliefs about marriage
An adventure is filled with many electrifying, great and interesting moments. There will be periods when the fun reaches sky-high and totally takes your breath away. And moments when you think this has got to be the coolest thing you have ever seen or experienced in your life. Much like how some cool people in the bible felt when they took an adventure with God.
Did I just hear you ask if God likes an adventure? He definitely does. What did you think happened during creation? God was on an adventure- He was creating experiences, things, animals, trees, people, the sun, moon and much more.
What if God had called you when He was about to create the world? How would you have felt if you were there when He was creating the world? How would you have reacted when He created the animals? If you were there, what would you have done? When you saw the sun and moon, how would you feel? What questions would you have asked Him? How would you feel on that adventure with God?
On the first day, when He created light, would you have asked Him why? When He rested on the seventh day, would you have asked Him why? And even asked Him, why He stopped at seven?
Going on an adventure with God can never be uneventful or boring. It definitely will be full of fascinating events, people and situations. Or what do you think?
In our new series we will look at adventures with God and how it turned out for the people that followed God.
May the Lord take you on adventures with Him. Amen.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your love for adventure. As I read about some of them, help me to appreciate your mighty power. Adventure with God is my lot In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Put on your power of imagination as the journey begins tomorrow.
You need the joy of the LORD. Constant joy is one of the things you have when you are a child of God. You know that things will be fine because God is in control. He is in control because He knows all things and how to make things happen or not happen.
Your worries shouldn’t be so great that you won’t be joyful. Why? Because, God will take care of you. No matter what you are facing, anywhere or anytime. If someone is making fun of you all the time at school, God knows how to deal with such people on your behalf. Don’t get sad or worried. Let the joy of the LORD be your strength. Just pray with verses such as the ones below:
The Lord is my strength and song. And He has become my salvation (Psalm 18:14 AMP).
Behold, God, my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid, For the Lord God is my strength and song’ Yes, He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 AMP.
Use them to build your trust in God always. When worries come your way and it seems like there is no hope of a solution or that help isn’t coming, speak these verses. Say them over and over and as much as you need to till you feel the joy of God inside of you… till the joy of the LORD wells up inside you
Never let anyone or anything steal your joy. It is your God-given right. Jesus died on the cross for you so that your joy may be complete.
You should be joyful always because your joy comes from God. He alone gives joy like no one or anything in this world can.
May the Lord keep blessing you with His joy. Amen.
Prayer: Father in heaven, I ask that your joy will never leave me. Teach me how to keep it always inside of me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action Point: Write down some verses on joy and daily read them as you go about your day.
Yesterday, westarted on the topic “How to tend your marriage” and we talked about one major way to make your marriage enjoyable. That is, to know the difference between a garden and a farm.
Our marriage should be viewed as a garden, not a farmland.
Below are few ways we can tend our marriage.
1. First discover the type of person your spouse is. Is your marriage a garden or a farm land?
2. This discovery has to be done by both of you discussing it.
3. Know what your partner requires you to make your marriage work.
4. Set out to learn about these requirements.
5. Never assume you know all it takes to make your marriage work.
6. Be focused on making it work.
7. Be ready and humble enough to learn.
8. Always take your spouse along and check with each other if you are making progress. For example, the proof you are on the right track is when you see the flowers in your garden blossom.
9. Don’t stop doing those things that produced the results.
10. Master the technique and do it over and over again, till it becomes part of you.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My marriage will blossom
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, grant me the wisdom I need to tend my marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Son 4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
The contradiction that man is constantly subjected to is that he is a spirit but he lives in a body. He is more conscious of his body because of the five senses and he is prone to be less conscious of the spirit realm, and yet he is supposed to get strength from the spirit, not from the body.
It was a dilemma that God resolved by sending the one and only son He had, Jesus Christ, to take our place.
I remember the first time I watched the film, Jesus of Nazareth (not even as brutal as Passion of the Christ), I couldn’t handle the kind of love Jesus had for humanity. As the big spikes were driven into his palms and legs with a gigantic, wicked-looking hammer, tears welled up within me. I was just nine years old! I asked my mum why he had to die, and my mum, who wasn’t born again at the time simply said, “He was crucified so we wouldn’t have to die.” He took our place!”
That answer made it worse for me as I began to wonder what kind of love that was. I went and hid at the back of the door and I wept there silently. They looked everywhere for me for hours, but I stayed there, weeping silently.
Finally, my mum located me, and tried to cheer me up, that He resurrected after all! That didn’t console me. My young mind couldn’t handle the wickedness meted out to Jesus, and come to think of it, He was innocent! I determined I would be His friend.
Uhhmnn…Jesus, the one who loves us, took our place, took the disordered mess of humanity and cleared it on our behalf, took sicknesses and diseases on our behalf so that we might be healed!
Rom 8:1-3 MSG (1) With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. (2) 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.
This was God’s answer to our failing and frail humanity. He sent his son, who is as much God, to come and die for us. After he was resurrected, Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit will come and indwell us!
That sounded crazy! The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity will now live in our body! Our body becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost! Divinity is domiciled in humanity!
1Co 6:19 MSG Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you.
What does this mean to us as believers and how does it concern our relationships?
Join me as I conclude tomorrow.
CONFESSION FOR TODAY I embrace and celebrate the one who loves me.
PRAYER FOR TODAY Lord, help me to understand your love for me.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY 1 John 3:1(ERV) The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him.
Couples, Tend Your Marriage. I liketo view marriage as a garden. Your marriage needs time, attention, care, being sensitive and gentle, and above all skill and patience. No matter what is planted in your garden, whether vegetables or flowers, it requires your attention. If you are not ready to give your garden time and attention, don’t bother planting a garden.
You must enjoy and love being around your garden for it to blossom. You can not treat your garden like you do farmland where a lot of farming is allowed. A garden is a personal assignment. You give it the time and attention it requires.
Never use the same principle you use in working the farmland on your garden. It won’t work because they are totally different. Many couples are making this mistake. They love the beauty of flowers but want to apply the method they use in planting cassava.
For your cassava, just make a heap, cut your cassava stem, stick it into the soil and you can go to sleep for the next several weeks. Your cassava does not need any special attention or focus. But not so with your garden.
You know sometimes, I wonder why, some marriages don’t reach their full potential despite the good heart of the couples. Some of them might be anointed. I heard pastor Benny Hinn, a man of God I so much love and respect said the main reason for his divorce was that he didn’t give the marriage the needed attention. Thank Gracious God they are beautifully restored now and doing very well.
I can not but wonder why? how? I guess God is so much principled that He will honor His word. The principle you work is what will work for you. Sometimes we need to slow down and give the needed attention our marriage requires. There is no point wishing your spouse were a ‘cassava’, if your spouse is a ‘rose flower’.
You better change your techniques and tools. If your spouse is a ‘rose flower’, get your hand gloves, hand trowel, watering can and get to work. You may not sweat it out like in the farm but you will be required to gently tend your garden. Each requires different skill.
However, if you stubbornly stick to the farming method you prefer you will not get the best of it.
Tomorrow, I will show us how we can tend our marriages.
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My marriage will blossom
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, grant me the wisdom I need to tend my marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Son 4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
Telling Others about Jesus, evangelism, is an important habit every Christian child should have. Jesus commanded His disciples to take the Good News all over the world. To tell people of different ages and in different countries about Him and God’s great love for all people.
They were told to share the news of how Jesus was soon coming back and taking us all to heaven.
Isn’t that something you would like to learn how to do? To regularly share the Good News to people you meet. To tell them to change from their wrong ways and accept Jesus into their lives as their Lord and Saviour. That’s simply evangelism, and it brings joy to you as you do it.
You are Jesus’ disciple right now. You are His follower and expected to do what the disciples written about in the bible did.
Let’s look at the story of the woman at the well side who came in contact with Jesus, and how she immediately imbibed evangelism.
A Samaritan woman went to get some water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” (His disciples had gone into the city to buy some food.) The Samaritan woman asked him, “How can a Jewish man like you ask a Samaritan woman like me for a drink of water?” (Jews, of course, don’t associate with Samaritans.) Jesus replied to her, “If you only knew what God’s gift is and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him for a drink. He would have given you living water.” John 4:7-10 GW
As we keep reading, still keep your eyes open for this habit of evangelism in the life of this Samaritan woman.
Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again. But those who drink the water that I will give them will never become thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give them will become in them a spring that gushes up to eternal life.” The woman told Jesus, “Sir, give me this water! Then I won’t get thirsty or have to come here to get water.” John 4:13-15 GW
Then the woman left her water jar and went back into the city. She told the people, “Come with me, and meet a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could he be the Messiah?” The people left the city and went to meet Jesus. John 4:28-30 GW
She found something cool and wanted to share with her townspeople; that’s evangelism. To her, this was a discovery too good to keep for herself alone. She had to share.
Don’t keep Jesus alone for yourself. Share him with other people. Let them know the cool things you have been enjoying, have enjoyed and will enjoy in Jesus.
Form the habit of constantly telling people about Jesus.
I saw on our Facebook page a comment where somebody said that all men are liars. She said there are no truthful men. It was the same thing Elijah said at a time when he told God that all the people are compromised except him, but God told him there are still 7,000 men who have not bowed to Baal!
The truth is that you will always attract what you believe. A person’s life will always move in the direction of his most dominant thoughts. If you believe all men are liars, that is who will be attracted. It is one of the basic laws. If you believe there are faithful men and there are, you will be found of such people.
I understand a bit where the lady that commented might be coming from. It is possible she has had several negative experiences with men and I feel for her. But you see, experiences will not nullify the truth of God’s word!
This is the lesson here, never allow your experiences to overshadow the truth of God’s word in your life!
Back to our devotional:
Yesterday, I showed you two kinds of men you should run away from.
1. The man I am not in love with 2. The man that tells lies
3. The man that is unfaithful Well, I have heard some ladies say things like every man is unfaithful. There is no man that doesn’t have other ladies out there. That is not true and that is a justification and encouragement of adultery. That concept is from the pit of hell.
If all men cheat on their wives, then what have we been teaching? Where is the place of the delivering power of God? Where is the place of renewal of mind by God’s word?
I don’t cheat on my wife and I don’t have any lady out there and I know I am not alone!
If I were a single lady, I will run away from a guy who is already rehearsing for adultery during a supposed courtship. I will not accommodate or manage iniquity.
But pastor, if I am too hard, will I get a spouse? You see, it is not about being hard; you shouldn’t be hard on anybody because you are not perfect yourself, but you should seek to obey God! That’s all. Follow God! I am sure God does not want you involved with a guy who wants to marry you and who has still has other girlfriends and you know! God is not in that kind of arrangement!
4. The man that doesn’t love God If I were a single lady, I will not get involved with a man that doesn’t love God. If he doesn’t love God and has no regard for God, it will invariably affect you one way or the other.
But Pastor, what if I want to change him? You are not a “changer” You are not the Holy Spirit who convicts! Listen to me, there is something about a family that loves God.
Now, I have to balance this out here. What about those that are already married? Pastor, are you saying I should leave my spouse? NO! Is there still hope for things to be made right? YES!
There could even be situations where you got married as an unbeliever. Now you got born again. Do you leave your spouse? No! You step into intercession and the place of prayers to trust God for your spouse as well. And believe me, God will answer a heartfelt prayer for your spouse, because God is not only interested in individuals, He is also interested in families.
Never give up on God, because God will never give up on you!
Shalom!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I know how to love correctly.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me not to fall in love with the wrong person. Teach me when to run away.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Prov 4:6 (NLT)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take an inventory of your love life. Run away when neccessary.
Do you know that giving is a great habit? And God has given you a pattern of how to give. According to the bible, God gave His only son, Jesus, to die for your sins.
God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. John 3:16 GW
Jesus did so too through His actions, to show us that giving is a great habit. Look at how He fed the thousands of people while teaching them about the kingdom of God.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and blessed the food. He broke the loaves apart and kept giving them to the disciples to give to the crowd. Luke 9:16 GW
Giving is a great habit. It’s a habit you show that makes people know that you are truly a child of God. If God can allow Jesus to swap places with you, why won’t you forgive that person that hurt you? If Jesus can pray to God to bless the food to feed the people, why won’t you pray for a friend who has a need?
You can give your things, time, prayers and even a smile. As long as your gift makes their situations better.
Developing giving as a habit reflects to others that you have God’s spirit working in you. As you start little by little, it becomes a part of you. And as you grow older, you become a person that gives. That way you have formed the habit of giving.
May the Lord bless you more and more as you give to other people. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing me that giving is a great habit, and for showing me how to give. Help me to give cheerfully, with love and respect for those I give to. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Remember to give with joy in your heart. And to show respect to the people you give to.
