This morning, we are looking at more things singles can learn from the life of Joseph
4. Joseph would not let go of his dream
Joseph held on to his dream despite contradictory circumstances. He refused to give up on God. He had hope. He knew God would not let him down!
I will like you to know this morning that your dreams will still come to pass. Never let go! God’s words will never fall to the ground and He is never too late. Hold on to the horns of the altar and refuse to resign to fate! He that has promised you is also faithful to bring it to pass!
5. Joseph was in the prison but the prison was not in him!
It is one thing to be bound physically, it is another thing to also be bound within! There are many people who are not imprisoned physically but are chained within. There are many people who are walking free but are actually in prison and there are people who are imprisoned but are free within!
Joseph never allowed the prison to enter him. He still went ahead and interpreted a dream for someone in the prison which was to be an act that would later facilitate his exit from the prison. That is something Singles Can Learn From Joseph
Joseph never allowed bitterness and offense to which he had every reason to succumb. He was still trying to help out others with the intent he became the leader in the prison. Despite that he has been sentenced to a special maximum prison where the king’s offenders were kept with no hope of coming out, he did not get bitter!
Never get bitter at God for any reason. You cannot fight your maker and win. You cannot blame God for any woes. God is not mocked. Bitterness at God will only worsen the situation
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I forgive. I am a forgiver! I will not clog my heart with hurts and bitterness
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray and ask God to give the grace to be a quick forgiver
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 45:8 (KJV) So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
The message of faith is fast giving way to other popular messages, especially now. I think in my own opinion that we heard more of ‘how to live by faith’ messages than we do now.
Yet, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. As a single lady when I was in the university, we were taught how to trust and believe God for stuff. Then we listened to Papa Kenneth Hagin, the Copelands, Creflo and Taffi Dollars, Jerry Savel, Jesse Duplantis, and Bishop Oyedepo. We saw living by faith as a necessity and we had no options but to live by our faith.
It seems to me that as we got married and life began to happen to us, we allow the message of faith to slip by. At that time, we were working-class people, so we didn’t believe in God for stuff as much as we did before.
We simply waited for the next paycheck.
When we felt symptoms in our bodies, we simply notify our HMO, and we get free access to health care. We even felt it was our right to use the hospital since it’s deducted from our salaries.
The problem is that we are gradually losing our cutting edge in exercising our faith.
As believers, we need to exercise our faith daily.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. –Romans 1:17 (KJV)
Our righteousness in God is revealed by our faith. To live a righteous life, to live victorious over fear, a disease, attacks of the enemy, and much more requires faith.
We can never be too mature to use faith. We can never graduate from the school of faith. We have to live by faith. Our existence must be by faith.
Our prayers get answered by faith. We receive our answer to our prayers by faith. There are some issues that will happen in marriage that your way to experience victory will be only when you learn to exercise your faith.
To be continued.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have faith in God, my words align with what I believe God for
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray and ask God to give the grace to be steadfast in faith
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. –Romans 1:17 (KJV)
Hello Champ, we are still on our wisdom series from the book of Proverbs, and there are quite a number of benefits of being wise. If you will agree with me, King Solomon was a very wise man; there is lots of wisdom embedded in his book.
Our focus verse for today is from Proverbs 3: 13-18, let’s see what the bible says!
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. –Proverbs 3:13-18 (NIV)
Wisdom is one of the best things you can get in life; a person who has wisdom will always be at the top.
Today I want to identify for you the benefits of having wisdom.
1. A person with wisdom is blessed; an example of a blessed man in the bible is Father Abraham.
2. Wisdom is more profitable than silver and gold, these are one of the most valuable things on earth, and the bible still says wisdom is more profitable.
3. You will have long life when you are wise.
4. Wisdom will bring riches to you.
5. Wisdom will make you honourable.
6. You’ll have peace if you have wisdom.
Now you see why you need to be wise. Continue learning from God’s word and keep listening to your parent.
PRAYER: Father in Jesus name, I receive the help of the Holy Spirit to be wise. Amen
ACTION PLAN: Read your Bible today
DECLARATION: I am wise, I am obedient, and I am a good child.
This is a major one! He was offered free intercourse, but he ran away! He refused to get bitter about God because of his experiences and did not allow depression and conflicting emotions to push him into the clutches of available compromise with Potiphar’s wife!
(7) As time went on, his master’s wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, “Sleep with me.”(8) He wouldn’t do it. He said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master doesn’t give a second thought to anything that goes on here–he’s put me in charge of everything he owns.(9) He treats me as an equal. The only thing he hasn’t turned over to me is you. You’re his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God?”(10) She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.(11) On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there.(12) She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, “Sleep with me!” He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. – Gen 39:7-12 MSG
Joseph said; I cannot sin against God! He had the fear of God. This is one of the reasons he became the greatest in Egypt! From prison to a ruler! What Singles Can Learn From Joseph
You see, righteousness exalts! Never ever allow the devil to tell you that you are missing out because you are a child of God. Never envy those who don’t have a relationship with God. David made that mistake too and he envied unbelievers, but he said when he got into God’s presence, then he understood their ends.
Joseph ran away! This is what you do in the face of sexual compromise! That is not the time to start speaking in tongues when he or she has removed his or her clothes! Run away! Flee! That is why God created legs for you!
Don’t come around and say somebody seduced you. Run! Five minutes before the compromise, you will always know what is about to happen. Don’t wait there trying to see what will happen when all the angels have already fled so that their eyes will not behold evil!
What else will happen between a guy and a lady alone in the room, with no light and no candles around 9.00 pm? Run! That is how to preserve your destiny! Run! That is how to fulfill your destiny! Run! Pack out of the house, you are not yet married! Run away because your destiny is greater than the compromise you are entangled with! Free yourself by God’s Spirit and run!
Take a cue from Joseph. But if I leave him, he won’t give me money again! If I leave him, he won’t pay my school fees again, and so on and so forth. That was also the place Joseph found himself. He ran away, and then seemed to land in the prison! But God did not leave him and that is the important thing. Righteousness will eventually exalt you and give you a better platform than exchanging your body for some paltry sums!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a dreamer. I will not stop dreaming!
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will give the strength to say No in the face of compromise
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 39:2 KJV And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Marriage is the place where you will have to come to terms with the practicality of forgiveness. In other relationships, forgiveness is also essential but it may not be as that of marriage.
In marriage, you will have to forgive for the relationship to be healed. You and your spouse cannot avoid each other. You live together, have children together, for the sake of peace and progress, forgiveness is very necessary.
The standard of the Word of God is so high. That’s why it is a narrow road that leads to heaven.
The Bible does not mince words when we are told to love our enemies. Hmmm. I thought we should love our friends and well wishers and stay clear and avoid our enemies.
The bible tells us to love them, and bless those who curse us. That is pretty hard. A hard pill to swallow. I believe that is why we have to live in the spirit so we do not gratify the lust of the flesh.
We need Holy Ghost power. We cannot do it in our own natural strength.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; – Matthew 5:44 KJV
Our differences will most often act as threat to our marital union and our mandate as couples. It will pose a problem to our becoming one.
The natural man tends to be selfish and only one that is submitted to Christ and His word can love genuinely.
It is easier for women to hold on to hurts and have difficulty in forgiving. Women hurt deeply essentially because they are emotional being and because they analyse more.
Whichever way, let God be true and every man a liar. The standard of God’s word must be followed. A different gospel is not for men and another for women. We are to follow and obey the same word.
We should allow the Holy spirit to rightly discern the situation and analyse it for us.
God is not saying we should not be hurt, angry or need time to heal. We should do that and then get over it and move on.
That’s where power lies. That’s where victory begins. The Word says we should be angry but we are not permitted to sin.
We sin when we over analyse. There is a spirit way to analyse things that instead of being bitter, we become better.
When we allow bitterness, we open the door for other demons to enter our lives and afflict us. Disobedience opens the door for the enemy of our souls. We open the door for sicknesses, diseases, poverty, disfavor etc.
Joseph could have wasted his life being bitter. He could have lost years by being bitter. He could have lost opportunities. But he choose to enjoy where he was on his way to being better and to where God was taking him to.
Joseph saw his brothers who sold him into slavery and he analysed the situation well by the help of the Holy spirit.
He said what they meant for evil, God used it to preserve many lives. Can you allow that situation to become a tool in the hands of God?
I’m not saying it will be easy. That’s what taking up your cross daily and following God is about.
Couples, learn to give that situation to God. You are reviled, persecuted, unjustly treated, abused, afflicted, cheated etc. Surrender it to the Lord. Give it to Him.
Allow the Holy spirit to make you see what it really is. Until Joseph saw correctly, he could not forgive and forget.
Jesus was able to pass through the cross because he saw well. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.
He could say father forgive them,for they know not what they are doing.
God is able to turn things around and make your mess a message that will liberate thousands.
Don’t fight your spouse, forgive and move on. Learn what you are to learn. Don’t be afraid of being misjudged or treated unfairly. Jesus was wrongly and falsely accused. He shut His mouth and didn’t answer back. It was tough, but at the end, He was justified and glorified
Ask the Lord to help you see well and He will come to your aid.
There’s a way to be expectant as children. Do we all remember the story of the blind man in the Bible?
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. – Mark 10:47-48
What if the blind man had not asked what the surrounding ruckus was about? What if he had just continued begging and minded his business?
Something in him must have stirred him up to ask what was happening. He probably had been nursing a desire to have his sight, and when he heard that Jesus was around, it aroused his expectation.
Quickly, he opened his mouth and screamed the most he had ever done in his life. He knew it was now or never.
He had to have heard of the acts of Jesus to have done what he did. Even when they tried to shut him up, he screamed the more. This was the day he had been waiting for, and nothing or no one would stop him from getting what he wanted.
This was the same Jesus that had been healing people, and someone wanted him to shut up. He gave it his all and never regretted doing so.
Are you expecting to have what you are praying for? Are you listening to the voices telling you your prayers won’t be answered? Allowing people or circumstances to shut you up?
Be like that man and scream the more. Jesus is ready to command you be brought before him. And when you get in front of Jesus, know what you want.
You will never regret calling on Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, give me an expectant heart. Teach me to expect answers to my prayers. Amen.
Action point: Visualize your prayers as answered. See yourself in the light of prayers answered.
Declaration: I am expectant. My miracle will not pass me by.
Well, some people would say he was careless and that if he had hidden his dream, he would not have gone through the ordeals of the pit and then being sold into slavery.
However, I also want you to know that if he had not verbalized his dream, he might not have been sold into slavery and he might not have been transported into Egypt from where he eventually fulfilled his destiny! Talk about God using perceived enemies to fulfill His counsel over your life!
Hear me well this morning! God is using some of the people you hate right now and you think don’t like you to achieve His overall plans for your life! In the end, you will see how everything will eventually add up! Before you fight the person that jilted you, why don’t you wait for the unveiling of the new person God is bringing your way? You will thank him or her later for breaking your heart!
Learn to talk faith and not doubt. Learn to say what you want God to do and not what you are going through in your relationship or as singles. It is a spiritual principle! Say what you will like to happen and not just what has happened or what is happening!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a dreamer. I will not stop dreaming!
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will give the strength to say No in the face of compromise
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 39:2 KJV And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
COUPLES – How To Show Respect To Your Spouse – Part 2
What are the practical ways to show respect to yourselves in marriage?
1. Know that your spouse is so very special before God. Your spouse is bought with the precious blood of Jesus. Jesus would have come to die for your spouse alone.
2. Do not yell at your spouse. You may be angry but never yell.
3. Allow freedom of expression. It is okay to be different. That’s why you married in the first place. Men and women are meant to be different.
4. Let your spouse feel safe, secure, and trusted by building mutual respect.
5. When you have opposing opinions which will happen most times, you listen. Your listening shows respect.
6. Respect that your spouse is worth listening to. He/ she has something vital to bring to the table.
7. Allow healthy space when it is needed, it shows respect. Let your spouse be by him/herself, have her own friends, her own things etc
8. Do not control one another. Your relationship is unhealthy when there is the slightest control. God asks us to love, not control. Jesus never controlled the church.
9. Both spouses should admit once they are wrong and sincerely seek forgiveness. Swallow your pride and admit you are wrong and apologize.
10. Never treat one another shabbily, in private or public. Show appreciation for every little thing your spouse does. Don’t take each other for granted.
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY my marriage is blessed in all ramifications.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will enable you to pay the price for the fullness of His blessings in your home.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Heb 13:4 [AMP]Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous.
Dear child, today I write to you on behalf of your mom and Dad. Mom and dad loves you. They want you to always know that they care about you, and they love you from the depth of their hearts.
One of the proofs of their love for you is that they have chosen to expose you the God’s word and the love of Christ at a very tender age, taking you through these devotionals every day is evidence of this fact.
I know you sometimes feel they don’t love you, especially when you are scolded for doing something wrong.
I am about to shock you!
The fact that they scolded and correct you is proof of how much they love you!
I know you won’t believe me, so I will be showing you what the bible says about correction and scolding, you will agree with me that the bible is the ultimate truth. Let’s see what our focus verse for today says.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. –Proverbs 3:11-12 (KJV)
Let me make this verse a lot simpler for you.
The bible is saying first of all that God corrects us as his children when his corrects come, we should pay close attention and take it as a warning, and that God corrects those he loves, as parents correct a child they are proud of.
So you see God corrects us, and so do our parents. The role of mummy and daddy is to let us know when we do something wrong and help us do better, even if we get flogged for it.
It’s a child that is loved that gets corrected, today embrace every scolding and correction that comes from your parent, and always strive to do better to make them proud of you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help me to accept corrections at all times. Amen
ACTION PLAN: Tell your parents how much you love them
DECLARATION:
I love my mum and Dad, I cherish their sacrifices.
We all know the story of Joseph and I will like to bring out some salient truths by the Spirit of God as it relates to relationships and marriage.
What God did in the life of Joseph is what you could call a ‘crazy miracle.’ God did not just make him an important man in Egypt, a strange land, he actually became a father unto Pharaoh!
It is like God making you a father unto the King of Dubai! It is as crazy as that! How did Joseph get there? What kind of a person is he?
(4) And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. (5) Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. (6) For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. (7) And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.(8) So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. – Gen 45:4-8 KJV
Here are things to learn
1. Joseph was a dreamer
Never stop dreaming about your life and future. After his first dream, the scripture says that he dreamt yet another dream! Don’t stop visualizing where you want God to take you to or where He has shown you that He is taking you to.
Keep hope alive! It is not out of place to visualize and pray about the kind of relationship, marriage, and home you will like to have. Don’t let the experiences of relatives and your environment suffocate or kill your dream. That nobody has enjoyed his marriage in your family does not mean that would be your experience! No!
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a dreamer. I will not stop dreaming!
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will give the strength to say No in the face of compromise
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 39:2 KJV And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Against contrary opinions, respect in marriage is mutual. People are of the opinion that respect for the husbands is a big deal. Yes, it is. Just as men do not want to be disrespected in private or public, so also do women need a dose of respect.
Men can readily tell what a bruised ego is and in this part of the world, an average man will not tolerate being disrespected in any form, method, shape, or size. In other to have a relationship that is healthy and mutually beneficial, respect has to be mutual.
Some of us don’t even know when we are being disrespected. The gospel of men’s dominance has been preached for so long that women feel they are not worth much, that they are just worthless, less than good, helpless, weaker vessels.
Contrary, women have tremendous strength, ability, knowledge, wisdom, and great dexterity. It takes great strength to be a mother and give birth to a child. To keep a home, multitask, submit to your husband and stay married. All these take great strength.
But if we are going to have a healthy marriage relationship, we would know that submission to one another in the fear of God is essential. A man not submitted to Christ is a difficult man and hard to submit to.
This is not teaching or telling wives not to submit to their husbands. It is addressing the fact that marriage is meant to be mutually beneficial to both the husband and the wife.
What are the practical ways to show respect to yourselves in marriage?
I will write about that tomorrow.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My marriage is blessed in all ramifications.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will enable you to pay the price for the fullness of His blessings in your home.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Heb 13:4 [AMP]Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous.
Do you know how to honour God with your substance? It’s never too early to learn some things in life. Why do I say this? Every lesson we have learned from the book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon to his son!
He wrote to us little children, so that when we become adults, it will be easy for us to do things as God’s children.
Let’s see today’s focus verse!
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. —Proverbs 3:9-10(KJV)
All of God’s instructions to us, is accompanied with a reward if we are obedient.
The Bible is teaching us as little children to Honour God, not just with our words, and in our hearts, but also with our substance and the first fruit of our increase! What does it mean to honour God with our substance?
Our substance is whatever we have. In this age the equivalent of our substance is money.
As children of God, we should learn to honour God with every token given to us by our parents.
It’s not too early to set aside your offerings from what Mummy and Daddy gives you.
When you get a token during the holidays from grandparents, uncles and aunties, learn to set aside what you will use to honour God.
The bible also says you should honour God with the first fruit of your increase.
It’s not too early for you to learn how to give a tenth to God. That’s another way of honouring God!
What does the Bible promise if we do this?
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. —Proverbs 3:10(KJV)
There will be blessings everywhere, for you and your parents, because they gave you what you are using to honour God.
Remember Abraham, he wasn’t the only blessed one, the people around him were blessed too because of him. That can be you, and everyone around you can be blessed because of you.
Prayer: Teach me to honour you at all times oh Lord. Amen
Action point: Set aside part of what you earn to honour God. Ask your parents to help you.
There is something about a person that is willing to wait. He wanted something more spiritual and enduring than some passing fleeting moment of physical pleasure or satisfaction.
He is not about to lose his testimony because he saw a girl that dressed somehow. He is not about to kick at the pricks because of lack of self-control. He is not about to jeopardize the salvation of his soul because of some pleasure!
You see, it is about value! She is not about to sleep with a man because of some money! She is not about to sell her body in exchange for school fees! The list goes on and on!
Esau syndrome is saying you cannot wait till marriage before having intercourse. Esau syndrome is sleeping with an Ex or with a colleague for whatever reason. Esau’s syndrome is sleeping with men in exchange for money to meet your needs instead of trusting God to meet your needs. Esau syndrome is sleeping with your boss to secure a position.
Verse 17 says “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
May we not be rejected when it comes to the fullness of God’s blessings! May our eyes be open to see the consequences of some actions that we feel do not matter. May we not exchange God’s blessings, support, and favour for some few minutes of pleasure that is sure to bring regrets later.
Before you are caught up in some guilt this morning over some things you might have done wrong, I want you to know that in God there is a place for repentance and restoration. That is the beauty of serving God. Jesus paid the price for all your sins, and you stand forgiven if you can embrace God’s love.
And that is what I want you to do rather than get into some pity party. Also, don’t allow the devil to tell you that it is too late or that you are too far gone. God is a rewriter of destinies, a re-molder of lives, and the one that can make you forget the shame of your youth! He is the one that can give you double joy for every trouble you have been through! Run to Him now!
I pray for you that you will not fail of the grace of God. God’s favour will work for you!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the grace to wait for you
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God’s Spirit will help you to live right.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 25:32 AMP Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me?
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place or thing that is influencing you negatively.
3. Never allow anybody to come and live with you in the house without the full agreement of your spouse. If your spouse is not in support, your attempt to help others can be at the expense of your marriage and it can drive you apart.
Many marriages are under tremendous pressures because the wife is not only taking care of her husband but several siblings at a time. Issue will necessarily come out of this.
4. Never oppose your spouse openly. Don’t build walls against yourself. If you must correct your spouse, don’t do it in the presence of his friends and colleagues, you might end up adding more to the issue.
However, you can always have a confidant with whom both of you agree you can discuss with, because there are times you really need to pour your hearts out.
5. Never get close to others other than your spouse. Be your spouse’s friend and never allow anybody to come in between you.
There are Delialahs, Jezebels, Amnons, Jonadabs and so on. The moment you know, and you always know that you are getting up close and emotional to someone apart from your spouse, cut it off, or else you will soon be in serious problems. The moment you can hide things from your spouse, it is the beginning of problems.
The moment you can discuss your spouse with colleagues and they discuss theirs with you, you are going too far. The devil will set a trap. Avoid distractions.
May God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My spouse is second to none but God.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, teach us to be a skillful couple in loving you and loving ourselves
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 2Co 2:11 MSG After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief–we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Have a hearty discussion with your spouse on how you can love each other better.
Let’s examine Tola’s story as we seek to understand the concept of the Holy Spirit and you. After successfully stealing some money from her mother’s purse, Tola felt good knowing that she had money to spend with her friends at school.
Her friends always had lots of money to spend at school and she didn’t want to be any different.
But she kept having a feeling. As much as she was happy, the feelings of happiness were slowly dwindling.
What could it be, she wondered. Soon, she began to feel bad about taking the money.
A voice kept telling her it was wrong of her to have taken the money. It kept telling her she had stolen the money.
But I didn’t steal the money, Tola said to herself. It’s my mother’s money and she has lots of it.
Tola was hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.
When you sin, the Holy Spirit convicts you of it. He speaks to your heart and tells you what you did wrong.
When the Holy Spirit speaks to you and can convict you to the point where you change your ways or confess your wrongdoings, you are still in a safe zone. You still have a conscience.
Tola didn’t spend the money at school that day or went with her friends to buy things. She felt bad about taking the money and knew what she had to do – tell her mother the truth, ask for her forgiveness, and never steal again in her life.
May the Holy Spirit give you a healthy conscience. Amen.
Prayer: Sweet Spirit of God, thank you for the power to convict me of all sins. Please give me a heart that will listen and obey you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action point: Has the Holy Spirit ever spoken to you about something wrong you did? How did you respond? Did you do what He said or not? Decide to always listen to and obey His instructions.
Declaration: My conscience is not seared. I listen and obey the Holy Spirit.
As I waited on God on what to write on this morning, the Spirit of God dropped this phrase in my spirit: “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau…”
Let’s see the reference.
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; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. – Heb 12:15-17 KJV
The first time I have seen this scripture, my immediate question was, “Did Esau ever commit the sin of fornication? No! What he did was that he sold his birthright, and yet the Bible likened him to a fornicator or a profane person.
How was Esau profane? Let’s look at the Message translation.
Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. – Heb 12:16 MSG
Esau traded away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. This is the same thing a fornicator or a profane person does.
He trades away eternity for a few minutes. He disregards the consequences of his actions just to satisfy some rush of adrenaline at the moment.
That is Esau’s syndrome. That is fornication. That is profanity.
Esau was hungry when he came back from hunting. He probably had some dead animal he brought, but the moment he set eyes on the pottage, he could not WAIT!
And that is it. WAITING!
Waiting is powerful! If he could wait, he would not have traded his birthright! Jacob too was hungry! That was why he was cooking in the first place. But he could wait for what he wanted! When a man is profane, he will always lose something valuable to another man that is upright. If Esau could wait, he could have prepared what he brought or go cook his own pottage!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the grace to wait for you
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God’s Spirit will help you to live right.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 25:32 AMP Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me?
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place, or thing that is influencing you negatively.
One man was avidly studying his wedding certificate for hours. Upon being asked why he said he was looking for the expiry date! Sorry marriage does not expire, there is no reverse gear.
Another man was watching his wedding tape, but this time backward! He saw himself remove the ring, walked out of the church entered his car, and zoomed off. He wished he could do that in real life, but sorry! Marriage is a haven, not an oven. Marriage is to be enjoyed and not endured. There is tremendous power in marriage as a couple.
The devil recognizes this power at your disposal as a married couple. That is why his intention is to throw a monkey wrench at your stuff. There are some precautions you can take in order to ensure that you are one with your spouse and that the power of agreement is not broken.
The Christian life is not hard to live, in fact, it is when you don’t follow God that things get messed up and complicated. That is why Jesus Christ said his yoke is easy, learn about it, it is easier that way.
1. If you want a successful marriage, never insult or abuse your spouse on account of someone else. Preserve your marriage by respecting your spouse inside and outside. This is because, for men, respect is a major issue. Every man is egocentric, although excessive egocentricity is not good.
2. Never empower others against your spouse. Don’t shoot yourself in the leg. You are one in marriage, and that is how God sees it. Support your spouse always.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will invest in my marriage. My spouse is second to none but God
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, teach us to be a skillful couple in loving you and loving ourselves
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 2Co 2:11 MSG After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief–we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Have a hearty discussion with your spouse on how you can love each other better.
There’s is a way to trust God. Dear child, I hope you have learned a thing or two from our lessons from King Solomon, as we continue in our study of the book of proverbs, I will be showing you more wisdom written by King Solomon, make sure you adhere to it.
By so doing, you will make your parents proud, and also make God happy.
Let’s go straight to today’s lesson!
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
The word Trust means to have confidence in the honesty or integrity of a person or thing. One of the common examples of trust is the belief that someone is being truthful.
Dear Child, God can be trusted! You need to know this for the rest of your life. You can count on God for everything and anything.
God is honest and true to his words, he has never said a thing that he doesn’t mean. God doesn’t lie!
Just like King Solomon says trust in the Lord, not just that but with all your heart!
How do you show that you trust God?
1. By valuing your relationship with God, you do this by letting the world know that you are God’s child and you are not ashamed to know as one.
2. By being honest with God, do not try to hide how you feel, speaking to God freely shows that you trust him.
3. By communicating with God frequently in prayers.
4. By always asking God for help.
5. By admitting to God when you do the wrong thing and ask for forgiveness.
This is how to trust God. God also wants you to trust him, if he didn’t you won’t find this verse in the bible, learn how to trust God always, and you will see him show up for you at all times.
PRAYER: Father in Jesus name, teach me how to trust you with my heart. Amen
ACTION PLAN: Practice one of the ways taught in the devotional
DECLARATION: I will trust the Lord with all my heart
SINGLES – Dear Pastor, Can I Kiss My Fiancé or Fiancée?
If you are in courtship, be careful. Don’t let the devil trap you. The raging fire in your body will not be doused with kissing; it will only rekindle it until you want to explore more!
In the scripture, When Joab wanted to kill Amasa, he deceived him with a kiss!
And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. – 2Sa 20:9-10 KJV
Yes, it will look harmless. It will sound logical. But it can destroy destinies.
Jesus Christ was betrayed with a kiss!
But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? – Luk 22:48 KJV
Isn’t something inappropriate with a lady who is leading the church in worship, but who the previous night had been in an intense kissing session with the brother who led opening prayer that same morning?
Live right, for God is not mocked!
There is nothing wrong with a light hug. There is nothing wrong with a light peck by the cheek if that was how you were raised up, but it is better to just stay away! But the problem is will you stop at that stage? Your body will crave more and if you lack self-control, you will yield to it. There are some brothers that can’t talk to a lady unless they touch her or place their hands on her shoulder. Must they tap current before they can talk?
That kissing, touching, and petting you do behind doors will get you into trouble sooner than you think if you don’t put your feet down now. Don’t dabble into those terrains because the song afterward is always, ‘we didn’t want to go all the way,’ but the mistake would have been made.
Resolve to do it right and you will enjoy the fullness of God’s blessings.
I pray God gives you more understanding and help you to stop every form of compromise!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive wisdom to discern between positive and negative influences in my life and grace to avoid the negative.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY In Jesus’ name, I resist the power of negative influence over my life.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Rom 7:25 MSG The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place, or thing that is influencing you negatively.
God has made it very easy for you. Focus only becomes effective when your attention and energy are on ONE thing! So what is that one thing? The moment there are two things, it is no longer focus. What is that one thing?
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. – Heb 12:2-3 KJV
So easy! Looking unto Jesus! That is as simple as you can see it. How do you look at Jesus? By looking at His word! Regularly! Continuously!
Why look at Jesus?
Because he is the author and finisher of your faith and your life! Your life is like a book and Jesus authored it! The book is not about to be written, it has been written and published. You are only acting out the script!
It becomes logical then to make sure you act well. You have to look at the author who is also the director of your life’s flick. Each chapter of the book is a portion and a season of your life. You have to keep on looking at Jesus and His word because the devil is always attempting to offer you what is never part of the script.
The moment you stop looking, focus is broken and there will be serious troubles, agony, and regrets.
How do I know that what God authored in the book are good things about me?
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. – Jer 29:11 KJV
Waoh! They are good stuff! I need to simply focus on Him!
Take a look at the message translation:
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out–plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. – Jer 29:11 MSG
Glory to God! Make up your mind to focus on Him this year and see the result. There is joy set before you! God wants to take care of you! Seriously! Others may not know what is going on with your life, but God says emphatically, ‘I know what I am doing!’ He is the author!
When you focus on Him and His Word, you will come to discover a lot. There is a chapter He has authored about your relationship and courtship. There is a chapter He has authored about your marriage. As you focus on Him, you will effortlessly glide into His will and plan for your life! That is the benefit of focus!
There are some things you are going through that are never part of His original script because you have refused to focus on Him and probably compromised as a result.
However, despite every broken focus experience, if you make up your mind today to focus on Him, God can fast-forward, rewind, pause, stop, erase, cancel, add, rewrite, restore, and do anything for you! How will He do that? He is the author…not just that….but also the finisher! Glory to God!
He is the one that will finish the story! The devil does not have the final say! God does! Turn around today and decide to focus!
For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. – Isa 50:7 KJV
Make up your mind. Set your face like a flint never to compromise again. God will help you and He will save you from imminent shame! Be blessed!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am focused. I will not be distracted.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will give you focus and cause your face to be set like a flint
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Isa 50:7 AMP For the Lord God helps Me; therefore have I not been ashamed or confounded. Therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Consciously disengage yourself from every distraction
