Yesterday we began to look at discipline. Today, we will see how you as a child should accept discipline. The first thing you need to know is that your parents love and want the best for you. It’s only a child that is loved by a parent that is corrected and disciplined. So you need to accept discipline as a show of love.
Think of it like this; why would your parents remind you to brush your teeth every night before going to bed? They are not asking you to brush your teeth or that of your sibling or even theirs. It’s your teeth and you will carry them for the rest of your life in whatever condition you put them in.
So, if you brush them twice daily, you will enjoy perfect dental health in future. And if you don’t listen to their advice, you will have bad dental health as well as reap the consequences of it. The consequences include: a bad self-image, rotten teeth and gums, bad breath and more. You see that? So you need to accept discipline as a show of love.
Your parents discipline you out of the love they have for you, not hate like you would like to think. Just like God telling us not sin because sin in the end has consequences that can never benefit us in any way. It can only harm and destroy us.
“If you do good, I will accept you. But if you do not do good, sin is ready to attack you. Sin wants you. but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7 ICB
Also, knowing discipline is done from a place of love (when you accept discipline as a show of love) gives you the power to grow from being a person that doesn’t know how to do something to someone who does now. When you learn how to arrange and keep your clothes well, you have grown into a well-organised person.
“I correct and punish those whom I love. So be eager to do right. Change your heart and lives. Rev. 3:19 ICB.
Reciprocate the love of your parents by releasing yourself to discipline. And by doing so, you are creating for yourself an adult life filled with excellent values that help add to your society and church. Say to yourself right now: I accept discipline as a show of love.
I pray that your heart will be open and ready for discipline. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see the actions of my parents towards me in light of the love they have for me. Help me to also obey you and receive your discipline because I know you love me too much to see me remain in sin.
Action Plan: How about apologizing to your parents for disobeying them and thanking them for their love for you.
So here is the concluding part of our series on Handling affairs in marriage. Let me just delve into today’s teaching and get it over with.
Like I said earlier, the Grace of God needs to be embraced in an abundant measure to effectively help with handling affairs in marriage.
4. A lot of teachings
It is good for the spouse of the erring couple to surround the spouse involved in an affair with a lot of good teaching materials. It is the truth from inside those books that God will use to set him/her free. It is the truth that set free
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
No matter your good words it will not be as effective as God’s word. Let good lead you to specific materials and tapes of anointed men and women of God. There is virtually every book on every topic you are looking for on telegram, books on handling affairs in marriage inclusive. Download them and let the spouse involved in an affair, read them.
Transformation only comes by renewing the mind.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It will also be helpful if the erring spouse can have some time of sober reflection, this has a good part to play in handling affairs in marriage.
This becomes very important. Intercession must be going on for the spouse involved in affair as much as the erring spouse should also be doing a lot of prayer for himself or herself.
Prayers for the help of God, Mercy, forgiveness, Grace to crucify the flesh and not yield to its dictates must be said as often as possible by the erring spouse. Faith and hope must also be kept alive because if the devil succeeds in getting the erring spouse to a point of defeat, this will help in handling affairs in marriage. A point where he/she feels despondent or a feeling of ‘there is no point’, ‘ let give up’, the battle has been lost.
But keep hope alive and encourage the erring spouse that with God all things are possible. The grace of God can make strong. The flesh cannot have dominion over you because Christ has already died for you. Prayer is a game-changer when it comes to handling affairs in marriage
We are not of them that give up. Christ never gave up even though the pain and the price he paid was so much. He won the victory. He won the battle. So we have the victory. We are only enforcing our victory because the devil is a liar.
The devil seeks to kill, steal and destroy. The erring spouse must just be encouraging to stand his ground.
Psa 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
There will be great joy, if you endure the discipline of enforcing your victory and you’re finally able to handle and put a stop to affairs in marriage.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
When you learn to submit to God and his principles and ways of doing things, you will resist the devil and he has no choice but to flee, and this will help a great deal in handling affairs in marriage.
Resist him no matter how strong the temptation is or long the addiction has been. You resist him in the name of Jesus. Use every weapon to resist him. The blood of Jesus, communion, the word, prayers and he will flee.
God bless you.
May God grant us more understanding and give us grace to do. God surround our marriage in Jesus name.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will be faithful to my partner.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father, help me to keep my marriage vows.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY James 4:7 (ESV): Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Open up to your spouse, if need be.
Paying the Price was taught by Rev. Dunamis Okunowo on the 21st of March 2021 at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, Beside Trans Amusement Park, Bodija-UI Road, Ibadan.
To Listen to the audio of this message, kindly go HERE or HERE
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Isaiah 55:1-3, KJV
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Hebrews 12:10, KJV
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30, KJV
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1 Corinthians 9:27, KJV
“I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes; How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?
Job 31:1, AMP
He made the following pertinent points:
There is a place in God where nations will run to you.
In the character of God is consistency – God cannot lie, He cannot fail, He cannot change.
For everything, for greatness in life, there is a price to pay.
Practice is a price for winning
Time is the price for knowing God – Do you know God?
Prayer is the price for anointing.
Communication is the price for a good marriage
Fidelity is the price for the maximum blessing of marriage. It is important to be faithful to your spouse.
Righteous living is the price for exaltation
Honor is the price for access.
Discipline is the price for a life of no regret.
Seed is the price for harvest.
Your soul does not change, but it is constantly renewed. The price you have to pay is to contend with your body and mind.
A quickie is the longest you will ever face in your life, sex is not just for fun, this is because you are not just sleeping with the body, but with the spirit.
Delaying gratification is the price you will have to pay for fulfilling your glorious destiny. There are people that you will sleep with and will never be able to let go of because it is intercourse – interfering with every part of your body.
Sex is not bad but should be done within the confines of marriage. Why not wait?
What price are you ready to pay?
Will you wait? Pay the Price!
There is something you are here to solve, but will you be patient enough to follow through in disicpline?
The yoke of Jesus is the yoke of discipline. It’s not just giving your life to Jesus, there is a price to be paid – working out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Grace can lead you to hell if misappropriated. This is where grace can be dangerous. Grace is not a free will to sin, but to deliver us from sin.
