Having to start your day with asking God for forgiveness daily can be very frustrating, especially when you know you are going to commit the sin again. Self condemnation comes once we violate God’s principles.
This self-condemnation will surface at much unexpected times. Most times, young folks get involved in jeru trip before marriage in order to express their freedom or liberty. In the end, the purpose is defeated, because the very freedom they seek to express will be lost to emotional captivity and slavery. Freedom from a guilty conscience will be gone.
Years ago, a lady sat before me. She was genuinely troubled. She felt God would never forgive her, because she was involved in jeru trip. She wept bitterly. She said she has asked God to forgive her severally and she was not sure God heard her.
Another lady actually lost her mind after indulging in jeru trip because she believed she had committed an unpardonable sin. She couldn’t recognize anybody again. She embraced the devil’s lie that she has committed the unpardonable sin because of the jeru trip. She was talking gibberish and making faces. When we were called (alongside another pastor) upon to pray for her, all our attempts failed until we started to address the issue of guilt by the Spirit of God. As we began to speak to her about God’s love and kindness, that demon left her, she calmed down, sobered up and tears began to flow. It was only then she was restored. It was then she told us what really happened. The negative emotion of guilt is a terrible experience. Guilt can be so real to the point of being suicidal.
When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. (Psa 40:12 MSG)
I’m swamped by my bad behavior, collapsed under gunnysacks of guilt. (Psa 38:4 MSG)
You wouldn’t want to live with guilt all your life for violating God’s law. However, no matter how guilty you feel right now; God can always send help if you call upon Him and trust in His Word. That’s the way out. It could be a sin of fornication or adultery or any form of sexual perversion, the blood of Jesus took care of all!
Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to GOD.” Suddenly the pressure was gone– my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared. (Psa 32:5 MSG)
I want you to know that there is a lover of your soul that is different from any lover who might have disappointed you. You might have been disappointed by men, abandoned by men, used and dumped by men, treated shabbily by men…but when you meet the man, He will restore your soul! The Samaritan woman had met so many men…but then when she met the man, the lover of her soul, she couldn’t but express the difference that turned her life around!
Joh 4:28-29 KJV The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man…
Respond to God’s love today. Refuse the emotion of guilt! You see the moment you have asked your father to forgive you, He forgives and forgets. The devil tries to bring guilt so that you can feel unworthy and thereby prevent you from coming into God’s presence boldly.
But you see, this issue is a family affair! If your earthly father has forgiven you of an offence, what else can the servant in the house say? You simply tell him to shut up!
That is the way you handle the devil. It’s none of his business. God forgave you, period. Tell the devil to shut up, it’s between you and your father, it’s a family affair and it is settled! He should stop poke nosing. The blood of Jesus handled it already!
If he tries to remind you of your past, remind him of his future, it’s the bottomless pit! Make sure you stop sinning. That is what God does not want, especially continuous and habitual sins. Grace cannot abound when sin continues!
Only hearken to what Jesus said to that adulterous woman caught in the act.
Joh 8:11 KJV… And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
The fact is that you did something wrong. The lie is that you will never be forgiven. The Truth is that you are already forgiven and it is forgotten! Embrace the truth today and let it set you free! Truth is superior to fact!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I refuse the lie from the devil. I embrace the truth of God’s word.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask that God helps you to see the truth in his word.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Psalm 32:5 (KJV)I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
We started looking at this topic yesterday. We mentioned some things about the right woman.
1. She will truly love you. 2. She will truly and regularly intercede for you. 3. She will truly add to you and not deplete you.
What other ways can you know the right woman for you?
4. She will truly behave appropriately How do I mean? A lady that truly loves you will not aid and push you into sin. In courtship, she will not demand for jeru trip neither will she ‘supply’ it when it is being demanded. She will behave in a spiritually appropriate way. She will not trap you or manipulate you. She will not become a spiritual nuisance or distraction to you. I know guys can be forceful, manipulative and stubborn sometimes, but when a lady wants to say No, she knows how to say it.
In marriage, she will behave appropriately. She will not defraud her husband! That’s what the Bible calls it. When you deny your husband in marriage, it’s fraud!
Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. (1 Corinthians 7:5 KJV)
This doesn’t mean husbands should not allow their wives to rest, right?
Don’t go and tell your wife, ‘Pastor Dunamis said even if it is five times daily, you should be good to go!” In reality, never sex-starve your husband. It is not supposed to be a tool of punishment or reward.
5. She will be truly faithful. A lady in courtship that truly loves you will not double date. She will not live in deception. She will not be caught in betwixt the triple operation of greed, money and sex. She will remain faithful. That is all about fearing God.
In marriage, she will not cheat on you or hide things from you. Do ladies who are believers cheat on their husbands? Yes. How do I know? Through counseling! It starts with emotional affairs, nursing secret desires and keeping it away from your spouse. You see, iniquity is perpetuated in the atmosphere of secrecy. The power of iniquity is broken when it is exposed. When you are capable of hiding things from your husband, well, you don’t love him like you should, and a seed of adultery can be planted, because all it takes is your ability to do things and hide them.
Well, if you find some defects in your courtship, you might want to lovingly discuss them and make adjustments. You might also want to talk to a mentor or a counselor. You might also want to pray and ask God for wisdom. I pray that God will give you wisdom on how to make it right in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I know the right person to marry
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask that God leads you in the right direction
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Prov 18:22(KJV)Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
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
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
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.
