I want a dad in the real sense of it. I want a dad whose confidence, leadership, courage, and examples inspire me.
I want a dad who will not usher my budding destiny into smoking and drinking and clubbing by transference of spirits. I want a dad who will pay the price just so for me to emerge. I want a dad I can bless and not regret in the years to come. I want a dad I can call my own, not an absentee dad.
I want a dad that will truly love my mum. I want a dad that will not mess up my inclinations and outlook by bringing in so many ‘mums’ into his bed. I want a dad that will not teach me to lie. I want a dad that will not make my malleable emotions and innocent tendencies gravitate into the world of sexual perversion.
I want a dad that prays for me, a dad that I am proud of, a dad I am close to and a dad I can discuss everything with! I want a dad that will not touch me (girl child) inappropriately. I want a dad who will not sexualize me. I want a dad who will teach me how to love my spouse when the time comes in a pragmatic way.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am a good man. God will help me!
PRAYER FOR THE DAY oh Lord, flood the eyes of my mind with revelational light in Jesus name.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 1Ti 2:8 KJV I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Check the man in you and sincerely take an inventory to see whether you are pleasing God or not.
When there is disunity in a household, there are all sorts of evil works of unrighteousness there. The devil has a field day because the demons are at work in such a family.
A family where they don’t pray together, study God’s word, take confessions, and do spiritual exercises together invites the devil.
The atmosphere in such a family is tense; there is hardly laughter, playing, or any of such. All there will be is suspicion, strife, unforgiving spirit, and abuse.
A house where the father is the lion of the tribe of the house; he is feared with trepidation, where the children are full of lies, abuses, and emotional hurts, where the children hibernate in their rooms for lack of companionship. Where the wife is full of lies, insincerity, hurts, bitterness, and schemes, all this ought not to be so.
We as believers are called to Christ-like life, to live like Christ, to love like Christ, to be meek and gentle like Him in all that we do.
When Jesus was on earth, He lived a selfless life, he lived to please God and not himself, his relationships were selfless.
He taught forgiveness, he lived forgiveness, even when he was dying on the cross he said; Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. That statement alone can set us free in our marriages.
Ask yourself, the wrong that is done to you, does that person know it is a sin? Then if they do not know, forgive them. Be quick to forgive easily. Develop a forgiving spirit. Learn to forgive in advance. Make up your mind; you are going to forgive your spouse no matter what he/she does.
When you forgive, you are actually helping yourself, because you cherish your relationship with God more than anything, and you don’t want anything to disrupt your relationship with God, you forgive.
Let us work towards making our home a haven and not an oven. It is your responsibility. Don’t wait for one person to do it for you. You have to be committed and take up the responsibility to do it yourself.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have God’s wisdom to do the right thing
PRAYER FOR THE DAY I receive grace to forgive easily
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. –Romans 6:14 (KJV)
Dear Child, today we’ll be learning about corrections and instructions. As children, you know you don’t know everything. You still need the help of adults around you to give you instructions and correct you when you need it.
Corrections won’t always go on your good side, that’s because you will be scolded when need be.
As a child, taking instructions is necessary. You always need someone to guide and direct you so you don’t hurt yourself or make grievous mistakes
See what the bible says;
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. –Proverbs 9: 8-9(KJV)
When a wise man is rebuked (corrected), he will love the person that corrects him more. Why is this? It’s because he loves to be corrected and he or she has realized that it’s only people who love you and want the best for you that will correct you.
You also should love to be corrected, regardless of how you feel after you have been rebuked.
When your parents and adults around you correct you, it’s not because they hate you, it’s because they love you and want you to do better.
Another thing this verse says is that, when instruction is given to a wise person, he or she becomes wiser.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? It’s true because a wise child will follow every instruction given to him or her. This will inevitably make the child wiser because you do what you are told to do and you learn from it.
Do you want to be wiser, smarter and better at what you do? Then what you need to do is accept every correction and follow every instruction you are given, and you will see a great transformation in what you do and how you do it.
May God help you to take corrections.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to listen when I am corrected.
ACTION PLAN: Put up the right attitude whenever you are corrected.
Expecting your spouse to change overnight will leave you heavily disappointed. It is entirely different if either spouse is an unbeliever; change in that sense is possible and can be anytime.
But when we talk about habits, attitudes, and behavioral patterns it can take a while.
Take note of these few points:
1. Patience
You will need to exercise patience! It takes a while. Let’s assume your spouse was twenty-five years old by the time you got married. It means that he or she has been formed into a certain mold for twenty-five years. Coming into marriage and expecting a quick change because you sermonized or lectured him or her will not make a change in a few days, expecting a quick change, may leave you disappointed.
Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud… -1Corinthians 13:4 (CEV)
I think in marriages, you always get to understand that virtue called “long-suffering!”
2. Don’t Lecture Or Sermonize
Your lectures and long talks do nothing at the end of the day; it only turns you into a nag, a domineering spouse, and an impatient spouse.
Between a husband and a wife, one will talk more than the other; don’t ever make the mistake of thinking your ability to package words is effective on your spouse.
It is even much more annoying and irritatingly hilarious if your spouse is a phlegmatic who doesn’t want trouble; he or she will allow you to talk and talk, and then will promise you there is change, only so that you can stop talking!
Only to do the very thing you’ve been talking about again!
You feel like escaping from the marriage, but sorry, you are hooked already!
Trust God that things will get better.
3. Pray Rather Than Talk And Talk
Your most effective and sure way to create any change is to pray. Take it to God and stop wearing yourself out.
Try and think about it, you’ve been complaining about something for seven years, yet no change! and you keep complaining!
Don’t you think in seven years, your spouse has disconnected himself or herself from your complaints?
He or she has mastered the art of closing the gate of his heart; you are only talking to the ears!
It does nothing and it would do nothing!
Pray about it!
4. Get Back Into Dating Mode
You used to love yourselves! You used to overlook and ignore some things you are bitterly complaining about now. What happened?
You need to get back into that romantic mode and love each other again rather than thinking your spouse is the problem of your family!
Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. -1Corinthians 13:7 (CEV)
Be supportive, be hopeful, and trust again. Cast your cares unto Jesus and stop focusing on the flaws of your spouse.
Get back into appreciating him or her in their area of strength.
I pray that God will help you need and send the very help you need in Jesus name.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am patient
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to love my spouse again
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, and never gives up. -1Corinthians 13:7 (GW)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Read Myles Munroe’s book on the Myth of Singleness
Women can completely relate to the art of cooking, it’s a beautiful art that requires focus and mastery. When you want to eat a meal, it doesn’t just appear by merely desiring it, or just thinking about it.
It takes a lot of deliberateness to cook a nice and tasty meal. For food to be prepared a lot of things have to come together; these things are called ingredients.
Spice, proteins, vegetables, you name it. These things have to come together before you can have a meal, and depending on what you decide to combine, it results in the aroma, taste, and outlook of your end product.
Just like cooking is an art, marriage is also an art; the only difference is you can’t master it because every day is different.
But certainly, there are principles (ingredients) you can use to address every issue, to get certain results, regardless of whether it’s the same scenario or not.
Love is a major ingredient in marriage; it’s not just the feeling of butterflies or Goosebumps. Even those that have been married for a short while will agree with me that you don’t feel butterflies in your belly all the time.
What exactly is this ingredient called Love? Let us see what the bible says.
Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (MSG)
As husband and wife, the greatest good you can do for yourselves is to love each other passionately, love yourself from the depths of your heart and really mean it.
Let love be without dissimulation.
I love the way that The Message Translation puts it.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. –Romans 12:9a (MSG)
Don’t fake love for each other; let your love be genuine, genuine love can be felt, and it will also reflect in every area.
Pray for one another’s weaknesses; take every anxiety and fear to God in the place of prayers. As you begin to do this, you will receive the strength to love your spouse appropriately and passionately.
So shall it be in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will love my spouse unconditionally
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, send your help into our marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. –Proverbs 14:29 (KJV)
