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.
No matter how long you have been single, never walk down the aisle because you are desperate to settle down.
When you are desperate, you are apt to make a lot of mistakes! The first thing you need to understand is that being single is not a disease. Yes, there are times you might need to work on some attitudes because wrong attitudes can actually make a man to run away! For example, extreme and unnecessary anger can make a man run away! That’s the truth. So as a lady, work on your attitudes and character.
However, no matter how single or how long you have been “singled” there are some men I will have nothing to do with if I were you.
You see, it is BETTER to remain single than walk down the aisle with a wrong man! Trust me, I am a counselor, and I can’t count how many times young ladies have called me and they want out of their marriage. Some of them have only been married for weeks and they are asking me if I know any good lawyers!
If I were a lady and single, these are the men I will run away from.
1. The man I am not in love with
Ladies, don’t get involved with the man you are not in love with! It is not going to work. Even the one you are in love with, there would still be issues, but because you are in love, the issues are quickly resolved.
But when you hate his guts deep down inside you and you only got hooked because of pressures from friends and families, issues can quickly become compounded and the fact that you don’t love him will haunt you for life.
When you marry the one you are not in love with, each time you wake up in the morning, and you see his face, your mistakes will stare you in the face and I tell, you, the absence of true joy in a marriage can be debilitating.
There is no point getting hooked up with an old, pot bellied man that you detest so much but got hooked up with because of pressures.
2. The man that tells lies
One of the most unfortunate choices a lady can make is to choose a confirmed, habitual and impulsive liar. Dear daughter, don’t ever make that mistake, or else you won’t enjoy that marriage. How can you live with someone you cannot trust? That is an affliction in itself.
You know he is lying and the liar knows that you know he is lying, what kind of life is that? Even in the little times he is telling the truth, you are unable to trust him because you don’t have an idea when he is telling the truth. As a matter of fact, if you are not a good believer, you might start telling lies as well in order to get back at him.
What about the possibility of giving birth to children who are liars because of transference of spirits? You see, at the end of the day, you always discover that it is not worth it! Run away from pathological, compulsive of obsessive lairs!
To be continued.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I know how to love correctly.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Dear daughter, pray that the Lord helps you not to fall in love with the wrong person.
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 as a daughter.
We’ll continue from the devotional we started yesterday “Here is how to love your spouse”
3. Learn About how a man and a woman think
Apart from loving God, you need to discover how men and women think. This will help you in consciously following the pattern of their thought process. There is a way peculiar to how men think. Men are logical being, they process things and see things from the logical point of view.
Men also think in box-like patterns. That is why they love things that are box-like. They love television, football, mobile phones, cars, etc. A man cannot do too many things together, they can’t multitask, like women. An understanding of how men think will help you understand them.
Women are emotional beings. They see things from the emotional point of view. That’s why they cry mostly. A woman hurts deeper than a man.
They think in spaghetti-like patterns. That’s why a woman can have all her emotions juggling up and down. A woman can multitask and do so many things at the same time. This knowledge can solve some major issues in learning to love and understand your spouse.
4. Learn your spouses’ love language
We have dealt with love languages in depth in the past. Kindly refer to it for more about love languages. There will be a primary way your spouse feel loved. Find out that language and speak it. It is an amazing way to love your spouse when you speak their love language.
5. Be yourself, don’t pretend
In loving your spouse, you don’t have to pretend. We are all a work in progress. We are all getting better by the day. I can say I am getting better at loving my own husband now than before. The things that used to get me feeling bad are probably not a major concern to me anymore. I have become more matured.
So, if you are not there yet, don’t pretend you are there. You will soon discover you can’t fake it for long and then you will be back at square one. Go at your pace and don’t pretend. In fact, love never pretends, love is always transparent.
We will continue tomorrow with the concluding part of “how do I love my spouse?”
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I know how to love my spouse. I have God’s wisdom
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to know and understand how to love my spouse.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY “Finally, all [ of you ] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [ with one another ], loving [ each other ] as brethren [ of one household ], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).” (1Pe 3:8, AMP)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Start loving appropriately
How do you know how to love your spouse? This is an all-important question that we all try to answer ever since we got married. We all are still trying to answer it and we will still be answering it till death do us part. It is an awesome truth that only death is supposed to part husband and wife. Apart from that, no other thing is permitted to separate us.
Some of us need to learn and be taught how to love our spouses. No matter how complex they are, you have the capacity to love your spouse with the love of God. It is actually spiritual to love your husband/wife. There is nothing carnal in loving your spouse.
These are some ways
1. Love God first of all This is the very first step in loving your husband/wife, love God. A spouse that doesn’t love God cannot love his/her spouse. God is love and it takes a heart that knows God to love. You love God by loving His Word and doing His will.
When you love God this way, it becomes easier for you loving your spouse because you would have developed the capacity to love and put the flesh under. Human nature is generally selfish and does not want to love unconditionally.
God expects us to love our spouse unconditionally.
2. Know that you need God all the way Loving God is not something you do half half-heartedly or once and for all or once in a while. Because you cannot fully know God completely, you have to keep yearning for more of him. The more you discover about God, the more you want to love him. So in loving God, you become a God chaser.
I have seen in my own experience that, the more I chase after God the better I love my husband
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I know how to love my spouse. I have God’s wisdom
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to know and understand how to love my spouse.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY “Finally, all [ of you ] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [ with one another ], loving [ each other ] as brethren [ of one household ], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).” (1Pe 3:8, AMP)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Start loving appropriately
One of the greatest challenges that a man will face is how to care of his wife. This is not because a man is reluctant to do so, but simply because the definition of care in a man’s brain is sometimes exact opposite of how a lady defines care. I am not talking about when you’ve just fallen in love. Mostly at that time, your eyes are not open to reality then. At the times when you’ve just fallen in love, everything he does is okay and everything she does is okay!
A woman sees C-A-R-E as availability, attention and some good money! A man often sees C-A-R-E as money, money and money, and that is where the problem is?
Didn’t I just send you money? How can you say I don’t care? Didn’t I just send you to Dubai? You see, a woman that truly loves you doesn’t mind going to Dubai, but she doesn’t want to go alone! She wants to go with you!
I know there are some women who see C-A-R-E as money, money and money! This isn’t a genuine love, and at the end of the day, they are still frustrated despite the money because the real need is never met!
This is the bane of ladies who are of marriageable age, but refuse to love and be loved appropriately because of some man who is giving them money or who rents an apartment for them somewhere.
You call them big girls, but they are really small inside! The big girls are not the ones spending some ill-gotten money that they accumulated from using their bodies as a commodity; the big girls are the ones who refuse to compromise in the face of provocation, who decides to stand up for God!
If you are engaged to a lady who never asks for your time and attention but only wants you to send her money, you should really be worried! She is probably getting the emotional fulfillment somewhere else and you are just a tool in her hands, to get money!
On the other hand, if a lady never stresses you for money but only asks that you call regularly and be there for her, she really loves you! Though, there could be an extreme of this as well, when the lady in question is overly needy because of past experiences and self-esteem issues.
So how do you take care of lady? Be there for her. Take care of her by spending time with her. But, I have to provide for her, so I am busy and I have to be away! Yes, but you have to create time out of no time, to be available for her. May you not get the money and then lose her!
You need to understand that it is a need of hers! Initially she might not complain because the money is always there, but after a while, she would rather let you have her than the money having her.
Why do you think some rich women get depressed? Haven’t you seen ladies living in palatial mansions who are so unhappy and depressed?
Money answereth all things…that it can answer!
Like it is often said, can money buy sleep? Nay, it may buy waterbed, not sleep!
Can money buy a good heart, nay, it may get a beautiful face, not necessarily a good heart. One of the worst things that can happen to a man is a stunningly beautiful face sitting on an evil heart! Conversely, one of the greatest tragedies that can happen to a woman is a stupendously rich man and a handsome face sitting on an abusive, egocentric and violent man!
His money buys your body, your mouth and your mind! You can’t even think for yourself, that is not marriage! Sadly this is where a lot of ladies find themselves! A lady called me sometimes ago weeping profusely; that she has all the money but she cannot spend! She was living in a prison!
It is for this reason that when you are talking of a relationship or marriage with a person, the most singular important factor is God’s choice for you!
And then some people will come up with some funny ideas like; what if God gives me somebody I don’t love? What you don’t know is that God is not man, that arithmetic or geometry will never be.
That God will lead you to somebody you hate all your life? It never happens like that! You will always love what God offers because He gives you the best! Yes, initially you may not cooperate with God’s plan because of selfishness and greed, but when you come to embrace God’s plan, you will see the wisdom of God, and you will be full of praises to God!
Only God knows the man or woman that will last the whole journey with you. Only God knows the one that will pack his or her load along the way. Only God knows the one that might pull the trigger on you five years later. Only God knows the one that wouldn’t mind using you for some ritual… because God looks into the heart…while you are looking at the bank account and the face! You see why it is important you follow God’s direction?
What if you are already married and you feel you made a mistake? Stay there and correct that mistake, with prayers, good attitudes, wisdom and a lot of maturity, God can heal your marriage and make it good!
May God help us all!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am not confused. I am being led of God
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord lead me into that place by your side.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalms 5:3 KJV)
