Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. It is in marriage that you can best apply this scripture. There will be many opportunities in marriage to fulfill the lust of the flesh. Our flesh wants to rise big time whenever our spouses do something that we consider unpleasant.
All works of the flesh as described in Galatians 5: 19-21 especially enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions, envy can all be seen in marriages.
In marriage, we are tempted to pay back evil for evil, tit for tat and it is easier to go by the rule of a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. In marriage, it is easy to enter into strife, to be angry at our spouse, and be bitter against them.
In my twenty-one-plus years of marriage, I have come to note that it is always easier to nip things in the bud before they get out of hand. It is always easier to apologize on time before things get out of hand. It is always easier to talk things over than to let them linger and become bigger.
Galatians 5:22 (Amp), ‘But the fruit of the Holy Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self- control (self restraint, continence)
When we allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the resultant effect will be a Spirit-controlled marriage. That is where the Lord wants us to get to. That no matter what happens or whoever it is that is at fault, we are Spirit-controlled. Our lives are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.
This can only happen when we begin to acknowledge the Holy spirit’s presence in our lives individually. When we learn to put our bodies under and allow the Holy Spirit His rightful place.
May God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am Spirit Controlled.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s place in my life
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gal 5:16 (MSG) My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Begin today to acknowledge the person of the Holy Spirit.
One sureway to do this is to let your husband have the final say. Give your husband the honor of having the final say in your marriage.This is how to win the heart of your husband.
The intelligent, opinionated, and strong-willed wives have issues with this. They are choleric, goal-getters, and achievers. They are used to making their own decisions and sticking to them.
Of truth, opposites attract, so usually, a fast and active wife will probably have a quiet, slow, and steady husband. Now the challenge would be being submissive to your husband when you consider him too slow, passive, and weak.
You know what, that is your opinion, but if you want to win your husband’s love, you need to tuck in this opinion and obey God’s instruction to submit to your own husband’s disposition. After airing your opinion, genuinely let your husband have the last say. Remember he is the king of your family kingdom. The king’s words are never to be argued.
So what if I am sure he is in the wrong, should I just look on? Not necessarily, you can pray about it but not argue endlessly.
Give your husband the honor of reigning in your marriage, let him have the last say. Never drag power or usurp authority with your husband. Keep your tongue. Don’t nag about issues or over-flogged things.
May God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will love, respect and honour my husband.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will teach you how to honour your husband.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Proverbs 31:11 (KJV) The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Decide to honour your husband.
4. She will come after you and then bring you into her territory or space for maximum control
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves (Proverbs 7:15-18 KJV)
She had a plan all the while. She is a planner when it comes to the strange lifestyle. She will go to any extent to get what she wanted. She knows what gifts to buy to weaken the man’s resolve. She is sometimes much older and she uses her money and influence to control her prey!
The modern day “sugar mummy” is a strange woman! Run from a strange life lest strange things begin to happen! The student involved with an “aristo” is also a strange lady!
5. She is an adulterer
For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed (Proverbs 7:19-20 KJV)
Any opportunity when her husband is not around is an opportunity for her to go wild. She does not mind bringing men into her matrimonial home!
I have seen it too many times, the husband is a business man in Japan or Italy, leaves the wife in Nigeria, and she simply has a man that comes into her matrimonial bed daily! While it is not good for a man to abandon his wife for months in the name of business, there is also something strange when a woman can lie, hide, be deceptive and sleeps with other men apart from her husband for whatever reasons.
I tell singles all the time, it starts as a single. The moment you can combine more than one relationship, one in Nigeria, the other in UK, or one in Lagos and the other Abuja, deceiving both sides and promising both a marriage union, there is something really strange about that.
Such lifestyles culminate in agony at the end. It is always good for you to live your life God’s way and you know what, God does not condemn you but simply wants your repentance.
God will strengthen you as you resolve to do what is right.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not fall into the trap of the strange woman.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Oh Lord, deliver me from the strange woman.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed (Proverbs 7:19-20 KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Are you noticing strange behaviours in the life of someone around you? Take action now.
A point of frustration could be deliberate or not. But if one is faced with the reality of your spouse frustrating you, what do you do?
Well, in this kind of situation, you just have to exercise patience. Have a lot of understanding and don’t react. Reacting will mean retaliating or giving it back to your spouse in the same coin or measure it is given to you.
If the frustration is as a result of some form of sickness or disease, you just have to pray to God for healing and the strength to bear your spouse’s burden.
You may be frustrated because you are not a patient person or because of temperamental differences, background differences or simply male – female differences.
If you are newly wedded, your frustration could be out of misunderstanding of the things you don’t like. Especially if you had a long distance courtship or relationship. The tendency is to want to either retaliate or withdraw from the source of your frustration or pain. Please don’t do this.
In marriage, you and your spouse are a team. United you stand and divided you fall. Know that whatever comes, you are still married and you intend to still remain married.
Let your point of frustration drive you positively to seeking help, change of character and into seeking God. You can start to pray for your spouse every day consciously. Lift your spouse up in prayer and it will be to your account.
When you are also at the point of frustration, don’t keep silent on each other and don’t seek friendship outside of the marriage. Some have done this and regretted their actions. This will only draw a big gap between the two of you. The more you grow apart, the more the gap grows and the more things get difficult.
Just know that marriage requires constant working at it. It requires daily commitment, communication and patience. There are times when all is well and rosy like heaven. There are other times when you just have to keep the flame ablaze and fan the flames.
The bottom line is, don’t give up on your marriage. Don’t make a permanent decision based on a temporary situation. The frustration you are facing is only temporary. That phase will definitely fade away.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I will not frustrate my spouse. I am patient with him/her.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for grace to be patient with your spouse
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Genesis 2:24, KJV “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Don’t give up on your marriage
