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.
Prayer is one habit that you should have as a child. It’s your way of communicating with God and making it a regular habit is a huge bonus for you as a Christian child.
When you pray often, you are creating an open channel of conversing with God. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will know Him, know yourself, know His plans for you and enjoy His glory spread all over your life.
Jesus, the son of God, had the habit of always taking time off to pray to God. See what the bible reveals about how Jesus took prayer while He was on earth, in the verses below.
But Jesus often slipped away to other places to be alone so that he could pray. Luke 5:16 ICB
At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night, praying to God. Luke 6:12 ICB
After he said good-bye to them, he went alone up into the hills to pray. It was late, and Jesus was there alone. Matthew 14:23 ICB
Early the next morning, Jesus woke and left the house while it was still dark. He went to a place to be alone and pray. Mark 1:35 ICB
Prayer was an important part of Jesus’ life while He was on earth. He did so early in the mornings, left His disciples at some times to go pray alone and even to empty and quiet places to pray. Through prayer He communicated with His father. He asked for help with what was going to happen to Him. He also prayed for the disciples and many people.
Be like Jesus, find a quiet place where you can be alone and pray to God. Early in the morning, pray to God. During the day, pray also. Put aside some few minutes to pray and see how your relationship with God grows. The habit of prayer will sure do you some good.
May His grace give you the strength to pray at all times. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Lord, I want to develop the habit of praying to you often; help me to take on the habit prayer. I want my life to improve and my relationship with you also in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action point: Find more verses in the bible that speaks about habits. Read and study them. What did you learn?
In today’s article, we would be examining how children can pray, as seen in the Bible. The bible is full of so many power-packed prayers from ordinary people like you and me, who faced one issue or another at different times in bible history.
It’s a reservoir of prayers said out of fear, pain, and loneliness. Some were faced with destruction and had to cry out for help. Some more said prayers out of confusion, hopelessness, and despair. Prayers for mercy, deliverance, and strength are found in the bible, said by people who were faced with huge challenges. And in these stories we see how children can pray.
Sometimes, God can lead you to a particular book, chapter, and verse in the bible as a guide to pray with. When directed to read from the bible, obey. That way, you get to know what God wants to teach or tell you about that burning issue in your mind.
David praised and worshipped God a lot in the psalms. His prayers also showed that he too had fears and prayed about them. He had hope in God to save him from all his enemies. And the Bible records that God gave him victory over all his enemies. Reading these life stories, you learn how children can pray.
When he was afraid, lost, and unsure of what to do –“Later David prayed to the Lord. David said,
“Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah? The lord said to David, “Go”. David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord answered, “To Hebron”. 1 Sam. 2:1 ICB
As you learn how children can pray, include reading and meditation from the bible. God bless you as you do so. Amen
Prayer: Lord, as you lead me to read the bible, help me to grasp the meaning of what I read. Help me meditate on these readings so I can learn how to pray. Amen.
Action point: Read some Psalms of David. Note the different ways he prayed for help, forgiveness, and other things.
Declaration: Prayer is the master key, so I use it well.
As we continue in this series, we will look at another aspect today – “pray for yourself.” You know it’s very easy to judge others. You see them doing something you perceive to be wrong and bam! You find a word to quickly call them maybe out loud or in your mind. Your face even shows it even if you don’t say it.
That’s very natural. And God being merciful will give His Holy Spirit freely to you. The job of the Holy Spirit is to quickly and lovingly show or tell you some things.
One, the Spirit of God will tell you how you have acted like the person you are judging immediately. He shows you the many instances you have acted like them. That you are not any different from them. It is when this reality hits you that you will know you need to pray for yourself.
An example of this is when prophet Samuel told king David a story about a man and David was so quick to judge the man in the story. But when he realized he has acted like the man, he broke down and prayed. Learn to pray for yourself.
Another thing the Holy Spirit will do is to lead you towards repenting and asking for forgiveness immediately as well. He wants your remorse at the stage. And it is not a good thing to try and argue with the Holy Spirit.
Don’t try to say how different you are from the person or how the circumstances are not the same. It is the Holy Spirit you are talking with. He knows all things. He knows the minds of all men. He knows your thoughts, past, present and future. Just break down and pray for yourself.
Thirdly, He will reveal to you the probable reason why the person is doing what they are doing. He wants you to understand so you can empathize with them. This does not in anyway mean He accepts what they are doing. No! But He only wants you to not commit the sin of judging others thereby causing yourself to be judged as well. When He shows you this, it also makes you pray for yourself, so that you don’t fall into the same thing.
Finally, He could show you other ways you can help this person out. Apart from praying for them, He could show you what you have that they need and that you can give them. For instance, if you noticed a classmate who cheats during exams, you could pray for them and offer to teach them some school work after school hours. That’s what the Holy Spirit would want you to do.
Judging others does no good to anyone. Not to you or the other person.
May the Holy Spirit watch over your thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
Prayer: Sweet Holy Spirit, show me my faults. Brood over my words, thoughts and actions in Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Listen to the prompts of the Holy Spirit anytime you feel like judging someone, and pray for yourself.
The power of a genuine prayer for something to happen or for someone to change can never be overrated. Instead of judging your friends, pray for them. Prayer is one mighty tool to use to create the change you want. In its purest form, it touches the heart of God and moves His hands to do the miraculous. And God always listens to a prayer said on behalf of someone.
When God hears your prayers concerning somebody, He listens. So pray for them. It is called intercession. When you intercede on behalf of someone, asking God to help them have a change of heart, He loves it. This is because God loves it when people change from being bad to good. That’s why He sent Jesus to die for us all
Instead of judging someone, pray for them. Speak to God about them. Ask God to help them see the errors of their ways and stop doing every wrong think they are doing. Give them your prayers instead of judging them.
Your prayer is a cry for mercy to God for them. You are telling God to look upon them with mercy and not on their wrongs.
Instead of the punishment that they should receive for their wrongs, ask the Lord to forgive them and make them new again in His sight, just like Jesus cried on the cross, asking our Heavenly Father to forgive us all. Learn to ‘pray for them.’
Pray as often as you can as the bible encourages to pray always.
Prayer is like preparing a bowl of stew. You first gather your ingredients, get the pot and fire ready and start the process. It takes time to prepare the soup and the process has to be followed if you want the stew done and ready.
Continue to pray and believe God will bring a change in them. Don’t forget our anchor phrase this morning – ‘pray for them.’
May the Lord bless you as you pray for people. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill me with the urge to pray for others instead of judging them. Help me to continue to do this, in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
Action plan: Who is the first person you think you should start praying for? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you.
