God wants and desires husband and wife to naked and not ashamed. The covenant of marriage is meant to be 100% transparency.
God is honored when the husband and wife see themselves in the light of what God ordained marriage to be.
Sincerity in marriage could be defined as the absence of pretense, deceit or hypocrisy.
We do so many things in marriage that doesn’t add up to being sincere. There are lots of half-truth, outright lies, insincerity, hiding things, pretense and being hypocritical.
When there are lies, we build our marriage on falsehood. One degree away from the truth is falsehood and this can be dangerous to the wellbeing of the union.
It is the truth that sets free. The degree of openness is the degree to which there is power available for the couples to be in agreement.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. – Joh 8:32
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It is high time couples learn to be sincere with themselves. Let truth be said in all things. Let’s have zero tolerance for insincerity.
If anything happens, we should be courageous enough to say it as it is. Let’s cast out the spirit of fear from our lives. It is fear of what your spouse will say or do or how he or she will feel disappointed that most of the time, keeps us from saying the truth.
You can ask yourself this simple question; ‘If you say the truth, will he or she kill you?’ He /she may be angry at first but I am sure he/ she will respect you more for the truth you said.
By saying the truth, you shut the door on the devil to keep you bound. You set yourself free. The problem with lies is that you will need more lies to cover up the first lie.
The most distressing thing to do is to be insincere. You belabor yourself trying to hide and cover up.
Another reason we need to be careful of lies in our marriage and home is because lies is in the domain of the devil. Jesus called the devil the liar and the father of all lies.
Let’s learn to say the truth always. It is the truth that sets free!
Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity). – 1Jn 3:18
May God help us all!
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am truthful at all times
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Reject the operations of the devil in your marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief – we’re not oblivious to his sly ways! (2Co 2:11 MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Decide to be truthful no matter what
Be truthful always. Children think that when they are not caught red-handed in the act of wrongdoing, they are safe. Even when caught, they still might want to lie to wriggle out of it. That is an error.
Lovingly, we can help them see the error in this and show them what the bible says about it.
‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you’. (NIV)
Psalms 119: 11
We should punish them first, lead them towards an apology and make them understand why we are punishing them.
Punishment must always be in proportion to the wrongdoing not higher. They should know it is done out of love and not hate.
‘Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy’. (NIV)
Prov. 28:13
Prayer: Lord, I release my child (say their name(s)) to You. Touch their hearts not to hide their wrongdoings. Even when caught, help them not to lie. Help me lovingly to scold and punish them accordingly. Amen.
Action point: Confront your children on any issue you discover.
Declaration: My children are truthful. They understand the dangers of telling a lie. They do not hide their wrongdoings.
Recognizing Jesus as the only way is important. Imagine you want to reach a place and there’s only one way to reach there. Just one way to get there. You search the internet, look it up on the map, ask around, do all you can, but still can’t seem to find an alternative route. You can’t think of another way. No one can show another way and if they do, it’s the wrong way.
That’s the same way it is with Christ.
Look at the verse below
“Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 [GW]
That was Jesus telling the disciples about how to get to know God. He means that only a person who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour can get to God and get to heaven. Recognizing Jesus as the only way is important.
Jesus was simply saying; you want to know the Father, you come through me. I am the P.A to the heavenlies. I am not just a way, I am THE WAY. I am not just a door, I am THE DOOR.
There is no other way. Any other way is the wrong way and it won’t get you to heaven.
Children, do you want to go to heaven? Do not listen to people who say there is another way to heaven. Recognizing Jesus as the only way is important. I like the way this translation puts it;
Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.
John 14:6 [ERV]
The only way to the Father is through Jesus, no other way.
Selah!
Have you accepted Christ as your Saviour?
Prayer: Lord, Jesus, I thank you for being the only way to God. Thank You for making it so simple.
Action point: Accept Christ into your life today. Tomorrow might just be too late.
Declaration: I accept Jesus as the only way. He will lead me to the Father. Amen
Being calm in the face of anger and thinking about the situation is a great strength you can wield as a child. It’s also a sign that you are maturing into a balanced adult. When a person is saying words that you feel are offensive or carrying out actions that seem to offend you, ask if they are saying the truth. Seeking to know if their words are truthful can help you to understand certain things about yourself.
Giving thoughts to the words or actions of others before reacting or even after doing so helps you look inwards at yourself. You pick out the truths and apply them to your life and start making changes. Don’t look at how they said or did it – yes, it could be harsh, but look at the truth in what they are saying. You should be concerned about how to use the truths in their words and actions to better yourself.
Sometimes you could be the cause of why people do the things they do you. Are you a bully? Do you gossip about your friends? Are you a disloyal friend? Asking yourself such deep questions will lead you to the truth.
Even if you are not the cause of it, still remember to keep your cool and maintain your stand in Christ. There’s nothing to gain by retaliating with a quick outburst. Take a chill pill and let the Spirit of God teach you what to do; He is the Spirit of truth.
Finally, you can always pray to God for the grace to hold back your tongue and think before speaking; and to always speak in line with the truth when you speak.
“Lord, help me control my tongue. Help me be careful about what I say.” Psa. 143:3 ICB
Prayer:
Lord, help me learn from what people say or do to me. Show me where I am the problem. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Action point: Take your time to listen when next someone angers you with their words or actions. Listen for the truth.
