Son 2:3-7 (MSG) As an apricot tree stands out in the forest, my lover stands above the young men in town. All I want is to sit in his shade, to taste and savor his delicious love.
Well, born again or not, there is a strong desire that comes with falling in love.
If you like, speak in tongues till tomorrow, this desire will not go.
But what can be subdued is lust that often wants to tag along, like Lot tagged along with Abraham.
Yes, the desire will not go, because there is nothing wrong with the desire, it is the fulfillment of the desire at the wrong time that gets us into trouble.
So, all you want when you fall in love is to sit down in each other’s shade, with feelings of wanting to taste and savor the delicious love.
The Strong Desire That Comes With Love
I felt like that. She felt like that. But we waited. You can wait as well.
No matter how intense the desire is, do not taste that love before the wedding.
Tasting love and consummating your love before the wedding is like stealing a lump of hot meat from the pot of stew before it is ready.
Your taste bud gets burnt and you can lose your sense of taste, which ultimately leads to tasting more pot of stew that doesn’t belong to you!
If you have already started doing this as singles, then there is a clarion call this morning to stop and now get yourself onto unnecessary problems that are never part of your destiny!
The Strong Desire That Comes With Love
For married couples, you are licensed to sit in his shade, to keep tasting, relishing, and delighting in each other’s love! What is forbidden here is looking outside for pleasure. You are now married, you can admire others but shouldn’t desire them.
You now need to focus on the one you have married and pleasure one another. To look outside is not only greed and covetousness but also lust, which your maker frowns at! Dear husband, dear wife, FOCUS!
There is something about a person that is willing to wait. He wanted something more spiritual and enduring than some passing fleeting moment of physical pleasure or satisfaction.
He is not about to lose his testimony because he saw a girl that dressed somehow. He is not about to kick at the pricks because of lack of self-control. He is not about to jeopardize the salvation of his soul because of some pleasure!
You see, it is about value! She is not about to sleep with a man because of some money! She is not about to sell her body in exchange for school fees! The list goes on and on!
Esau syndrome is saying you cannot wait till marriage before having intercourse. Esau syndrome is sleeping with an Ex or with a colleague for whatever reason. Esau’s syndrome is sleeping with men in exchange for money to meet your needs instead of trusting God to meet your needs. Esau syndrome is sleeping with your boss to secure a position.
Verse 17 says “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
May we not be rejected when it comes to the fullness of God’s blessings! May our eyes be open to see the consequences of some actions that we feel do not matter. May we not exchange God’s blessings, support, and favour for some few minutes of pleasure that is sure to bring regrets later.
Before you are caught up in some guilt this morning over some things you might have done wrong, I want you to know that in God there is a place for repentance and restoration. That is the beauty of serving God. Jesus paid the price for all your sins, and you stand forgiven if you can embrace God’s love.
And that is what I want you to do rather than get into some pity party. Also, don’t allow the devil to tell you that it is too late or that you are too far gone. God is a rewriter of destinies, a re-molder of lives, and the one that can make you forget the shame of your youth! He is the one that can give you double joy for every trouble you have been through! Run to Him now!
I pray for you that you will not fail of the grace of God. God’s favour will work for you!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the grace to wait for you
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God’s Spirit will help you to live right.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 25:32 AMP Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me?
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place or thing that is influencing you negatively.
As I waited on God on what to write on this morning, the Spirit of God dropped this phrase in my spirit: “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau…”
Let’s see the reference.
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. – Heb 12:15-17 KJV
The first time I have seen this scripture, my immediate question was, “Did Esau ever commit the sin of fornication? No! What he did was that he sold his birthright, and yet the Bible likened him to a fornicator or a profane person.
How was Esau profane? Let’s look at the Message translation.
Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. – Heb 12:16 MSG
Esau traded away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. This is the same thing a fornicator or a profane person does.
He trades away eternity for a few minutes. He disregards the consequences of his actions just to satisfy some rush of adrenaline at the moment.
That is Esau’s syndrome. That is fornication. That is profanity.
Esau was hungry when he came back from hunting. He probably had some dead animal he brought, but the moment he set eyes on the pottage, he could not WAIT!
And that is it. WAITING!
Waiting is powerful! If he could wait, he would not have traded his birthright! Jacob too was hungry! That was why he was cooking in the first place. But he could wait for what he wanted! When a man is profane, he will always lose something valuable to another man that is upright. If Esau could wait, he could have prepared what he brought or go cook his own pottage!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY Lord, I receive the grace to wait for you
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God’s Spirit will help you to live right.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Gen 25:32 AMP Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me?
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Cut off your association with any person, place, or thing that is influencing you negatively.
Yesterday, we identified two steps to breaking delay and stagnation.
Let’s continue…
Step 3: Change Your Actions
The third step is to change your actions. This may seem simple, but it’s important.
If you want to be in a different place in life, then you need to take action and do something about it. If you want something different from your life, then maybe it’s time to do something differently too.
It can be easy to fall into the routine of doing the same things over and over again, but that isn’t going to make your dreams come true. You have to start doing something different in order for anything else to happen.
Take some time today and write down what you want from your life, both professionally and personally. What are your goals? What would make you happy? And commit yourself now to taking some time each day to work on reaching them.
Step 4: Build a Better Future for Yourself
The fourth step for breaking the yokes of delay and stagnation is to build a better future for yourself. When you’re facing difficulty in your current situation, it can be hard to imagine a better future. But with a little creativity and imagination, you can start building that better future right now.
For example, if your job is unsatisfying or you aren’t getting paid enough, see what opportunities are out there in other fields. You could research different careers that appeal to you and see which one would be the best fit. Maybe you’ve always loved social work or writing? Or maybe this opportunity will open an entirely new door for you.
The point is that by building a better future for yourself, you’ll have more power over your life. And when we have more control over our lives, we tend to feel happier and more satisfied with our current situation.
Conclusion;
The way you think, what you do, and what you create now will determine your future.
You can break the yokes of delay and stagnation and create a better future for yourself. If you feel like you are stuck, stuck, stuck and can’t get out, it is time to take action and break through. Get restless!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY No more delays. My wedding is happening soonest.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY I bind the spirit of delay in my life in Jesus name.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? – Isaiah 29:17 (KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Start preparing for your marriage now.
You have waited. You have prayed. You might have even cried and wondered why your spouse is not showing up. You have dabbled into some unwise relationships out of being desperate or because you think your biological clock is ticking away.
You are agitated. You are not happy. You have fasted and still fasting. Is God really listening? You wondered.
In the midst of all these, here is the word of the Lord.
For yeta little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb 10:37 (KJV)
He will come and he will show up. She will be found and you will meet your wife. Put all your trust in Him and never Doubt Him for a second.
The devil wants you to give up on God. Like Job’s wife said to Job, the devil wants you to curse God, and of course what will follow is death.
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Job 2:9 (KJV)
Death of your desire and all that pertains to it. That will never be your portion in Jesus name!
Trust this God because He never fails. He has your back. He is faithful. And you will never be ashamed as a result of serving God.
Hold on tightly to Him, He that will come will come. Don’t allow pressure to push you into the zone of compromise.
He remains your shepherd and He will guide you into His plans. Wow! What a good God we serve.
How I love the Message Translation.
It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute.
Heb 10:37 (MSG)
Yes, it won’t be long. Any minute from now, your miracle will show up. Trust and hold on to the horns of the altar.
