Topic: Enjoy Rest in Marriage (Part 3)
Dear Reader,
I welcome you to another exciting time in God’s presence. The first week I started this teaching, I taught on the place of rest. I said when you come to Jesus, you have rest. Last week, I also taught on rest in time of unrest. Today, we shall be looking at the topic: Relaxing at Home.
The peace of God is what brings about relaxation. When you are peaceful, you can be said to be relaxed. God is the author of peace. He is not a partial God; He will give you when you ask Him and if you allow Him to be the Lord of your life. His Word says: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).
Too many people are going through one form of tension and stress or the other at home, work, with their spouses or children. And life doesn’t seem to be treating them well. For such people, relaxation is like an impossible task. In this “age of anxiety,” where humanity is threatened with nuclear bombs, natural disaster, incurable diseases and uncertainty, everyone is looking for one type of escape or the other. Those experiencing family pressures may turn to drugs, while others opt for money making: Others may find solace in another wife, thinking that would offer a solution. Children are not left out. Some may join bad gangs with their peers, while relations seek diabolical solutions. In a bid to rid themselves of their burdens, they end up compounding them. But despite all these, the Word of God says: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
With all these seeming escape routes, many are still left empty, unfulfilled and finally worse-off than before. Everywhere, people are looking for something to relax their nerves from a world of stress, tension and pressures. Countless people and even Christians, after their salvation experience, carry burdens and go through life with yokes around them. This just goes to show that there is no permanent solution for man in those seeming escape routes. It is possible however, to live above the regions of pressure and stress.
Anyone who is experiencing turbulence in the home, can enjoy peace and rest at home by discovering the solution the Word of God offers to troubled homes and obeying His instructions. It may not look like the solution, but God is a marriage expert. He ordained and instituted the family unit and knows how best to make it work. Just by following instructions, my home and family is a place to relax. Pressure can’t find its way in, stress is non-existent and tension can’t survive there. God has made it a place of peace for all the family members and me. Yours can be the same too, if you can practise what it takes.
I don’t know the kind of burden you have been carrying about, but today, as you continue to read God’s Word, it will show you what to do in order to live stress-free. You can relax at home! If you are willing to do what it takes, God’s presence will be with you even where you are now. You agree with His Word and He will take every burden off your life, and every yoke off your shoulder. The Bible says:
COME unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 emphasis mine).
If you are tired of being burdened at home and you need to relax, Jesus Christ says, “Come”. Imagine a man running a race with a bag of cement on his head. He wants to win but the weight on his head is a hindrance. This illustrates what many families are experiencing. Burdens, weights, cares and worries have robbed them of reaching that goal of a peaceful home. I want you to know that absence of peace in the family does not make for relaxation. Relax yourself in the arms of the Lord Jesus and lay your burdens at His feet. Until you do that, you can’t lay hold on the rest that God has for you.
No one else can carry your burden except the Lord Jesus. It doesn’t matter what the burden is, whether it is bad examination results, financial hardship, or childlessness, Jesus says, “Come unto me…and I will give you rest”.I am determined, set and ready to give you rest if only you will let me.” You have a duty to perform by coming to Jesus. The Bible describes Jesus Christ as “The Word of God” (Revelation19:13). Therefore, coming to Jesus simply means coming to the Word of God as the final solution to every problem. Look at this sister’s testimony:
“My marriage technically broke down on the wedding day, at the reception table! But I stayed on in it for almost a decade. It was a thorn in the flesh. Eventually, I had to leave. Right inside my matrimonial home, I got a SAN to prosecute the divorce.
I got born again after then, but the Word never came to me till I heard in the church a teaching on forgiveness, which made me realise that I had been living in self-righteousness all along. I forgive, but don’t forget. I got this corrected in my mind and through the anointed book, Marriage Covenant, through anointed preaching of the men of God and anointed counselling, my marriage got miraculously healed and right now, I’m having a honeymoon.” (Olaleye)
There is hope for your home! Someone said talking with God is the prescription for anxiety. As you communicate to the Lord and He communicates to you through His Word, tension and worry will be a thing of the past. With the exit of tension and stress, your home will be a place to return to and relax after the day’s work or activities. To have a home of relaxation, you have to get connected to God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you are not yet born again and you desire to do so right now, please pray this prayer with faith in your heart: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.
Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
“Please click HERE to read other inspiring articles by Pastor Faith Oyedepo”
Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.
