Topic: Fulfilling Your Dream Marriage (3)

Dear Reader,

It is a glorious Week! This week, I will be looking at the tool of “Wisdom” in fulfilling your dream marriage. A lot of times, people dream about the perfect home where joy, peace, abundance and fruitfulness abound. Such dreams are good if you determine to do what is required to realize them. Just as physically you cannot own a home by merely wishing, if you plan on having a glorious family, stop wishing and prepare to play your part. You must accept responsibility for the building of your family. God’s Word says: For every house is builded by some man… (Hebrews 3:4).

Houses don’t happen by chance, they are built – they are made to happen. Every house is built by some man… In the world, people say, “This is our family house”. A family house didn’t just appear on the earth. Likewise, marriage and family from the Word of God are types of houses. It takes applying conscious steps to see them built up before they can be enviable. Just as no physical house springs up suddenly on one particular day, similarly the family house requires planning, making available required materials and the actual building process before it’s built up.

The Lord has put into your hands all that you require to enjoy a most enviable and fulfilling family life. God has done His part, He has handed the baton over to you. God’s Word says: …. For all things are yours (I Corinthians 3:21).

How then can you create fulfillment and refreshing in your family? How do you build up your home? Through WISDOM is an house builded; and by understanding it is established (Proverbs 24:3).

I have noticed in the course of counselling that most of the problems encountered in homes are as a result of lack of wisdom. Wisdom is what makes a home sweet. With wisdom, you know what to do and what not to do at the appropriate time. As a husband, if you walk in wisdom, you will know how to relate with your wife and train up your children, not beating them up and posing to be a terror to your household. Wives who are full of wisdom find that they relate easily with their in-laws and other members of the family.

From the anchor text, you need to search for wisdom to operate in your home. Therefore, open up and receive the wisdom you require to handle those situations correctly so that peace and joy can fill your family life.

The opposite of wisdom is foolishness. It is a problem rooted in the realm of the spirit. It is what causes a woman to react negatively, speak abusive words (Proverbs 9:13) and misbehave. It is what causes a man to chase other women to the destruction of his soul (Proverbs 7:7-23). Foolishness is a destroyer of the peace and sweetness of the home. If you learn to walk in wisdom, you will enjoy fulfillment in your family life. God’s Word declares: Wisdom is the principal thing… (Proverbs 4:7).

The type of wisdom I am referring to here is not that which comes from education. So, don’t regret your level of education saying, “If I had gone to a higher institution I would be wiser than I am now.” The wisdom you require to shine in your family is from God. It is knowing what to do when confronted with an unpleasant situation and is based on your knowledge and application of the Word of God in your life. God’s Word says: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock (Matthew 7:24).

Who then is a wise man? He is the one who hears and does the sayings of Jesus. These sayings are located in the Bible. As you hear the Word of God and apply them correctly by practising it in your life, then you are walking in wisdom. However, there are conditions you must fulfill before you can receive the wisdom of God.

Marriage can be likened to a house and every house has a foundation. If the foundation of a house is not well laid or laid on poor quality materials, that house has a faulty foundation and is sure to collapse (Psalm 11:3). Wisdom is a sure and quality material for building honour into your marriage and home. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established (Proverbs 24:3).

Your marriage can be rock-steady i.e. it can be an example for others to follow. Like Billy Graham, Kenneth Hagin and a host of others, you can have cause to look back and smile during your sixtieth wedding anniversary. But the foundation of your family must be laid in wisdom. For instance, Solomon wanted to establish the Kingdom God had given him; so, when God appeared unto him and asked him what he needed to rule Israel, he asked for wisdom, and God gave it to him (I Kings 3:9, 12).

God has made provision for marriage to produce honour for you and I, but we have a responsibility to develop that plan. It is like the negative of a picture. The photographer must spend time in the darkroom developing the negative until he gets a beautiful and enviable picture.

However, if you are not born again, it will be difficult for you to operate in wisdom. The first step to take is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. You surrender by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour. If you are set for this, please say this prayer of faith with me: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, congratulations, you are born again! You are now 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).

Topic: Mightier than All [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

Read: Psalm 93, Bible in a Year: Psalms 23–25; Acts 21:18–40

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. Psalm 93:1

Iguazu Falls, on the border of Brazil and Argentina, is a spectacular waterfall system of 275 falls along 2.7 km (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. Etched on a wall on the Brazilian side of the Falls are the words of Psalm 93:4, “Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!” (rsv). Below it are these words, “God is always greater than all of our troubles.”

The writer of Psalm 93, who penned its words during the time that kings reigned, knew that God is the ultimate King over all. “The Lord reigns,” he wrote. “Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity” (vv. 1–2). No matter how high the floods or waves, the Lord remains greater than them all.

The roar of a waterfall is truly majestic, but it is quite a different matter to be in the water hurtling toward the falls. That may be the situation you are in today. Physical, financial, or relational problems loom ever larger and you feel like you are about to go over the falls. In such situations, the Christian has Someone to turn to. He is the Lord, “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20) for He is greater than all our troubles.

Prayer: Lord, I know that You are powerful and greater than any trouble that might come my way. I trust You to carry me through.

Never measure God’s unlimited power by your limited expectations.

Insight:

Are there areas in your life that feel out of control? If so, you’re in good company. So many of the psalms were inspired by desperate feelings of fear and confusion. Yet they ended up as songs of hope in the God who has promised to never leave us or forsake us. But who is this God? The author of Psalm 93 identifies Him as the Lord (Yahweh). By contrast to legendary gods of war, fertility, weather, travel, or the hunt, He is the God who created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 2:4).

Consider the implications of such a Creator. Use the measure of modern astronomy. What kind of God speaks into existence billions of galaxies filled with trillions of suns far greater than our own? Yet even the cosmos is not the measure of His greatness. According to the New Testament (John 1:1–3, 14), the God of the Bible is the Lord who, in Jesus, showed that He is greater than our troubles by bearing our sins of indifference, neglect, and contempt. In the weakness of His crucifixion and by the power of His resurrection, He showed that even His love for us is greater than our sin. Mart DeHaan

This message was written By C. P. Hia [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: No Hard Hearts [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. – 2 Chronicles 16:9

The Pharisees had a heart condition that grieved Jesus. Their hearts were hard and insensitive. If you’ll look in Mark 3, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

God was right there in their midst, and they, of all people, should have realized it. They knew the Scriptures backward and forward, and Jesus fit every messianic prophecy written there. But the insensitivity of their hearts literally blinded them to who He was.

The hearts of the Pharisees were also hardened to the needs of the people around them.

That very same thing is still happening today.

Just think again about what those Pharisees were doing. They were:

1. Criticizing the minister of God.

2. Protecting their religious traditions instead of obeying the Word of God.

3. Worrying about their own welfare rather than that of those around them.

Have you ever known any believers who fit that description? Sure you have! In fact, every one of us has done those things at some time in our lives.

Every one of us, to one degree or another, has fallen prey to the same mistake the Pharisees did. We’ve gotten so caught up in doing and saying all the “right” things that we’ve let the tender warmth of God’s love inside us grow cold.

I know that’s true because if it weren’t, we’d be seeing tremendous moves of God among us. We’d be seeing revival on every corner.

That’s what God longs to do. God longs to pour out His Spirit in supernatural power and abundance through His Church. But we’ve developed a heart condition that’s holding Him back.

Today if you are desiring an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life and the manifestation of His power in your church, check the condition of your heart. If you find any hardness there, repent and ask God to change you. Ask Him to give you the kind of heart that will allow Him to show Himself strong on your behalf.

Scripture Reading: Mark 3:1-6

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Topic: Judge of All [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

Text: Isaiah 26:12-21

Key Verse: “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isaiah 26:21).

John Bunyan, the author of the Pilgrims’ Progress, stated: “This rushing world has a time to stand; which time when ended, judgment shall be issued out of hand upon all sorts of men. The Judge we find, in God’s record: the Son of man. For He by God’s appointment is made Lord and Judge of all that be. Before this Judge, no one shall shroud himself under pretence of knowledge, which hath made him proud, nor seeming penitence. No high profession here can stand, unless sincerity hath been therewith commixed and brought forth simplicity.

No mask nor visor here can hide the heart that rotten is, all clock now must be laid aside, no sinner must have bliss”. In the Bible, you will find that many people were judged and punished by God for their transgressions. The first man and woman were judged for their disobedience. Cain was judged for his wickedness. All those who refused to repent in the time of Noah were judged, so also the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even the children of Israel were not spared judgement when they sinned in the wilderness.

The Scriptures describes God as the Almighty Creator, loving Father and merciful Redeemer; but He is also described as the all-knowing Judge. He watches our thoughts, words and actions (in secret and in the open) to see if they conform to His laid-down precepts of righteousness and holy living. And anyone who chooses to disregard His commandments will certainly be judged (Acts 17:30,31). Perhaps, the picture of your present life is not too different from that of Israel, who had forsaken the true God to follow after dead gods.

Remember that God is angry with the wicked (sinners) every day. Be wise. It is now that you can determine whether you will be judged unto condemnation by the Righteous Judge, or whether you will be eternally rewarded.

Thought for the day: God is merciful; but He is also a consuming fire.

Bible Reading in one Year: Exodus 8-11

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

Topic: The Blessing of the Anointing [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

Scripture: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil….The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:10-12

Thought For The Day: The Anointing processes a person into an enviable status in life.

Our anchor scripture has made it clear that to be anointed by God is to be blessed of God.

The anointed state is the blessed state of life; the Anointing processes a person into an enviable status in life.

Now, when I say, “Anointed by God”, I do not only refer to pastors or apostles but to any child of God that will press into God and connect the Anointing of God. You can walk in that anointing as a doctor, a lawyer, a civil servant, a tailor, etc.

We are going to look at the blessedness of the anointing in four dimensions.

1. The Anointing comes with its portion or allocation. There is no unction without a portion. The implication of this is that the anointing connects a person with supernatural supplies. (Psalm 92:10–14).

2. The Anointing comes with a crown (Leviticus 21:12). The anointing establishes a person in royalty.

3. The Anointing comes with honour and dignity. Anointed people are honourable people. When Samuel, an anointed prophet of God came to the house of Jesse, the Bible says the elders of the town trembled at his coming (1 Samuel 16:4). There is something anointed people carry that makes cities tremble.

4. The Anointing comes with favour and opportunity. Anointed people are favoured people. Things work for them easily (1 Samuel 10:1,4).

I declare the release of the fresh Oil that will shift you to the realm of unlimited supplies, favour, honour and dignity, in the Name of Jesus.

Remember this: The Anointing processes a person into an enviable status in life.

Assignment(s):

1. Make demands on the Anointing for your life.

2. Press into God’s Presence in prayer and worship.

3. Engage in covenant practices of tithing, giving to the poor and giving for the expansion of God’s kingdom, etc. it is a doorway to grace and unction (2 Cor. 9:6-8).

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE BLESSING OF THE ANOINTING.

Prayer: O LORD, I make demands on the Anointing that will shift me to the realm of unlimited supplies. Make me a channel of blessing in my generation, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 28:1 to 29:30, Romans 5:6 to 21, Psalm 15:1 to 5, Proverbs 19:18 to 19

Quote: Nothing provokes the manifestation of the Almightiness of God like the helplessness of man. Culled from: 365 WISDOM CAPSULES by Dr Paul Enenche

Amazing Fact: Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open.

Today In History: 19/07/1980 – The Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, opened in Moscow, Soviet Union.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr Paul and Dr Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities.

Topic: You Have Been Graced to Reign [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17(KJV)

Beloved, you have received so much grace that nothing is powerful enough to pluck you out of His Hands. It also means that you have been wired to rule and reign here on earth in-spite of the prevailing challenges. It means that there is nothing you can do to fall out of God’s favor. You are secured in His hands, without guilt or condemnation. In addition, when He looks at you, He sees you in Christ. He does not see your own obedience but sees you through the obedience of Christ. What a privilege! That should make you come boldly daily to the throne room of grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. Stop struggling, stop fretting and just lean on the grace of God.

Let me remind you that Grace is God giving to you what you did not deserve, nor qualify for. Just like your salvation which was not your idea. The finished work on the cross by Christ released grace to reign unto us. That is why God gives you preferential treatment, puts you in places you don’t deserve, takes you from the backline and puts you in the frontline.

Remember also that it was He who knew no sin that became sin that you may become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It was His decision to die, and while we all were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. Consequently, the grace of God reached out to you when you did not deserve it. Your labor, self -efforts, struggles couldn’t get it and yet He just made up His mind and said I am coming after you. In other words God took a decision to save you and love you unconditionally. Your assignment therefore is to believe and receive the grace that has been freely given to you.

Further Reading: Hebrew 4:16, Romans 5:1-17

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 23-25; Evening- Acts 21:18-40

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

Topic: Avoid Strife [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

Luke 12:58 “When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.”

LUKE 12:56-59

Jesus had just spoken about relationships before He gave this parable of delivering ourselves from the judge. The warning is clear that we should do everything within our power to avoid strife (Rom. 12:18). However, the consequences of failing to settle the differences are more than just physical prison or punishment.

Strife can produce spiritual and emotional prisons. James 3:16 says, “where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” Depressions, fears, loneliness, bitterness, sicknesses, financial problems, and many other things can become prisons from which we will not be delivered until we reconcile.

The dictionary states that to reconcile means “to re-establish friendship between; to settle or resolve, as a dispute” (American Heritage). The key to reconciliation is effectively dealing with the enmity, ill will, hatred, or hostility that has caused the dispute. There are several approaches to reconciliation that may be applied. For instance, If we’ve offended someone by an unkind word that we’ve spoken, we can apologize. If we owe money to someone, we can pay the debt. If we’ve done something to someone we can make the necessary restitution. But in every case, reconciliation lies in dealing effectively with the root cause of the enmity.

The enmity between man and God was sin. God took the initiative to remove this barrier through the means and agency of Jesus Christ, thus leaving Him and man as friends once again. Thank God for His great love!

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net)

Topic: Words to Count On [Wednesday July 19, 2017]

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts . . .  — Zechariah 4:6 (TLB)

After the crucifixion the beleaguered disciples despaired and said, “We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21, RSV). There was anguish, despair, and tragedy in their midst. Life had lost its meaning and purpose. But when the resurrection became apparent, life took on a new meaning. It had purpose and reason.

David Livingstone once addressed a group of students at Glasgow University. When he rose to speak, he bore on his body the marks of his African struggles. Several illnesses on nearly 30 occasions had left him gaunt and haggard. His left arm, crushed by a lion, hung limp by his side. After describing his trials and tribulations, he said, “Would you like to have me tell you what supported me through all the years of exile among people whose language I could not understand, and whose attitude toward me was always uncertain and often hostile? It was this, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ On these words I staked everything, and they never failed.”

Prayer for the day: I am never alone because of Your love. Thank You, my Lord and Savior.

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

Topic: A New Management [Wednesday 19, July 2017]

Memorise: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? – Romans 6:16

Read: Romans 6:13-20 (KJV)

13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

Bible in One Year: 2 Samuel 14; Ezekiel 11:14-12:6, Hymn: Sing hymn 11

MESSAGE: