Are you Communicating with your Spouse? (Rev. Ejibe Eme) 29-10-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja

29th October, 2016

COUPLE'S RETREAT (2nd Session)

Rev. Eme Ejibe
Picture credit: FWC Media

☆ SERMON:

* Speaker: Rev. Eme Ejibe

* Topic: Are you Communicating with your Spouse?

* Text: Genesis 2:25 →"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

* Free flow of communication is the lubricant that makes the engine of marriage to function effectively

* Marriage is a lifelong project 

→ It was not designed to be discarded when it is inconvenient

* Communication is the act or process of using words, signs etc to exchange ideas, thoughts and feelings

☆ Biblical Blessings of Good Communication in Marriage:

→ These are principles that stand the test of time

★ 1 Corinthians 14:2-11

1. Edification (v.5)

→ Good communication builds up the marriage

→ A communication that does not build you up is not good for you

★ Colossians 4:6 →"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (KJV)

2. It produces mutual profitability (v.6)

→ After good communication, value & gain must be added to the listener

3. It provokes right actions and response (v.8)

→ Bad communication confuses those who listen

4. It precludes wastage of resources (v. 9)

→ lack of good communication gives room for unplanned expenses, lack of rest, bad health, etc. 

5. It breaks walls of separation and by it, broken walls are built (v. 11)

→ When you do not communicate well, you become strangers with your spouse

→ Bad communication encourages the building of walls

☆ Sex as a Tool of Communication

* NOTE: Where there is bad communication, it gives Satan opportunity to wreck serious havoc

⇒ Sexual intimacy is a good form of communication

★ 1 Corinthians 7:4-5

★ 1 Corinthians 6:16 → "You know that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her, don’t you? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” (ISV)

→ Satan understands this powerful tool and he uses it against many people

→ Anyone you have sex with has a strong grip over your life because a bond has been established

* Once you start engaging sexual relations with someone 'outside' marriage, it distorts your entire system

⇒ Sexual sin distorts your behavioural pattern

* NOTE: Where there is good communication, there is nothing that cannot be sorted out

* Wrong perception undermines good communication

☆ Factors that affect good Communication

1. Characteristic nature & identity of the thing

★ 1 Corinthians 14:10 → "Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning." (NIV)

→ You should not allow the natural factor of your identity to determine your manner of communication

→ NOTE: Your identity as a child of God is not subject to the limitation of the flesh, of blood (genetic) or of culture

★ 2 Corinthians 5:17 → "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

★ John 1:2 → "He was with God in the beginning." 

★ John 1:13 → "children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

* The nature of God that you carry should affect your communication

→ When you are born of the Spirit, You are operating on a different (higher) realm

★ John 3:8 → "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 

* The nature of a thing affects its behaviour

* Question: Does your manner of communication reflect the fact that you have the nature of Christ?

★ 1 John 5:4 → "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 

★ John 3:10 → "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?"  

→ In Christ, we have a life that is abundant in quality

2. The Pattern of Operation

→ Different sounds come from a musical instrument depending on how it is played

→ How do you determine your style of play?

→ You must derive your style of play (communication) from God's Word

★ Psalm 19:7-11

* When you operate on the principles of the Word of God, success is guaranteed

☆ Sexual communication

→ When you operate on the principles of the Word of God, your sexual relationship is rendered as an act of benevolence towards your spouse

★ 1 Corinthians 7:1-5

* God is the initiator of sex and His Word must guide us in this matter

* You must not place impediments on the path of your spouse when it comes to sex

→ Marital sex is a duty

→ You must not defraud your spouse of his/her entitlement

* When your pattern of play is in accordance with God's word, it removes tension

* NOTE:

→ Marital sex is a duty

→ The fact that sex is not convenient does not exclude the fact that it is a duty (your spouse's entitlement)

* Your (negative) attitude in your sex life can even block answers to your prayer

* The principle of mutual ownership:

→ You own your spouse' body and vice versa

* You have a responsibility to take care of your spouse

★1 Timothy 5:8 → "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (KJV)

* When you deny sexual relations to your spouse, it is fraud! (v. 5)

3. When you play according to the word of God, it is sweet

★ Song of Songs 4:11 → "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon."

☆ Things to note about Honey:

→ Honey does not flow like water

→ Tapping it requires intelligent approach

→ You do not embarrass the bee while fetching honey. You go gently!

4. The positional relationship with each other

→ Musical notes operate on a different wave length

→ The positional features of a guitar determines the sounds that are produced when played

* The position that couples occupy determines how they should relate to each other

* Unfortunately, the world tries to scuttle God's original plan with strange philosophies

★ Ephesians 5:22 → "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord."

→ The head is not on top of a body as a weight

→ When the head becomes a weight, it simply means that the body is weak

→ The head is on top for the sake of positional and directional advantage

→ It is strange for the body to always agitate to become the head

* A head is only appreciated when it is properly aligned on the body

* A head severed from its body, no matter how beautiful it is becomes a monster

* The head is supposed to lead, coordinate and direct

* The head is responsible for anything that goes wrong in the body

* The body carries the head and aids its movement (support)

* Sickness is a sign that there is a failure of communication with a part of the body

* The head is the saviour of the body

* NOTE: When you understand positioning, it aids your communication

★ 1 Corinthians 14:20 →"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

→ A child can be moved by anything

→ An adult is solid and mature and not easily influenced by anything

* NOTE: Effective communication in marriage requires a sense of maturity and understanding 

Rediscovering the Good in the Marriage Institution (Rev. Ejide Eme) 28-10-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja

28th October, 2016

COUPLE'S RETREAT 

(Day One: 1st Session)

Rev. Ejibe Eme
Picture Credit: FWC Media

☆ SERMON

* Speaker: Rev. Ejibe Eme

* Topic: Rediscovering the Good in the Marriage Institution

* Text: Genesis 2:7-25

* Rediscovery is a process of seeking out what the original plan of a thing is

☆ Discovery arises when there is:

1. Confusion

→ Today, there is much confusion about marriage institution

→ Civilization has worsened the confusion

→ Many perversions have been introduced to undermine the sanctity of marriage

2. Damage

→ To repair a damage, you need to refer back to the original manual of the product

→ The manual for marriage is the Bible

☆ Points to note:

* 1. At the institution of marriage at Eden, everything was provided (material wealth was is abundance)

→ NOTE: The presence or absence of material wealth is not enough to determine the good or structure of marriage

→ There is something about marriage that money cannot provide

2. God is the sole initiator of marriage

→ The design of marriage precedes civilization and human knowledge

★ Acts 17:26

→ Man cannot have a superior design more than God

→ God's design predates your village tradition & customs

☆ The Principles that can bring out the good in Marriage:

→ For anything to be good, it must follow the right principles and specifications (as predetermined by the initiator or manufacturer)

1. The God Factor and the Divine Agenda (Genesis 2:21)

→ "God made"

→ "God caused deep sleep"

→ "God brought her to Adam"

* NOTE: God is deliberately involved in your marriage

→ He has an agenda for your marriage

→ He has an interest in your interest

→ He is a major stakeholder/shareholder in your family affairs

* God always works behind the scenes to establish and sustain marriage

★ Malachi 2:14 →"Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant."

* NOTE: The consciousness that God is a constant witness in your marriage should cause you to be mindful of how you treat your spouse

★ Malachi 2:15 →"And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.''

* A seed is a deposit that will produce more harvest

→ when God is looking for bountiful harvest, he plants seeds in godly families!

* God always searches for a man and woman whom He can trust and entrust them with His godly seed

* NOTE: Examples of the 'seeds' God planted in godly families:

(a) Moses (see: Exodus 2:1-2)

(b) Samson (see: Judges 13:2)

(b) John the Baptist (see: Luke 1:5)

(c) Jesus Christ (see: Matthew 1:18)

* Question: Where are the families that God can trust today?

* Satan is always targeting the structure of marriages to bring it down

→ he aims at destroying the psyche of our children (eg, by planting them in homes with homosexual 'parents'. They will not be able to appreciate the sanctity of marriage as they grow up)

★ Psalm 11:3 →"When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (ISV)

★ Psalm 127:3

→ Your children are a gift from the Lord and you must protect them from the perversions of the world

* God has a divine arrangement for a woman to bring joy to the man

→ A woman carries destiny and births it!

⇒ Women play important roles in the godly upbringing of children

★ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

→ A man a woman are meant to compliment each other

2. The Covenant Factor in the Union

★ Genesis 2:23

→ Marriage is not a business contract (that may be terminated when the conditions are not favorable)

→ Marriage breaks the covenant of birth (leave father and Mother)

→ It is not a social arrangement between two people to co-exist

* Marriage is not about compatibility (it is virtually impossible for two different people to be totally compatible)

→ That is why it is a mystery

→ Two different personalities becoming one

* What the world cannot understand, they try to develop a new theory

3. The Mystery of Oneness

→ In marriage, the two different personalities have collapsed into one!

→ This is what the world does not understand

★ Matthew 19:4-6

* God's plan is for the couples to be ONE in everything

→ If your wife does not know something about you, then you are not one!

* A sane person would never maltreat or insult himself

* Whenever there is anything wrong with your marriage, somebody or something is intruding

* Your marriage is your life!

→ You should do all that is possible to preserve, protect and nourish it

* When there is oneness, you will always feel the pain of your spouse

* NOTE: You must keep an eye on the devil

→ Question: What is the devil sponsoring to undermine your marriage covenant?

* You must understand the tricks of the devil and guard against them

☆ Questions for Personal Reflection:

→ Can God brag about your marriage?

→ If God is looking for a family that He will use as a model to convince unbelievers that His principles of marriage are timeless and enduring, can He send them your way?

→ SINGLES: If God is about to send a seed into the world, can He trust you with it?

The Early Years of Jesus (Pastor Sarah Omakwu) 12-06-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja

2nd Sunday Service

12th June, 2016

Pastor Sarah Omakwu 
Picture Credit: FWC Media

☆ SERMON

* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omakwu

* Topic: The Early Years of Jesus

* Theme: Our Jesus

* Text: Luke 2:21-52

★ Proverbs 22:6 →"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." 

* Jesus came from Bethlehem, one of the towns of Judah

★ Micah 5:2

★ Matthew 2:6

* He came from a humble 'human' background.

→ Joseph and Mary were just ordinary people looking forward to an ordinary marriage, but Jesus' birth into their family and changed their lives because He was not an ordinary child

→ Jesus charged the trajectory of his parents

☆ Question: What have you changed in the lives of your parents? Have you made their lives better or worse?

* NOTE: Your children are not ordinary and you must diligently train them up to fulfill the purpose of God in their lives

* Jesus came [to the earth] by prophesy

→ You also came by prophesy and you are not ordinary. Your birth Was not merely happenstance

→ You must stop living life as if you are ordinary

* The most noblest thing for every woman to do is to take care of her husband and raise great giants for God

→ No amount of professional, social or business achievement can compare with that!

→ We live in a world where parents abandon their family at the expense of career - especially mothers

* As a child, you must do something to lift up your parents and change their trajectory for the better

* Jesus is God, yet He was born into a humble human family and lived a humble life

→ He did not make a big deal out of the fact that He came from a 'Royal' background

→ Regardless of your present circumstances, you will breakthrough and become great someday. Remain humble.

* Nazareth was a small despised town that Philip (a would-be disciple of Jesus) thought that nothing good or valuable could ever come out of it

★ John 1:45

* You must not allow people's pessimistic comments to discourage you from becoming what God wants you to be

☆ Challenge: You must be that good thing that proceeds out of your clan!

→ You were created to break the bounds of ordinary and show forth the [extraordinary] praise of God

* Many parents today are consumed in the endless quest for acquiring material things, while the lives of their children are falling apart

* NOTE: Joseph really took care of Jesus and was 'hands on' with respect to the godly upbringing of Jesus

→ He was intensely involved in the life of Jesus at every step of the way

* The purpose of your birthing children is to craft them to become what God wanted them to be

→ Don't just give them things

→ Ensure that you spend quality time with them, mentoring them in God's precepts

* Young boys (especially children of single mothers) need godly men who will mentor them, not those who will come around and want to take advantage of their sisters or mothers

* Do not relegate your responsibility of raising your kids to the television [or the maids]!

→ what the television spews out, that is what they will consume

* Mary was a woman of the Word

★ Luke 1:46-55 (she quoted scriptures)

→ Mary directed Jesus when he was growing up.

→ She taught Him the Torah (The 5 books of Moses)

* Jesus had a strict Jewish upbringing

→ He was taken to the Passover, to the Synagogue etc. till it became His way of life when He started ministry at the age of 30

→ Your children must also be brought up and instructed in the way of the Lord

* By age 13 Jesus must have become a 'Bar Mitzvah' (son of the commandment)

→ Jesus did that so that He will never be termed a lawless person

→ He fulfilled all righteousness

★ Matthew 5:17

* Your children can achieve all they can (academically, socially and materially), but if they do not have Jesus, they are nothing!

→ The outcome of your children is the report card of your parenting

* NOTE: A good foundation is important

* Training is more than telling.

→ It involves teaching, mentoring and modelling

* Do not just tell them about God, 'show' them God

→ Be a godly example

→ You must be willing to 'travel down the road' yourself with your children

* You must remove anything that introduces demonic influence in the the lives of your children:

→ pornographic materials

→ Indecent clothes

→ alcoholic drinks in the fridge

etc

* To train a child in the way he/she should go, you must be in the way yourself!

* NOTE: Children do not do what you say; they do what you do!

→ Question: Are you doing the right thing?

* The goal of training is to make the trainee proficient

★ Verse 51:

→ Jesus was subject and obedient to His parents

→ Parents must be proactive and diligent in disciplining their children to do the right thing at all times

* Do not go to Church and leave your children at home

→ Teach them the importance of fellowship and the discipline of praying and studying God's word right from an early age

★ Proverbs 22:15 →"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him."

* NOTE: discipline must be done in love

→ Do not carry out your frustration on your children

* NOTE: After the age of 12, nothing was recorded about Jesus until He was 30

→ He was busy learning subjection (to His earthy parents) in silence and humility, before His manifestation in Ministry

→ You must not be in a hurry to be 'seen' by the world. Take time to prepare yourself in your closet before going public

☆ Lessons to learn:

* Your background is important as a springboard to worship God

→ You background has happened, your future has not happened. Therefore, your background must not be used to deprive you of a glorious future

* Do not allow what people say about you to discourage you

→ You can make it

→ Your greater days are ahead of you

→ There is hope for you

* You must refuse to be small and ordinary

☆ Challenge: Prove somebody wrong!

→ There are always pessimists that try to pull you down but you must not fall into their trap

→ Believe what God says about you in His Word and step out in faith

* NOTE: Family is important

→ Pay attention to raising godly kids

→ Women: Your scorecard is your children

→ Do not ignore your children's upbringing in the process of building a career or business

* Godliness is the greatest legacy you can give your children

⇒ Not money in the account

→ Not even a good education!

* Come with your child to Church

→ Dedicate them to God's service, especially your first born

* Name your children well

→ Names have a prophetic significance that influences the children's destiny

→ A child's name is what he/will do

* NOTE: Jesus was learning submission for 18 years before He started public ministry at age 30!

* Through submission, you will get blessings and favor

→ Never leave a place of employment without a blessing from your employee

→ When you are getting married, ensure you get the blessings of your parents and pastors. Ensure you fulfill all cultural rites (pay her dowry!)

★ Proverbs 28:20 →"A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

☆ Closing:

☆ Pastor Wilson Akubo

★ Judges 13:12 →''Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy's rule of life, and his work?”

→ You must ask the Lord for the rule of God concerning the life of every child God gives you

☆ QUOTE:

"In your business, you cannot outsource seed."

→ Mr. Boss Mustapha

Why should I save sex until Marriage? (Pastor Ambrose Nwogu) 31-05-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Fellowship

Central Business District,

Garki - Abuja

31st May, 2016

* Speaker: Pastor Ambrose Nwogu

* Topic: Why should I Save Sex until Marriage?

1. God Commands that we abstain from sexual immorality

★ Exodus 20:14 → "You shall not commit adultery."

→ God as your father knows what is good for you. He knows the danger in pre-marital and extra-marital sex, and He says 'don't do it'

→ Like babies, we sometimes do not understand God's plan for us, but obedience is to our advantage.

2. There are dangers inherent in sex before marriage such as:

(a) Sexually transmitted diseases of all kinds

→ some of them are incurable

→ treatment is expensive in most cases

 

(b) Unwanted pregnancy

→ Ladies are usually at the receiving end

→ This is something that can destroy a person's life  

→ Many boys deny the ladies when it pregnancy sets in  

→ Confusion sets in when the issue of pregnancy is involved  

→ Premarital sex opens the door for confusion at all levels

3. The body is not meant for Sexual Immorality

★ 1 Corinthians 6:13 →" Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."

4. The feeling of Worthlessness  

→ When a person engages in sexual immorality, it leads to a feeling of worthlessness before God and before men

* When a young lady looses her virginity, she 'looses it again'.

→ The circle of abuse never stops once it starts!  

→ It is like a chain reaction

* A young person who does not maintain his/her stand becomes a disgrace to God, parents and society at large

★ Prayer:

Father, help me to overcome

Every temptation to loose my chastity.

Cleanse me, uphold me.  

Make me whole again.  

I do not want to feel worthless in my life

Help me never to trivialize your commandments

Christian Couples Fellowship (CCF) - Rev. Dr. David Pofi & Mrs. Gyarta Pofi 26-05-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Christian Couples Fellowship (CCF)
Combined Fellowship, Abuja Zone
☆ Venue: Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Nyanya - Abuja
26th May, 2016

* Guest Speakers: Rev. Dr. David Pofi & Mrs. Gyarta Pofi

* Marriage is a lifetime venture.

→ Do not just wake up one day and decide that you want to break it up

→ You must resolve to make your marriage work at all cost

→ You must delibrately invest in your marriage

★ Deuteronomy 5:9-10 → "you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." [NKJV]

★ Isaiah 59:21 →"As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.” [NKJV]

* You can choose to be a source of blessing to your children up to a thousand generation

→ You may also choose to be a curse to your children to the 4th generation

 * Your present lifestyle will determine your children's blessings

 * Today, Satan is waging war against godly marriages

⇒ This explains the rise of divorces, domestic marriages and stained relationships

 * If you get it right by sowing the right seeds, your children will also get it right when their time comes

 * Your relationship with God will definitely affect your relationship with your spouse

 * Once you are disconnected from God, you will invariably be disconnected from your spouse

 * Do not be bold to stand before people to minister God's Word when your "home Church" is in disarray

 * You can pretend to believers outside, but you cannot successfully pretends to his family!

* Ensure that your family worship is vibrant and that your spouse and children are connected to God

→ This affects your children in a positive way

* You must ensure that you pass on the Word of God as a legacy to your children

→ this solidifies the foundation of having a thousand godly generations

* Whatever spirit you are carrying is also what will be obtainable in your kids

→ Children learn alot by watching & emulating their parents

* NOTE: Consciously or otherwise, there is something that somebody around you is learning from your life

* Your relationship with God will definitely affect your relationship with your spouse

* Your values will be passed on to your children

→ Ensure that your values are based on the Word of God

* Do all it takes to make your marriage work

* There are so many couples who need you to encourage them. Do not disaapoint them; do not disappoint God!  

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

☆ Mrs. Gyarta Pofi

★ Matthew 13:44-45 → ''Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls."

* If your family is valuable to you, you will make all the required sacrifices to make it work

* You must make up your mind to make heaven TOGETHER with your spouse!

→ You must not do it all alone. It is a partnership

→ Read God's Word TOGETHER, Pray TOGETHER, attend Church TOGETHER, do everything TOGETHER. This is the secret of success in marriage!

★Ecclesiastes 9:8-10 →"Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going."

☆ 3 Levels God wants You to Maintain in your Life:

1. Personal Holiness (verse 8)

→ Make sure there is no sin in your life

→ You must spend time with God

→ The anointing must never be lacking in your life

2. Your Family (verse 9)

→ Ensure that their is an unbreakable bond of friendship between you and your spouse

→ Friendship is what makes marriage enjoyable

→ Enjoy each other: decide together, plan together, talk together, play together, sleep in the same room and on the same bed together

* Marriage is the bridge you must cross into outside ministry

→ If your marriage is not correct, your ministry outside is futile

* When you are not united with your spouse, your children will divide and rule you

→ Issues of discipline must be approached from the same perspective by both spouses

→ It is disastrous for spouses to antagonize themselves on the issue of discipline of their children

3. Outside Work (verse 10)

→ Crossing the first two bridges successfully empowers you to excel outside

 

Mrs. Gyarta Pofi

Rev. Dr. David Pofi (Founder, Christian Couples Fellowship (CCF))

The will of God (Evangelist Lewis Dam) 07-05-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Ecumenical Christian Centre,

Central Area,

Behind Central Bank of Nigeria - Abuja,

7th May, 2016

☆ Marriage Between

Barr. Prizing Binwai & Grace Barde

Evangelist Lewis Dam

SERMON

* Speaker: Evangelist Lewis Dam

* Topic: The will of God

* Text: 1 John 2:17 →"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (NKJV)

* In this generation, many marriages are 'upside down' because they do not understand nor walk in the will of God

★ Ecclesiastes 12:13 →''The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you." (MSG)

* The most damnable thing in life is not death

→ It is life outside the will of God

* It is impossible for a man to find fulfilment outside the will of God

* Foolish people think they are free to do whatever they like outside of God

* Gone are the days whereby young people travel into marriage on their knees. Today, they travel into marriage on their feelings

* Many people do not take the time and the pains to discover God's will for marriage before they make the commitment

* Many marriages in Church are founded on deciet

* One of the most foolish questions in life is "what will people say?"

→ Because of other people's opinions, many become frustrated and even kill themselves

→ The people whom you worry about their opinions do not really care about you

* Fulfillment and genuine success does not come from man's ingenuity, but by walking in God's will

* You must be mindful of what God says, not what people think

★ Hebrews 10:36 →  "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
 

* There is a promise for those who do and obey the Word of God

★ 1 John 2:17 → "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
 

* Most Church marriages end in divorce (or separation) because of selfishness  

→ Many people enter into marriage only to please themselves.

→ They lie to themselves, their friends, their families and the Church that they are God's will for each other

★ John 6:38 → "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me."
 

★ John 16:13 → "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

★ Jeremiah 23:21 →  "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message;I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied."  

* God was upset at Priests that ran with messages when they have not heard from God

* A good sermon is comprised of a message from God delivered to a targeted audience by a faithful messenger

* There is no marriage that succeeds without the ability to hear God clearly  

* Each day you will be confronted with decisions either to do your will or God's will

* The Holy Spirit helps us to hear and obey God always

* The best and most successful couples are those who wake up every day, ready to die to themselves and submit to God's will

★ Is doing God's will easy?

→ It is not easy, but it brings the best rewards in the end

* God rewards a believer for doing what asks him/her to do

→ You cannot decide to do what you want to do and expect God to reward or bless you

* The greatest pleasure in life is to know and do God's will

 

* Some people live through life only labouring for their stomachs

* Do not allow the history of your life to be written on the lives of others

→ Allow God to write your own history for you

* You can hear what people say, but do not listen to them

* NOTE: Anything done with the spirit of unforgiveness does not have God's blessings

 

Barr. & Mrs. Prizing Binwai