‘And Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.’ Mark 10:27

Take this as a word from the Lord to you right now – there is nothing impossible for the Lord to do. Perhaps you are currently facing some negative situations that seems impossible to change; may be you are facing an impossible health situation. Your financial situation might be in a very bad shape, and you can’t see any change in view! It might be that your marriage relationship is under a strain and is facing the challenge of breaking. You might be worried for a child that went away, afraid that he or she might not return. Everything around you may seem impossible! This morning, the Lord is telling you ‘with me all things are still possible’.

God can still turn that negative situation around for good for you. Yes, He still can!  Jeremiah 33:3 says ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (NKJV). There is so much you don’t know, and our God knows all things as regards the circumstances you face. Why not talk to Him again, and believe Him. He will show you the way out, He will hear your cries, send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion (Psalms 20:1-2), in Jesus’ name. Go and face your day with a sense of possibility, lift your voice to heaven, let your faith look up unto the Lamb of Calvary. Divine help will be your portion, breakthrough and deliverance will come your way, in Jesus’ name. Have a glorious day. Amen.

 ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it’. Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

As a parent, you have responsibility to be faithful both to God and your children in the way you raise them. Faithfulness is being loyal, being consistent and being able to use the gifts you have in the way the giver of the gift has stipulated; being committed. If you are not committed to the raising and training of your children, you are not being faithful to God, neither are you faithful to those children.

Do not let your business take you away from the responsibility of raising your children well. The Good News version of today’s scripture says ‘Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life’. The greatest blessing you can give to your children is to invest in their future by training them. Not just giving them school fees to go to school; but sit with them and point them in the right direction. Teach them how to live their lives. Teach them the way to raise funds, how to spend money, how to be clean, how to speak the truth, how to read the word of God, how to serve God, how to be good in the society; teach them the culture of working hard, how to raise and live in a happy family. If you don’t do this, you will be regarded as an unfaithful parent.

Train your children; and when you see them in future, you sure will be glad you did. And God will certainly be happy with you. The assurance of a great tomorrow for your kids depend on what you do today!     

 ‘Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him’ Proverbs 22:15

Our scripture today points us to a striking truth that many do not realise, or are not willing to accept. If you are a child, sorry, this is the truth – you are faced with the challenge of frequently being tempted to behave foolishly. As a parent, face the fact – this is what we have in our hands to deal with! Let’s look at the Message version ‘young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough minded discipline’.

It is a natural thing for young people to think and act in ways that are not right. The Bible states that the cure for this foolishness is through tough minded discipline. It will be unfaithfulness to God and to the child if you don’t commit yourself to see to it that you assist your children to overcome this challenge. If we neglect to correct them, probably because of societal issues, it will be the greatest injustice we will be guilty of against the next generation. The future of that child will be jeopardised. Be involved in the life of your kids and be determined, not only to point them to the right direction to go in life, but also to discipline them when they go in the wrong way.

If you discipline your children when necessary, you will guide the child in the way of truth and understanding. As long as you do it in love, you would have proved to that child that the future is being sustained. If you are a child right now, be glad if your parents are giving you appropriate discipline; it is a sign that you are loved. Remember Pr. 3:12, ‘because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in’ (NIV). 

‘Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.’ Proverbs 14:1

It is important in marriage to play by Gods rules. If in a marriage you a have made all the right choices and you do not play by Gods rules, there is likely to be problems. We look at the example of Adam and Eve in the Bible, in their situation there was no case of making any bad choices; in fact, there was no choice at all. God made Eve for Adam’s ribs, and presented her to him as his wife. Adam then declared ‘this is now the bone of my bones, and the flesh of my flesh’ (Genesis 2:21-23).

Even in this first marriage relationship, God gave Adam and Eve instructions to obey.  It was because of their disobedience to God that sin entered the world. It was in this first marriage in the Bible that we saw the first murderer! When we disobey God we do not play by the rules. Our home is only sure to succeed if we play by God’s rules.

Proverbs 14:1 a woman is to participate constructively in the marriage. Criticism can be both constructive and destructive. We should then choose to do things in our relationships that will be constructive. If we choose to do destructive thing we can expect to get a bad result. When we do not play by the principles laid out for us in the Bible, we are not likely to obtain good results. May God grant you wisdom.

 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shall beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell’ Proverbs 23:13-14

As the children grow, they begin to understand things better, and they will be glad that they were raised well.

Good News Bible says, ‘Don’t hesitate to discipline children. A good spanking won’t kill them. As a matter of fact, it may save their lives’. Many a times you want to show that you are a loving parent – and most fathers are loving, same with most mothers. But the Bible is saying don’t hesitate to discipline them. If you would spank them in love, it would do more good than if you spare the rod, and spoil the child. Our society is in crisis today because there are too many spoiled children roaming around!

There are several youths who are wishing that when they were much younger they were given closer attention and corrected when they were taking the wrong steps. Many of my older friends who were raised in this society through appropriate discipline and are now of good character acknowledge the fact that it helped them to build who they are today. Unfortunately, these same people that are currently parents are shying away from appropriate discipline for their children because of current misguided societal values. Let’s give this a thought and repent.

Have you been faithful to God and your children in this regard? Hesitating to discipline children does not equate to love; rather, a good spanking will not kill them – quite the opposite in fact. May God give you understanding, in Jesus name, amen.

‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’  Amos 3:3

Marriage can be likened to making an egg omelette with two eggs. If one egg is good and the other egg is bad, the whole omelette will be bad. Same way, if you select a spouse with fundamental principles at odds with yours, you have laid a wrong foundation, and the marriage is not likely to work. If you fear God and your spouse does not, this is a fundamental disagreement and that marriage is not likely to work – no matter how much you think you ‘love’ each other.

If you are still single, consider what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:14 ‘be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?’ (KJV). Choosing to marry a co-believer, that you also both love each other is the beginning. Choosing a spouse based on external factors alone is very problematic. The bible say in proverbs 31:30 ‘Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.’ Same goes for the lady, consider well when a guy approach you for dating with the intention of marriage, no matter how handsome or rich he might be, if he is not born again, it is a NO!

Choose a lover among your friends that love Christ. Choose wisely. God has promised to guide you as you prayerfully seek him, and follow His leading with trust.

‘Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.’ Proverbs 18:22

It is wrong to go into a marriage with the possibility of failure in mind. In the world we live in today, marriage is seen as a necessary evil; something that must be tolerated, – thinking “well the marriage might not work out in any case”. If we do not see things the Lords way, if we do not agree with the way He planned it, marriage is not likely to work out. If one goes into a marriage relationship with the possibility of divorce at the slightest provocation, the marriage is not likely work. If we have an attitude of fear that it might not work out, or we maintain separate lives within the relationship just in case of a need for divorce, the marriage is not likely to work out. Negative attitudes are one of the reasons marriages do not work.

We should see marriage the way God sees marriage – seeing only the best as we go into it. The man must expect to see his ‘good’ in the woman, and the woman must believe she is the best thing that has happened to the man, and behave ‘good’ to him. This might call for change in attitude and believe system in all of us. This way, we will victoriously go through any challenge that could come. I pray God release fresh wine into your marriage relationship in Jesus name. Amen.

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. ¹¹ Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 (NKJV)

 This is Gods wisdom demonstrated in teamwork and marriage. In system design there is a convention around system failure which states that if a system should fail there should always be a way that things can be corrected. This is what God has beautifully put in place in a marriage relationship. If one person should fall or falter, if you have had a bad day, if you need a person to rely on, the perfect place to go would be home, to your spouse. They would lift you up, encourage you, and be a pillar in the time when your world seems to be crumbling. This was God’s intention. God never intended that one spouse should be a burden to the other, but that marriage should be a support system of cooperation, growth and peace.

As you reflect on these words, you might need to make some necessary decisions that will change the way you relate and respond to your spouse at home. Can she be sure that there is a shoulder on which she can cry when the need arises and she will be comforted? Can he depend on your support in challenging time and he will not feel ashamed? Make up your mind today to do all you can to make your home a haven for your spouse and children, and God will help you. Have a great day.

‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour.’ Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NKJV)

Many things in life require the concerted effort of a team in order to achieve good success. In life we are not meant to be alone, no one was intended to be an island unto himself or herself. Indeed in the beginning God declared that it was not good for man to walk alone, and therefore gave onto him woman (Genesis 2:18).

The marriage institution is mean to exemplify perfect teamwork. In marriage, it take both the man and the woman to bring children into this world. The man has his role and the woman her own. When in harmony both roles are performed well, there comes forth a beautiful result. Single parents find it difficult to raise a child alone, this is understandable because that was not the intended plan of God. The bible says ‘two are better than one’ and they shall have a greater reward for their labour. This is the way marriage was intended to work.

I admonish you to think this way – it is better that I am properly married than otherwise. As a single person, believe the best for your marriage. For the married, even if your marriage has some challenges, this truth cannot be negated. Prayerfully do the best in your power to enjoy the benefit of ‘the two’ and patiently and lovingly wait to see God do a new thing in your marriage relationship. God will help you. Have a great day.

‘And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”’ Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)

Marriage is good and its origin is from God. No matter what we personally think about the institution of marriage, or what the statistics on divorce say, these do not negate the fact that marriage between man and woman is good and is ordained by God.

God said it is “not good” for man to be alone. When God concluded creation, after making the animals, the earth, and the skies, He looked at everything and declared it is good. The only thing that was not good in His eyes was the fact that man was alone; he needed someone comparable to him. Proverbs 18:22 says: ‘Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the Lord is good to you.’ (GNB). The NLT of this verse says:   ‘The man who finds a wife finds a treasure’. When a man finds his own wife, he has found treasure from God, he has found the missing good in his singleness! This is God’s view about marriage and this is what I believe. I would like you to believe this too. In that wise, you husband, know and declare always that your wife is ‘good’, and you wife, you need to know and declare to yourself, you are ‘the good’ that came into your husband’s single life. Take time to think about this truth, let it shape your confession and attitude towards your spouse. Encourage your friends with this truth and teach it to your children. May you experience a fresh wine of love and peace in your marriage relationship. Have a very good day.