Spiritual Training for Children I

Sunday 14 May
READ: Prov. 22: 6
MORE LESSON: Psa. 78:9

Spirituality and godliness are the principal requirements for a successful home, not just for the father and mother but for the children as well. In order for the home to fulfil God's plan, we need high level of spiritual capacity for our children. This is the reason why the children need to be part of the spiritual exercises in the home. The children cannot be excused from prayer, family altar and other spiritual exercises on the basis of being too young. They must be trained to do it from early in life.
When I leave my house early in the morning, sometimes before 5 am, I see Muslim men going to the mosque in the cold of the morning, small children carrying small mats, running to catch up with their father as they hurry to the mosque. No wonder they grow up to be ardent followers of their religion. However, when going to church Christian parents leave the children at home, saying they are small, and will not understand what is happening in the church. If they are too young to understand what is happening in church, how come they understand what is happening on the television that they switch on immediately you leave them and go to church.
As soon as children can understand sounds and words, it is time to start training them in the way of the Lord. Let them pray at their level, let them fast according to their capacity when they are old enough to. Let them read the Bible and come for Bible Study. The environment puts several ideas into their minds about fashion, speech, friendship and other things in life. They read all manners of books and watch programmes on the media. It is only the Scripture that can format all the wrong stuff out of their mind. If there is any field that parents must be well versed in more than the children, it is the Scripture. Teach them the Bible.
When my children were young, there was no home lesson that superseded Bible Study. The personal tutor would come home to teach them but once it was time to go to church, it was either the home tutor would leave or follow us to church. All the talk about parents coming to church and leaving children at home that they have home lesson or they are reading their school books is not correct. We don't want to raise intelligent sons of belial.
These children are the next generation that will spearhead the Kingdom of God in this end time. The greatest gift and legacy they can be given is a high spiritual capacity so that they will carry God into their generation. Our children will not be found as spiritual weaklings in their day of battle, in Jesus’ name (Psa. 78:9).

Prayer/Action
* Pray that the Lord will grant to you wisdom to bring up your children in the way of the Lord, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that your children will grow up in the fear of the Lord, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I remove my name and family's from any demonic calendar and programme, in the name of Jesus.

The Triangle of Marriage

Saturday 13 May
READ: Eccl. 4: 9 - 12
MORE LESSON: Matt. 19: 4 - 6

The Bible says that two are better than one. Scripturally, one chases a thousand, two chase ten thousand. Furthermore, in marriage, they actually chase more than ten thousand. This is because marriage is not merely a union of two; it is a union of three. God is the third Person in the marriage. A successful marriage is the man, the woman inside God. It is the threefold cord that will not be broken (Eccl 4: 12). The marriages of many in the world are merely two fold cords; a man and woman trying to work things out. This is the reason why things are not working out. When the man, the woman and God are united in holy matrimony, the marriage will not fail. The man and the woman may not have the strength to pull it through, but God will pull it through for them. God will not allow anything He is involved in to fail.
Marriage is like a triangle; a triangle has three edges, two at the base and one at the peak. Each edge represents the person in the marriage; the man and the woman at the opposite points at the base, God is at the top point of the triangle. The purpose of marriage is oneness in spirit, soul and body. The man and the woman start out at opposite edges because they are two different people and they want to work at a meeting point. They have two options, they can try to cut through the base and meet at the center of the base. To achieve this, they will have to drill through the triangle and meet at the center at the same level of the base. This is what many people are doing and sweating in their marriage. The second option is to each climb to the top of the triangle and meet at the peak. To achieve this, they have to both go up.
There are a lot of problems in marriage because the man and the woman are trying to work out a meeting point at the natural level and leave God out of the equation. However, if they both will grow up spiritually and become more and more Christ-like, they will naturally achieve oneness. This entails that the man and woman keep looking up and climbing higher in God. As they go higher, the distance between them is actually reducing. In a triangle, if two objects start from the opposite edges of the base and climb up along the slants to the peak, the higher they go, the less the distance between them. Therefore if marriage issues must be resolved and oneness achieved, each party has to grow spiritually and become more and more like Christ.
They will definitely meet at the top because the power to become one is made available by God Himself who keeps drawing both. It is for this reason that the Bible says, Two are better than one...: v9, because as they move up the triangle towards God, they get better and better for it.

Prayer/Action
* I declare my home is established in Christ Jesus, nothing shall be able to break it, in Jesus’ name.
* My home will grow to perfection, in the mighty name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
No matter what the devil does, I shall not end my year in shame, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Who you Should not Marry II

Friday  12 May
READ: Gen 24: 2 – 4
MORE LESSON: Prov. 19: 14

The issue of getting into marriage is a destiny decision. Making the right choice is possible and very easy when the principles of God are followed. This is why we started yesterday to give the description of a person not to marry based on the Scripture and the spiritual wisdom that God has graciously given to us.
You should not marry a person who doesn't submit to leadership. Do not marry a rebel in the house of God, who defies all the authority so that you will not partake of the curse upon his life. When you see a man/woman who doesn't submit to spiritual leadership, stay away from such a person. Such people claim that they are the alpha and omega of their own lives. That means if he is intent on doing wrong, there is no man anywhere that can tell him to stop and he will obey. Several marriages have collapsed because there is no authority to report to.
Do not marry a person who wants to marry you just because he/she 'likes' you. It surely takes more than 'like' to have a successful marriage. A person who likes you can also like someone else. Admiration is good but it is not the basis for marriage. A man can 'like' the way a lady looks now but after giving birth the shape changes and he doesn't 'like' her anymore. A woman can like a man because of his looks, job or money now and something happens that takes those things away and she doesn't like him anymore. Just because he/she 'likes' or even 'loves' you is never enough for marriage. There must be a spiritual conviction that both of you can hold on to.
A lot of people react against this when we say that the fact that a person loves you or you love a person is not enough ground for marriage. They say 'Why shouldn't I marry the person I love, are you not saying that I should marry the person I don't love?' There is nothing wrong with love. Love is good. In fact God Himself is love. So you should love the person you want to marry. God will never force you to marry someone you don't love. In fact when the leading is truly of God, the first evidence you notice is that evidential love starts to flow from your heart to the person. However, this love is not circumstance-driven or flesh-motivated but God-based. The truth is that many who profess love for people they want to marry are victims of mere infatuation and emotional stirrings. The love is based on looks, family pedigree, possession or other external attributes. But the love that will last long and weather the storms is that which is built on the altar of God – who is love Himself; not the many things people call love. It is only the agape love of God that can stand the test of time.

Prayer/Action
* I receive grace to follow God’s principles no matter how unpopular the path may be, in Jesus’ name.
* O God, rescue everyone that is heading into wrong relationship, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
As Joseph, Esther, Daniel, and others were selected to office in foreign land that even indigenes envied them, so let me be remembered for divine selection to great places this year, in the name of Jesus.

Who you Should not Marry I

Thursday 11 May
READ: 2 Cor. 6: 14 - 18
MORE LESSON: Gen 27: 46 – 28: 1

God is interested in the marriage of His children. This is why He has outlined certain rules that you must follow so that you will not partake of the sorrows and woes that befall the disobedient. Many times, singles ask questions on how to know God's will in marriage and how to know who to marry. One good way to know who to marry is first to know who not to marry.
The first commandment of God is that you should never marry an unbeliever. Child of God, don't marry the child of the devil so that you will not have the devil as your father-in-law. Anyone that Jesus Christ is not the Lord of his/her life is not yours to marry. Whether the person is a staunch unbeliever or an unbeliever-church-goer, just stay away from anyone whose salvation experience is not sure and evidential.
You should not marry a person who doesn't have a church that he/she belongs to. Even if he claims to be born-again and ardently follows television preachers, don't marry him. A man/woman who has no local church but only follows online and television preachers will give you untold problems. If you marry him/her, you will realise that in the day of trouble, there is no authority that he/she is answerable to. The television preacher doesn't even know both of you exist, so you cannot reach him when you need a counsellor for your affairs. A lot of so-called Christians do not believe in accountability to a local church or pastor, they only watch religious channels and claim they are born again; don't commit your future to them. Don't make that mistake of tying your life to a man/woman without an authority over his/her life. He/she will soon become a law to him/herself and all you will be able to do is cry. Crying will not be your portion, in Jesus’ name. The way out is to obey now and stay away from a person who is not answerable to a church or pastor over his life.
Don't marry someone who doesn't do anything in the church where he belongs. Here is someone who comes to church, but does nothing whatsoever as a contribution to the church, then he/she corners you unknown to the church and wants to marry you; don't marry him/her. You are to marry someone who loves and has passion for God. Nominal church members don't show passion for God. So the man/woman who comes to church for years, no one knows him/her, doesn't do anything and when the church service ends is already out before anybody is not a marriage material. The reason is that such a lifestyle doesn't denote a sense of responsibility. You need to marry a responsible husband/wife and a person who will be responsible at home will be responsible in the church.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, give grace to the unmarried to submit to God's will in marriage, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God for a godly home, in the mighty name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
By the blood of Jesus, I decree that regular, repeated tragedies shall not be my portion this year, in the name of Jesus.