Marriage Tip

Marriage Tip

Together may you live fully, laugh often, and love life’s simplest joys. Together, may you find in one another your best and dearest friend,

Food For Thought

Food for thought to the broken hearted couples.

God can heal a broken heart, but he has to have all the pieces.
My son, give me thine heart (Proverbs 23:26 a)

Success

Success in marriage is more than finding the right person. It’s becoming the right person.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:11)

In Marriage

In marriage, the measure of a man is not how great his faith is but how great his love is.
And now these three remains: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of this is love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Marriage Tip

Marriage Tip                                                                                                                                                                                                             A marriage may be made in heaven, but the maintenance must be done on earth
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband (Ephesians 5:33

Why Take Time Teaching Marriage.

Many people always ask the marriage restoration network team that with all of the many problems in the world, why should you consider spending your time and talents to help strengthen marriage? Our answer is that before institutions were created, God created marriage. Also the first bond of society is marriage. Marriage is the foundation of the family, and the family is the foundation of society. If we strengthen marriage, we strengthen the family, we strengthen the children and we strengthen the community.

If your goal is to help improve the world, strengthening marriage is one of the best places to start. If you now find former street kids now happily at home, it is because God has used us to help their mom and dad get along better.

And we whole-heartedly agree, because marriage is portrayed throughout the Bible as a living picture of Christ’s love for the church. How much nearer or dearer could you get to pleasing God’s heart than to improve your own marriage so that it reflects the love of Christ, and then reach out to help others to improve theirs as well?

We at M.R.N.U spend most of the time helping married couples for it’s because the love of Christ compels us. To us helping married couples makes it worth every bit of time, energy, and money we’ve spent. We consider it a wonderful privilege to participate with God in this awesome ministry.

there is so much more that needs to be and could be done, if there were more of us working together on this worthy cause.

Marriage Tip

Marriage tip to the married couples

Did you know that if you don't like yourself, you are never going to like anybody else, and you won't be able to help your spouse like himself or herself? You will spend all your time trying to prove your own value. Healing first comes by accepting yourself, knowing that where you are today is not where you will end up, and knowing that God is continually perfecting you, too. We all need to accept the unconditional love of God and acknowledge the fact that God doesn't love us because of what we do - but because of who we are. 

Our decisions should always have our spouse's interests in mind. Even a mediocre marriage requires sacrifice. It is important to understand that true love gives of itself. 

Sacrifice means you are not going to have your way all the time. This means both the husband and wife are called to love each other with unconditional love. There has to be sacrifice of selfish desires if a couple is going to enjoy a triumphant marriage.

Marriage Is All About Giving.

The greatest marriages are built on teamwork. A mutual respect, a healthy dose of admiration, and a never-ending portion of love and grace, Once we figured out that we could not change each other, we became free to celebrate ourselves as we are.  Love is the greatest gift when given. It is the highest honor when received.

Marriage Tip

Marriage tip for those who cherish marriage as a gift from God to us
Being in a long marriage is a little bit like that nice cup of coffee every morning – I might have it every day, but I still enjoy it. Always remember A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

Great Marriage

Marriage is like any other work, like you give in some extra time on every job you want to be done, the same you can do to your marriage. The difference between an ordinary marriage and an extraordinary marriage is in giving just a little ‘extra effort’ every day, as often as possible, for as long as we both shall live.

Will You Join Hands With Us?

Will You Join Hands With Us? Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Revelation 19:7.

These days there is a debate going on around the world about sexuality and where men are allowed to get married.  God designed sexual expression to unite a man and a woman in marriage and to represent the union of Christ and His Bride, The Church.

Now, more than ever, the Church must be clear on understanding and proclaiming that truth, with boldness and grace.

For decades now, we've watched many prominent people and even mainline denominations discuss and argue about what the Bible says about marriage and sexuality, to the point where some now embrace and celebrate same-sex marriage.

Even though some in the Church are faltering, Marriage Restoration Network Uganda remains dedicated to teaching the true word of God and affirming God's design for marriage and sexuality. We're committed to teaching and equipping this generation and the next about God's sacred plan for marriage and family. Yet we can't do it alone, we need all of you who think marriage is between a man and woman to join us in this fight by helping us reach many places. Remember what the bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:12 “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” If you stand with us, we can accomplish much and the name of the Lord will be glorified.

Married Couples Should Always Think About.

Something married couples to think about
GOD DESIGNED MARRIAGE.
That means that He knows best how it should operate. His Word gives us the principles we need for satisfying marriages. Since God designed marriage, it takes three to make a good marriage: God, the man, and the woman. For a Christian to marry an unbeliever is not only to disobey God; it is to enter marriage lacking something essential. Marriage has been described as a triangle with God at the top: the closer each partner moves to God, the closer they move toward each other. The further each moves from God, the further they move from each other. As soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they experienced alienation from each other and Adam began blaming Eve for his problems (3:7, 12). Broken marriages always involve at least one partner moving away from God. So the starting place in having a marriage according to God’s design is genuine conversion and a daily walk with God.

Marriage Was Created For Relationships.

Something married couples should think about as they work about their relationships with their spouses;

When you read Genesis 1 & 2, the words of 2:18 hit abruptly: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Throughout chapter one, God surveys His work and pronounces it good (1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This is the first time God says that something in His creation is not good: “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Think about it: Here’s a sinless man, in perfect fellowship with God, in a perfect environment. What more could you want? Isn’t that enough? Not according to God! God’s evaluation was that the man needed a human companion to correspond to him. in this God designed marriage to meet the human need for companionship. So every couple Should respect and honor their relationships knowing it is a divine gift from God.

Breathing Wisdom In Our Families

Breathing wisdom in our families The family is the nursery of every sector of the nation and it needs proper care. If we don’t take care of our families, we would have done a disservice to a nation. It is in a family where we find husbands and wives, Children, doctors, teachers, lawyers, Politicians, business men and women and any person you would think of. In that case we need to breathe wisdom in our families. God is calling upon His servant to breathe wisdom into our families for building better communities. God’s wisdom is for moral regeneration, economic development, civil cohesion, political leadership all of which must conclude in spiritual growth. Let us see what wisdom does. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4. Wisdom builds. It builds a house as well as morals, economies, politics, and anything in the world. Wisdom is the foundation of everything. It seems ordinary to ask what wisdom means. However, given that there is increasing evidence of confusion and persistent failure in many aspects of the family amidst increased learning, the becomes extra ordinary, So then what is wisdom? The book of Job in the bible records the life of a blameless and upright man amidst troubles. The beginning and end of the story is dramatic and well publicized. There is also a message hidden in between the many words Job spoke as he faced troubles. I will quote one statement, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” {Job 28:28} Go and read the story again. Wisdom is the fear of God. The word fear in this context does not mean being afraid or scared. For instance, it does not mean getting scared to run away from a lion. But the fear of God is about respect, reverence or obedience to Him as creator of heaven and earth as well author of life. Let us see what it means to fear God. 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: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. {Matthew 7:2427}. From this part of scripture we see a wise man as one who hears the words of Jesus Christ and puts them in practice. Many floods, signifying problems and challenges, may come but he is able to withstand because he is strengthened by wisdom. He is able to think out solutions. On the other hand we also learn that a foolish man is one who hears the words of Jesus Christ but does not put them into practice. When the foolish man is faced with the same floods, signifying problems and challenges, he falls with a great crash because he is weak. He is not able to think out solutions and when he does try, he ends up with temporary, unreal or counterfeit solutions. The difference between a wise man and a foolish man is that they both hear the same words but the wise one puts them in practice while the foolish one does not. A wise man hears the words of God and puts in practice. A wise child avoids fornication, a wise husband or wife resists adultery, a wise worker avoids taking bribes but is diligent at his work, a wise economist avoids wastage by collecting even the leftovers and sets plans to create wealth instead of borrowing to chase poverty, a wise politician will speak the truth and be free from unfulfilled promises. A foolish child will fornicate and end up breaking his/her heart, a foolish husband or wife will commit adultery and pick up STDs, an unwise worker will take bribes, build houses and deny them as well as his parents before a commission of enquiry, an unwise economist will be wasteful and always borrow to chase poverty instead of learning to create wealth, an unwise politician will speak deception and lies then find another lie to cover the first lie and extra opportunities to deceive on unfulfilled promises. A wise man, a wise family, a wise people, a wise community, a wise sub-county, a wise district, a wise region and a wise nation will always seek counsel from the word of God, ask for solutions, implement the solutions then the people will prosperous and successful. Let your family be the source of this success. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Benefits Of Marriage.

Marriage is a gift from God and because of that it has many benefits. When you allow to explore it with God then you will have a wonderful marriage and you will enjoy these benefits. The best way to have great, wonderful and guiltless sex. Marriage provides some sort of security (especially for women), having someone who loves and chooses to support you financially is also a great advantage (don't you think?). To have someone to love unconditionally until death parts you. Marriage provides you with a companion that you can grow old with and share your stories of the old days with. Marriage helps you to be tolerant, unselfish and caring. Many married people can tell you for a fact that living with someone for the rest of your life is not one of the easiest things for anyone, especially if the other person is totally different from you. Marriage helps you to be disciplined in your finances, time and your sexual libido is reserved for one person and one person alone (your wife or husband), period. You have someone to share life's challenges, rewards and sorrows with, a person who actually knows what you are going through and feels the same way too.

Is Marriage Still Holy?

This week I got a few people asking if marriage is sacred or not. They were asking if God still take marriage seriously like in the old times because time has changed and Today, marriage and the family are regularly viewed as social conventions that can be entered into and severed by the marital partners at will. It is true time and the people have changed but God has not changed and what he said before, he is still saying it. Hebrews 13:8. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” By contrast, the Bible makes it clear that, at the root, marriage and the family are not human conventions based merely on a temporary consensus and time-honored tradition. Instead, Scripture teaches that family was God's idea and that marriage is a divine, not merely human, institution. The implication of this truth is significant indeed, for this means that humans are not free to renegotiate or redefine marriage and the family in any way they choose but that they are called to preserve and respect what has been divinely instituted. This is in keeping with Jesus' words, uttered when his contemporaries asked him about the permissibility of divorce: "What therefore God has joined together let not man separate" (Matthew 19:6). For this reason, marriage is far more than a human social contract; it is a divinely instituted covenant. In Reality, What Is Marriage? Marriage is a covenant, a sacred bond between a man and a woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God and normally consummated by sexual intercourse. God's plan for the marriage covenant involves at least the following five vital principles: (1) The permanence of marriage: Marriage is intended to be permanent, since it was established by God (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9). Marriage represents a serious commitment that should not be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. It involves a solemn promise or pledge, not merely to one's marriage partner, but before God. Divorce is not permitted except in a very limited number of biblically prescribed circumstances. (2) The sacredness of marriage: Marriage is not merely a human agreement between two consenting individuals (a "civil union"); it is a relationship before and under God (Genesis 2:22). Hence, a "same-sex marriage" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Since Scripture universally condemns homosexual relationships. God will never sanction a marital bond between two members of the same sex. (3) The intimacy of marriage: Marriage is the most intimate of all human relationships, uniting a man and a woman in a "one-flesh" union (Genesis 2:23 -25). Marriage involves "leaving" one's family of origin and "being united" to one's spouse, which signifies the establishment of a new family unit distinct from the two originating families. While "one flesh" suggests sexual intercourse and normally procreation, at its very heart the concept entails the establishment of a new kinship relationship between two previously unrelated individuals (and families) by the most intimate of human bonds. (4) The mutuality of marriage: Marriage is a relationship of free self-giving of one human being to another (Ephesians 5:25-30). The marriage partners are to be first and foremost concerned about the wellbeing of the other person and to be committed to each other in steadfast love and devotion. This involves the need for forgiveness and restoration of the relationship in the case of sin. Mutuality, however, does not mean sameness in role. Scripture is clear that wives are to submit to their husbands and to serve as their "suitable helpers," while husbands are to bear the ultimate responsibility for the marriage before God (Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; see also Genesis 2:18, 20). (5) The exclusiveness of marriage: Marriage is not only permanent, sacred, intimate, and mutual; it is also exclusive (Genesis 2:22-25; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5). This means that no other human relationship must interfere with the marriage commitment between husband and wife. For this reason, Jesus treated sexual immorality of a married person, including even a husband's lustful thoughts, with utmost seriousness (Matthew 5:28; 19:9). For the same reason, premarital sex is also illegitimate, since it violates the exclusive claims of one's future spouse. As the Song of Solomon makes it clear, only in the secure context of an exclusive marital bond can free and complete giving of oneself in marriage take place.

How We Keep Our Boat Afloat

Hello friends in Christ Jesus, as I and Ruth celebrate 29 years of our marriage, I would like to share a few principles that has helped us steer our marriage boat through the troubled waters of this world. Marriage is hard work and it calls for a lot of strength to make it work. Always remember marriage is the only institution you enter and never stop learning and never graduate until you die. Most of the time marriage fails because we fail to look at ourselves but focus more on what our spouses has failed to fulfill. The Scriptures says that the relationship with our spouse is to include love, respect, understanding, honor, harmony, sympathetic kindness, etc. (1 Peter 3:1-9; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18, 19). So before you focus on your spouse, are you loving, respectful, understanding, kind, sympathetic etc? Let us look at the principles; 1 Do not nag your spouse. A constant drip (or steam) of criticism and nagging of your spouse will certainly make for a miserable, tension filled marriage. It will grow contempt, anger, and resentment in both your hearts. A happy marriage is not filled with negativity. Criticism leads to contempt, and then to blaming the other for anything and everything. The next step is refusing to speak. Finally, there is misery – and the result maybe separation and divorce. 2 Always encourage your spouse. A happy marriage involves genuine encouragement and appreciation for your spouse. This principle of a happy marriage is the medicine to cure criticism and nagging. If you don’t feel like encouraging your spouse, start by just saying the words and putting a smile on your face. You will be amazed at the response, and after awhile it will become natural for you. 3 There must be enjoyment. The wise man said, “Rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). This verse is in the context of sex, but you can enjoy your spouse in every way – just like they are. Your spouse is who they are, their personality is set. Do not try to remake or change your spouse into something other than what God has designed them to be. But do help them grow in their Christian faith and help them fulfill God’s purposes on their lives. Let God work in their lives, and give them freedom to grow in God’s timing and power. Whatever you do, don’t marry someone with the idea of changing them after you have married them. That will not make for a happy marriage. 4 Be a happy person. Ephesians 5:22-33 deals with Christian marriage. However, the passage starts in verse 18. There it says to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which results in a thankful, nice, happy, humble heart attitude. Being a sad and miserable person does not encourage a happy marriage. People don’t like to be around unhappy, negative, gripping people. Be a happy and kind person, pleasant in your attitude to them. 5 Love our spouse. Love your spouse, cherish, and respect them. Forgive them, and don’t hold resentment and grudges against them. Look for the good in your spouse, don’t focus on their faults. Look out for their best interests. Defend them. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 explains how to love. 6 Give your spouse attention. Notice and appreciate the little things your spouse does. Don’t be lost in your world and ignore them. It takes time and effort to develop a happy marriage. You must notice and take their interests into consideration. Paul wrote, “but the one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided” (1 Corinthians 7:33, 34). Someone once said “your wife’s heart is like a campfire. If you don’t tend to it regularly, it will go cold.” the wife should also do the same. 7 Always be courteous, kind and patient. Often when we are courting our spouse we are one type of person. We put our best foot forward, say kindly sweet things, and are patient and tolerant of things that may irritate. Sadly, when the honeymoon is over, we forget these characteristics. We think that now that we got them, we can act our own way. Irritation, indifference, impoliteness, and rudeness can become a way of life. A happy marriage is a courteous relationship. 8 Always include your spouse Include your spouse in your dreams and life. Don’t shut them out of your world. Genuinely be interested in their dreams, desires, goals, and life. Help them fulfill God’s design and purpose for their lives. Don’t mock or ridicule their hopes and dreams, but listen, share, and celebrate their world. Sometimes it is just a matter of sitting down and talking with and listening to each other – getting reacquainted. 9 Sex This is an important issue. Paul wrote, “But because of immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband…Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:2, 3, 5). Talk with each other on how to make the experience satisfactory for both. Husbands should not be selfish and think only of their own pleasure. Most of all, if you want to keep your marriage intact, don’t cheat on your spouse. That is sin. When cheating happens, trust leaves, and rarely does it return. 10 Always see that your spouse is important and special. Consider and treat your spouse as the most special and important person in your life. Some say that a person’s most important need is to feel special and important. Tell your spouse such, and by your actions demonstrate how important they are to you. Reassure them often. Treat your spouse the same way as when you were courting them. These are some of the things that have kept us afloat on the journey of marriage. I know you have wonderful and better marriages than mine but maybe to remind ourselves in this journey. May the good Lord bless you as you steer the marriage boat in the mighty name of Jesus. Be blessed. Your brother, Moses.

Start The Year By Looking At Your Marriage.

Hello husbands and wives, every time we start a New Year, it is the best time to look back over your marriage this past year. How can you be a better mate? How can you be more intentional in your marriage? How can you make it better? Did your spouse hurt you and you have been struggling to forgive? Commit right now to forgive and start fresh. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15. Have you struggled with loving your wife? Commit now to loving her fully. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27. Have you struggled with submitting to your husband? Commit to submitting to his leadership as God calls us to. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24. Enjoy the gift of marriage in this New Year.

KNOWING THE PURPOSE OF MY MARRIAGE

KNOWING THE PURPOSE OF MY MARRIAGE Brothers and sisters in the lord Jesus Christ, we as marriage restoration network Uganda, our mandate is to restore marriage to its original plan and purpose of which God created it for. From the days of Adam’s fall, most marriages are built on man’s plan and purpose instead of God’s plan. We as born again married couples, need to run our marriages as new creation in the lord, 2 cor 5:17 seeing our marriage as people and children of God. Why is it that couples behave in the way they do, even those who are Christian? They act in that way because they are rejecting God’s knowledge about His plan about marriage. Hosea 4:6 What is the consequence of rejecting God’s knowledge about God’s word? It affects our children and the whole family, do you remember Korah and Achan in the bible. Korah and Achan sinned but their entire families were destroyed. We thank God for in love provided Jesus that we can go back to his original plan, Ephesians 2:10 Why do you think the married couples behave the way they do? Because they lack knowledge of God’s plan. God’s plan was for couples to rule and dominate the earth Genesis 1:26-27. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Who are those people who dominate? They are kings, princes and princesses. Now ask yourself, in my marriage, do I behave like a king, a queen? Am I a prince or princess? 1 peter 2:9-12 9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by [your] good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. I would wish you as a born again married couple read Revelation 5:10 carefully and ask yourself this question; According to the way I behave in my marriage, am I a new creature? Am I a king or queen? Does my marriage fit in God’s plan? Am I fit to reign with Christ? Let us read it again; Revelation 5:10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Friends, God created your marriage for a divine purpose and it is you to make it fulfilled and not just you alone but to have people who will fear and serve Him, 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. Let us not allow Satan to use our marriage and children to fulfill his plans but let us allow God’s plans be fulfilled.

Dealing With Anger In Marriage.

Dealing with anger in Marriage. Marriage is hard work and if we want to have joy and peace in our marriages, then we need to work at it very hard every day. Like any type of work if you do not put in energy, then you will never get results. The bible says in Song of Songs 2:15 that “Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes.” Now one of the areas in marriage where the couples need to work on is taking this fox called anger. Anger has destroys marriage if not dealt with. Each of us we are prone to sin if we do not handle anger well. The bible says in Ephesians 4:26 that “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” The longer we stay in anger, the easier for us to sin. Paul goes on to say in verse 27 that “Neither give place to the devil.” The more you stay angry you are giving satan the opportunity to harm your marriage. As we work with couples and families, we’ve observed that anger has many tragic consequences in a marriage or family. Let’s look at three of the most deadly. 1. Anger creates distance Anger almost always creates an unhealthy distance. In Jerry’s family his three daughters were slowly showing that they don’t feel safe around him. If you are married to an angry man or woman, he or she will try to create distance between you. You may want to get close, but the offended one will pull away. Angry people refuse closeness. 2. Anger pushes us into misery Unresolved anger can rip away our perspective and throw us into chaos. We don’t know where we are going. We can’t think logically. We don’t realize that we are doing to ourselves, and those we love. As we blindly lurch and stumble, our families become candidates for serious, possibly permanent, injuries of the heart. We’ve talked to so many people who, after years of going to church and counseling, have still not found peace. After hearing their story, the major reason for their failure is deep-seated anger. They are unwilling to forgive or seek forgiveness, and as a result, they hide secret caches of darkness in their lives-little toxic waste dumps seeping bitterness, gradually poisoning their home. 3. Anger ties us in knots Like few other emotions, anger restricts and binds us, tying us in internal knots. Forgiveness, on the other hand sets us free from those bonds, untying the knots that hold us captive. Much like rope tied around our feet or hands, anger hinders and hampers us. Children who grow up embittered and angry are handcuffed and hobbled, prevented from discovering their potential. Here are five attitudes to unite a person’s anger knots 1) Become soft and tender with the person. 2) Understand, as much as possible, what the other person has endured. 3) Admit the person has been wounded, and be sure to admit any wrong in provoking that hurt. 4) Seek forgiveness-and gently wait for a response. 5) Touch the person gently. Finally, always make sure your words are seasoned with love. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Strong married couples will always take the word of God seriously and love you read these few scriptures whenever you feel angry. Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Colossians 3:10-17 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. 14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Have this fox called anger be arrested and you enjoy your marriage.

God's Battle Axe

Praise God my dear friends and prayer partners, As we bid farewell to the year 2013 and well coming 2014, I stopped to think of the goodness of the Lord and what he has helped us accomplish in 2013. When I think of the many people who came and confessed the Lord as their savior, the many families which were spared from breaking and what we achieved as a church, I gave the Lord the glory but one verse came to my mind in Jeremiah 51:20-23. I was happy for the team that maybe we were good axes and gave God the glory and the honor but I also give all of you the credit because you are the reason of the success. You have sacrificed a lot and put in a lot of time praying for this ministry making us a better battle axe. This verse brought a lot of meaning to me and would like to share it with you as we plan for the year 2014 if we are to be successful as good battle axes of God. Jeremiah 51:20-23 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; [21] And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; [22] With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; [23] I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. God is a warrior; the Man of war is His name. Every warrior goes to battle with weapons of warfare trusted, effective and reliable. No warrior ever goes to battle without his weapons, no matter what it is; there must be something with which the warrior hopes to fight. When God says that you are His battle axe, He is saying you are His weapon of warfare. He intends to fight battles through you. A battle axe is anything in the hand of the warrior that is capable of bringing down the enemy. So God is saying with you in His hands, He can bring down any enemy. Think about Moses when he was to go to Egypt to bring up the children of God. God told him, ‘I have made you a god unto Pharaoh…’ And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: Exodus 7:1 This would mean that whatever God would have done by Himself to Pharaoh, He would do through Moses. Pharaoh did not see God but he saw God’s power working through Moses. People should see the power of God in you as a child of God. The world is a battle-field and it is a place of darkness. Many Christians have died untimely and some are in hell now because they refused to be the battle-axe of God. Today, beloved, you have the opportunity of making the choice of becoming God’s battle –axe or not. The enemies of God are the arch-enemies of God’s children. And usually when you cannot get at a man, you make his children the next target. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD BATTLE AXE A good axe must be swift, sharp, strong and powerful. God expects every Christian to be His battle-axe, which He will use in destroying the kingdom of darkness. The devil is aware of this fact, so he is vigilant, he knows the Christians that are not useful and cannot function as razor blade, let alone being battle-axes, for the Lord. That is why the seven sons of Sceva suffered in the hands of a man that was possessed of evil spirits (Acts 19:13-16). Some Christians are tools and toys in the hands of the devil; whereas, that is not the will of God. The devil is occupied 24hours of the day and he fires arrows at people, day and night. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S BATTLE AXE: 1. Must be SHARP: What sharpens you as a child of God is the word of God. When the word of God is rich in you, you will be a sharp axe in His hands. The word of God can cut into pieces anything it lands upon. With the word of God you can bring into captivity everything that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. 2 Cor 10:5 Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. The stone in the passage talks about the word of God. 2. Must be RUST FREE An axe must not get rusted; otherwise, it becomes blunt and will not be able to chop anything. Rust in the life of a Christian, could be in many forms. Any atom of worldliness leads to impurity and hinders person from prospering in the things of God. Some of the impurities include: 1. Instinctive addiction to food, sleep, drugs etc 2. Sin: Disobedience against the word of God, either spoken or written would make the axe head to be blunt. 3. Pride: When you allow what you have to get into your heads, you can run yourself blunt as God’s battle axe. 4. Inordinate love for the opposite sex: Many people started on the right track with God but fell out because of this sin. Solomon was lured away from God by strange women and he sinned against God. Samson was prophesied into being and he was a special child dedicated unto God. He was powerful but gave himself up to a strange woman, who betrayed him and died with his enemies. Anyone that is not pure in his or her heart and deeds, is not worthy of being a battle-axe in the hands of God. The eyes of God cannot behold sin and He cannot share His children with the world and the devil. 3.Must pass through FIRE An axe is made from metal; for it to get its shape, the metal-smith puts the metal in fire and hits hard on it, to shape-shift it, So also are human beings in the hands of God. If you must become God’s battle-axe, passing through fire becomes non-negotiable. Passing through fire might not be pleasant but in the end, it makes a person a better vessel. Passing through fire could be trials, temptations, hardship etc. Sometimes, a person passes through fire without knowing why, until God promotes him or her. A person could be a battle-axe and then become blunt. He or she could be rendered invalid, if he or she is not careful. The person’s story will now be “in those days…” WHY DOES GOD WANT YOU TO BE A BATTLE AXE? The answer to the question above could be found in our main text; 1. To break nations into pieces. 2. To destroy the kingdom of darkness. 3. To destroy demonic agents. 4. To destroy satanic principles and practices. Except you are a battle-axe in the hands of God, you cannot do the above mentioned things. Being God’s battle-axe, takes more than church attendance. You have to start from the starting point, which is an encounter with the Lord, before you can grow and groom yourself into being useful and useable in His hands. Keep yourself sharp at all times. Remember: If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Friends, thank you for making me a better battle axe sharpening me with your encouraging words and prayers. See you on the winning side in 2014. Shalom! Your brother, Moses.