DON’T BE UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH UNBELIEVERS.

MEMORY VERSE: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Micah

We make important decisions every day. Majority of them affect others and the impact can last for a lifetime and on through eternity. The most important decision you will ever make is salvation. Why is it the most important decision? That decision will determine your future. The word of the Lord clearly says: “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isaiah 3:10-11). Not only that, it will determine what your expectation will be. According to Colossians 1:27, Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Most High God will see to it that none of His children is put to shame. Most importantly, that decision to give your life to Christ will determine where you will spend your eternity. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The second most important decision is who you marry (if you are yet to marry). Asides the obvious fact that marrying the wrong person can make one’s life hell on earth, marrying the wrong person drastically reduces one’s chances of making it to heaven. According to Mark 10:8, you are one flesh with whoever you are married to. It will be difficult for one to make heaven without the other.

2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” To those who have been asking how to know God’s will in marriage, your answer is right there in 2 Corinthians 6:14. There is the general will and specific will in marriage. The general will is highlighted in our memory verse – "be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers". As a single Christian brother or sister, you must not marry an unbeliever. God will never lead any of His children into courtship with an unbeliever. No! Some have deluded themselves into thinking that they can marry the fellow and change him or her later. You are making a big mistake. Don’t do it. The first question i will expect any child of God to ask a brother who proposes is are you born again. If a sister is not born again, she is not God’s will for you. No matter how well mannered and how well behaved she maybe. It does not matter how caring a brother is, if he is not saved he is not God’s will for you. There is no need asking God if you can marry an unbeliever because the answer is already no even before you pray. Someone asked how about the so-called brothers and sisters who claim they are born again but indeed they are not. The bible says “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles” (Matthew 7:16). The bible did not say you will know them by their Facebook posts or bible quotation. The devil knows the bible and he quotes them regularly. It is not even by parent’s position in the church. Hophni and Phinehas were sons of the prophet, yet they were sleeping with women in the church. One important thing, make sure you carry your pastors along in the process as they will be praying for you. Also, let your pastors know what is happening especially when you enter into any relationship.

NOTE: Anyone who marries an unbeliever will have the devil as an in-law.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

BELIEVERS AND TONGUES

MEMORY VERSE: And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.Mark 16:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 9-12

Mark 16:17 says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;” What are tongues? The word for ‘tongues’ is the same word as that for ‘languages’, and it means the ability to speak in a language you have never learned. It may be an angelic language (1 Corinthians 13:1) which presumably is not recognizable or it may be a recognizable human language (as at Pentecost). The gift of tongues has brought many great blessings to many people. Not all Christians speak in tongues nor is it necessarily a sign of being filled with the Spirit. It is possible to be filled with the Spirit and not speak in tongues. Nevertheless, for many, both in the New Testament and in Christian experience, it accompanies an experience of the Holy Spirit and may be the first experience of the more obviously supernatural activity of the Spirit.

Speaking in tongues is a form of prayer (one of the many different forms of prayer found in the New Testament). Paul says, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries” (1 Corinthians 14:2). Every one of us is limited by language. There are times we experience frustration in that we cannot truly express what we really feel when we talk to people. We feel things in our spirit but we don’t know how to put them into words. This is often true also in our relationship with God. This is where the gift of tongues can be a great help. It enables us to express to God what we really feel in our spirits without going through the process of translating it into our native language.

There are three areas in which we will find the gift of tongues very useful. Firstly, in the area of praise and worship. In our praise and worship of God we can often find language limiting. We long to express our love, worship and praise of God, particularly when we are filled with the Spirit. The gift of tongues enables us to do this without the imitation of human language. Secondly, it can be a great help when praying under pressure. There are times in our lives when it is hard to know exactly how to pray. It can be because we are burdened by many pressures, anxieties or griefs. A brother was in a staff meeting in church, some years ago, when he received a message that his mother had a heart attack and was in hospital. Whilst in the taxi, he desperately wanted to pray but felt too shock to form any sentence. He didn't know where to start and what to say, so he began to pray in tongues and the situation was brought under the control of God. Lastly, the gift of tongues can be a help when praying for other people. It is hard to pray for others- especially if you have not seen them or heard from them for some time. The gift of tongues can be a real help when praying or interceding for pastors, church members, our singles, the unemployed, people looking for the fruit of the womb, students, people who are yet to give their lives to Christ and so on. Also, the gift of tongues is a gateway for one to receive other gifts of the spirit. If you have the gifts of tongues, pray in tongues daily as it awakens other gifts of God that are lying dormant in you.

CONFESSIONS: Father, i thank you for the gifts of the Spirit in my life.

ACTION: Set out time to pray in tongues daily.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.