God’s Original Marriage Plan

Marriage was originally intended to be a covenant between a man, a woman, and God. God’s plan is that the husband and wife promise to be faithful to each other and remain together until “death do us apart”.

Khanyi Dlomo and Chinezi Chijioke wedding in SA

There is the statistics that 33, 4 percent of marriages do not last for 15 years. This shows that somewhere along the line, God’s original intent for marriage has been ignored. This sacred pledge or an indefinite contract between a husband and wife has not been kept in many situations.

In place of marriage, a growing number of couples do not even make the promise anymore and just live together. Again, God’s plans for cohabitation are ignored.

Marriage is for this lifetime and will not continue in the next life for those couples that are going to heaven. In Mark 12: 25 Jesus said, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”

What is sad is that many marriages have failed. More would last a lifetime, if both men and women would put God first in their lives, and live the married life as God intended it to be.

William Phelps said, “The highest happiness on earth is in marriage. Every man who is happily married is a successful man even if he has failed in everything else.”

Zimbabwean Wedding

Young People and Peer Pressure

Drunk young girls

As some young people get older, the influence of parents wanes, and a desire to be popular and to be accepted by peers grows strong. Others simply feel a need to talk with someone who “understands” or who will make them feel loved. This might be caused by a lack of self-confidence and feelings of insecurity.

Boys and girls smoking 

On the other side of the coin, peer influence is not necessarily bad. In fact there is a proverb (Proverbs 27: 17) which says: Iron sharpens another iron. So one man sharpens the face of another.” Just as an iron knife can sharpen the dulled edge of another knife, fellowship with other young people can ‘sharpen’ your personality and make you a better person-if those peers have mature, healthy attitudes.

The sad part of the story is that most young people are lacking in maturity- both mental and spiritual. Many youths have view points and opinions that are unsound, unreliable and even reckless. So when young people comes under the control of peers, it is like the blind leading the blind. In Mathew 15: 14 the bible says that if one blind person guides another, they will both fall in a pitch.

Responsible young people can have the ability to escape the snare of peer pressure. This can be achieved by some youth who carefully choose their friends. An association of a young person with those who have Christian values and standards limits friendships.

Youths who take their pride in listening parents have greater chances of resisting peer pressure. This is found in Proverbs 23: 22 when the bible says, “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother’s experience when she is old.” Once a young person fails to listen to his/her father and mother, the life of that person can be in tatters.

Boys and girls smoking

Primary school pupils smoking

Why We Pray?

Praying is such an important part of our lives as Christians. My pastor, Titus Mukuvazvivi Dube used to say that we must recognise prayer as a privilege as well as an honour. He also used to say that every moment of prayer is an investment in eternity and true prayer is a romance of righteousness.

Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa praying

Through prayer we participate in the communion of the God-kind; it’s a throne room caucus rendezvous. Jesus made it so. The scriptures enjoins us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5: 17). I was amazed by the Johane Masowe and Johane Marange sects in the way they value prayer. They spend most of their time praying in mountains or on their respective prayer places which they colloquially call “masowe.” One member of the sect, Madzibaba Tendai of Killarney was interviewed on this matter and he said that that is what the bible in saying (1 Thessalonians 5: 17).

Prayer helps the believers to season their spirits as a dependable receptacle for God’s spirit and power. By so doing, they can connect to God’s ideas, visions and leadings more easily in order to change the world.

Elder Owen Dube of the Assemblies of God church reiterates that when believers pray, they make tremendous power available, dynamic in its working, causing changes in their favour. Thembani Ncube, a ZAOGA brethren continued to say that certain prayer sessions are specially designed by the Lord to help straighten out things in the spirit- realm regarding our immediate or later destinies in His name through prayer. Psalms 68: 19 strengthens us mighty because it says that we serve a kind, loving, great and gracious God who daily loads us with benefits.

During times of prayer, we can meditate on His goodness and appropriate these benefits to our life’s circumstances. Amen!!

Why shall we run away from sin?

When I was growing up as a  Sunday school pupil I was told by my teacher that we must run away from sin. We were told this most often in our teachings. We were also told that if we sin Satan is going to fry us on his pan using his big fork. The most sin were told when we grew up comprised only of stealing sugar and money, lies and disobedience. As the time goes on I realised that sinning consists of many things.

As a fully grown up Christian young man now I know that sin is enmity to God. The bible in Romans 3: 23 says that all have sinned. Not only do we all commit it, we were born sinners. So, if all are guilty, what is wrong with sin? Let us explore what the bible says is wrong with sin:

Sin separates us from God. Israel’s commission of sin separated them from receiving the blessing and protection of the Lord. In Joshua 7: 12 the bible says, “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.” This statement makes it clear that by the time a believer commit a sin that person is separated from God by sin.

God hates sin and this is why God was unhappy that he had made man. This was because mankind was committing sin on a daily basis. As a result God sent the worldwide flood on the earth. In Genesis 6: 6 the bible says, “And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” It is very clear that God hates sin: “The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.”

Sin is against God. When Joseph was tempted to commit  adultery with Potiphar’s wife, he knew if he sinned, it would against God: “There is none greater in this house that I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)

Sin violates God’s command and God’s people are uncomfortable around sin. The result can be separation, not only from God, but also from God’s people; especially those that want to be far from sin. Sin can leave one with a lonely life as the bible confirms in Psalms 26: 5, “I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.”

Sin robs people of their joy, freedom, ruins one’s testimony and it always has consequences. No one has ever heard anyone saying that at end of his/her life he/she enjoyed sinning, but everyone usually regret. Run away from sin!!!!!!

True Friendship Revealed

The right friend will build you up. The wrong friend will destroy you. Many will have their plans and lives changed because they picked the wrong friend or give them the wrong priority in their lives! Many do not even know what a true friend is. Here is short study on what the bible says a true friend: 
 

Friendly all the time! A true friend loves during the hard times as well as the good. In Proverbs 17: 7-8 the bible says “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. A man void of understanding stricketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.”

The bible in Proverbs 27: 10 says “Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.”

Friendly first! A true friend is friendly first, rather than waiting for others to approach him first. In proverbs 18: 24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a mother.”

Friendly giving! True friendship is given not bought. You cannot buy true friendship. Give and may get. Don’t be friendly to get. You cannot make someone your friend. This is clarified in proverbs 19: 16 “Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.”_ but not true friends!

Friendly honest advice! A true friend tells what he believes is best for his friend because he cares on what happens to his friend. The bible has the audacity to tell us that “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 22: 6)

In proverbs 27: 9 and 10 the bible says, “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.”

After getting the guidance of true friendship from the bible, my advice to everyone is that wait on the right friend and do not take the first acquaintance that comes around as your friend. Pick a friend that you look up to or the relationship that will bring you down. Pray about the friendship  and ask God how you can be a better friend, not just how that person can meet your needs. Ask God to give you a friend!

Visit the following website for the true friendship sermons http://www.bbcinternational.org