Things To Know Before You Say “I Do!”by Pastor Faith Oyedepo, Week 2, October, 2008

Things To Know Before You Say “I Do!”

Dear Reader,

You are welcome to your crowning month of the year, which is your season of remembrance. I see God doing a new thing in your life in Jesus’ name. This month, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, I will be looking at Things To Know Before You Say “I Do!”

I like you to know that marriage is a wonderful institution, but there are things to know and practise in order to enjoy the blessings. Many people enter into marriage without knowing what to do. What you do before marriage is vital to the life of any marriage.

It is important you know what to expect after the wedding day, and to decide if you really want to spend the rest of your life with this person the way they are. To enjoy the blessings of marriage, you must, however, co-operate with God to make it a mini-paradise on earth, as God has designed it to be. This is why I will be sharing with you on Laying Foundation on the Rock.

We all know that the foundation of a building, determines to a very large extent, what happens to it, and whether that building will last long or not (Psalm 11:3). If something fundamental goes wrong with the foundation, very little can be done to sustain the building. It is the same thing with marriage. For your home to be sustained, you must lay your foundation upon the Rock, in the person of Jesus Christ.

You lay the foundation of your marriage by making Jesus Christ the central focus in your home, and allowing Him to take His rightful place. If you are not born again and you are reading this article, there is a need for you to become born again, so as to lay hold on what it takes to have a proper foundation in your marriage. If you are married and you are not yet born again, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you are already born-again, whatsoever God tells you to do, do it and you will enjoy His presence in your home (Luke 6:47-49).

Laying your foundation on the Rock also means ruling your home with the Word of God. This is because Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1, Hebrews 1:3). When you don’t build your foundation on the Rock by studying the Word of God and following the principles of the Bible, when the storm of life comes, that marriage can collapse so quickly. For you to have a strong and lasting marriage, it is therefore, very important to lay a solid foundation on the Word of God.

How much room do you give the Word of God in your home? If you pattern your home after God’s Word, then your home is built on the solid rock, and it shall surely be sustained. If your home is not built on God’s Word, then it is without a foundation, and it cannot be sustained, no matter what anybody tries to do to help! Remember, if the foundations be destroyed, the righteous can do nothing? (Psalm 11:3).

Truly, the righteous can do nothing once the foundation is destroyed. Do not let the foundation of your home and marriage be destroyed. Do not attempt to run your home outside Jesus Christ and expect to make it. Jesus is the only sure foundation; lay your foundation on the solid Rock, and your home will stand.

To have a glorious marriage and home, you must see God as the only reason behind the success of your home and He will take you to a higher realm. It works like fire! This is what my husband and I do, and it is working for us. We never attribute the success in our home to ourselves, rather, we constantly acknowledge God as the sole reason why we have enjoyed so much success and give Him back all the glory, then He makes it a better place yet! Yours shall be the next!

Your foundation begins with new birth. God’s Word says: For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4) and John15:5 says: Without me ye can do nothing. All your efforts to build and sustain your home will be in vain outside God Himself. To this end, you must be born again. To be born again means, confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are ready to be born again, please say this prayer: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am born again!

Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through:

E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 234-1-7747546-8;

For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Book Stores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian book stores:

- Marriage Covenant

- Making Marriage Work

- Building a Successful Family

- Single With A Difference

- Success in Marriage (Co-Authored with Bishop David Oyedepo).