THE COMPATIBLE SPOUSE

BY ANGELA O. MUSA Marriage is an ordained institution from God, the only institution without graduation. Many marriages are shaking today because of incompatibility. That someone is born again doesn't make the person a compatible spouse with you. The bible says in Genesis 2:18 ‘It is not good for man to live alone, I will make a suitable companion to help him’’ (Good news bible). So, when God gives you his will in marriage there should be compatibility, and the woman should be a helpmeet to you. With harmony in marriage, you can achieve far more as a couple than as individuals. The bible says, one will chase a thousand but two will chase ten thousand. Research also has shown that one can live longer when he or she is married to the right person than not being married. Hints for a successful marriage Maturity Marriage is not for babies, the both spouse should be spiritually and emotionally matured to be able to handle the issues that arise in marriage. Remember, it is two different persons from different background. The Will of God It is essential to seek the face of God in choosing a life partner, and the person should be in the same faith with you. Many people will always have qualities they want to see in their spouse to be, hence, when they see such qualities in any opposite sex, they jump into conclusion without putting the will of God into consideration. Love The person should be attractive to you, but you should be careful not to replace love with mere feeling. Millions of songs have been written about this passionate feelings, yet few people understand that even in a perfect marriage the feeling of love can rise and fall, therefore we should not be a slave to our feelings. ‘Love is not just emotion, it is a decision. All love that is pure and magical moves beyond the physical to the spiritual’ Willie Jolley Some times I wonder how blissful a marriage could be where the three major types of love are present: Agape (love of God) Phileos (Love between friends / Brotherly Love) Eros (Romantic type of love) It will be Heaven on earth Temperament: understanding your temperament which determines how you behave can help you to work on your weaknesses and understand your spouse better. ‘Sanguines, who tend to be disorganized and undiscipline, are apt to admire the careful, consistent, and detail-conscious melancholies, while the hard - driving choleric is often attracted to a peaceful, unexcited Phlegmatic, who in turn admires Rocky’s dynamic drive Read “Why you Act the way you do” by Tim Lahaye. Other area to consider are: Character, trust, value system , Goals, Vision, etc. In conclusion When marriage is build on a solid foundation and there is compatibility, The couple will be ten times stronger, healthier, hollier, wealthier in knowledge and resources. There will be maximum enjoyment, continued peace, Continued partnership and companionship.

SWITCH OVER TO PRAISE

BY EMEKA ANYAOGU I want to specially welcome you, our esteemed reader to this wonderful year. I also want to welcome every member of praise family, the youths to the year 2012. If you desire to become a victorious youth, switch over to praise. Praise is the secret of attracting God's attention to every situation of life. No doubt, this year you are going to experience challenges and obstacles, but if you switch over to praise, victory is assured. Praise is key to victory. Don't wait for things to turn out in your favour this year before giving praise to God. Don't say I will give God praise if my business picks up; when I get out of this health issue or when I have money to pay my house rent. That is not how faith works. When you give God praise, then things will turn around in your favour. Praise will always precede victory. Think about the children of Israel on their way to the promise land, they came across an obstacle, called Jericho wall, but when they gave praises to God the walls of Jericho came down. (Joshua 6:16,17). Think about Paul and Silas in the prison, when they praised God, the prison doors got opened (Acts 16:25,26). If you really want to be victorious this year, change the pattern of your prayer. Instead of spending time complaining about your problems, spend more time to give praise to God. God already knows what you are passing through, He is not moved by your condition, rather He is moved by your faith, and praise is faith at work. Now the question is, what will be coming out of your mouth this year? Are you going to be talking about how big your problem is or how big your God is? Don't forget that praise is the secret of attracting God's attention. Instead of complaining this year, you can actually praise your way to victory.

PATH WAY TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM

BY SAM AKIHGBE It is a new year, an opportunity for a new beginning. I believe God is about to open a new page for you. Do you desire financial freedom this year? Then you need a “clear cut'' business idea. A clear picture of what you can do on your own and be happy. However, whatever you choose to do should have value. The relevance of your business to people's need is what determines its value, and the moment such value is being created and exchanged consistently, financial freedom becomes inevitable. You may want to ask, how do I generate business ideas? Now let's consider the following keys: (1) You Must Learn to Look Upward: The Psalmist said, “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help…”. Now hold this thought very strong in your mind. If God can give you salvation, healing, deliverance and even the Holy Spirit, then he can give you business ideas. So, stop limiting your faith. If you can sincerely ask from God, He will give you ideas that will change your financial condition. (2) Look Inward: Another way to go about this issue is to look inward and ask yourself this question: What can I do? The moment you find the correct answer to this question with conviction, then you have a business idea. It is as simple as that! Ideas are the products of creative thinking. When you spend time to think and ponder on a particular issue, ideas, concepts and insights will be thronging into your mind. Take this principle and apply it to your quest for business idea and financial freedom, you will be amazed at the result you will get. (3) Look Outward: In Gen15:5 God said to Abraham, look at the sky and count the number of stars you can see. In this case, you are not going to count stars, but you will look around you (the business environment) and draw a list of five different kinds of businesses that you can identify with. Out of the five, select three that you think you can do and look at them again. The one that appeals most to you, go ahead and start with it. Now a word of advice: When starting your own business, you need the beginner's attitude. Do not despise the days of little beginning. The eyes of the lord rejoice to see the work begins. In Job 8:7. The bible says, “Even though your beginning was small, the latter end shall greatly increase”. Think big, but you can start small, and you will get there.

WHERE IS YOUR IDENTITY?

By Chinyere Kalu If I ask you: Who Jesus Christ is, what will you say? Probably your answer will be one of the following: The son of God (John 3:16); the way, the truth and the life ( John 14:6); the resurrection and life; Alpha and Omega (Rev.1:8); the bread of life (John 6:48). Behold I show you a great mystery, Jesus is the author of your identity. Your identity is what you are known as, known for and known with. What you are known as is what you are being called with. What you are known for is your gift and your talent. What you are known with is what symbolizes you. As a Christian, our identity is Christ. We are made in His image and after His likeness (Gen 1:26). We are born of water and spirit (John 3:3-5), we are now new creatures (2 Cor 6:17). The word ‘Christian’ was coined by the people of Antioch (Act 11:26) when they saw the nature of Christ in the apostles. Christianity is more than a religion, it is living like Christ. A life you are identified with is your identity. Now when asked, what is your identity?, you have a better answer to give. A knowledge of your identity erases confusion, you will not jitter because you have the life of Jesus. Jesus knows that this life is filled with trouble but he said we should be of good cheer, He has overcome the world (John 14:1). The life of Jesus is eternal life (John 3:16).We are sited with him far above principality, power, dominion and above every name that is named…(Eph 1:20-21). The Holy Spirit directs, guides and teaches us all things. As Christians we are meant to live victoriously and bear fruits of righteousness. We are watered everyday by the father to bear more fruits. So, let us bear fruits worthy of repentance, and demonstrate his gift in us by manifesting them solely for edification of body of Christ.

FRIENDSHIP

Making friends can be as easy as being generous with smiles, but sustaining friendship is an assiduous task- an act that requires social and even spiritual endowment. Not all that have your phone number or those you have their names stored in your phone are really your friends. It starts with a mere journey of brief encounters and goes through a period of mutual suspicion - you both know it is more than hi and hello. Then it grows to be an 'endangered familiarity' (when you can trust yourselves with your lives) a litmus test for genuity. We get to meet people of same and opposite sex. Admiration grows to respect and then to love, this gives birth to 'Intimacy'. Akin to this, is the friendship we build and should sustain with God. It is not in the songs we sing, neither is it in our number on the roll call via our church attendance nor in our participation in the daily routine morning devotion with our family. It is an 'INTO-ME-YOU-SEE' affair with God. To pull through this year, it is germane that we develop a genuine friendship with our God, so He can disclose to us the secrets of the earth.