Mid-Week Message: "What About Me?"

Ever wondered, "What About Me" God? It seems like you are working your butt off at school, work, doing the right thing in relationships, but you still end up getting the short end of the stick? 

Maybe you do all of the work and your co-worker gets promoted. Maybe, you are living for Jesus but you don't feel like your prayers are getting answered. Maybe, you're getting sick & tired of living for Jesus because you don't see any results.

Can I illustrate something for you? I want you to go & get a cup and fill it with dirt. Then, go and plant a basil seed in the cup, water it and place it next to the window. Then, walk by the cup every single day and see if you see basil. Weeks may go by & you still may not see anything. Do you get mad at the plant and stop watering it? Do you take the cup and throw it away because you feel like the seed isn't producing?

Well, that is what most of you are doing with your life. You kick and scream at the cup, throw it down, smash it and you stop watering the seed that is in your heart.  You stop reading the bible, you start watching more garbage TV, you start hangin' out with that man because you're bored, you start hanging with rebellious, messy women and you open back up that pornography. I mean, a little won't hurt, right? You never give the GOOD seeds that are planted in your heart TIME to grow.


I'm reminded of:
Psalm 1

Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

So, are you like that tree thats planted by the rivers of water, or do you uproot your seed every few minutes? Some of us refuse to be patient while jumping from one thing to the next! And we must ask ourselves another question.

Why do I do what I do?
Is my motive for being celibate to "get me a husband" or is it because I want to truly honor God with my entire life, be holy as He is holy & truly live for Him?
Is my motive for working hard getting promoted so I can fill my void of being an overachiever or do I work as though I am working onto the Lord? Longing for Him to use you at your job as THAT is the current ministry He has given you!

Is my motive for being submitted to my husband getting him to do what I really want him to do? So, I will cook-- as long as you perform my love language. I will tell you that you look nice because I want you to touch me. I will perform your love language ONLY because I want you to do mine, NOT because my LOVE for you is unconditional. Matter of fact, I am bitter and mad when you don't do what I want you to do for me.

Is my motive for living for Jesus because I want His hand & not His heart? I want what I think God can do for me. So, I will obey bits & pieces of what God tells me to do & choose Him like I'm selecting items off of a menu. You see, I don't really want to die to myself for real, I just want the "good life."

Ask yourself, do you really love Jesus and want to live for Him or is this life about you & your selfish ways? And maybe, just maybe, God closes certain doors because you continue to bust through doors that you aren't supposed to go through and He would rather you be UNCOMFORTABLE for a season that uncomfortable for a LIFETIME.

It's time for us to take our eyes off of ourselves and put them onto Christ.. but for real. And then make a DAILY decision that we are going to stay in this place of true, authentic, unconditional love.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us: that love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

So, are you losing faith in God's timing? Are you patient with others as you want God to be patient with you? Constantly complaining about everything you think God is not doing in your life? Are you kicking your plant around because it hasn't sprouted? Have you given it time to even grow..

Lets focus on what God IS doing in your life.
1. He saved you.

The end.





Source: Heather Lindsey

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Relationships: 5 Primary Reasons Marriages Fail

I believe preparation is one of the best prevention's for marriage failure. It’s the reason Cheryl and I committed much of our early years in ministry to premarital counseling.

If a couple knows the natural struggles most marriages experience, they are less likely to throw in the towel when their marriage encounters these problems and hopefully be more willing to look for help. They won’t be as surprised when struggles come to the marriage.


In my experience, there are a few leading causes of marriage failure. Interestingly, this same list is often what keeps us from having great marriages.

The leading causes of marriage failure (in my experience) are:

Boredom – Couples stop dreaming, learning, and exploring together. Often the busyness of life distracts them from simply having fun together.


Communication – Not understanding the difference in men and women and the different ways each communicate causes conflict and misunderstandings, which can bring huge wedges in the relationship.

Money – We all need money to survive. When a couple, or one in the couple, is on a pursuit for more it often drives couples to stress out over money, or the lack thereof. Money is also a major cause of arguments, especially when the couple has no plan for how to spend the money they make.

Outside influences – Whether it is work, hobbies, friends, in-laws or even children, couples often allow something or someone to come between them and distract them from each other. The marriage takes a backseat to other influences.

Tragedy – It is difficult for the best marriages to recover from a tragedy, but especially marriages that are already experiencing difficulties.

There are certainly other reasons marriages fail, but when the trail of the marriage that is breaking apart is traced it will many times lead back to one of these major causes.

If you sense your marriage is in jeopardy or if one of these issues is currently bringing stress into your marriage, do not wait until one spouse is ready to quit to do something about it. Get help now. Protect your marriage.






Ron Edmondson is a church planter and pastor with a heart for strategy, leadership and marketing, especially geared toward developing churches and growing and improving the kingdom of God. For the original article, visit ronedmondson.com. 

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The Week's Message: "I'm NEVER Getting Married!!!"

This post is addressed to all youths out there that have uttered this statements more times than they can count. "I'm never getting married"...It sounds so final, so sure, some of us even call it a preference..."i prefer not to get married".

It is very common amongst ladies that are struggling to meet to the kind of man they'd like to spend the rest of their lives with. Someone was said to me "I am tired of dating. I know what my standards are but sometimes, I let go of them simply because I feel they are too high, yet I end up disappointed and used. I am never getting married." It is important to note that the laduy in question was 24 at the time she said this and now, at 27, she is happily married. I've heard of many stories like hers and it made me wonder, why do we sentence ourselves to a life of loneliness when the author of time has not sentenced us to such?


I know why....these days, many of us get hurt, marriage seems to be an obsolete idea and commitment is no longer a sweet sound to the ears of many but a source of phobia. Many men don't want to commit and they make it clear; many women are eager to get married but there are no men. In some cases, many men are looking forward to marriage but they just can't meet the 'right' woman.

After many disappointments and heartbreaks, we retire to our rooms, wet our pillows and say to ourselves, "I'm never getting married." Sometimes, this statement is uttered in other demeaning forms "I am unlovable", "I'm just one of those girls that people take advantage of all the time", "I do my best in relationships but the guy moves on to someone else.", "perhaps, I am meant to be alone".....the list goes on.

I sat and thought about these statements and something hit me..How do we know all these? Are we now able to tell what the future holds for us? Dear single lady/single man, it is time to stop with the sentencing. Why? Because you have no idea what tomorrow holds for you. Sure, the world seems to be leaning towards non-commital relationships but it is important to know you are still too young to sentence yourself to an unhappy life of loneliness.

One thing that makes me laugh about the youth of today is the fact that we are so good at covering our tracks and true feelings..."I just don't think marriage is worth the trouble" when really, what we want to say is "I have been hurt so badly, I am scared it will happen again." It is time to deal with what really bothers you and move on from it. If someone hurt you to the depth of your soul, acknowledge the hurt and move on. Cry if you have to but don't let anyone leave you broken and bitter forever.

Marriage is a beautiful institution God designed for his purpose and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you will start to stay away from those that have the traits of spoilers and devourers. It is also important to know that you will not be the same man or woman in another three to five years, which means you will most likely meet different people, have a different lifestyle and be in a different place in life altogether, a place that holds promises of brighter things to come, a place that probably has everything you've always dreamed of, a place where you will forget past hurts and disappointments.

 Don't sentence yourself to a future you don't even know. God has a plan for you, for everyone and like my friends used to say in Afrikaans, "Daar is 'n deksel vir elke pot"- There is a lid for every pot.



Written by Demi Fayemiwo
(Visit Convenant Relationships for more inspirational reading)

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