Hello precious creature of God, I hope you’re fine by God’s grace. Today’s post is going to be a little different from my usual posts because it is more or less a review of a conference I attended today.
The conference was at Tyranus Institute in Yaounde-Cameroon and it was a conference for celibates and for preparation for marriage. I learned so much, and I’m going to try my best to share with you a little bit of what impacted me.
1. Our Misconceptions About Marriage Prepare us For Failure
What we see on TV, what we see in our homes when we grow up, what we see in other marriages around us to a certain level shape our understanding of marriage. It may be in a good way, but in generally it’s in a bad manner. If we really want to marry the right way, we must go back to first principles a.k.a God’s original plan when He created marriage. Genesis 2:21-25 NIV
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
As we can see, marriage is God’s idea , He created it all by Himself (a.k.a without us) and if we want to understand what marriage is, we should NOT let our minds to be conformed by the image of the world, we should let God transform our image of His marriage. Only The Creator can teach us to know His creation as He planned for it to be.
2. Putting God at the center of our celibacy sets the ground for setting Him at the center of our marriage
“Unhappy singles will be unhappy spouses”
Why ?
Because they entered marriage with their frustrations and while single they hadn’t learned to control their own self and submit themselves to God.
If marriage is all about God, and when you were single your life was all about pleasing yourself, what makes you think that it’s once married that you’ll learn how to please God?
Our time of celibacy (not married yet before God and before men) should be a time to learn to submit to God while single and train ourselves to submit to Him even once married.
Matthew 15:19-20 NLT
For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.”
When we recognize that our hearts are fallen, imperfect, full of sinful desires, we realize that we can’t make a successful mariage WITHOUT God.
This means that we must turn to Him everyday for Him to change and purify our hearts so that we don’t make the wrong choice while getting married, so that we won’t be the wrong choice for someone else.
Ezekiel 11:19 NIV
I (God) will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Only God will be able to change your heart such that it won’t be partial and inclined to sin but focused on Him.
Such that you will be able to build the type of marriage (life project) which glorifies His Name.
3. Prepare For War
1 Peter 5:8 NIV
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
God wants us to prepare for marriage, because marriage is a war.
A war against the devil who will try by every means to be an obstacle in the relationship between you and your spouse, and your communion with God as a married couple.
That’s why you’ve got to be totally prepared for this and you need to have allies who’ll help you prepare your life project (marriage). Here is a list of allies:
- God (n°1 Ally)
- Elder(s) who have faith in The Lord, and who can accompany you both in the right direction without any bias, who’ll try to please God and not you.
- Yourself: Don’t make things more complicated for you by exposing yourself to useless temptations, or by slowing your faith down with the wrong person, or by drawing away from God in order to keep a relationship.
- Your fiancé: Your fiancé should help you and himself draw closer to God and prepare your marriage project the right way
- Your community (family, friends, church etc.) Letting the right people know your commitment with God will help them be your guardians and check on you at their level so that you do what is right in The Lord.
Ok, there are so many things which impacted me today.
The most striking one was to prepare for marriage together (with your fiancé) not just once but all through the process of courtship, engagement etc., And even when you’ll be married you’ll need help and you’ll need to be accompanied by people.
You can’t do this all alone. I hope you liked this. There were lots of other stuff which were really nice and I’ll probably share that with you some other time God willing, but the essence is this.
If you prepare just for your wedding day or night, you’ll be miserable in your marriage, but if you prioritize preparing for your marriage with God, He’ll be with you in it and He will be your joy in it.
Please go for premarital counseling if you are in a serious relationship and you envisage marriage
Prayer
Father Lord God Almighty, thank You so much for teaching me today that celibacy and marriage are all about You and You alone. I also acknowledge I’ve been wrong about so many things Lord. Forgive me Lord. Please change my heart, make me new, stand by my side, kill the desire in me to marry for self and help me learn to submit to You for now and forever, in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen
Thanks so much for reading I invite you all (celibate or engaged) I want to encourage you to attend a marriage preparation conference/event/training.
You’ll love it.
Please leave some comments in the comment section on your idea of marriage.
Please Like, Follow and Share.
Special Invitation for my friends in Cameroon: The Next Conferences on celibacy and wedding preparation will be on the 20/01/2018 at Douala and Yaoundé (Mvog Ada Centre) and 03/02/2018 from 8:00-17:00 GMT at Tyrannus Institute Ngoa-ékellé.
NB: The other dates and venues can be seen on the invitation.
God bless you
Victoria Eyog
0 Comments
lambert · January 7, 2018 at 2:08 am
love the content of the blog. i have s question the next conference will take place in yaounde what about those in douala it will be great to organize one for audience in dla thank you
Victoria Eyog: Blogger and Author of Mission For Jesus · January 7, 2018 at 2:37 am
Hello Lambert thank you so much for reading and for commenting. Sorry, I didn’t precise all the venues but the other venues are written on the verso of the invitation, for example Douala, Edea, Yaounde. On the verso of the invitation, you can see there’s a conference at Douala on the 20/01/2018. Please call 696217192/674254548 for more information. Also, please let me know how it goes when you contact them and when you attend God-willing. God bless you in your celibacy and/or preparation for marriage.
Victoria Eyog: Blogger and Author of Mission For Jesus · January 7, 2018 at 2:45 am
Glory be to God
Diamond Winner · January 7, 2018 at 10:38 am
Il realy like this article… See you at the conférence!
Stay blessed!
Victoria Eyog: Blogger and Author of Mission For Jesus · January 7, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Praise God. I am so glad you liked it. Thanks alot for your comment. It will be a pleasure to see you at the conference God willing. You too, stay blessed.