MY CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD

Welcome to the OABG Daily Blog and Daily Podcast!

Have you ever been under the influence? Maybe you were under the influence of your parents. Maybe you were under the influence of a best friend. Maybe you were under the influence of an organization; a school; a leader; a cult; or what about alcohol or some form of drug. See you probably thought I was going to start with the last one because most of the time when you hear the phrase, ‘under the influence’ your mind immediately goes to drinking alcohol. But today as I was reading Ephesians 5 for the Scriptural Bible Study, verse 18 said:

And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 CSB

A person that is FILLED BY THE SPIRIT is under the Spirit’s influence. That means the Spirit is influencing your behavior and what you do. It means the Spirit is controlling you. Today, ask yourself, whose influence am I under on a regular basis? Who or what is controlling my environment?

Now what else did I learn from Ephesians 5 today during my study time?

• Show God’s love by serving others, not ourselves.

• Don’t let culture set the standard.

• As saints, we are set apart for God and He wants us to see sin as He sees it.

• To reflect Christ daily, we must have an intimate walk and relationship with Him daily.

• We are to live as children of light. That means our lifestyle and words that come out of our mouths must reflect God’s standard.

• We are to worship and give thanks to God regularly.

• Let worship become a lifestyle.

• We are to regularly fill the tanks of others with God’s perspective.

When reading chapters like this and breaking the Word down into bite-size chunks, it helps me to more readily apply it to my life. What about you?

Now, the last part of Ephesians 5 talks about wives and husbands, and you know I was READY for it! Y’all know I love talking about relationships!! Don’t act brand new. But what I am enjoying even more is the knowledge and wisdom I am gaining NOW regarding being a wife and having a husband. Yes, I DO (notice I said I DO) wish that I could have learned all of this before I walked down the aisle all young and immature, but I won’t dwell on the mistakes. I am focusing on the transformation that God has made in me. He is preparing me to do marriage the way HE intended this next (and final) time! So check out what I got from Ephesians 5, verses 22-33.

• Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. That means husbands can’t be asking wives to do anything outside of God’s will. That’s why it is key to have a Kingdom husband who is submitted himself to God’s will. Also a wife is equal to her husband in her being because both are made in God’s image, but God designed it for the husband to be the head of his wife, as Christ is the head of the church.

• A kingdom wife is to respect her husband, even when expressing disagreement. Proverbs already told us that a man would rather live in the corner of an attic than deal with a hot-tempered or nagging wife. Women, to be a kingdom wife, you are to respect your husband even when y’all disagree.

• The husband is the head of the household. That does not mean being a dictator fellas. I can tell you now, I ain’t trying to submit to that. Biblical headship means being a responsible governing authority. It don’t mean you can just order me around and tell me what to do. Naw Nah! The husband is responsible for leading his family in the advancement of God’s kingdom in the context of LOVE! Pay attention men…and women!

• Biblical love is compassionately, righteously, and sacrificially pursues the well-being of another. A husband is to sacrifice for His wife and be her deliverer. He is to protect her and pay the price for her well-being, like Christ is the Savior for the body.

• A kingdom husband is also to be his wife’s sanctifier, taking her and ALL HER HISTORY (that means her past stuff) from where she is and helping her to where she ought to be, just as Christ sanctifies the church. A kingdom husband OUTSERVES his wife. That means your wife may have dirty flaws from her past, but you as her husband are to wash her with the word of God and love her as you love yourself. Plus the way God created husbands to lead and wives to respond, it’s imperative husbands that your wife sees you initiating, owning responsibility, treating her as special, and sacrificing for her well-being. I know that would shonuff make me respond to my husband with MUCH respect and submission. OKAY!!! (smiley face)!!!

• To get heavenly blessings, a husband and wife must be in alignment with the roles God designed for them and they must show love and respect for one another.

Now who thinks they are ready to get married…single people? What about my married listeners? Are yall’s marriages lining up with Ephesians 5: 22-33? Be encouraged today to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit in your day-to-day lives, whether you are single or married.

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YOUR ASSIGNMENTS

1. What did the Lord God say to you in your conversation with Him this morning?

2. Whose influence are you under? Leave me a message on podcast and share your thoughts about this episode.

3. Share this post and this message with someone who needs to hear it.

   REMINDER: Don’t forget to read the Scriptural Bible Study below and see what the Lord says to you about it.

SALVATION PRAYER

If you’re not a believer and have a desire to be, openly confess and declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer out loud, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community and start having a conversation through prayer with God every day. And let me be the first to welcome you to your new life with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. YAAAAY!!!!! You made the best decision you could ever make! Feel free to email me at info@onassignmentbyGod.com and let me know about your newfound life or if you need prayer for anything.

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