Category: Marital Bliss

• To serve is to work for or be a servant to.
• Serving God is secondary to walking with Him.
• We start by walking with God thereafter we work for Him.
• Walking with God is having a relationship with God.
• When you have the right motive for serving God, blessings will come automatically.
• Serving God should be your nature.
• Our God is not a taskmaster.
• God has everything and can give you everything.
• If you are not getting anything from God, the problem is not with God but with you.
Luke 10:7, Heb 6:10

THE EFFECTS OF SERVING GOD
Luke 1:5-13, Heb 6:10
1. Serving God provokes divine visitations
• Serving God is the easiest way to receiving answers from God to issues of life without sweat.

2. Those who serve God genuinely enjoy divine health, protection, exemption and long life (Exo 23:25-26)

3. It is the easiest way to tap into the anointing (2 Kings 3:11, Deut 1:38)

PLATFORMS ON WHICH TO SERVE GOD
1. Service departments
• Service departments are important because God has a tendency of meeting His people at their place of service (Judges 13:2-11)

2. Through financial resources, substances and giving (Luke 8:1-3, Exo 10:25-26)

3. Through prayers (Job 42:10)

ENEMIES OF SERVING GOD
1. Procrastination (delay) (2 Sam 20:4-10)
• If you have something to do tomorrow , do it today.
• Delayed obedience is disobedience.
• When you wait, you waste.

2. Laziness (Rom 12:11, Heb 6:12)
3. Giving up or doubting (Mat 14:31)
• Ask God for the grace to keep doing whatever you have started.

• There are three altars a man has to take care of if he is to walk with God:
1. The altar of the body
• Your body is an altar.
• What gives you the legal right to exist on earth is the body.
• Man is a spirit being with a soul, living in a body.
• The body gives permission for man or spirits to operate on this earth.
• Your body is not cheap, need to treat it as an altar.
Mark 5:9
• Your body has the capacity to host the Holy Spirit.
Rom 12:1, 1 Cor 6:16, 2 Cor 6:16

2. Your altar of sacrifice (Your church altar and your personal altar) (Lev 6:12-13, Deut 10:12-13, 1 Thess 4:3-5, 7-8, 2 Tim 2:19-20)
• Your sin doesn’t end with you, it affects your children.
• Iniquity is perpetual sin, a lifestyle of sin.
• The enemy wants you to be in iniquity because that gives him legal rights into your life.

There are four kinds of people:
1. The vessel of gold (Rom 8:14)
• These are spiritual men, people who have subjected their senses to doing the righteousness of God.
• They are led by the Spirit of God.
• These are sons of God.
• When you become a believer, you become a child of God but need to grow from that into a son of God.
• Responsibilities are given to sons and not children.

What should you do to grow into a son of God?
a. Give yourself to the encounter and ministry of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:1)

Who is a spiritual man?
i. Someone who is saved and has submitted their will and mind to be transformed by the word of God.
ii. they are spiritually minded and have set their hearts to be obedient to the word of God.

2. The vessel of silver (Eph 1:13)
• These are believers, however, it is not enough just to be a believer, you need to grow.
• A believer is a person who has received God and accepted Christ unto their salvation.
• Once you become a believer, your duty is to start killing the deeds of the flesh so that the life of God can reign in you.

3. The vessel of wood (Mark 4:4-8, 13-21)
• This is a carnal man.
• This kind comes to church, is involved in church activities, knows about the word and its principles but their lifestyle is contrary to the word.
• They have intentionally decided to be against the rules of God.
• They live according to their carnal knowledge and not the dictates of the word of God.
• They are enemies of God.
• They have not allowed themselves to be transformed by the word and so their carnality has not died.

4. The vessel of clay
• These are natural (ordinary) men.
• Atheists are in this category.
• Their spirits are dead.

• Every battle and temptation that is contrary to the word of God has a spirit behind it.
• Have a militant mindset as a believer, think like a soldier.
• Never tolerate anything that is against the word of God.
Eph 6:12-13,. 2 Cor 10:4-6
• Take a stand to be against the powers of darkness.

How to walk in righeousness
1. Set your affection on things that are above (Col 3:1-11)

• Finishing well is God’s plan / agenda for His children.
• It is important to start with God and finish with God.
Acts 1:16-20
• What matters more in life and destiny isn’t how you start but how you end.
• You may start poorly but by the grace of God, you may end well.
• You need God on your side in order to finish well.
• When a person is disconnected from God, they begin to run on an empty tank and can’t go far.
• You need to keep filling your spiritual tank every day.
• You fill your spiritual tank via prayer, the word of God, attending church services, etc.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FINISH WELL?
1. To walk with God personally to the end of your life
2. To make a positive contribution to God’s work with your time, talents and resources
3. To leave a heritage and children that will continue to do the work of God
4. Arriving at the end of your journey without failure, defeat or reproach in your life
5. Arriving at the end not less in impact, results and end-product than at the beginning
6. Exiting the world in a blaze of glory, on a note of victory
7. Ending with minimal regrets in life and destiny
8. To remain faithful to Jesus Christ throughout life and complete the tasks He has given you until you hear, “well done, good and faithful servant.” (Mat 25:21)
2 Tim 4:7, Acts 20:24

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO FINISHED WELL
1. Job (Job 2:10, 42:12)
2. Joshua (Josh 24:15, 29-31)
3. Caleb (Josh 13:30, 14:10-12)
4. Daniel
5. Paul (2 Tim 4:7-8)

BARRIERS TO FINISHING WELL
1. Money (Acts 5:1-10)
2. Power(1 Sam 18:7-9)
• There is a right use of power and an abusive use of power.
3. Pride (Prov 16:18)
4. Things (possessions)
5. Illicit sex
6. Maintenance

5 THINGS TO MAKE SURE YOU FINISH WELL
1. Have a vision (Luke 9:59-62)
2. Be disciplined
3. Continue learning (Phili 3:10)
4. Have mentors in life and destiny
5. Revival

FATHER, IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I ASK FOR GRACE TO RUN THE CHRISTIAN RACE FAITHFULLY TO THE END. HELP ME NOT TO FAIL ALONG THE WAY.

1 Sam 11:1-12:14
• The enemy’s greatest fear is the presence of God around you.
• Sin doesn’t come by itself, there is a force and personality behind it.
• The enemy plays with your mind.
• The enemy partners with your mind to capture your soul and kill your spirit.
• When he can successfully partner with your mind, he can use your body to fulfill his will.
Gen 3:1-7
• When your soul is corrupted, you will do the will of the enemy and your body will be an instrument of unrighteousness.
• Your desires can be stimulated by what you see.
• Sin starts from the desire level.
• If you don’t understand this as a christian, you will walk in defeat.
• Constantly living in sin causes the blood of Jesus to be of no effect in your life.
• Holiness is nothing difficult, it is simply a right stand with God.
Eph 1:2-14
• Spiritual separation is the separation of the spirit of man from the Spirit of God.
• Physical death is the separation of the body from the mind and soul.
• Satan’s trick to make you sin against God is to keep your spirit from growing, which will keep it in a dead state.
• Growth in the spirit will empower you to live above sin.
Jam 1:13-15
• The enemy studies your desires before he can attack you.
• Satan will tempt you according to your desires.
• If you master your desires and safeguard you heart, you maintain your call into holiness.
Heb 12:14-15
• All the emotions of man are in the soul.
• When you harbor bitterness, it corrupts your soul.
Jos 1:8, 1 Pet 1:13-21, Obad 1:17
• Whatever you meditate on affects your mind and when you meditate on it long enough, it will condition your mindset.
• When God delivers you from your past sins / lifestyle, He calls and empowers you to walk in holiness.
• When you live right before God in holiness, it is very easy for you to manage the blessing because you are accountable to God.
Rom 6:11
• The enemy fashions sin according to what you’ve been desiring.
2 Tim 2:22-26, 2 Cor 4:3-4

How do you live in holiness?
1. Walk in obedience
2. Walk in the fear of God
3. Rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance
4. Meditate and assimilate the word of God with meekness (Jam 1:21-25)

Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Isaiah 40:29-31, 64:1-3
• It takes power to fly.
• It takes power to change positions.
• It takes power to make movement.
• It takes power to move mountains.
• Mountains represent obstacles, things that stand in your way to destiny, to fulfilling what God sent you on earth for.
• The potentials in you are looking for power.
• It takes power for many things to work.
• It is very strange when children of God do not understand how important it is to have power in order to fulfill destiny.
Mat 28:19
• Without power you will be stagnated.
• It takes power to remove opposition.
• It takes power to break yokes that are limiting you (Gen 27:40).
Gen 32:25, 28
• It takes power to be freed from bondage.
• Prayer and fasting positions us for power.
• It takes power to prosper (Deut 8:18).
• To be powerless is a risk, we cannot guarantee how long you will live and whether you will fulfill destiny.
• How we travel the journey of destiny in this kingdom is by light, and light is a function of power.
• When you are praying and fasting, light will break out because of power.
• Light shows you where to go and drives out darkness where it shows up.
Mat 17:19, 21
• There are things that only prayer and fasting removes.

• Do not take lightly the power of sounds.
• It is when sounds are made that spirits travel.
• Singings, enchantments that are properly focused make spirits to move.
• If men want the involvement of spirits, they must make the correct sound required by those spirits.
Luke 21:15, Psa 81:15, 149:3
• If you keep quiet, don’t blame God because you didn’t allow Him to travel.
• Music invites spirits.
Phili 4:6-7, Prov 4:23
• All the battles of life are battles of the mind.
• If you don’t make the sound that is expected, you can’t attract the spirit.
Ezek 2:2, 2 Chr 20:15
• Be careful who you listen to.
• Sorrow has a spirit and joy also has a spirit behind it.
Rom 14:17
• Do what God says you should do and leave the rest for Him.
1 Pet 5:7, Mat 6:27-34
• Cast all your cares upon the Lord.
• When you don’t cast your burdens upon the Lord, you are proud and think you can handle it all by yourself.
• You are carrying prophecies over your heard but if you are not careful you can abort them because you are looking at what has not yet happened.

Hab 2:3
• Thanksgiving is a very important key when everything is going wrong.
• A cry for God’s mercy is also an important key.
• Don’t become obsessed with possessions.
• Rejoice for whatever God gives you per time.
• Some people lose confidence and change their confessions of faith because of a temporary situation they are passing through.
Job 8:7, Eccl 7:8, Dan 4:29-33
• There are two dangers people face in December:
1. Not giving glory to God for all the liftings in your life.
2. Not glorifying God because your expectations were not met.

Hab 3:17-19
• Rejoicing will compel God’s Spirit to come into your situation, as bad as it is.
• Leave what you cannot handle for God.
• Take the posture of a fool according to human beings.
• The natural posture is to be angry because of what has not worked.
• There is a force that is released from God towards a man who chooses to look at Him instead of the negative things around Him.
• Where you are is another man’s prayer point.
• If you don’t end this year with thanksgiving, you have no place in 2025.

Exo 19:10, Mal 1:6
• Most of our problems come from trying to relate with God from the human perspective.
• Our lack of preparation shows God we are not ready.
1 Chron 29:1
• Many christians treat God like a kid.
• Treat God with respect.
• Your inability to differentiate what is for man and what is for God shows that you lack wisdom in that area.
1 Kings 18:30-39
• If the altar of God is broken, God can’t be among His people.
• If the altar of God is broken in your home, satan will keep coming in.
• Altars are the meeting places for spirits and men.
• The weakness of men is exchanged for the strength of spirits at the altar.
• The strength of an altar shows the strength of a spirit amongst a people.
1 Kings 13:2
• Don’t expect fire to fall when there is no sacrifice.
• Repairing the broken altar is repenting and asking for forgiveness before you pray (2 Chron 7:14).
• True humility has submission in it.
• Submission is recognising the authority of another.
• It is important to repent and ask God to forgive us.
1 John 1:8-9
• Sin is a barrier to prayer.
Isa 41:21
• We should pray according to the will of God.
1 John 5:14
• When the will of God is known, you have confidence.
• Before you open your mouth to pray, find out the will of God.
• Faith starts where the will of God is known and faith is needed to receive answers.
Mark 11:24
• Express your desires to God in prayer.
• As you are praying, you are not done until there is a sacrifice of praise from you.
• Thank Him even for the answers you have not yet seen.
• If you look at God as a judge that needs evidence, it will change how you look at prayer.

DEALING WITH BARRIERS TO PRAYER
1. Confess and forsake your sins (Psa 66:18-20, Prov 28:13)
2. Forgive other people’s sins against you (Mat 6:12, 14-15, 5:23-24)
3. Get rid of spiritual pride (Luke 18:10-14, John 8:7-11, Prov 16:18)
4. Come boldly, not beggarly (Heb 4:16, Psa 34:2)

• A consecration is a set of rules that God has specifically given to an individual or a community to be doing as a way of setting themselves apart for Him.
• For example, fasting every Wednesday preceding the last friday of the month and crossing over to a new month in prayer are consecrations for Mountain of God Ministries.
Judges 13:1-7, 16:17-21
• When you break your consecration, you will lose the connection to God you had as reason of that consecration.
• God is not the only one that gives consecrations.
• The devil will fight you as you do your consecration but keep asking for God to give you grace to do it.
• When you are a visitor in a new place and want that place to accept you, get to know what is expected of you and do it.
• If God tells you to fast every friday, that fasting is your consecration and it will make you strong. If you don’t do what God told you, you will be sinning.
• Don’t wait for God to tell someone else the consecration He gave to you.

PRACTICAL AND BIBLICAL TIPS FOR MANAGING FINANCES IN THE FAMILY
4. MANAGE YOUR FINANCES PROPERLY BY BUDGETING (Continuation)
AREAS IN WHICH YOU SHOULD BUDGET

c. ADDRESS YOUR WANTS, NOT NEEDS (John 13:29)
• An example of a want is home entertainment (eg. Dstv subscription) and an example of a need is food for for home.
• Jesus used money to deal with needs and help others.

d. LIABILITIES / OBLIGATIONS (Prov 11:24-25, 22:7, 9, Eccl 5:4-6),
• These are debts, bills to pay (water, electricity, school fees, etc.) , remittances, blessing others (sowing)
• If you are owing somebody, prioritise that on your budget.
• Blessing others should be deliberate because you know that in doing so you are blessing yourself.
• There are certain needs you won’t be told but you can see with your eyes.

e. ADD EXTRA TO AFFORD FOR MISCELLANEOUS THINGS
f. BUYING FOOD IN BULK SAVES MONEY AND REDUCES FINANCIAL STRESS

HOW TO CREATE A FAMILY BUDGET
1. CALCULATE YOUR MONTHLY INCOME
2. IDENTIFY AND ADD UP YOUR EXPENSES
3. REVIEW AND REVISE YOUR BUDGET AS NEEDED

BUDGETARY SYSTEMS
1. 50 / 30/ 20
• In this system, you use 50% of your income to meet your needs, 30% to meet your wants and 20% goes towards your financial goals (savings, investments).

• In many homes, what they eat is not planned. They eat anything out of convenience.
• When you plan meals for the home in advance, you save a lot of money.
• If your expenses are more than what your budget is, you have a mental problem.
• A budget is not an endless list of your needs and wants.
• People end up in debt because their expenses exceed their income.
• Don’t take your child to a school where you have to pray every time you need to pay school fees.
• One of the hindrances to financial freedom is comparing yourself with others.
• Stay and live within your means.