Preparing for the Future

[Speaker 1] The topic is "Preparing for the Future." We are looking at the matter of marriage from before you enter into marriage and at that point where you newly enter into marriage. So it's about preparing for the future. What do you need to prepare for before you enter into marriage? And after you enter into marriage, what is it that you need to note, you need to be aware of? And what I'm going to quickly do is I'm going to summarize what is it that you are to note before you are married. We will use what God did to illustrate it. And then what you are to note when you enter into marriage, we will use what God said to illustrate it. So what God did preparing for marriage. What did God do? Let's see what God did. Genesis. Preparing before you enter. Looking towards marriage. What is it that you must note? We need to look at what God did. What did God do? What did God do? Let's see what God did. Genesis. We'll read between Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3. Are you there in Genesis? In Genesis Chapter 1, I'll be very fast about that. The whole of Chapter 1 Verse 1 to Verse 31. The whole of that. The whole of that describes creation, how God created all that he created. But when he got to Verse 26, 27, 28, what did the Bible say? Please check your Bible. What did the Bible say? Check your Bible. What did it say? When he got to Verse 26, "Let God make man in our image." You notice that before he got to Verse 26, there was no "letting." God was just creating. "Let there be light," "let there be goat," "let there be fish," "let there be moon," "let there be sun," "let there be this," "let there be that." But when he got to the creation of man, there was a discussion. We are looking at what God did for preparing for marriage, then what God said for those that are in marriage. What God did was that God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our own likeness." And then let them have dominion over everything God mentioned there. Then in Verse 27, the Bible said God created "him." Please note it. God created "him." Then "male and female he created them." So please note, God made "him." God did not make "them." God made "him," then "male and female he created them." And after that, God said. Now you've noticed that what God did was that he created man in his own image. When he created man in his own image, the man was busy in the garden doing a lot of things. What was he doing? Let us see them. We are now in Chapter 2. What was he doing? We are now in Chapter 2. I'm still with creation. We are already in Chapter 2. In Chapter 2, let's see what happened. Man was busy doing a lot of things for God. I take it from the Verse 15. God created man in his image, please don't forget. And then he created him and then he created them. In Verse 15, what did he do? He took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to do what? To tend and to keep it. And then in the Verse 16, what did God do again? He commanded the man saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, in the day you shall eat you shall surely die." So we notice what God did. What did God do again? He took the man and put him in a garden. What was the man doing? He is to be keeping and tilling that garden. So God put man to work. Is that not? He was working. He was busy doing something for God. And then we notice again that what did God do? God said, "Do not eat so so and so." He gave him instruction. And beyond that, God went forward again. I'm going to quickly summarize all of these things. I'm talking first about the man, those before we enter, and I'm beginning first with what God did with Adam. So I'm speaking to the boys, the brothers. Later we will come to the sisters. I'm showing what God did with the man. What did he do with the man? Made him in his own image, in his own likeness. Number two, what did he do? He put him in a garden. Number three, he gave him a command. Then number four, we notice again that God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a help suitable for him." What did God do again? After he said that, out of the ground the Lord formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each of the living creatures, that was the name. So what happened? Adam gave name to all the cattle and all the birds, everything that God brought before him. However, there was no help suitable for Adam. Then God now caused Adam to sleep. And while he was sleeping, God took a rib and made it into the woman. What are the messages for you as a young man thinking about marriage? Number one, God made man in his own image. If you enter into a particular room and everywhere you see my picture in that place, what will it tell you? That this must be my house, isn't it? Or my office. This must be my home, isn't it? Good. So when God made man in his own image, everywhere you see man—I'm talking about the male—everywhere you see the man, what must it tell you? That God owns that place. What I'm trying to say is that for you as a man, in thinking about marriage, we think so much about money. We think so much about riches. We think so much about what makes a man is money in his pocket. No. That is the least thing. You will realize that everything that Adam needed to feed on, who made them available? God. But you will notice that he made man in his image. What I'm trying to say is if you are looking towards a successful marriage, you need to ask yourself, everywhere you are, everywhere they find you as a man, do people know that God owns the earth? Everywhere they find you as a brother, everywhere they find you, are you able to bring to bear that look, this earth belongs to the Lord. If as a man, male, you cannot represent God, you are not a marriage material. The sisters, are you listening? When you find a brother that all he can boast about being a man is that he has money, you have not met a man, you have met a beast. A man that is a man, the first thing about being a man is the ability to represent God. Everywhere you find him, you will see the glory of God. Number two, what God made? I'm talking about preparing for marriage. You will notice that God took the man, he put him in a garden to be doing what? To be working for God. When you find a brother who cannot take instruction and assignment for God, please don't marry him. If you want to prepare for marriage, be preparing for life as a man, by preparing to be somebody that can take assignment from God and do things for God. If you are not doing that, you are not preparing for marriage. By the time you enter marriage, you will understand. Many things that you are seeing today, the brother slapped his wife, the brother did this to the wife, and you're saying, "My own marriage will not be like that." If you are sure it will not be like that, begin to do what I'm telling you now. As a male, you must be able to take instruction and assignment from God. Number three, preparing for the future. Number three as a male—I'm talking about the male now—you will notice again that God said it is not good for him to be alone. As a male, listen to me very well. You are busy sampling sisters. "Sister Phoebe, Sister Phoebe would be very good. Ah, no, Sister Elizabeth seems to be better. Since the father is the General Overseer and the mother is Lady Prophetess, she must be a good sister." If you are busy sampling sisters, you are unnecessarily preoccupied about marriage. You are not preparing for marriage. You will notice that it was not Adam who was busy thinking about marriage. It was God who said, "It is not good for him to be alone." Are you understanding me? Marriage is a business of God. It is better as a man, you must learn to walk with God in such a way that you know God's timing for your life. Many young men, they don't walk with God to know God's timing. Once they just finish, "Okay, I'm a graduate now, I now have a good job, the next thing is to marry now." That is not the way it works. As a young man—I'm coming to sisters, I'm dealing with a man—a young man, ask yourself, are you having a walk with God so that you can know God's timing for your life? Or you are just you're in Bible study, I'm in the choir, I'm a member of the evangelism group, I am this. There's nothing wrong with all of that. In my church, I'm in the prayer unit, I'm a teenage church teacher, I'm a council member. Are you understanding me? There's nothing wrong with being a member of a church and being busy in activity group. But walk with God is not about activity. Are you understanding me? It's about a relationship. Be in relationship with God. Number four, you will notice again that when God said it is not good for Adam to be alone, I will make him a help suitable for him. What did God do? What did God do? We have read the story already. What did God do? He brought animals to see which one man can choose. So he brought Sister Pepeye. Man said, "No, ah God this one is Pepeye." He brought Sister Cow. "Ah God no, this one does not fit me as a cow." And Adam was naming all of them until Adam finished naming all of them. But there was none for Adam. Are you following me? Did God know that Pepeye is not good for man? Think so. Why did he first bring Pepeye? Why did he first bring the animals? Let me tell you one thing about life. Before you will meet who you will marry, listen to me very well. I'm talking about man now, I've not come to sisters. Preparing for the future. Before you will meet who you will marry, God would have brought several people your way. In primary school, in secondary school, in the university, as a youth corper, in the church. You know what God is looking for? You know what he's looking for? God is looking for how you will handle them. Whether you will handle them faithfully. Let me tell you one thing. As a man, as a boy, you have begun to press the breast of sisters. You have begun to do one immoral thing here and there. Let me tell you, you will never find a wife. You may marry, but you will not find a wife. Are you listening to me? You will marry, but you will not find a wife. There's a difference between marrying and finding a wife. God will always test the faithfulness of a male. What did I say? God will test your faithfulness. If you are not very faithful in handling opposite sex, you know what the Bible say? It says, "He that findeth a wife, findeth a good thing and obtaineth what? Without the favor of God, you can't find a wife. God must favor you to find a wife. Proverbs Chapter 12 says, "A good man obtaineth favor from God." You cannot obtain favor except you are living a pure life. Be careful what you are doing today as a boy, as a young man. How are you handling the opposite sex? If you are not handling opposite sex faithfully, calling them by their names—Adam says, "This is this," God said, "That is the name." You don't call lust "love." You don't call fornication "love." There are different names. Are you understanding me? No, this is fornication, not to be done. This is lust, it must not be found with me. I'm supposed to love my sister, there should be no immorality. Are you understanding me? You are using the correct name for everything. Everywhere you name wrongly and Baba says, "Ah, that is not the name, that is not the name," you are not building a future for yourself. You are destroying your future. So I have come to a point where I am through with that of the boys. I want to change to that of the girls. Preparing for the future. Preparing for the future. I want to take that of the girls, then I will build the two together, boys and girls. Then God said it's not good for him to be alone. Then God made him to sleep. When God made him to sleep, what did God do? He took a bone out of him and did what with it? What did God do with the bone? He molded it into a woman. And what did God do? What did God do to that woman? God brought her. God brought her. So let's illustrate it. Come. Let's make him Brother Adam. This is Brother Adam. Stand like this. Just come. Sister Eve. Look at it. Watch something. I have finished making Sister Eve. What did God do? God brought her. Abi? To who? Brother Adam. So I've finished the making of Sister Eve. What did I want to do? I want to take her to Brother Adam. So let's go. Let's go to Brother Adam. What are we doing? [They walk] What are we doing? A girl that cannot walk with God is not a marriage material. Anybody that marries her marries fire. Are you following me? When you find a girl that does not have a walk with God—you know where we are walking? We are walking together to go and meet Brother Adam. There must be a walk in the life of a lady. There must be a personal communion. There must be a personal fellowship. So you as a lady, you want to prepare for your future. It's not to be surveying brothers. You don't need to survey. When you have a correct walk with God, God will bring you to who? To your Adam. He will bring you. You don't need to bother. He will do the bringing. Are you following me? So as a lady, you need to ask yourself, "Am I born again? Do I have a walk with God? Am I knowing God on a daily basis? Am I walking with God, step by step with God?" If you are not doing that and you are doing every other thing, you may be successful in every other area but you not be successful in marriage. That's why you will find both male and female, you find some professors that don't have a home. They are successful with education but they were not successful with their marriage. You find some ladies, commissioners, directors, but they don't have a home. Are you getting me? You can develop every other area. But the only way to develop the area of marriage is what I'm telling you. You can't develop marriage outside God because marriage came out of God. So everybody that doesn't have communion with God cannot prepare for marriage. It's not possible. You can prepare for a good businessman, a good politician. You can have first class, you can be a brilliant lawyer, you can be a brilliant doctor, a brilliant engineer, you can do all of that, but you will fail in marriage. You can even be a brilliant minister. You have seen some ministers that are have powerful preachers but they don't have a home. You can go for training for theology and be a good minister and preach the Bible very well, but you yet still don't have a home. That's why you find pastors sleeping with some of their members. What is the problem? They don't have a home. If they have a home, they don't have a walk with God. If anybody must succeed in marriage, it's about God because marriage came out of God. So the sister must have a walk with God. Now look at something. I'm showing you something now about the brother and the sister. Let's keep walking. Now we have got to Brother Adam. What did Adam say? What did he say when he saw her? [Audience] "This is the bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of me." [Speaker 1] Now brothers, open your eyes very well. What's your name? Joy. Look at our sister. Look at her very well. Can you see bone? Brothers, open your eyes now. Ah. Can you see bone? No. What did Adam say? "This is now bone." Was it bone that God brought? Was it bone that God brought? No. But what was he seeing? Bone. So how was he seeing bone? Let me tell you one thing. If you want to prepare correctly for marriage as a man, you must be able to see beyond the container to see the content. You must be able to see—what I'm saying is that a young man who is not having the spirit of discernment cannot marry correctly. He cannot marry correctly. [Inaudible sentence]. It's not about the woman, it's about the man. If you are seeing correctly, all your life, you've been training yourself to see content. You were just seeing container. "Ah when I saw her, she was 2 by 5 by 6. Ah, [inaudible word] container." You've not seen content. When you buy Coke, what will they tell you? Liquid content only. When you are marrying, you are not marrying the body. You are marrying the content. When you enter later, you will see it's not just 2 by 5 by 6. When you begin to see her, are you understanding me? There is a content. So if you want to prepare for your future as a young man, you must learn how to grow in discernment, to discern. Are you understanding me? Are you following me? And lastly, look at this. Look at this thing. The sister must have a walk with God. The brother said, "This is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman because..." Because of what? "She was taken out of me." When she was taken out of him, so how did he know? How did he know? Are you seeing something? What I'm trying to make you understand finally, both for brothers and for sisters, anybody that cannot hear God for himself can hardly marry correctly. Anybody that cannot hear God. He could not have known except he was told. The basic, the correct foundation for Christian marriage is that the sister can hear God for herself and the brother can hear God for himself. The Bible says as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. As many that cannot be led by God's Spirit, they are not children of God. Some of the things you do today when you want to marry, you now run somewhere. "Ah Prophet, Prophet, there are five sisters in my life. One is Catholic, one is Kasala, the other one is Katuku, the other one is Katalo. Please Prophet, I don't know which one. [mimicry] Hmm. Oh, many people. Oh [inaudible name]. Hmm. That Kasala, ah. Go and meet that girl. Kasala, Kasala. Ah [mimics]. You can follow that kind of thing." Are you understanding me? Are you understanding me? Adam, I'm showing you what God did. God could speak to Adam. God could speak to Eve. There was a walk with God. So one way to prepare for your future is preparing developing your spirit, developing yourself, your relationship with God, keep developing it so that you can hear God. I tell people there was no time we were particularly praying for marriage. "Oluwa, Oluwa, who will I marry? Open my eyes." There was no time we prayed. But we had a walk with God. I tell people there is no special voice for marriage. You know some people will once they want to marry that the will of God become important. "Oluwa, Oluwa, speak, speak, speak." The God that has not been talking to you all your life will now be talking when you want to marry. Devil will deceive you. You must have been walking with that God. Are you understanding me? Are you understanding me? When we wanted to marry, there was no time we prayed. It was at our quiet time, I was doing quiet time, that the Lord made reference to a particular scripture. "That is the person that is to be your wife." That's the person that is my wife today. There was no time we were particularly praying. It was God who said it was not good for Adam to be alone. It was God who chose the time. In fact, as at the time God was asking me to marry, I was not prepared for marriage. What I was preparing for—because I left school at the president of the department—I wanted to make money. And God said, "No, settle down, prepare for marriage." I said, "Marriage?" I said, "I will settle down and then marry." God said, "No, settle down." God said, "Marry, settle down." I said, "No Lord, I want to settle down before I marry." He said, "No, settle down." God said, "Marry, settle down." I said, "No Lord, I want to settle down." He said, "No, marry and settle down." I said, "No Lord, I want to settle down." He said, "No, marry and settle down." You need to have a walk with God. If all these are not in place, listen to me. This is our church. If you want to say this church, we want to see this church, the Governor want to give them a gift. Is it the building that will go or the people? The people, abi? So when you say church, what do you mean? It's those people. Where did they come from? Where did they come from? Okay, let me help you. Who is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Akpapo? The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson? Are you following me now? So the church, where do they come from? Different families. What you are calling church is just gathering of families. Are you following me? Are you following me? That families that you are calling family, how do you form the family? A boy and a girl at a point in their life came together as husband and wife. Is that not true? So that tells you, the quality of any marriage is the quality of the individuals. No marriage can be better than the individuals that formed it. Are you getting me? Are you getting me? Then number two, no church can be spiritual than the families that are inside. If the families are not spiritual, the church cannot be spiritual. So the family determines how spiritual what the church is. What I'm trying to make you understand, younger generation, many problems we are having today, Baba Bose took Mama Bose [inaudible phrase]. Pastor is running here and there. Mr. Talami will not live well with Mrs. Talami. Or Mr. Godwin changed his wife. And the pastor started doing counseling. Where did it start from? Poor quality of individuals that formed the marriage. So what I'm trying to make you understand, young generation, if you want to prepare for marriage, always go back to look at what I call what I've just told you now. If I have all the time, it's what we call the Adam and Eve model. Always go back and look at the model. God has a model, the Adam and Eve model. If you don't follow that model, Ta ba se bi eleda se se, ko le ri f'eda bo se ye ko ri. Listen to me again. Ta ba se bi eleda se se, ko le ri f'eda bo se ye ko ri. That's the problem we are facing today. Many times brothers are busy. I was in one church. You know what they told me? "Please go and sit down." You know what they told you? They said, "You see, you see, if you don't befriend, you won't know which one is good. You have to befriend, befriend, befriend. You now know the better one." And you know what I simply did? I just got out two sisters. And I can do the same thing here. Can two sisters come out? I don't want to use her again. Any two sisters can just come out. Two sisters. Where are they? Ah, we don't have sisters here? One, another one, two. I want to ask us, let us be frank. How many years of relationship with these two sisters will make you know which one will die first? How? You see something? Emotional compatibility, mental compatibility, logical compatibility, this compatibility. They are just deception. And now we are talking about sexual compatibility. You test yourself sexually whether you are compatible. That's fornication oh, but there's now sexual compatibility. After all the compatibility, my question is, which one die first? But have you seen people marry and within six months, one of them die? Oh, am I lying? So you see, what can make you determine the future is not those things you are talking about. You need deeper insight to manage the future. And unfortunately for our young people, you have the God who declares the end from the beginning. Instead of going to that God and relate with him, you are busy guessing your future. "[Yoruba phrase]." Why are you busy doing that? Why not go to the God who knows the future and then let him speak your future to you? I ask them again. How many years of all this your relationship that you are doing will help you to know which one is a woman of the morning or a woman of the night? You know what I mean by that? Woman of the morning, people like Leah. Omo ba ti marry bayi, omo bere si bi mo niyen. Some women, after nine months, another omo. Another nine months, another omo. That's for some women. But some women, they are like Sarah. The design of God for them is in their old age. You know you can't compare elephant and chicken. It may take elephant time to bring a child. But when they bring that one that they want to bring, they will shake the ground. Are you understanding me? Some women are women of the night. How will you know by all your whatever you want to do? And I want to ask you, if you're a man of the morning and you marry a woman of the night, are you not in trouble? That is why you will see some marriages, after five years, there's no issue. The brother will start, "[Yoruba phrase]." And before you will begin to know, they begin to look for one way outside, begin to [inaudible word] outside. Where is all the "I love you with all my heart, you know there's a way when I see you, your heart [mimics heart fluttering sounds]" [inaudible word]. Everything has messed up when there was a challenge. Are you understanding me? So what makes marriage is not about how much you befriend a sister and let me ask you, how many years of relationship with each of them will let you know which one will give you female, female, female, female, female? Or male, male, male, male? Or male and female? How many years of relationship will let you know that? And I've seen marriages. My immediate elder sister, what scattered their marriage was that she did not have a female. The man went out to go and marry another woman because he wanted a female by all means. Another one, I don't want to mention names here, two believers. The sister was having six [inaudible phrase] their marriage because whether male or female, it's not the function of the woman. It's a function of the man. Although there are some chromosomal and genetic issues that surrounds the woman, but primarily it's about the man. They were having female, female, female, female, female. After the fifth, after the fourth female, the brother decided to exit the marriage after the sister was pregnant. [Yoruba phrase]. Before eventually that fifth child was a male. I've seen marriages that have scattered because "Oh it's only girl, it's only girl" and some were saying, "Who will keep my name? You see, this marriage, my name, my name, I want a male for my name." What I'm trying to make you see, the greater things about marriage, friendship cannot determine them. Friendship can only determine things like whether you are emotionally compatible and I want to tell you, there are no two compatible people. Are you following me? There are no two compatible people. The ingredient of incompatibility is selfishness. If you are not selfish, you will be compatible with anybody. If you are not selfish, if you marry anybody—L'ale lowo awon agba to ti marry. You have to be patient with your wife or with your husband. Any let the sister be speaking fire. Go and call my wife, she will tell you how many times she has to be patient with me. I will tell you how many times I have to be patient with her. No matter human beings always have their limitations. And so it takes taking away selfishness to be compatible. Am I very clear? Am I very clear? Now listen. When you don't enter into marriage correctly, there's already a—please go and sit down—there's already a fundamental problem. What is the fundamental problem? Once the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? So many times i'bere pepe, tori pe a ti to daada. We are going through trouble in days ahead. Many people don't take time to work with God to have a correct foundation. But I take it like this. You have a correct foundation and you have entered into marriage. What is it that you must note if your marriage must work? What you must note is very simple. Simple, but complex. If I have entered into marriage—into marriage—for those of us who are married now, what is it that I must note that makes marriage to work? I'll just show you a principle and the fundamental principle. A man shall leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, abi? And the two shall become what? [Audience] One. [Speaker 1] So they are no longer two but they are one. What God therefore has joined together, let no man put asunder. If you are married, that's what God said. We have looked at what God did, I'm through. What God said for the marriage, he said after he made them male and female, he said, "For this cause, a man shall leave father and mother and be joined to his wife," abi? And become one. So they are no longer two but one. What God therefore has joined together, let no man put asunder. Now for the married, what is it that I want you to see if you want your marriage to work? Look at Ephesians Chapter 5. Ephesians 5. For the married, what I want you to see, Ephesians 5 from Verse 28. Ephesians 5 from Verse 28. If you are there, please read. Ephesians 5 from Verse 28. Nobody is there? Okay, let me take it from here. If you are there before me, please read. "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church." Listen to this place very well. "For this cause." For this cause. "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." You read that? You read that? Why is a man leaving father and mother and be joined to his wife? Ah, you didn't follow it. Please open your Bible, open. Please look at your Bible. Please open open to that place. For the married, I'm going to drop just one principle, the most fundamental thing you need to know about marriage. I take it from that Verse 28 again. "So husband ought to love their own wife as their own body. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, just as the Lord the church." Verse 30, what did he say? "For we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones." Verse 31, "For this reason a man shall leave father and mother and be joined to his wife and they two shall be one flesh. This is what?" A great mystery. Why is it a mystery? And that is where you are not seeing it, brethren. Listen to me. Listen to me. For those of us who are already married, listen to this principle very well. Actually in the mind of God, God did not intend marriage for anybody who don't have a walk with God. Until you are a member of his flesh and of his body, you should not be talking about marriage. If you are not—are you understanding me?—marriage in the mind of God was not meant for somebody who does not know God. He's going to abuse marriage. And what is it that you must know about marriage? Is that for Christ, look at it. When I was hungry, you didn't give me to eat. They said, "When was it done?" What did Christ say? "When you didn't do it to the least of the brethren." When Paul was persecuting the church, what did Jesus say? "Why are you persecuting is it the church or me? Why are you persecuting me?" The church and Christ, they are what? They are one. It is that oneness between Christ and the church that God intended by forming marriage. Now get this. Get this. Are you married here? Get this. The simplest way I'll illustrate it and I will be through for your question is this. If you enter into the toilet and you want to use the toilet, the person who used the toilet before you did not flush. What will you do when you enter the toilet? You become uncomfortable, am I correct? You will flush, am I correct? You will wash very well, am I correct? Are you irritated by the sight? Am I correct? Am I correct? Then after you have washed, what do you now do? You now sit down to use the toilet. After some time, what comes out of you too? Anything different from what you met before? But this time are you irritated? This time can you be making call inside? "Hello? Hello sister? I'll soon be around. I'm in the toilet, I'm coming." Are you comfortable inside? So what happened that you are inside the same thing, this time you are comfortable? But before you were, "[mimics disgust]! This stupid person, this person!" and you were just what were you doing that before? It is the same smell, it is the same thing, now you're comfortable. But you were not comfortable before. Why were you not comfortable before? It's not your own. Do you get the answer? What's the answer? It's not your own. So which means formerly when you were behaving like this, your problem was not the smell. Your problem was not the sight. Your problem actually was, "It's not your own." It's not the smell that was your problem. [mimics disgust]. All that thing you did, you are inside it now, you are very comfortable. I'm trying to make you understand, for the married, listen to me. When the smell that comes from your spouse gets you irritated, your problem is not your spouse. Your problem is your blindness. You don't know that you are no longer two, you are one. It is not the smell of your spouse that gives you problem. [Yoruba phrase]. It's your blindness. [Yoruba phrase]. Am I making sense to you? Am I making sense to you? I've finished what I want to tell you this evening. If you're preparing for marriage, remember the Adam's model. Grow up to have a walk with God. Grow up to represent God. Grow up to have discernment. Grow up to hear God. If you have all of that, money will not be a problem. I'm telling you. If you learn to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, these things they will follow you. They are things that we have tested. Our friends, when we were pursuing God, they were busy pursuing money. Today, they are not better than us. Your first problem in life is to become the image of God that you were created to be, is to become the likeness of God that you were created to be. Is to have discernment that you can discern. Is to be able to hear God, is to be able to walk with God. As a sister, your problem in life is not to be sampling brothers, is not, "Ah Oluwa, Oluwa, a husband that is good." Forget that. You be correct, God will bring you. You just be correct, you will be brought. But if you cannot if you are not correct, God cannot bring you. You will bring yourself to who you like. "Ah I like Johnson, [Yoruba phrase]." You can bring yourself. You won't be able to wait for God to bring you. Have a walk with God, grow with God, understand God, be led by God, be those are preparation for the future. By the time those things are in place, you'll see the other ones they are walk over. Marriage is a walk over for a person who has a correct walk with God. It's supposed to be a walk over. But today what are we calling? [Yoruba phrase]. [Repeats Yoruba phrase]. That's the bottom line. If you know God, it's not [Yoruba phrase]. That's the reality. And for the married, the most important thing you must understand is a great mystery. That person you took as your wife, you are no longer two. [Yoruba phrase]. You are no longer two. [Yoruba phrase]. It is common everywhere today when there are matters as a wife, [Yoruba phrase]. As a husband, [Yoruba phrase]. If there are issues, [Yoruba phrase]. But many times today, [Yoruba phrase]. Why? The people that enter into marriage, they are not first Christians. They may be church members oh, I'm saying that because I've been like that all my life. I was active in the choir, active in evangelical unit, active in the revival unit, but I was never born again. [Yoruba phrase]. It's spiritual bastards. We must be Christians to be able to run marriage successfully. If you are not Christians, you cannot run marriage successfully. You must first be a member of his flesh and of his blood before you can now leave father and mother and get it correctly. But if you are not a Christian, [Yoruba phrase] will happen in marriage. [Repeats phrase]. But please grow up to become a Christian. Be a Christian. God said they are no longer two. Every time you look at your husband, we are no longer two. [Yoruba phrase]. The more you look at God, the more you become like him. May you be able to reflect God in your marriage in the name of Jesus. Let's bow down our heads to pray. Father we thank you for this evening. We give you praise and glory, we give you honor and adoration. Lord, these are younger generation particularly that we are gathering together even though many elders are here to support the meeting. But it's about this younger generation. Lord we are just praying, for those who are yet to enter, Lord, may they consistently remember the Adam and the Eve model in the name of Jesus. For those younger generation who are already inside, ah, the things we hear in counseling room, ah, they are things that that should not be heard. Marriage of one month, "I want to divorce." Marriage of six months, "Ah sir, I married my enemy. I'm leaving this no, no, no, no, I'll rather divorce than die." Marriage of six months. Lord we're just wondering what is happening. And when you ask, "I am a choir in the church, I am in Bible study, I'm assistant pastor," you keep wondering, "Are these Christians?" Lord, we pray for this our younger generation, you will get it right. You will get it right. You will do it rightly in the name of Jesus. [Yoruba phrase]. [Yoruba phrase]. In the name of Jesus. Know God. Obey God. [Yoruba phrase]. In the name of Jesus. Thank you Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. [Audience] Amen. [Speaker 2] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission aid. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class, every Monday 5:00 PM; Adolescent and Singles club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Marriage forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; family life seminars; regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the first bridge, Illere community opposite Verrjoy filling station along Ijede Road, Akure Ondo State Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles familytent@yahoo.co.uk; familytentministry01@gmail.com; www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.