PREACHED on 23rd JUNE, 2002 by the SON OF MAN (APOSTLE PETER ODOEMENA) AT THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD ONITSHA
When this life is over, you will know that I am HE. There is nowhere you will go without meeting Me. If you will go to Heaven, I will put you there; if you will go to Hellfire, I will put you there. Believe it if you can…
—Son of Man
17 – 12 – 2008
Choosing a partner; how do you choose your partner? That becomes a question. Must I allow my parents to choose for me? This is where the greatest confusion comes. Any time a man wants to marry, he may have the money, he may be independent, he may have every knowledge, “But how do I go about getting that wife? That becomes a problem.
-Son of Man
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE (Volume 2) by the SON OF MAN (APOSTLE PETER ODOEMENA)
CHAPTER 1
WHATSOEVER GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER LET NO MAN PUT ASUNDER
Now, I want to say few things Brethren. I may not go evangelical. I am speaking on MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE.
2. Is it proper for a man to divorce his wife? Is it proper for a woman to divorce her husband? Can a woman actually divorce her husband? Who has the power to divorce—the man or the woman? We must look into these things.
3. Then, concerning polygamy, I will still speak few things on it because religion has put fears in the hearts of many people even from the Old Testament.
4. That is where I blamed Brother Charles and the wife. They took matters into their hands, instead of obeying My Words, they refused and they are suffering. The problem he dabbled into is a scriptural problem that has a scriptural solution.
5. In the book of Genesis chapter 16 verse 1 through 6, Abraham reasoned with his wife because they had no child. Sarah permitted him to go to bed with his maidservant, called Haggai.
6. Remember they reasoned and agreed. Abraham needed children. He did not want to wait on the Will of the Lord. He reasoned with the wife; and the two agreed. So, there was nothing to be afraid of.
7. Abraham never sneaked inside. Even if while they were there naked, Sarah could walk in and walk out without feeling offended because they reasoned. Is that not right? Then what was the trouble? Haggai became pregnant and later had a son.
8. As they continued to live together, pride set in. She started ridiculing Sarah. Sarah carried the matter to her husband and said, “Are you keeping quiet? Don’t you see how this girl is now ridiculing me? Why not say something?” Abraham did not take it light. He said, “Madam, trouble me not on this matter. She is under your authority. So, whatever you want to do to her, you are free.”
9. The Bible recorded that from that time, Sarah started maltreating the woman. When she took up her position, Sarah started subjecting that woman (Haggai) to her position. She could not bear it. The Bible said, “She fled away with her son.” Did you get the Message?
10. Brother Charles did not play that role well; rather, he took up the matter, instead of pushing the whole bulk to the wife so that I can be in a position to listen to their complaints, but he rose up. That is why I find it very difficult to forgive him.
11. If care is not taken, if I finish this Message, I may excommunicate him from the Church. To enable the wife hear the Message, I brought her in this day. I want her to hear the Message inside; even if she will leave the Church after, let her hear it inside.
12. Therefore, anybody that has this problem, please follow it wisely. Do not fight. As long as that woman is under the authority of your wife, allow your wife to fight the matter out. Play a NEUTRAL ROLE; behave as if you have no hand there. It is war between woman and woman. Do not show any special interest. Is that right?
13. Remember that we are children of Abraham by faith. All of you are daughters of Sarah. Hence, if you behave like your mother, you have not committed any crime. If you are daughters of Sarah according to the Scriptures, and you behave like your mother, you committed no crime for God did not find fault with Sarah over that matter.
14. If the woman was obedient and respectful to the first wife, she would have stayed. Even the first wife would have taken her as a daughter and this is what causes trouble in every family where the man marries two wives.
15. Now, concerning polygamy, look at second Samuel chapter 12 verse 8: “And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.” (KJV).
16. This was when David took Uriah’s wife and then killed the husband. But God was not happy.
17. God reprimanded David, He said, “What is wrong with you? You have streams of wives. Besides that, I gave you your master’s house; the house of your Master Saul. If his wives were not enough for you, I gave you the whole of Israel and Judah; you have the authority to take any woman you love. Why taking this woman, killing the husband? It is wickedness. What is special in this woman that warrants the death of her husband?”
18. What I am trying to say is that God was prepared to increase David’s wives. Remember David had five hundred wives, yet they were not enough. God wanted to give him more so that he could use women to make fence.
19. God has never reprimanded anybody for marrying many wives, still I know that the first man that married two wives was Lamech and Lamechcame from the lineage of Cain.
20. That Adam married one wife was because he had no other choice. What he saw was himself and one woman. If he saw himself with ten women, he would have been servicing the ten; but from that one he met, God said, “Increase and multiply.” So, Adam had no choice.
21. We do not have one man, one woman anymore. That old agreement has been broken long, long time ago. We are now in the new agreement. Let Me just keep that one aside. Let us look into the Scriptures.
22. Matthew chapter 19 verse 6: “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (KJV).
23. This is my topic: Whatsoever God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
24. There is no way I can speak to you without using Scriptures. Let us go back to the Scriptures the Jews quoted when they met Jesus Christ.
MARRIAGE IS A CONTRACT AND HAS CONDITIONS
Deuteronomy chapter 24 verse 1 through 4: “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
26. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife .
27. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;
28. Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. (KJV).
29. Malachi chapter 2 verse 14 through 16: “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
30. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
31. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. (KJV).
32. “Why has God abandoned us?’ you cry. I will tell you why; it is because the Lord has seen your treachery in divorcing your wives who have been faithful to you through the years, the companion you promise to care for and keep.
33. You were united to your wife by the Lord. In God’s wise plan when you married, the two of you became one in his sight. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. Therefore, guard your passions! Keep faith with the wife of your youth.
34. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says he hates divorce and cruel men. Therefore, control your passions-let there be no divorcing of your wives.” (LB).
35. Marriage and divorce. The essence of God permitting marriage is to raise Godly children. In addition, marriage is a contract; this contract is bound by some conditions. One of the conditions is that love must exist between the two: faithfulness must be there, honesty must be there, respect, honour, humility, they must all be there.
36. There is no contract without conditions. Any woman that wants her marriage to subsist must make sure that these conditions are there, wholly preserved by day or by night. From the two passages, Moses permitted that they should divorce their wives and permitted women to re-marry provided they were given certificates of divorce.
37. But God said from that time, that it will not be in existence anymore. From the time this new Law came into effect, God said that no man should divorce his wife.
38. Look at the condition the Bible gave, it said, “Don’t divorce the wife of your youth who has been faithful to you.” Underline it.
39. For if you do that (divorce the wife of your youth who has been faithful to you), it will be violence on your side. It will be cruelty. Intentional divorcement is an act of cruelty on the side of the man; on the side of the woman.
40. A woman has no right to divorce her husband who has been faithful to her all the years of their marriage. Maybe she goes out, someone flashes a car before her; flashes Naira and Kobo before her; she comes back home to start disrespecting the husband so that the husband can put her away. Before you know it, she will fly to another man. It is cruelty; it is an act of violence. It is rebellion; it is witchcraft.
41. What am I saying? No man has any right to divorce his wife who is proving to be faithful to him. Any man that does that has transgressed against God. He has committed sin against God; it is a grievous sin.
42. For that reason, God said, “Stay together.” Do not put away your faithful wife so that you can marry another; but if while you are living with her, you still want to marry more, do not put her away; discuss it with her.
43. If she is a Godly woman, her conscience will bear her witness, that she has fulfilled her own part of the contract. It is now your real desire to bring in more wives. She must never hinder you provided you take good care of her and her children.
44. I want to sound the Voice of God here. It is an abomination unto God for a man to marry a second wife or a third wife, when he is not capable of maintaining one wife. Note it, it is an abomination; it is hateful in the sight of God for a man to bring in another wife when he is living with a faithful woman and, he is has not even taken good care of her and her children.
45. You do that, it is an abomination; it is hateful in the sight of God. It is a sinful act; it is an act of rebellion; it is an act of violence; it is cruelty. You are bringing in that Sister to punish her and any Sister that is volunteering to come into that house is a troublemaker.
46. You know your Brother; you know his capacity; you know the way the family has been faring; maybe he has been sustained by the goodwill of the wife and now you want to come in to add to his troubles, you are a wicked woman; you are cruel. It is sinful in the sight of God.
47. If you believe it why not say Amen.
48. I am not saying My opinion on this matter; I am declaring to you that which I have heard from Him. Judge for yourselves whether it is proper for a man to bring in a second wife when he is living with a faithful wife; he is blessed with children; he does not have money enough to look after them, tell me, is it proper for him to bring in another wife?
49. I am speaking to you on MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE. That woman that is coming in, is a destabilizer of a peaceful home. She wants to tear apart something God has joined together. It is not good.
50. I told you not to run away yet. We are progressing. Putting away your wife; putting away your husband for no just cause is an act of wickedness onto the Lord; it is sin.
51. We have heard people saying, “Until death do us part.” I have told you that there is nothing like that in the Scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, it is not written anywhere. The only thing you can see is: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
LIVING IN ADULTERY—EXPLAINED
Matthew chapter 5 verse 31 through 32: “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
53. But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (KJV).
54. Whosoever that marries a woman that is divorced, is committing adultery. It is permissible for a man, a Brother to marry a widow. A Brother is permitted to marry a widow if he wants to do so; but no man, no Brother is permitted to marry a woman that is divorced by her husband.
55. No matter the reason you may have, once a woman is divorced by her husband, she has two options: one, to stay alone, single for life and worship God or be reconciled to her husband. But if for any reason at all, she goes to a man to live as wife, she is living in adultery. She is an adulteress because her husband is alive. The two husbands are still alive. It is an abomination in the sight of God.
56. I can never be in a Church where men are guilty of it; women are guilty of it and for respect of persons, I shy away from it. A man is free to divorce his wife and marry another; but a woman is not free.
57. Whoever that marries a woman that is divorced, Christ said that she is committing adultery; but if a woman gets married to a man that puts away his wife, it is noble; it is just; it is legal; it is righteous; it is honourable in the sight of God for the law of marriage and divorce holds the woman and not the man.
58. The only offence the man may commit is, if he divorces that woman unjustly and the woman goes out to marry another man; the man will then become guilty of causing the woman to commit adultery. Adultery is committed by two persons at a time. One person can never commit adultery. Once there is a seller, there must be a buyer. Did you get the Message?
59. If I know that putting away my wife will put me in danger of causing her to commit adultery when I know she is faithful to me, I will never try it because I love her.
60. But that woman who is being pushed out of her marital home because of her stubbornness or evil behaviour, why not repent? Go back to your husband and plead for forgiveness; and he will forgive you. If he does not want to forgive you, the Father will not forgive him.
61. The secret of righteousness lies in forgiving one another. Don’t you know that it is better you sell off the shame and the ridicule and go back to your first husband, plead for forgiveness and then be readmitted than to live in adultery?
62. You that took the woman to be your wife, you are enjoying her, don’t you know that you are guilty in the sight of God? You are guilty of living with another man’s wife. You tell me, “I heard they paid the dowry back. They refunded the money.”
63. Who refunded the money? Is there any Scripture; is there anything you can lay hand on; is there any preacher that has ever told you that God said, “If a woman wants to leave her husband, she should refund the man the money?” Are you wiser than God?
64. God knows that the moment He gives that injunction or that order, women will abuse it, especially, women that are married from places where dowry is very cheap like Onitsha women that pay thirty-two Naira; it is a matter of opening your handbag, give the man thirty-two Naira, and then everything is done. God knew those things.
65. For that reason, He did not put them in there. If God should give that one as a condition for divorce, I bet you, within one week, a lot of Sisters in this Faith will leave their homes, refund the money and go away.
66. What am I saying? Whomever that tells you that because money was refunded to the parents of the woman, you can marry her, the person fooled you. As long as the man is breathing, his wife belongs to him or she should remain single. She must reconcile to her husband or remain single.
67. Hence, if you have married to so many men and you still desire to marry more, I wish you luck. I must tell you the truth that that habit is sin in the sight of God and no sinner will enter Paradise.
68. You see what William Branham was running from. He said, “If I should say this truth, some families will break up.” You call them families, but God calls them social associations. You call them husband and wife, but God calls them boyfriend and girlfriend. You call her a wife, but God calls her a prostitute—not even a concubine.
69. It is better to live with one million concubines than to live with one married woman who is another man’s wife.
70. If you are children of God, listen to the Voice of God. He that is of God heareth God’s Word. Woe is Me, if I should have a particular person in mind for speaking the truth.
71. I thank God that the prophet told you that he was laying a foundation for Him that will come to speak of these things. This is where the problem has been: men dying early for marrying another man’s wife; women dying early for abandoning their husbands, joining themselves to other men rejoicing that they are going to Heaven. There are too many of them in the denominations.
72. If you go to Deeper Life, there are hundreds of them.
73. This matter is a serious matter. When Jesus Christ spoke in His day concerning this matter, men said, “If marriage is like this, it is better a man does not think about it.”
74. Now I am here, men are rejoicing, but women are saying, “If this matter is like this, then it is not good for a woman to think about marriage.”
A MAN IS A VARIABLE BEING
Look at the way Saint Paul put it in his own day in first Corinthians chapter 7 verse 10 through 14: “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
76. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
77. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
78. And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
79. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.”
80. Saint Paul said that he was speaking under the command of the Lord; that if a woman abandons her husband, she should stay alone or get reconciled. Did he say that God said the man should stay alone? No.
81. Every reference there was made to the woman. The man was not involved because from the very beginning, God had already ordained man to have multiple wives. That is why a woman has her seasons; but a man has no season.
82. Too many female goats can be presented to one he-goat (billy goat) at the same time and while all of them are pregnant by that same he-goat, it does not go to them again; it shifts to another place. It is applicable to fowls; to sheep; to cow. This is because that is the nature of the man.
83. The man is ready at all times; but the woman has her seasons. One man that is ready at all times, how can somebody programme him? You cannot programme him because God never programmed a man; but God programmed a woman.
84. How can the original creature be programmed? He was only given the command: “Increase and multiply; be fruitful and multiply; fill the whole Earth.”
85. As long as the man is active, he cannot number the number of children he has filled the world with. You can number the number of children the woman delivered; but you can never number the number of children a man has on Earth from the day he was born until the day he will die. You cannot number them. Even that man, does not know the number.
86. Man is a variable animal. He loves variety and I warned Sisters to be careful. Until you rehearse this Message again either on tape or jotter, you may not understand what I am saying. Any Message that is on tape, I will not rehearse it. You only gather the tapes and play them.
87. Remember I am handling MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE. Whatever God has put together, let no man put asunder.
A LITTLE ADVICE
Since you know that divorcing your husband will put you in danger of Hellfire because there is no way you can stay alone, why not comport yourself. Once you have tasted it, you have tasted it. Fear will always be in you.
89. Any food a man has never tasted can never attract him. If you have never eaten apple before, you will never know the taste of apple; you cannot sit down and say, “Hey, I desire to have apple.” It is only when you must have eaten apple and known the taste that you will from time to time, desire to eat it. Then you will fly to Upper Iweka to buy apples.
90. “Brother, where are you going?” “I will be back; let me get some apples at the market.”
91. As long as a virgin has not broken her virginity, she does not desire a man, but once it is broken, seasonally she needs a man.
92. Since you know that divorcing your husband will put you in danger; you cannot stay alone; if you re-marry to another man, you become an adulteress, the best thing is to reconcile. Do not think of killing the man; if you kill the man, you are going to Hell. If you kill a man who is innocent, you will never sleep till you die. Amen.
CHAPTER 2
CONDITIONS THAT DISQUALIFY ONE FROM MARRIAGE
Now, I want to speak on the three conditions that will make a man avoid marriage.
2. God said, “It is not good for a man to be alone. I will give him a woman that will help him, lest he will die.”
3. Saint Matthew chapter 19 verse 1 through 12:“After Jesus had finished this address, he left Galilee and circled back to Judea from across the Jordan River. Vast crowds followed him and he healed those who were sick. Some Pharisees came to interview him and tried to trap him into saying something that would ruin him. ‘Do you permit divorce?’ they asked, ‘Don’t you read the Scriptures?’ he replied, ‘In them it is written that at the beginning God created man and woman, and that a man should leave his mother and father and be forever united to his wife.
4. The two shall become one—no longer two, but one! And no man may divorce what God has joined together. ‘Then, why’, they asked, ‘did Moses say a man may divorce his wife by merely writing her a letter of dismissal?’
5. Jesus replied, ‘Moses did that in recognition of your hard and evil hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, that anyone who divorces his wife, except for fornication and marries, commits adultery’.
6. Jesus’ disciples then said to him, ‘if that is how it is, it is better not to marry!’ ‘Not everyone can accept this statement’, Jesus said, ‘Only those whom God helps.
7. Some are born without the ability to marry, and some are disabled by men, and some refuse to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Let anyone who can, accept my statement.” (LB).
8. Three conditions why you must avoid marriage: one, if you are disabled; disabled in the sense that as a man, you are impotent; you cannot impregnate a woman; you are sure of that; after thorough examination of your body, you are sure and certain that you cannot perform effectively; you are not qualified to marry a woman.
9. Number two: if you are castrated, maybe due to accident or sickness in life; for that reason, your testicles are removed or wicked men castrated you; in other words, human beings have made you an eunuch, you are not qualified to marry because the essence of marriage is to raise children. Moreover, since you are not in a position to raise children through a woman, why are you thinking of marriage?
10. Number three: if you are under a vow; you have vowed unto the Lord that you will never marry; it is your right, you can stay like that but it has a big condition. What is that condition? You can never lie with a woman until you die or, you can never desire to lie with a woman until you die. Any day you desire a woman in your heart, you have broken that vow.
REFUSING TO MARRY IS AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD
This is where Reverend Fathers are guilty. They say they will not marry, but they are sleeping with women up and down thereby breaking the vow.
12. Any man that refuses to marry when he is very healthy, number one: he is resisting the Will of God that says, “It is not good for a man to be alone.”
13. Number two: he is resisting the Will of God which says, “Be fruitful and multiply amongst the Earth.”
14. Number three: he will have trouble in his flesh. He will be burning everyday because he is a healthy man. In other words, a healthy man has no justification why he should not marry.
15. Any healthy man that is of age and refuses to marry is a wicked man. It is an act of violence; you must get married. The same way, women have their conditions. By the time I will get there, you will see things for yourself. Let Me continue.
16. As long as God lives and I live, any woman that does not want to be divorced; you want to retain your home; retain your husband; it is all in your hands. You want your husband to marry twenty wives; it is all in your hands. This is because no man that is happy in his home; happy with his wife thinks of another wife. I know that to be the truth.
17. Watch all the men that marry two, three and so on, they decided to marry because they want to live longer and if they should remain with that wicked woman, they will die before their days.
18. Where a woman has fulfilled her marital rites towards the husband, the man does not dream of another wife.
19. I will give you conditions for polygamy; I will also give you conditions for divorce as I received from the Father, not my own opinion or idea. If you want Me to give My own idea, I may have something different, but until I get there.
20. Thus, if you want to retain your family, you want to retain your husband and you want your husband to be envious of you, it is all in your hands.
21. No man desires to increase his number of wives anyhow, especially at this very time of hardship. Nobody wants to go into that venture; it is very expensive unless condition pushes the man into it.
22. As long as God lives, women should honour their husbands so as to retain the love of their husbands.
23. Let Me say this with every amount of respect; if you want your husband to love you the more, it is in your hand. Equally, if you want him to hate you, it is in your hands.
24. Believe it if you can, no man ever hated his wife in the beginning. A man hating his wife is as a result of some developments—some developments afterwards, but in the beginning, they were sweethearts until iniquity was found in the woman.
25. Even Mrs. John, the teacher, I remember when the marriage proposal went to her and the parents agreed; she wa dancing in the Fellowship more than every other person, giving testimony and screaming: “Praise the Lord.” Brother John was equally giving testimony.
26. There was love in the beginning. We could see the thing, but look at what is happening now. Because she wants John to die, John must hate her.
HONOUR, LOVE AND RESPECT YOUR HUSBAND
Any woman her husband hates, is already in her grave. If a tree can stand without the root, then a woman can stand without her husband, but if it is impossible for a tree to stand without the root, it is impossible for a woman to stand without her husband.
28. Any project a woman is embarking on without the support of her husband must be a failure; it is a waste of money. Watch all that say they are doing businesses, without the support of their husbands; it is just like a round peg in a square hole. They are just running round and round only because their husbands are not in support.
29. Your husband cannot support you when you are dishonouring him everyday. You do not regard him as your husband; you do not see him as your lord and king.
30. No man hates his wife at the beginning; check your family; your relationship with your wife, whatever it is now was it what it was in the beginning? Was there no time when you were sweethearts? When you desired to move together, you can hardly move apart.
31. What are you now? What caused it? Is it the man or you? It is a woman’s disrespectful attitude that makes the husband to park her at home; park her in the warehouse and ignore her.
32. If you do not want to be parked, change your attitude towards your husband.
33. A girl friend can fade, but a wife does not fade. A wife is ever new in the eyes of her husband if she is from God.
34. Can you imagine Sarah at a very old age; watch Abraham at his very old age; look at the way Sarah spoke to Abraham.
35. Genesis chapter 18 verse 12:“Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”(KJV).
36. Note what happened in this Scripture. Sarah laughed within herself: “When I am already very old will I have that desire even my lord being also old.” Did you notice what happened there? “Even my Lord also being old.”
37. Remember it was at this old age that Abimelech still desired to have Sarah.
38. A wife does not expire. A wife has no expiry date, but a friend has an expiry date. A girlfriend can expire, but a wife does not expire. Marriage is enjoyed at old age. Friendship is enjoyed in the youth.
39. If your marriage has expired, it is not of God. People live with their friends calling them wives; it is a problem. Find out whether you are living with your friend or your wife. Your girlfriend can leave your house anytime because you are just friends: “If we are going to live, let us live but if we are going to separate let us separate.” That is a friend, but a wife is not so.
40. Any woman that can threaten the husband saying, “If you disturb my peace, I will leave you. After all, I know why I married you,” she is never married for one day. You are threatening your husband because you are just a friend; you are not a wife. You are doing that so that you can go about tasting men, but a true daughter of God does not go about tasting men. A daughter of God does not try it.
41. You marry and do not go about tasting men all in the name of marriage. Sarah showed love to her husband even at that old age. She could talk to the man reverently referring to him as: “my lord;” appreciating my lord at an old age.
42. This agrees with first Peter chapter 3 verse 5 through 6: “For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
43. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. (KJV).
44. You are daughters of Sarah if you do well, but if you do evil and claim to be a daughter of Sarah, you are an impersonator.
45. In other words, every true son of Abraham must make sure he is marrying a daughter of Sarah. If your wife is not representing Sarah, you made a mistake in your marriage. But for you to know that make sure you are representing Abraham for it will take an Abraham to marry Sarah. The same way, it will take an Ahab to marry a Jezebel.
46. So, Brother John Ekwueme, we are only hearing what your wife is doing. Very soon, any moment from now; from this day, we will hear what you are doing also. You have been going about telling people what your wife is doing; your wife is on the receiving side; God will speak for her this day.
47. I am saying that God is going to enter your room this day. My satellite is already in your house. It has been there since yesterday. I want to see what is happening there because when I will touch on the offensive side of the man, you will be there.
48. Let Me continue. I am saying that from the very beginning, daughters of God honour their husbands. They do not ridicule them; they praise their husbands and they are a part of whatever their husbands are doing because you are a part of your husband.
49. Your husband will always appreciate you when you take your position in his house, but when you want to take your husband’s position, you are throwing yourself away from that home and you will regret. It is very easy to pack away from the home, but very difficult to packback.
50. It is easier to leave your marital home than to come back and whomever that abandons his family will die in sorrow. Any married woman that intentionally packs away from her house must surely die in sorrow.
51. When you see her there on the street, you think she is alive. She is not alive, but she is dead. Oftentimes, she will like to console herself by putting on some dresses; putting on some smiles, but they are short-lived; they do not live long. In their private places, they will be weeping.
52. In Titus chapter 2 verse 4 through 5, older women were encouraged to teach the younger women to honour and respect their own husbands, to look after their children, care for them, care for their husbands that our Gospel be not blasphemed.
53. In other words, there is nothing in the Scriptures; there is nothing in nature that permits a woman to dishonour her husband. For that reason, any woman that is guilty of constantly dishonouring her husband is liable to divorce and theman has no apology.
54. I repeat: Any woman that is fond of dishonouring her husband constantly is liable to divorce and the man has committed no sin. This is because a woman that is of God honours her husband, even ignorantly because every true seed of God obeys the Will of God ignorantly.
55. Marriage and Divorce. A sign that God did not join them together is that the woman will never take her position no matter how she is being encouraged; no matter who speaks to her, she will never take her position; a sure sign that God did not join them.
56. God can never join a man; a son of God to a daughter of God that will disobey him and cause him sorrow always because every good thing comes from God and whoever that finds his own wife, finds a good thing.
57. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 33: “So again I say, a man must love his wife as a part of himself; and the wife must see to it that she deeply respect her husband-obeying, praising and honouring him.” (LB).
58. A man must love his wife as a part of himself. I do not preach: “Husbands, love your wives;” I do not preach that. There is no man who really used his own money to marry a wife that does not love his wife. The only person that hates his wife is one that did not use his money to marry.
59. Maybe your father married her for you or your relations. Hence, you do not know the cost. You do not know how painful it is to save money and then invest it on a wife. The love that compels that man—of all women—to come to you is enough love.
60. He saw other women; he came to you and to you alone and then fulfilled all that your parents demanded of him. I do not think the man just decided to buy poison. The man purchased what he esteemed very high; what he loves. So, every man loves his wife.
61. What women call love is not love. A woman thinks that the husband loves her when the husband is being relegated to the position of a maidservant. Then she will call it love; that is no love.
62. I have treated this matter many ways. Women subject their husbands to slavery condition and if the man will say no, they will exclaim: “Where is your love? You say you love me. You cannot wash my dress; you washed yours; you do not wash mine; you ironed yours, you do not iron mine.” That is rubbish.
63. Any man that is married has no right to wash his own cloth unless his wife is sick. Washing the clothes of the man is the duty of the woman. It is a woman’s responsibility to see to it that her husband is neat at all times.
64. My duty is to gather the clothes and throw them at my wife. She knows what to do with them. If I get to my hanger and I do not see neat cloths there, well, my authority will come out. She will tell me why I married her. Anyway, that has been taken care of. It is already in tapes.
65. The wife must see to it that she deeply respects her own husband. In Ephesians chapter 5 verse 33 it is clearly stated there. You must see to it; it is a MUST, whether you like it or not, that you deeply, not shallowly, not hypocritically, not loving him when money is flowing and hating him when the weather is dry.
AN UNMARRIED WOMAN IS A REPROACH
You must see to it that you deeply respect your husband, honouring and praising him. You refer to the past Messages where God spoke to women saying: “When you wake up in the morning, saying, ‘Remain blessed;’ is not enough to your husband. You can tell everybody, ‘remain blessed’, but to your husband, you will add something to it: ‘Thank you for marrying me; I am very grateful to you for marrying me.’”
67. It is not easy for a man to marry you. Maybe you do not know. When a man marries a wife, he takes away the reproach from that very woman. Any woman that is not married is a reproach.
68. When a man marries a woman, he takes away the reproach from her. Thus, saying, “Darling, remain blessed,” is not enough. Add something higher like: “I am grateful for your love. Thank you for marrying me; thank you for taking away my reproach.”
69. You may be saying, “If you did not marry me, somebody else would have married me.” How do you know? How are you sure?
70. Thunder has just struck. God is confirming the Message with the thunder. I told you; we are going to shake the Heavens and the Earth this day. You call it rain; it is not rain. We are going to shake the Heavens and the Earth. Leave it there. God is appreciating it. God is making a noise.
71. We do not have twenty-one gun salutes in this Faith, but God has twenty-one gun salutes.
YOU CAN ONLY ENJOY THE WIFE GOD HAS GIVEN TO YOU
Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verse 9: “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labor which thou takest under the sun.” (KJV).
73. Live joyfully with the wife, which God has given to you. Remember the Word, “You live joyfully with the wife whom God has given to you,” not that which any man or one backslidden pastor has given you; but the one God Himself has given you.
74. Any marriage union that is not divinely directed is man made and can never be enjoyed. You can only enjoy the wife God has given to you. Any woman you have chosen for yourself due to your selfish desire, you will not enjoy her; even if you enjoy her, it is for a season. Why? All that glitters is not gold. Amen.