By Funmi Komolafe

This week, we are continuing with our penultimate week’s article, not necessarily because one wants to over flog the issue    but because of certain developments which produced unpleasant consequences and, more importantly, to keep faith alive.

Penultimate week, there was a news report  that a couple was arrested for illegally purchasing a baby.

According to the report, the couple had been childless  for about six years. The report claimed the couple wanted to adopt and sought the assistance of a medical doctor who gave them a baby    that they took home.

Their landlord reported to the police that the couple had come in with a baby. The police came in  and it turned out that the doctor had given to the couple another person’s child, claiming that he would formalize the adoption for them by obtaining the necessary papers at Alausa; the seat of the Lagos government.

It turned out to be false as the biological parents of the child showed up to say they had given the child to the doctor for care.

Now, there are gaps in this story but, for us, the lesson is, stay away from shady deals.

Adoption is legal but must be done properly.Those seeking to adopt must consult the appropriate ministry .

Stop weeping- 

Waiting on the Lord    is built of faith and  trust in the Lord Almighty , the Creator of    Heaven and Earth. Weeping and turning yourself into      a walking corpse is the not the solution.

When you weep , you are submitting to the delay.

If    tears must drop from your eyes , it should be when you are praying.      Pray intensely and be assured that God will  answer you.    The time God will answer you is not for you to decide.    That belongs to God.

Keep your marriage alive- 

That you are waiting on the Lord does not mean you should make your marriage boring.

Plan with    your husband to have a quiet time possibly outside your home where both of you can discuss possible solutions .

If you desire to have IVF, both of you  must agree.

If it is adoption, both of you must equally agree; where there is a disagreement,  please don’t let it degenerate into a quarrel.  Pray about it.

Be open and truthful to each other. Did I  hear   you say ‘aren’t couples supposed to be open and truthful to each other?’    Yes, they ought to but many are not.

Why is this important?    I will share with you the story of a couple that has been waiting on the Lord for about 10 years.    They  visited a popular fertility doctor in Lagos.

He saw them, had    his diagnosis and told them the wife had 50-50 chance of becoming a mother.

The couple left    holding on to the belief that with God all things are possible.

A few days after, the doctor called the man and asked him if he could not try another woman.

Now, can you imagine this?!  Is this the role of a doctor?    I don’t think so.

Anyway, the man declined and    the specialist doctor asked the man if he had taken an oath with the wife.

The      couple    held on to God and continued to pray until God led them    to the right man of God and the yoke was broken.

The woman gave birth to a baby boy.    When the doctor was informed, he was not excited.

Why am I      saying this?    Do not allow anyone under any circumstance put a wedge between you    and your spouse .

This particular doctor is not genuinely interested in assisting the couple; all he wanted was money.

Today, to the glory of God, the woman that was given 50-50 chance is a mother of four, including a set of twins.

Don’t threaten divorce- 

Threatening each other with divorce  isn’t the solution. Remember, when a marriage fails, it is both of you that failed.

Keep in mind the words of Pastor Samson Ajetunmobi: “Take care of your wife. Only weak men use divorce as weapons. Any man who threatens his wife with divorce is a boy- husband”.

Pastor Ajetunmobi added, “Real men keep marriage.    Value the choice    you have made”, but he also advised women, “Stop being bold enough to insult your husband”.

A breakthrough is possible-   

Faith and total trust in God will make      your breakthrough possible.      You may have been praying for years and nothing has    happened; keep praying.      God will direct your steps and give you a breakthrough.

As usual, I will share with you the testimony of    Mrs. G. Oguntade    at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

She had been waiting on the Lord for 20 years .      Doctors told her    and her husband to go and adopt.    In other words,  medically, they were not supposed to be biological parents.      According to her, she was even told that her womb couldn’t carry a child.    The bad news wasn’t for her alone. Her    husband too was told he could not impregnate a woman.

However, they met the UNLIMITED GOD when God directed her steps to a programme led by the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.      She was in a prayer session, the result of which was the arrival of her testimony.

The woman, who had been without children for 20 years, gave birth to a set of twins: a boy and a girl.

Now, I am not saying you should go looking out for    a particular man of God but don’t    be hooked to church.      Find time to attend prayer meetings      that have the solution to your challenge.

Get under the right anointing.

Remember the words of Pastor J.T.    Kalejaiye of    RCCG: “There is nothing any man of God can do without the God of man”.

Focus on the God of man.    Don’t get tired of praying.    Don’t let worship songs cease from your mouth. God appreciates worship.

Sacrifice part of your    hours of sleep    to    call on the Almighty God    in the lonely hours of the night.      He will surely answer you.

As women , we have a duty to make the home attractive to our spouses no matter what is happening now.

I like to    dedicate this edition    to my son, Samuel, who turned five penultimate week.    I had Samuel after    22 years of waiting. Glory be to God.

How long have you been waiting?    Don’t lose hope. Rather, it is time to demonstrate    your total faith in God by worshipping him and serving him.

I bring this edition of Joyful Homes to an end with this prayer point given by Pastor Sunday Awe”:  “Whatever is sustaining    delay in my child bearing life,    today    I destroy    it    in the name of Jesus”.

Keep your faith alive, your Samuel or Deborah is on the way in      Jesus name.