Find A Christian Man

Tag: Spiritual Encouragement for Christian Women

  • A Great Relationship Done God’s Way

    A Great Relationship Done God’s Way

    2Corinthians 6:14(ESV)
    “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

    God tells us not to bond ourselves together with those that do not believe in Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. This means we shouldn’t emotionally invest in an individual that doesn’t want to be saved by the blood of the Lamb. After being around a person a short while, we have a pretty good idea about whether they love Jesus. When it comes to significant relationships with men, we can tell if the man has the compassion and love of Christ. In our modern times, living by 2Corinthians 6:14 has been a very challenging practice for single believers. The problem is that even when we know the man isn’t interested in loving God through the Lord Jesus Christ, many of us still allow him into our hearts.

    The term, “unequally yoked”, that is used in 2Corinthians 6:14 was very easily understood in biblical days. Many terms like this were used to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for that very reason. Like some of the other phases in the Bible, “unequally yoked” is one that farmers used. It describes the ineffective practice of yoking a strong oxen or farm animal with a weaker one. A yoke was a frame usually placed around the heads or necks of two animals to join them together for farm work. If they were not equal in strength, the weaker one would usually prevent the completion of the task.

    People living during the periods written about in the Bible didn’t have the luxury of grocery stores and markets. Farming was not only a way of life, but it was survival for them. Unequally yoked meant delays they couldn’t afford. So, when 2Corinthians 6:14 was taught to them centuries ago, they understood the risk of being unequally yoked, and knew it was something to avoid. As it relates to people and relationships, those of us living today are not grasping just how detrimental an unequal yoke is.

    You may ask yourself, “Is being in a relationship with someone who doesn’t love the Lord such a bad thing?” God says it is. He emphasizes the point that light cannot have a partnership with darkness, and righteousness cannot fellowship with unrighteousness. Some of us have learned the hard way that attempting to partner with darkness is extremely damaging to our lives.

    When Jesus Christ was in the wilderness being tested by satan, he responded to one of the temptations in Matthew 4:7(NKJV). He said, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”  Yet, many born-again believers will fall for an unequally yoked temptation and try to test God by engaging in it. We know what He says in His Word, yet we place our spiritual lives in jeopardy because our desire to partner is greater than our desire to follow God’s Word.

    In an unequally yoked significant relationship, the one that lacks the love of God in their heart will pull the other one down. This compromise that we make with our faith is never worth it. We have to ask ourselves what’s at the bottom of our decision to take this risk. Is it that we’re tired of waiting and don’t think another man will approach us? Could it be that we haven’t surrendered this aspect of our lives to the wisdom and guidance of God, or is it that we really don’t believe that God will bless us with the one that He will send? Whatever the case may be, there are far too many of God’s children suffering from the consequence of this bad decision. We can avoid it, and we should.

    Regarding the inheritance and authority of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God tells us in Ephesians 1:22(ESV) that He has “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” This means that our entire lives are under the feet of Jesus Christ. The person we will date and marry is under his feet as well, and God expects us to live as though we know this. Jesus Christ is Lord! He’s Lord in every way. It’s his authority and power that should govern us and the choices we make. We can’t separate dating from Godliness. Our Heavenly Father means for us to do relationships His way, because this is the way to unity, peace, longevity, and real love. Don’t think that you can overstep God’s Word and have good results. Yield to Him, so that you’ll have a great relationship that is done His way.■

    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

    Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    “A Great Relationship Done God’s Way”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • Unlimited Capacity to Love

    Unlimited Capacity to Love

    2Corinthians 4:9(NLT)
    “    We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

    This verse is a tremendous source of comfort for any person that is in a relationship or seeking one. All of us know individuals that have gotten knocked down emotionally by someone they loved. Many of have some personal experience with this. The man we loved abandoned us, left us bewildered and injured by heartache, with no meaningful explanation. This man simply couldn’t wrap his head and heart around the blessing that we represented. He missed out, and it’s not our fault, but knowing about his negligence doesn’t do much to ease the pain. When this hurt is still fresh, we can’t imagine getting over losing the person that we loved so much, but eventually we do. Once the Lord has healed our broken heart, we say to ourselves, “I don’t want to go through anything like that ever again in my life.” That’s a common response, but we must allow for the possibility that although that’s our proclamation, it doesn’t always stick.

    Romans 5:1-5(NASB20) says, “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only [this,] but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

    Celebrating in the middle of tribulation is a spiritual practice that most of us have a challenging time grasping. God knows our frame, and in this passage, He tells us exactly why we can celebrate in tribulations. It’s because tribulations breed perseverance in our lives. Perseverance and endurance are required for God’s children, and through our life experience, God is teaching us to develop the same character and qualities as Jesus Christ. It’s our choice to make these changes. God will not force us.

    If we have given our lives to Christ, then we must go to God’s Word, which tells us His expectations for our behavior, thoughts, and actions. 3John 1:11(NLT) says, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.” Keeping this in mind, Ephesians 5:1(NLT) instructs, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” Imitating God is the goal of our existences. This is why perseverance and endurance are required for God’s children. He perseveres, and therefore, we must too. It’s not something any of us can negotiate a take it or leave it deal. We must have it because it proves our character as one belonging to God. Endurance and perseverance are the stickability that causes us to remain grounded in faith no matter what comes our way.

    Sometimes, we fall for the wrong guy. That’s just the truth of it. Maybe we didn’t invite God into our choices. Maybe we leaped before checking in with Him, and maybe we jumped in heart first even after we heard from Him. Whatever the case, we must endure and do so with faith in our hearts.  No matter who you are, if you’ve ever truly loved a person, you made yourself vulnerable to them. They may not have handled your heart with the care that God requires, and it led to you experiencing pain, but after the swelling goes down, you’re still here. This lets you know that through Jesus Christ, you’re much stronger than you thought you were.

    1Corinthians 13:7(NLT) tells us, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” Verse 8 tells us that love cannot fail but will last forever. This is who God is and it is who we are too because of our union with Christ. So, one of the lessons we must learn from our broken hearts is that love does not fail, even if we do. Because of the love of Christ, we have an unlimited capacity to love. We can fall and get back up again, even if it means we must be vulnerable. We can never allow one person to turn us sour on love. Instead, we must endure, learn from our mistakes, and celebrate the hope we have in Christ, because it will never disappoint us.■

    New American Standard Bible (NASB)
    New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “Unlimited Capacity to Love”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • A Great Relationship Done God’s Way

    A Great Relationship Done God’s Way

    2Corinthians 6:14(ESV)
    “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

    God tells us not to bond ourselves together with those that do not believe in Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. This means we shouldn’t emotionally invest in an individual that doesn’t want to be saved by the blood of the Lamb. After being around a person a short while, we have a pretty good idea about whether they love Jesus. When it comes to significant relationships with men, we can tell if the man has the compassion and love of Christ. In our modern times, living by 2Corinthians 6:14 has been a very challenging practice for single believers. The problem is that even when we know the man isn’t interested in loving God through the Lord Jesus Christ, many of us still allow him into our hearts.

    The term, “unequally yoked”, that is used in 2Corinthians 6:14 was very easily understood in biblical days. Many terms like this were used to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for that very reason. Like some of the other phases in the Bible, “unequally yoked” is one that farmers used. It describes the ineffective practice of yoking a strong oxen or farm animal with a weaker one. A yoke was a frame usually placed around the heads or necks of two animals to join them together for farm work. If they were not equal in strength, the weaker one would usually prevent the completion of the task.

    People living during the periods written about in the Bible didn’t have the luxury of grocery stores and markets. Farming was not only a way of life, but it was survival for them. Unequally yoked meant delays they couldn’t afford. So, when 2Corinthians 6:14 was taught to them centuries ago, they understood the risk of being unequally yoked, and knew it was something to avoid. As it relates to people and relationships, those of us living today are not grasping just how detrimental an unequal yoke is.

    You may ask yourself, “Is being in a relationship with someone who doesn’t love the Lord such a bad thing?” God says it is. He emphasizes the point that light cannot have a partnership with darkness, and righteousness cannot fellowship with unrighteousness. Some of us have learned the hard way that attempting to partner with darkness is extremely damaging to our lives.

    When Jesus Christ was in the wilderness being tested by satan, he responded to one of the temptations in Matthew 4:7(NKJV). He said, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”  Yet, many born-again believers will fall for an unequally yoked temptation and try to test God by engaging in it. We know what He says in His Word, yet we place our spiritual lives in jeopardy because our desire to partner is greater than our desire to follow God’s Word.

    In an unequally yoked significant relationship, the one that lacks the love of God in their heart will pull the other one down. This compromise that we make with our faith is never worth it. We have to ask ourselves what’s at the bottom of our decision to take this risk. Is it that we’re tired of waiting and don’t think another man will approach us? Could it be that we haven’t surrendered this aspect of our lives to the wisdom and guidance of God, or is it that we really don’t believe that God will bless us with the one that He will send? Whatever the case may be, there are far too many of God’s children suffering from the consequence of this bad decision. We can avoid it, and we should.

    Regarding the inheritance and authority of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God tells us in Ephesians 1:22(ESV) that He has “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” This means that our entire lives are under the feet of Jesus Christ. The person we will date and marry is under his feet as well, and God expects us to live as though we know this. Jesus Christ is Lord! He’s Lord in every way. It’s his authority and power that should govern us and the choices we make. We can’t separate dating from Godliness. Our Heavenly Father means for us to do relationships His way, because this is the way to unity, peace, longevity, and real love. Don’t think that you can overstep God’s Word and have good results. Yield to Him, so that you’ll have a great relationship that is done His way.■

    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “A Great Relationship Done God’s Way”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • It’s A Done Deal in Heaven

    It’s A Done Deal in Heaven

    Matthew 16:19(NLT)
    “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” 

    In Matthew 6, Jesus Christ gave the disciples a template for prayer. He told them in Matthew 6:10(NIV) to pray to God that “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This instruction is extremely important to our understanding of God’s desire and plan for the earth. We are to pray that God’s Will is done here the same way it is carried out in heaven. In heaven, everyone has absolute faith in God, and this is the way He wants those of us living in the earth to be as well. He wants us to understand that He has a wonderful plan for our lives, and this plan will come to pass if we continue to trust Him and never lose faith in His Will.

    Digesting the truths revealed in this prayer from our Lord and Savior is crucial for the single person that desires to be married. Some of us have sliced marriage out of the reality of God’s Will. We’ve placed in a category that is of lesser importance to Him, and this impedes our ability to back our faith. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith does not come by hearing the word of anything else. Faith responds to God’s truth, so if we are not rightly believing the truth of God’s Word, we are denying ourselves the privilege of seeing the manifestation of our faith.

    Marriage is the first institution God established for the relationship between a man and woman living in the earth. It’s an institution that belongs to God and is therefore used for His purpose. Those who do not believe in God’s truth and honor Him with their lives haven’t understood this. They walk down the aisle and ask for His blessing, but really don’t understand what they’re asking or doing. The level of disrespect for God’s Will for the institution of marriage is pervasive, so much so that is now challenging for those seeking marriage to step into it.

    A man recently said to me, “My mother was never married, and I didn’t see many married couples in my neighborhood. Honestly, I grew up thinking you could just have girlfriends for the rest of your life.” This may not be articulated by many men, but the attitude matches the way many of them think about women and about marriage. God’s Will is for marriage to be life-commitment on which the birth and rearing of children that love God would rest. Most of us don’t have a hard time accepting that children are to be loved a lifetime, but modern society is trying to devalue the truth of God’s Will for husbands and wives to love each other by the same terms of depth and longevity.

    Jesus Christ taught us in Matthew 16:19 that he’s given us the keys to God’s Kingdom. If we have a mindset and attitude that puts marriage outside the boundaries of a commitment to God to love someone in the same way that Jesus Christ loves us, we will not have the faith to receive it. Believing the wrong information causes us to act on it and acting on it will bind in the earth the very thing we don’t want. Many of us are doing this. We’re keeping marriage out of the picture for our lives because we’re not believing the truth about it. Instead of refusing to be taught about God’s plan for marriage, we need to seek God, stay in His presence, and permit His Will to be done in our lives by remaining committed to it.

    Marriage is a done deal in heaven. That’s where it originated from. God knows His plans for it, and He knows how it should fit in your life. Proverbs 19:21(NLT) tells us, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” He’s not making up things as we go along. The plan for our marriages were made long before we arrived on the scene. God is the One who sees to this and His purpose will override any plans we make. It’s a done deal in heaven, so make God and His Will your primary focus. He’ll take care of rewarding you with marriage when you’re spiritually prepared and have His love firmly anchored in your heart. ■

    Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “It’s A Done Deal in Heaven”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • A Heart Consumed with the Love of Christ

    A Heart Consumed with the Love of Christ

    “One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.”
    Luke 7:36-38(NLT)

    God has given us many gifts and blessings, but the one thing He hasn’t given any of us is the ability to see into another person’s heart. Only He can do that. The only way that you and I can know an individual’s heart is if he or she reveals it to us. Often, they do so at the most unassuming times. We can see who a person is at their very cores by their actions. Intentionally cutting someone off while driving, taking a parking space that someone was waiting on, hurting the feelings of others by refusing to filter out negativity; these are just a few actions that tell us that the love of God isn’t deeply rooted in a person’s heart. Our true character is the core of who we are, and just like the sinful woman that kissed Jesus’ feet, it will always be exposed.

    The woman in this record in Luke 7 was referred to as sinful because of how she chose to make a living. She was believed to be a prostitute and according to Simon, the Pharisee host that day, she had many sins. The Pharisees were vehemently against the teachings of Jesus, so this was not a friendly dinner that he attended, and Simon was a rather rude host. The culture at the time this record was written was such that hospitality was extremely important. There were gestures and practices of etiquette that were always observed, but Simon didn’t honor Jesus according to the usual customs. The woman, however, did. She honored Christ in a way that changed her life.

    When she found out that Jesus was at the Pharisee’s house, she didn’t care what others thought of her. She needed to see him, and she put her love for Jesus on full display. She washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed his feet continually and anointed them with ointment. Jesus Christ knew of her past sin, and in normal circumstances, had he been another prophet, she would not have been allowed to touch him. Our beloved Lord and Savior, the Son of the Living God, showed her and us that he is touchable. He forgave her sins that day because he saw her heart.

    Simon thought Jesus Christ had done the wrong thing by this woman, but Jesus Christ set him straight. Luke 7:44-47(NLT) says, “44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

    Like the woman in this record, all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every person that Jesus Christ met during his sojourn on earth was a sinner, and he came to deliver us all from the bondage of darkness. As single women, we must recognize that God is looking at our hearts. He’s looking to see if we have the kind of heart that will honor Christ over a man and the man’s desire for sexual sin outside of marriage. Will we put Christ first is always the question, and our actions to do so will always reveal the answer.

    God commands us in Colossians 2:7(NLT), “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Our roots are our cores, and to be anchored in Christ is to let our roots grow down into him, so that every aspect of our being is saturated in his love. It is to be committed to God’s Word and to be unmovable on it, no matter who comes into our lives.

    Our Heavenly Father desires us to live according to His standard, and He looks at our hearts, because they tell the true story about how genuine our love for Him really is. 1Corinthians 4:20 tells us that the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk, it’s power! It’s everything to us, and we must live in a way that conveys we believe and honor this. Jesus Christ said in John 14:21(NLT), “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them.” Let’s remember this always. If we live by it, we can be confident that when God looks our hearts, He’ll see them consumed with the love of Christ, and this means they are open to receive all that He has in store. ■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “A Heart Consumed with the Love of Christ”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • Agree to Walk Together

    Agree to Walk Together

    Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV)
    “9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”

    The passage in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 is so plain and simple to understand, and it’s because that’s how God intended relationships to be. They are not meant to be nearly as complicated as we make them. Through King Solomon, God makes known His wisdom regarding unity and working together. It’s very important to the foundation of a marriage that two people are there for each other, that they have each other’s back, and will lift one another up when life gets hard.

    Amos 3:3(KJV) asks a question and the answer to it is crucial for the unity of a marriage. It asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” The answer is simple and poignant. Two people can’t walk together through life unless there is agreement between them. If they can’t mutually agree to be dedicated to their union, one will walk in one direction, and the other will go the opposite route. So, this decision to come together and be committed to God in a marriage is an extremely important one. It is both incredibly fulfilling for the couple and very meaningful to their relationship with God.

    Relationships mean a lot to Heavenly Father because people mean the most to Him. He wanted a family to love, so why wouldn’t He want His sons and daughters to experience this deep love in an intimate way. He wants a husband and wife to stand back to back, armed with the sword of the Spirit and poised to protect their union with the spiritual weaponry God has provided. Once we decide that we desire marriage, we should begin that very moment to spiritually prepare for it. We should understand what’s at stake and recognize that if we leave an opening in the marriage, the enemy will maximize that opportunity.

    God tells us in 1Peter 5:8(ESV), “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Heavenly Father doesn’t make mistakes. He wouldn’t warn us in this verse to be focused and watchful if we didn’t need to be. Before you give a man the kind of access to your life that a serious relationship requires, God wants you to be strengthened in His Word. He wants your eyes and ears to be tuned into Him and His direction, and He wants you to be full of Holy Spirit power. Several years ago, dating didn’t require as much vigilance and scrutiny, but today it does, and God wants you to be equipped with wisdom, discipline, and spiritual maturity. You need to make good choices and have sound judgment, because this is what prepares you for marriage.

    As a single person, you need to be aware of yourself in ways that you’ve never thought about. We don’t realize how much of the world’s messages we’ve absorbed about relationships and marriage until we’re confronted with our lack of faith to hold one together. Some of us have never set boundaries for a relationship that help us stick to the Word in certain areas. In our pasts, we’ve crossed lines, said things and done things that were disrespectful to the man’s manhood and injurious to his relationship with God. We caused him to sin or participated in it with him. This is costly. We were not as committed to God as we should have been, and therefore, the relationship didn’t have the fuel needed for the long haul. It’s time to make a shift.

    When we disrespect the significant man in our lives, we have to get that back, because we reap what we sow. And when it comes back to us, it can be so bad that the rift severs the relationship. Then, we’re bewildered because we haven’t shown the accountability for our actions that a successful relationship must have.

    The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:1-3(NLT), “1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” This is God’s commandment, and He created us to bring Him glory with our lives and with our marriages. He never intended relationships to be a burden, nor should they be our everything. Through our unions, we’re to delight in Christ together. We’re to complement each other, not complicate each other’s lives.

    Walking in agreement as a married couple is a tremendous blessing because God designed it that way, but we must be ready, and full of God’s power and Word. We have way too many flaws, insecurities, and doubts to ever navigate relationships on our own. Let God’s Word be the instruction for your life and let the Lord Jesus Christ guide you to have the kind of relationship that pleases our Heavenly Father and you too. Do all that you can to be in agreement with God, and pray and ask Him to guide you so that you will know how to be in agreement with your future spouse.■

    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “Agree to Walk Together”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • No One Compares to God

    No One Compares to God

    “But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”
    Luke 12:48(NLT)

    Many Christian women are resorting to desperate measures to satisfy their desire for partnership. Years ago, I worked with a woman that had been accustomed to that practice. She was struggling as a new believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally meeting someone she liked, she confided in me about her new relationship and the difficulties she faced while dating and pursuing a relationship with God. I told her it was completely understandable because I too had gone through similar circumstances. She said to me, “I can’t imagine you’d ever have difficulty because you’ve been a believer for so long.” Many people assume that Christian believers that have been on this journey awhile have it easy. They don’t think we struggle to keep the faith or that we are challenged with temptation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    Whether we’re new to the faith or seasoned believers, significant relationships can be a very challenging area. We all have a cross to bear, and it demands us to release our old man habits. It’s those negative attitudes, addictions, toxic emotions, and immoral and unproductive thoughts, conversations, and behaviors that are totally foreign to our new nature in Christ. God tells us in Colossians 3:9-10(NLT), “9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

    Many of us haven’t lined up with Colossians 3:9-10. Even those of us that have been on this Christian journey a while are still struggling to release parts of our old sinful nature that continue to hold us back and keep our blessings at bay. God’s desire is that we become spiritually strengthen through His Word before we get into serious relationships. He knows the complexities and knows that we need His faith, love, and power to navigate through them. Some of us veterans ignore this.

    The quantity of time on this Christian journey isn’t nearly as important as the quality of our relationship with God. What matters most is the depth of our love for Him and our allegiance to express our faith in Him through the love we demonstrate to others daily. Our increasing faith in God’s love strengthens and equips us to surrendeTHANr all, and God’s expectation is that we will come to a place in our walk in Christ where we long for Him more than we do for any other thing or person.

    When our love for God is where it needs to be, we will not view sin or its temptations as a very difficult thing. The love of God will be the most important treasure in our lives. Our faith will be at a level of understanding that what we gain through Godliness is infinitely greater than the old nature we release and the baggage we surrender. Many of us are not believing this way.

    We fear that the man won’t love us if we refuse him or refuse to sin with him. The thing that must be etched in our hearts in gold is that God’s righteousness is the jewel of eternity. Every woman whose status is currently single must get this. She must understand that nothing and no one compares to God. He’s brilliant beyond brilliance, perfect beyond perfection, beautiful beyond beauty, and lovely beyond loveliness. There’s nothing a man can give you that is anywhere near what the Father can and wants to give you. So, a man’s desire to take you out of Godliness should never supersede your desire to be holy.

    There are many sisters out there that feel like the woman I knew who struggled with living holy in a relationship with a man that isn’t bound by marriage. Some would say that it’s crazy in this day and age to live by God’s standard in a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. We can think however we choose, but God doesn’t change and neither does His standard. It isn’t enough to know that no one compares to Him, your actions must back up this reality every day of your life.

    God is wonderful and following His example through Christ is our greatest privilege. There are many women that are not trusting God with all their hearts and not following where He leads; instead they are leaning on their own understanding. This more than any other thing is the reason for the imprisonment of never ending singledom. As a Christian woman desiring marriage, God requires our highest level of love and commitment to Him. He must be first in our hearts. In other words, you must have a heart that seeks to please Him above all else. It is what He looks for in every believing woman that will be presented to a man as a treasure of a wife.■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “No One Compares to God”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • Convinced of His Love

    Convinced of His Love

    Colossians 2:10 (NLT)
    “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

    When relationships don’t work out, it can be devastating to our lives, especially when it’s clear that our partner’s feelings have changed for us. When things were good, you never thought that he would betray your trust and diminish what you brought to the relationship. You were friends, and you can’t believe that your friend would cause you so much heartache. When we go through hurtful situations like this, the emotions and feelings we experience from the aftermath can be very surprising.

    One of those surprising feelings is the sheer terror that we experience internally from the loss of the relationship. We don’t quite know what to do with it, and the anxiety it causes sometimes makes us do things we never thought we would. Some of us will badger the ex or worse, go after his new girlfriend. We lose it emotionally, and we’re terrified of reaching the bottom of all that pain and only find that there’s more of it.

    God commands us in Psalm 37:8(NLT), “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper–it only leads to harm.” When we use profane language, slander, and violence as a way of coping with pain, we’re providing an opening for satan to punish us more. When we take our disappointment, anger, and sadness out on others, we’re punishing ourselves by digging a deeper hole of darkness. These are actions that keep us separated from the right person that God has ordained to walk with us through life. Actions that go against the grain of God’s love are never sanctioned by Him. Jesus Christ offers us the best way to deal with our heartache, and it requires us to keep a steady head, a stable heart, and a deep commitment to prayer.

    Another emotional low is the dip in our self-esteem when someone falls out of love with us. We sometimes beat ourselves up for not recognizing the signs, or we become depressed because we think we’re not enough or not loveable. Feeling this way is a sure indicator that we need to seek the Lord with all that we are. We allow a broken relationship to injure our self-esteem because we depended way too much on another individual to validate our self-worth.

    Only God can validate our worth, and He did this thousands of years ago when He sent His only begotten Son to the earth to give his life as a sacrifice for our sins. If we treasure the gift of eternal life, and if we honor our relationship with God, one of the things we must make absolutely sure we never do, and that’s nullify the cross of Christ in any way. Jesus died for us, and this shows us the depth of God’s love, and the depth of Jesus’s love. If we have placed more focus on our pain than we do on the suffering of Christ, we need to make a change, and do it quickly.

    1Corinthians 6:19-20(NLT) tells us, “19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”  We are God’s children. We belong to Him totally and completely. Christ purchased us from the realm of darkness with his blood. So, we should never look to another human being for validation. Do as Jesus Christ commanded the disciples in Matthew 10:15(NLT). If a household did not accept his message, he told the disciples to “shake its dust from your feet as you leave.” In other words, Jesus is instructing them to shake off the rejection, the sadness, the putting yourself down, and continue walking in the confidence of who God has made you.

    We must have faith in our Heavenly Father. Be convinced of God’s love for you and let that be your anchor continually in life. We hurt down deep because we haven’t allowed that place to be exposed to the love of Jesus Christ. We can change this. We must pray for God’s healing, commit ourselves to be guided by His Holy Spirit, and have the courage and faith to push past the fear.

    As a woman of God, you are never to be stuck in the quicksand of doubt and self-sabotage. Shake that loose! You are a child of the King. Let the love of Christ be your everlasting garment, and never stoop so low as to want someone that doesn’t want you. If the brother has not chosen to value you as God’s daughter and to see you as the treasure God created you to be, shake it off, bid him well, and in God’s grace, keep it moving.■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “Convinced of God’s Love”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • God Chose You and Your Husband Will Too

    God Chose You and Your Husband Will Too

    You might wonder why God placed the desire to be married in your heart when you don’t have a significant man in your life yet. This is no doubt a question on the minds of many Christian single women. We know that God requires us to have faith, and this means that our minds and hearts must get onboard with His incredible grace, mercy, power, and love. Foundational to building your faith is the knowledge that God desires your happiness in life and marriage more than you do for yourself. You must believe this truth wholeheartedly, but many single Christian women are struggling with it. They’ve been praying for a husband for a long time, and they are not understanding why they continue to have to wait.

    Ephesians 1:11(NLT) tells us, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” God predestined us long before we were born. He chose each of us to be His children, and He has a plan for our lives. We can be confident that this plan includes the person He has ordained to be our spouse. We must have fully persuaded faith in this, and the reality of God’s good plan for us must be cemented in our minds and hearts.

    It’s true that as responsible brothers and sisters in Christ, we must be spiritually prepared to steward the blessing we are praying to receive. This is a truth we often overlook, and it is the biggest reason we feel we’re experiencing a delay. God requires us to be good stewards of His blessings, and this is especially true when it comes to the treasure of another’s heart. When it comes to being someone’s partner for life, many of us haven’t invested the time to strengthen our weaknesses and sharpen our strengths. We’re the same today as we were a year ago, and that’s not a good look for spiritual maturity in Christ.

    To be a good steward of God’s blessings means that we are capable and responsible for overseeing the care and good management of the blessing we’ve prayed to receive. In 1Peter, chapter 4, we’re taught to have self-control and a stable mind. We’re commanded to show hospitality to others, and we’re reminded of the special spiritual gift each of us has received. 1Peter 4:10 (ESV) tells us, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

    From the very beginning, God teaches us about stewardship. Genesis 2:15(ESV) says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” God plopped Adam in the middle of a glorious and perfect paradise, the garden of Eden, but Adam couldn’t sit around on the plush grass all day twiddling his thumbs. He had to steward. He had to take care of the blessings God has placed in his care.

    In 1Corinthians 4:2(ESV), God teaches us more about the management skills He desires good stewards to have. This verse says, “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” It doesn’t matter what others say about how you manage the blessings of your salvation, life, and gifts. What matters is God’s judgment about your preparedness to receive and manage what He gives you. The Apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 4:4,5 (NLT), “It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”

    You must remember that God chose you, and there isn’t anything about your life that He doesn’t know. When you do the things that He requires to increase your faith, trust and believe the right man will choose you. Ephesians 6:11 says that you’ve been equipped by God to stand firm against ALL strategies of the devil. So, put on all God’s armor, then you won’t allow the enemy to continue stealing from you.

    Don’t give up, don’t give in, and never blame God for what you don’t have. Psalm 84:11 tells us that He doesn’t withhold any good thing from those who love and honor Him. So, do what God tells you to do. Stay in His Word, pray continually, and stop looking everywhere else for what can only be found in Jesus Christ. Seek God for strategies that will help you grow spiritually and ask Him to prepare you to be a wife that stewards His blessing of a husband well.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

    “God Chose You and Your Husband Will Too”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • The Blessing That God Promises

    The Blessing That God Promises

    Frustration is an emotional state of being that can cause us to become stuck and unable to successfully move forward. It is described as a feeling of being annoyed and upset because of an inability to achieve a certain result or to change a circumstance or condition. Many single women are experiencing frustration in their desire to establish a relationship with the man God has ordained to walk with them through life. They’ve been praying to meet this man and have been doing so quite a long while. If we cut right down to the meat of the matter, we’d discover that it isn’t so much the wait that frustrates them, but it’s the inability to do anything to move their marriage agenda along that gets their goat.

    Proverbs 19:21(NLT) says, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” This verse makes it crystal clear that none of us can overstep God’s Will. What He has for you is for you, and the thing that isn’t in His Will and plan for your individual life isn’t worth having. Most of us know this, but for some reason, we’re not allowing ourselves to have peace and faith over the knowledge of God’s Will and His plan for this area of our lives. We’re not growing in faith as we should, and this is something that warrants more investigation on our parts.

    The old “I know He can do it but will He do it for me?” syndrome knocks many of us off the block. It keeps us from the victorious standing of faith that God has given us in Christ. Psalm 84:11(NLT) says, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” This is God’s promise! He will not withhold good things from His children. God desires a good spouse for us more than we desire it for ourselves, and He’s not holding the blessing of marriage from anyone.

    So, one of the first things that some of us must do is get our heads together regarding the blessings and promises of God. 1John 5:4(NLT) declares, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” Our faith in God is the key that opens every door of opportunity according to His Will and plan for our lives. We don’t get to bypass the faith of Jesus Christ and skip over to rewards. It doesn’t work that way. God’s desire is to see us mature in Christ-like character and to represent Christ in the earth in every way. This is the Father’s heart, and this is what He requires.

    God doesn’t keep anything regarding the faith of Jesus Christ a secret from us. He states the requirements very clearly, and we have to get on board. It’s not complicated. It’s simple. He tells us in James 2:26(NLT), “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” As a woman, your good works are those that signal the heavens and everything beneath them that you honor God supremely, and you are committed to live for Him.

    Proverbs 14:1(NLT) says, “A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hand.” Rest assured that God is looking at how you have applied the wisdom of Proverbs 14:1 in your life. A wise woman builds. So, it’s only fitting that we look at what we’re building and ask ourselves if it is enough to sustain a marriage. Sometimes, the answer is “no”, and God wants us to lean on Him and get into His Word in a greater way so that He can teach us how to build a life, a marriage, and a family His way.

    The reality is that we have a responsibility as God’s children and stewards of His blessings to represent Christ in the earth. If we’re not doing this to a degree that satisfies God’s requirement, then it’s our responsibility to reprioritize and rearrange some things in our lives so that God’s agenda is number one, and our agendas falls somewhere underneath. Jesus Christ commands us in Matthew 6:33(NLT) to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” This is the Will of God, and it must be centerstage in our lives.

    Philippians 4:19(ESV) states, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This is God’s promise to every one of His kids. He does not lie, and not one of His promises can fall to the ground. God is faithful to His Word, and He is the only One that can supply our needs. Only He can move along the marriage agenda for our lives, and when we rest in this, frustration will fall away. So, increase your commitment to delight in God with your faith and diligence. Surrender to His care and pray that as you do, He will prepare you in every way to live according to His Will and to be the spouse that He has purposed you to be.■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

    “The Blessing That God Promises”, written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.