Guide on choosing a life partner (part 2)


WHAT IS EXPECTED OF A CHRISTIAN?

Now, to Christians out there, the thought still fills the mind, who is that man or woman that will be my life partner? The scripture still maintain what is written.  “There is a way which seemed right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12). This true statement from the scripture read by many but ignored by them on many occasion. It is of importance of to note, that nobody is expected to answer the above question for another person. No pastor or priest is expected to answer the question for any his members. Only God can give the answer to seekers.
          Unfortunately, some church leaders, either ignorantly or deliberately, match couples with their false revelations and visions. Many young couples have been put in trouble because of this sort of deceit by fake ministers who want to cheap popularity into their followers. The word of God, however, has this to say: Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be open unto you; for everyone that askedshall receive; and he that seek, finds; and to him that knocked it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8)
          In looking for a life partner, therefore, you should depend fully on God and hope on him to reveal to you who your true partner will be. As a Christian, your prayer life should be adjusted in such a way that more time is made available for prayers. For instance, you are the type that prays once a day, it is advisable that, when the thought of a life partner comes to your mind, you the number of times you pray. It is wonderful to realize that some proverbs made by our ancestors on some issues are very correct. For instance, one of such proverbs is that a man or woman cannot say that he or she is enjoying or suffering until after marriage. I have discovered that under normal circumstances, the rise or fall of any person depends on the package unfolded in his or her home after marriage.
          Many people who ordinarily would have been great in their lifetime on earth have not succeeded due to the problem they have faced since they got married to their partners. Again, our Lord Jesus Christ made this following statement, which I usually meditate upon for a long time whenever I read it, “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:36).
          Events around us have proved this to correct. As the possible rise or fall of any person depends on his or her marriage, it is advisable that Christians should not just rush into marriage as their heathen counterparts. No length of time you used to search for your life partner is a waste. This is because one must make plans before taking such an important action as marriage, which does not allow for a second chance.
          Perhaps one can estimate that over sixty per cent of Christian couples are living with wrong partners. They are just patching up in order not to ridicule their Christian image, or are being console by the fruit of their marriage, namely children. Sometimes, those who cannot hold themselves together get separated or divorced, and become backsliders.
          Certainly, the fact that a husband and wife are having children is no proof that they are matched according to God’s will. After all, people who commits fornication can have children the act, yet fornication is a great sin against God. Some people actually hold the childish view that anything that comes their way after prayers is the will of God for them. If you believe that any man or woman that comes your way after marriage is the will of God for you, remember that after Christ’s prayer and fasting for forty days and forty nights, Satan presented some apparently good suggestion to him, which were never the will of God for him, and he rejected them all. (Matthew 4:1-10)
          Therefore, you must seek the will of God for you. You should realize the bible’s promises for those who live according to the word of God. You cannot hold contrary view and be expecting the promises.
The scripture maintains that: “who so finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtained favor of the lord” (Proverbs 18:22)
It important to note the phrase, “obtain the favor of the Lord”. This shows that the man must have seeking the face of God and his favor to show him a wife. When the favor is obtained, he then finds a wife and it becomes a good thing. The result would be the result if any one fails to seek the will of God.
          While examining this scripture verse, you will discover also that under the divine marriage arrangement, men are expected to seek and find a wife, not a woman looking for a husband. From the very beginning, this system has been maintained. The first man, Adam woke up to find his wife, Eve (Genesis 2:21-22). Abraham sent his servant to go and look for a wife for his soon, Isaac (Genesis 24). Jacob also sought his wife.
          As each of the scriptures refers to a woman, but a man who is expected to find a wife, women should be careful to know how to direct their prayers while seeking the face of God to get married. Sometimes, some circumstances or other seems to force a woman to look for a husband through indirect approaches.
          A Christian should not engage in such practice, for it tends to backfire in due time. It is husbands who should look for wives, not wives looking for husbands.
          The truth of the matter is that to seek the face of God in marriage is not easy, for Satan the devil is contending to make sure that one gets a wrong partner. He is never happy seeing happy family. I therefore recommend fasting and praying in this regard. This is because marriage is about most important venture a Christian would undertake, especially as divorce or polygamy is not permitted to a Christian. Indeed, some Christians have been known to have prayed for five years before knowing the will of God regarding their future life partner. Both women and men are expected to pray for life partners, but a man is expected to make the actual approach. In some cases, some women have received revelation about their life partners before the revelation would go to the man. Under such a situation, the woman should continue to pray till the man gets message from God.
          Nevertheless, it must be observed that adopting wrong approach to marriage did not start in our present generation. For instance, the Jews in Old Testament times received more than they bargained for in wrong marriage. As we find in the Scriptures, they have confronted Moses to give them a way out of difficult marriages, and Moses had found it a difficult problem to solve. He later allowed them to have a law, which permitted a man to write a bill of divorce in order to put away their wives (Mark 10:2-6).
          When Christ was with them, their heart was still condemning them, and they wanted to hear his view on the question. But unfortunately for them, they received unexpected answer from our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore it is important to read through the scriptureto determine what the attitude of a serious Christian should be in looking for a life partner.

          And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? Tempting him. And he answered and said to them, what did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered us to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them,for the hardness of your heart, he wrote you this precept. God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh, so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder? And in the house, his disciples asked him of the same matter. And he said unto them, whosoever shall put his wife away, and marry another, commits adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she commits adultery. (Mark10:2-12).

Up next "part 3 of this life partner guide" Don't miss it!................ 

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