If we want to have a blatantly honest conversation about the subject, the truth is that marriage isn’t for everyone. It just isn’t. Our Heavenly Father is perfect. He never needs to do a do-over, He never makes a mistake, and He doesn’t do anything without it having a specific reason and function within His plan and purpose. God established the institution of marriage, and He did so with His purpose and Will in mind. This will never change, and as long as the Lord Jesus Christ should tarry, marriage will always be the institution that God established to bless us and to teach us the example of Jesus Christ. If a person doesn’t have this knowledge and isn’t interested in pleasing God through marriage, then they will probably not hold this institution with the kind of honor and reverence that God ordained.
If a person desires to be married and they want God’s blessing of longevity, prosperity, and unity, they will need to follow His direction on how to achieve those things. Many single people want to get married one day, but they don’t care about what God says, so they do whatever they want to do. It stands to reason, then, that there must be a distinct difference between this kind of single person and a single person that is a believer and loves God. The believer has a standard to meet because the believer is expecting that God will not only bless them to meet the person that is going to walk with them through life, but they want all the other blessings that He’s promised as well.
In the Gospel of Mark, there’s a record of a young wealthy man that had been diligent and forthright in his dealings, and he wanted to speak to Jesus Christ. He asked the Lord what he might do to inherit eternal life. Mark 10:21(NLT) tells us, “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The man became exceedingly sad because he did not want to make this sacrifice. This is how many single believers are approaching premarital sex. They want the blessing, but don’t want to make the sacrifice of giving up the sin of sexual pleasure outside of marriage.
We must be clear that two people in a relationship doesn’t constitute a marriage. Boyfriends and girlfriends are not man and wife. God’s institution of marriage requires that the man makes his intention to have the woman to be his wife extremely clear, and He must ask for the blessing of God on this commitment.
1Corinthians 6:18(NLT) tells us, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” Celibacy is a foreign and even an unimaginable concept for many unbelievers. Many Christians are behaving as if they feel the same way. Being single can be challenging and having sex with someone that isn’t your husband sends the message that marriage is not your motivation or desire. How can it be? It belongs to God, and it would be unreasonable and dishonorable to pursue God’s treasure with sin.
Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s a part of parenting, work, recreation, and it is most certainly a part of marriage. We must learn the discipline of endurance in order to be prepared for greater blessings. This is an aspect of laying up treasures that can’t be missed. Jesus Christ instructs us in Luke 14:28 to count the cost. Sin has a cost, and it is extremely detrimental. It sets us back. So, if we continue to indulge sinful behavior, we’re not allowing ourselves the privilege of storing up good things that will position us for increase. This is why sin is never worth it.
If you’re praying to get married, don’t self-sabotage your own efforts. We can’t live a spiritual life in Christ when our first priority is to satisfy the flesh. The body is a temporary structure. It comes from the dust and it will return to the dust. God commands us in Galatians 5:16 to walk by the Spirit, and then we will not be doing what our sinful nature craves. As God’s children, we can’t see His directive and instruction as punishment. God doesn’t punish us, He helps us. He is preparing us for greater glory, and our faith in Him must always cause us to believe firmly in His goodness.
Our Heavenly Father loves us too much to let us hit brick wall after brick wall of negativity. He doesn’t want us to keep encountering whirlwinds of negative consequences because we refuse to be obedient. He gives us the way to build our lives successfully through Jesus Christ. In His Word, He has already instructed us on what to do and what not to do. He has emphasized the danger caused from participating in sexual sin. He’s told us that it will have long lasting and damaging effects. We may not see the ramifications right away, but trust and believe, you will! God is helping you to stay the course for the kind of marital relationship He wants you to have. So, let’s follow His guidance and stay away from sexual sin. ■
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.
“Avoiding Sexual Sin”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.