Singles, Relationship, and God (2)
By: Pastor Taiwo Iredele Odubiyi
Contd.
Ann took her Bible and began to read, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Ann stopped and looked up at him.
“Continue.” He said. “Read verses seventeen and eighteen.”
“Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
She took a pen and underlined the verses.
He gave her one more Scripture and she read it as well.
Sam told her, “From these Scriptures, what do you think God’s will is?”
“He doesn’t want a believer to marry a non-believer.” Ann answered.
“Also, let’s look at the issue of premarital sex. Read First Corinthians chapter six, verse thirteen.”
She opened to the chapter and began to read. “You say food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food. This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them. But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord. And the Lord cares about our bodies.”
Ann underlined it and looked up.
“Er, read from verse eighteen to twenty as well.” He said.
She began, “Run away 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. Or don’t you know 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, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.”
“Again, I’ll ask you what you think God’s will is, concerning premarital sex.”
“He wants us to abstain.” She answered.
“That’s right. And where a person has been indulging in it, God wants the person to stop immediately. When a person has asked God for forgiveness and stopped having sex, God forgives the person. The slate is wiped clean and in His eyes, the person is a virgin. This is known as second virginity. In the physical sense, the person is not a virgin but as far as God is concerned, the person is. The Bible says if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”
Ann nodded.
“So, His word is ‘Come out from among them and be separate, and I will receive you.’”
Ann took a deep breath. “What if Daniel is willing to become a believer?”
“If he’s willing to become a believer, that changes some things. In that case, both of you will need to pray to know if it’s God’s will for you to continue with the relationship. Also, all the wrong things you might have engaged in will have to stop. No sex until you marry. But most importantly, does God want you to marry that particular person? Is he the right man for you? Are you compatible? Those should be some of the questions where he is also a believer. But in Daniel’s case, he is not yet a believer.”
She sighed.
“Another thing that can guide you is your spirit because it is now regenerated. If you feel uneasy in your heart about it, that might be God telling you to stop and regain control of your life, to do something about the situation.”
She nodded in understanding and said, “Thanks.”
Guessing she still had questions in her heart, he asked, “Are there other questions?”
She sighed.
“Say whatever is on your mind.” He encouraged her.
“If I’ll be honest with you, I have two concerns.”
As he listened to her, his gaze searched her face.
“Firstly, if I let Daniel go, when will I get another man? And secondly, the truth is that he’s rich. Does it make sense to leave him?”
Sam nodded to show he knew what she meant. “I understand and I quite appreciate your honesty. Concerning these two issues, I’ll give one answer. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. God can and will do it for you, but you must be willing to obey and trust Him.”
She drew a deep breath.
Now she had her answers. She would have to terminate her relationship with Daniel as difficult as that might be. It would be nice if she could bring him to church though, so he would be saved.
At home much later, Ann sat on her bed and began to think about Daniel. The right thing would be to let him go but … those questions were still in her heart and she was bothered. Would she get another man? If yes, how soon would that be? Would she be able to get a man who would have money and also be a Christian?
As she weighed these questions in her heart, she prayed, asking God for help and direction. Then she took her Bible and began to search the Scriptures. She read the verses Sam gave her again, for a deep understanding of them. Then she turned her Bible to Luke chapter one and read verse thirty seven, “For nothing is impossible with God.”
She stopped and considered the Scripture. God, does that mean You can give me a man who will be financially stable and a Christian? She knew the answer was yes.
She sighed.
(To be continued )
From the novel YOU FOUND ME.
Available in bookshops and online.
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