Marriage is Sacred “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:31-32) Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar Marriage Sacred and Binding is the 6th pillar that holds the temple of truth! Marriage is a God-ordained and God-originated institution! From the beginning God intended it be so; that the earth must have order, it’s still a great mystery to us, for we cannot fully comprehend in our finite minds, the depth of the infinite spiritual meaning of marriage: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31-32) Marriage it’s not just about us, it’s about God and His divine purposes, it must be ordained by God, and originated by God. A marriage that it’s not ordained and originated by God will not stand. For its written: “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;” (Psalm 127:1a” Marriage must be built on The Rock, which is Christ, if you build it elsewhere, how then do you expect it to stand on a rainy day full of tempests, if you have built it on sinking sand! 40 Days Journey Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar I say then, if Christ is not the center of your marriage, it will not stand, only God has the power to make two people (male and female) one! And keep them cleaved as one. No government institution or organization, church, pastor, bishop, prophet, families, friends, and the like; none of them has the power to keep to people together, they might seem to have power to bring two people together, but they don’t have the power to keep them together! and that’s why those who a brought together by men, are easily torn apart by men, but those who are brought together by God, tough they face trials and tribulations, the LORD is able to make them stand and He will make them stand, He will keep them by the power of His mighty right hand, hallelujah! For its written: “..Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6) There two kind of marriages, the physical, and the spiritual. 1) Physical marriages (social responsibilities) Physical marriages are the men-ordained and men-originated, these are our responsibilities and we must fulfill them. For us Africans we have: A) The traditional marriage: Which involves Lobola (Dowry) negotiations, and once the families have agreed, the man’s side pays what was agreed, and the woman’s side gives permission to the man to marry their daughter, this is called traditional wedding. And we are all encouraged to do this, even Christians because it’s biblical, Abrahams did it for Isaac, Jacob did it, etc. And not only that, we also obey the 5th Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) The 27 pillars that hold the spiritual Temple of truth Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar Women don’t grow up on trees, where you can just come and grab one and go, no! women a created by God and raised by families, which spends time and resources on them, to bring them up in a way that you would love her to be as your wife, so Lobola is a thank you gift to the woman’s family for a job well done. Amen! B) The Social marriage: Which is done by the Home affairs department, two people can wake up any given day and decide to get married, they can do so, as long they have two witnesses. This again is our social responsibilities, and we ought to do them, however as a heavenly citizen, residing on earth, we have a Spiritual duty to consult our KING and obey His ordinances. 2) Spiritual Marriage (Spiritual duty): Spiritual marriage is ordained and originated by God, it starts with God, its officiated by God though His servant, that God has chosen to bring these two people (male and female) together as one and keep them cleaved as one forever, this is done in a spiritual realm, so earthly paper work is not really necessary, for its registered in the heavenly books, angels take records of ever word spoken, so you better keep your vows that you made to each other, now this one is not if you feel like it, if you are a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom, it’s your Spiritual duty to fulfill all righteousness. If you were married before you were converted, just surrender you marriage into the hands of God and invite Christ to be the center of your marriage, and the Holy Spirit will guide you on what to do and it shall be well with your marriage Conclusion: That which man as brought together, man also can put it apart, When a man pays Lobola, but he is not fully satisfied with his wife, he can bring her back to her family. And when the only thing that keeps you together is a signature, that which you have signed to keep you bound, it also can be unsigned to set yourself loose. (Divorce) 40 Days Journey Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar Now when God gives you are a wife/husband, and you are angry with her/him, you can take her/him back to God, only you have to find His address first, and if you do, please let’s know where it is. Then you have to go into the spiritual realm, and find out the knob, which God used to tie you up together and set it loose. See how it’s much easier to stop complaining about your spouse that the LORD has given you, and start learning to live with each other. If your are married, cherish the one you have, that’s it, there is no one else coming, you better start cherishing each other, love each other, be happy and content with what you have, that’s all you’ve got! Or you can spend the rest of your life, wishing you were with someone else, which it will never happen, if you are God fearing, right? HUSBANDS Love your wives, God is not asking you, God is commanding you, to love your wife, it’s not when you fell like, it’s not up for discussion, it’s not a suggestion, and it’s definitely not negotiable, it’s a commandment, you must: Love her, please her, make her happy, rejoice with her, praise her, honor her, understand and guide her, bear with her, she is not perfect, neither are you; build her up the way you want her to be, but accept who she is first, then work with who she is, Woman is like a field, you reap exactly what you sow, nothing more nothing less, if you sow orange you will get orange, but if you sow lemons, you will get lemons. So if you show her love, caring, trust, praise, understanding, respect, honor, patience, teach her with love and patience, its guaranteed she’ll give it back to you, you’ll get a double portion back of all that you’ve given her. And please spend time with her: “When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.” (Deuteronomy 24:5) “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22) “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:9) The 27 pillars that hold the spiritual Temple of truth Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25) “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered” (1Peter 3:7) Husbands, if you have problems with your wife, God will not hear your prayers, for God commands unity in the house. Please keep peace with your wife, so that your prayers may be answered. WIVES “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:22-23) “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,” (1 Peter 3:1-5) Wives be submissive to your own husbands, even if they are not Christians, please continue to submit yourselves, that by your good conduct they may be won into the faith and be saved. As we study the scriptures, God is continually commanding us to Love and Submission, these two go together, just as the husband is not complete without the wife and the wife is not complete without the husband, even so, you cannot get submission without you loving, and you cannot be loved without you being submissive. 40 Days Journey Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar Let’s therefore fulfill our ministries, those who must love let them love their wives whole hearted. Those who must submit let them submit whole hearted, that we may live in peaceful homes, not in houses that are battlefields. For the devil wants to break the institution of marriage, to makes us weak through sin, the devil wants to break marriages to make the church weak, but the LORD will not allow us to be weaken by the enemy, if we remain in the fear of the LORD and continue in prayer day and night as families and as individual, praying for each other, the love of God will binds us and keep us together. For its written: “…When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19) “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.” (Isaiah 57:17) And again: “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; ((Isaiah 40:31) SINGLES “Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.” (Song of Solomon 2:7) Let your steps be ordered by God, don’t let your heart and the devil deceive, do not pray with desires of your heart, the devil will answer your prayer, and you will suffer, don’t ask God to say yes, when you know the answer is NO! Young women/men if a man/woman has not committed his/her life whole hearted to Christ he/she is not good for you, whether he/she is the cutest guy or girl that you ever met or not, HE/SHE IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU! The 27 pillars that hold the spiritual Temple of truth Marriage is Sacred is the 6th pillar For when it comes to marriage, physical beauty is not everything, and don’t bring guys/girls to church because you want to marry them, and if you do marry him/her, God bless your soul, but most of the time it doesn’t happen! Just wait patiently, God is faithful, God will sent you the one He has created especially for you, just for you, the one that will fit so perfectly in your life and you will not share him/her with anyone, he/she will be just yours. “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:3-5) Finally my beloved: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always, Amen! Meditation: Marriage is a God-ordained and God-originated institution, therefore marriage is sacred! Prayer points: LORD please; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness, for I pray in Jesus name, Amen! Commitment: I commit myself, by Your grace oh LORD, to follow You oh Lord Jesus as You lead me, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen!