Tabernacles Central

A Shining Hope For You And Me

Dear Connections,

What I find interesting is the further we travel “back to the Garden,” – that is, back to our pre-fallen, sinless state – the more our worldly culture becomes irrelevant. I think this is probably because the world in which we live is so out of alignment from what God originally intended that much of what we do in Christ looks odd. It is like when Christ came to his own (the Jewish people) and his own did not receive him. Christ was the express image of God, yet those who professed to know God could not understand him, because they were not like Him.

Likewise, relationships between men and women are skewed in this creation, simply because we are so far removed from God’s original intent. It is almost like we have made up our own rules when it comes to intimacy, because we do not know or understand the true heart of God.

There are men and women who are having what the world views as illicit affairs, living in constant condemnation for doing what they literally feel they have no control over. They are so powerfully drawn to each other, it is as if God Himself were pushing them together.

I am here to tell you, that, contrary to what everyone else may be saying, that may be exactly what is going on.

Yes, in the world’s context, if you were found out, you would face public ridicule, financial ruin, and in some cultures, even death. However, that does not mean your spiritual union is not God’s will.

So, if you are not wrong, what is going on here? Why are you feeling to be with another person, intimately, even though the consequences of your love to your natural life may be so catastrophic?

God is the bigger picture

To begin with, lets look at the bigger picture for a moment. Each of us has an allotted time on this earth. We are born, mature, then pass on, hopefully, to heaven’s reward. During the years we spend on His creation, we have the ability to accept God and be useful to His kingdom. Our usefulness to our Savior is directly proportional to our willingness to obey His voice. If we obey His voice, whether written or spoken, and do His will when He says to do it, we are counted good and faithful servants.

However, we are born into a sinful world. We often make decisions for natural reasons. Many times even before we are believers, we make major life choices that impact our ability to serve God in a meaningful way after we accept Him.

The mate God desires

However, when we come to God in a meaningful way, sometimes the mates that we have chosen are not the mates that God desires. Often, what the world calls “holy matrimony” is anything but that. Therefore, there are time when God leads us to other mates that are more suitable for His kingdom work. This often takes the form of spiritual connections where God joins us with another person through a powerful spiritual union. These are highly spiritual and characterized by profound experiences with God and the other person. What begins in the Spirit, quickly progresses to a together-knitting of our souls, and sometimes ends up with intimate unions. It happens quickly, with the sincerest spiritual motivations, and those who are now joined by God find themselves at odds with men.

On one hand, you know beyond doubt that you are supposed to be with this person, but on the other hand you have betrayed your earthly marriage vows and risk losing face before your current spouse, your family, your friends, your church, and the wider community. What’s a believer to do?

The truth is, your situation is not that much different than early Christians faced when they converted to Christ in the first century A.D. They grew up in a cultural norm, which was Judaism, that would not accept that Jesus Christ was Lord. Those who decided to hear their Shepherd’s voice literally had to go against everything and everyone in their society to do His will. Many were denounced and cast into the street, disowned and disgraced. They had to rely on other Christians in the same situation for their very survival.

Following God against societal norms is always difficult

Likewise, today when you come into alignment with God’s will over His choice of mate, you may face similarly harsh treatment. No one really understands that changing your spouse could be God’s will. All they know is that you are violating time-honored traditions and that you are, in their opinion, sinning. They want you to stop it and come back into alignment with their understanding of God. However, you can no more go back to being with your previous mate than a first century Christian could go back to being a Jew. Once you know truth, you know God; everything has changed.

So what do you do now? You are sleeping with another person whom you feel God has led you to mate with, but you lack the courage to break off your current relationship due to perceived consequences. You simply cannot face disappointing your people, but you feel that you have to follow your heart and spirit and keep up the relationship with the one you truly love.

The truth is, there is no set answer to how to handle such a difficult situation, and each person must be led of God’s Spirit in his or her personal life. There is no one ‘cookie cutter’ solution to your dilemma. However, what I can tell you is that what God leads you to do, personally, no matter how difficult or unlikely, is always the best way to go.

Sometimes, people simply have to trust God, their new mate, and others, though it might be exceedingly difficult. If God leads you to break your current vows, it may be less painful for you and everyone else in the long run. Normally, men and women don’t get reassigned by God to another relationship unless there is something going on that really needs to change. If there is current abuse going on, a calling that you are not being able to fulfill, or not being able to have children etc., those are things that may warrant God’s intervention. If God does intervene, then you can be sure that He has a plan. All that remains is to trust Him and do the things He says, when He says to do them.

Don’t let the devil put you on the shelf

You need to be useful to God’s kingdom and it is His sovereign right, because you are bought with the blood of His Son, to do with you as He wishes. If that means that you get reassigned to another mate, He is both able and righteous to perform that transfer. Many times people who stay together, simply out of adherence to the church’s doctrine of marriage, are miserable. When they break apart, they actually become better, healthier people and are freed up to do God’s will for a change.

In conclusion, if you are a Christian mistress, or are a man who keeps a Christian mistress, consider what God is doing in and through your relationship. If God is not telling you to divorce your current wife, then don’t. If God leads you to keep it secret, then don’t worry about it. Do your best to be honest with yourself and God and do what He says in the situation that you find yourself in.

The world has known this for a long time, when will Christians realize it?

A Time For Us – sung by Barbara Padilla

SEOIB.-J