“And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19(NLT)
Personally, I absolutely love seeing two people in love. It’s even more beautiful when they know that the hand of God is on their relationship. Many of us forget that trying to leave God out of our significant relationships can end in heartbreak or worse. We set ourselves back instead of propelling ourselves forward, but the most harmful of any consequence is that we injure our communion and fellowship with God. He has given us a way to avoid this hurtful fall-out from choosing someone that isn’t right for us. It’s to do as Proverbs 3:5-6 says, which is to trust God with our quest to be married and do so with our whole hearts. We cannot ever depend on our own understanding, because it will lead us astray. Our lives and who we share them with are too important to God, and He commands us to seek His Will in all we do. Seeking Him is what should occupy our time, and when it does, He will bring the right man across our paths.
Locked into boyfriend mode
Jesus Christ has given us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. If we forbid or allow something on earth, the same will be followed in heaven. We have free-will agency, and with it comes the ability to make our own choices and decisions. God doesn’t force us to consult Him about the choices and decisions we make. We can do things our own way, but we will almost always regret it. As wise women of God, we must realize that many men go into relationships with the intention of always being a boyfriend and never a husband. If we’re in a relationship with a man that is locked into boyfriend mode, and we choose to accept this, heaven will abide by our decision.
Immature and needy
Colossians 2:9-10(NLT) tells us, “9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” It is so important to our level of confidence as women of God to know that we are complete in Christ, and no other individual can do for us what God has already done in Christ. Our dependency must be on God, not on a man. If we miss this, we’ll attract the opposite of what we want and desire.
Sometimes we become desperate for a man’s company, and this desperation broadcasts a signal that brings a brother that responds to our perceived lack and not our wholeness in Christ. Often, this is a man that is immature and needy. He absorbs our resources and leaves us feeling depleted continually. If we accept this, we’ve not appropriately used the key that Christ has given us. Instead, we’ve bonded ourselves to someone that sucks up what we should have saved for the right man that God will send.
This man does not replenish us because he is not of Christ, and because he is dependent on us, he can make it very challenging to be loosed from him. The Lord has given you permission to use the keys to drink of God’s goodness. Get anchored in the Word, so that you receive a revelation of your wholeness in Christ, and never again be desperate for anyone other than God.
He does not lift you up
James 1:23-24(NLT) tells us, “For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.” Some of us have a habit pattern of gossiping, putting others down, and judging people. This is not the heart of Christ. It’s not our identity to behave this way, and because we continue to indulge the behavior, it’s like we don’t recognize who we are. We’re looking in a mirror and seeing ourselves, but as soon as we turn away, we forget that we’re the spitting image of Christ.
The refusal to self-examine and self-check according to the example of Christ is a refusal to humble ourselves before him. We’re empowered by God to clean up this stuff, but because we don’t, we end up with a man that responds to our refusal to strip off a bad attitude. He looks the part. He might check off many of the boxes on our lists, but he denigrates our efforts and successes. He is completely set against lifting us up. He doesn’t do it because deep down, he really doesn’t see us as one of God’s treasures.
The keys are yours. Permit yourself to loose anything or anyone that keeps you held down and from being your best for Christ. Forbid them access to your heart, and heaven will cooperate. Instead of letting someone pull you down, be bound by excellence, purity, kindness, compassion, moral character, and the joy of the Lord in your life. Do this by getting rid of any bitterness, anger, and or anything else that stains your womanhood. If you forbid the wrong things, and permit the right things to take root in you, you will glory in the Lord and all that He has given you. Then nothing can stop you from having all that He has in store for your life.■
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.
“Permission to Use the Key”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!