Galatians 5:19-21(NLT)
“19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
The grace that God has given us is too amazing for words. Through the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, God has saved us, and He has empowered us through His Holy Spirit so we can live successfully within the earth. For years too many to count, He has been patient with our sinful indulgences and behavior, and although He is as patient and merciful as He ever was, something within this earthly realm has changed. The consequences of our actions are more severe, and we no longer have the time we once had to get things right with God.
For many of us, the desire to get married is still first and foremost in our hearts, but the path seems more challenging to find. This shouldn’t be surprising to us. 2Corinthians 4:4(NLT) says, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” Our Heavenly Father has provided a wealth of knowledge about how satan operates in this verse. First, He tells us that satan is the god of this world. When we study God’s Word more closely, we will see that satan was given this position by us. Our sin put him there, because there’s a whole lot of sinning going on in the world, and sin transfers what God meant for us to satan.
One of the chief functions of darkness is to blind so that light cannot be seen. This is another piece of wisdom that 2Corinthians 4:4 conveys. If we do not believe in faith, we can be blinded from the treasures that faith reveals. Sadly, this is the condition of many people, more specifically, those that desire to be married.
We understand that the activity of evil in the earth has accelerated, perhaps more in our time than any other. The lives of many people are totally consumed by what is happening in the world, and they dedicate even less than an hour a week on the things of God. This is what blinds them. It’s what keeps their eyes from landing on the very thing that would lead them down the path of what they’re desiring.
Our Heavenly Father has given us free-will. We can do whatever we choose, but there is a consequence for every action. If actions are aligned with the Will of God, the consequence will be a reward. If actions are aligned with darkness, the consequence will be more darkness. The wrong actions, behaviors, confessions, and thoughts will corrupt our lives and cause everything to work against us. God commands us to steer clear of these things. 1Thessalonians 5:5(NLT) declares, “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.” We are children of God’s light, and it is our responsibility to keep our eyes focused on Him so we can see what He is doing in our lives.
Many of us are too focused on ourselves to be focused on God, and that’s a huge problem. It’s not about you. This is the simple truth. It is always and forever about Jesus Christ and how you live in, with, by, and through him. Colossians 3:3(NLT) tells us, “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” When you gave your life to Christ, your life became hidden with him in God. The reality of this is that when anyone sees you, they shouldn’t see the old you, they should see Christ.
1Corinthians 6:12-13(NLT) says, “I am allowed to do anything”–but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.” There is no joy to be had in sinfulness. There is only pain, and that isn’t what our Heavenly Father wants for us. He tells us in Galatians 5:22-23 that the fruit of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we walk in the Spirit, he will produce these in us, and our lives will be pleasing to God.
We must make up our minds that we will not be blinded by the enemy and separated from the blessings we desire most. The wrong choices and decisions can set us back, but the right choices and decision can set us up for all that our Heavenly Father has in store. In these last days, it is more important than ever to say “Yes” to God. We can’t simply say that we believe all things are possible through Him, we must show God that we are growing in faith by being humble to His voice and directions, because this is His Will. Don’t be like those that have been on this Christian journey for years but have believed so little in His power. Focus your energy on God through the Lord Jesus Christ, not on what you want, because it’s not about you. It’s about what God wants for your life. Miraculous things will happen when you surrender to that truth.■
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“It’s Not About You”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. 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.