| |
CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE: A declaration by a man and a woman before God, and man, to become one flesh with each other. It is a vowed (your word) union between a man, a woman, and the Holy Spirit. It will remain as long as the man and the woman do not break their relationship with the Lord. It is a God ordained three-fold relationship that God weaves into one cord.
CHRISTIAN DIVORCE: A sin of pride that is caused by lying and results in a heart
that is hardened to the Word of God. A deliberate separation of a married man and a married woman from the Lord, resulting in the breaking of their marriage vows to each other. It is the purposeful unwinding of their three-fold cord relationship with God. God must remove His ministerial anointing, for a season of healing, because
of their sin and break in relationship with Him.
Isn't it interesting that divorce is such a big deal when it involves members of the congregation. Ministers want them to step down from ministry, for a season. However, when it involves the five-fold ministry, it is no big deal to them. How sad that they actually believe that the “Call” into ministry will save them from the judgment of the Lord for their sin of divorce. Even worse is the adulterous relationship that they deny and lie about.
Let’s see how this works: pride→temptation→lust→lying → adultery→
lying→arrogance→break up with God→divorce→PRIDE→The Fall
→DEATH.
"13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by
evil,
nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away
by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and
sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth DEATH” James 1:13-15.
When ministers divorce they are just like King Saul when God had removed His anointing to be king over Israel. The Prophet Samuel told him face to face that God was removing His anointing from him to be king. King Saul would not step down from the throne and people continued to follow him, but he no longer had the anointing of the Lord over his life. The moment the Prophet Samuel anointed David to be king, the anointing for Saul as king was removed. God would never anoint
two kings over his people at the same time.
Whenever, God delivers someone or something up for destruction, you must act immediately. God delivered King Saul into King David’s hands twice and King
David did nothing. Because King David did nothing, King Saul killed the 85 priests
at Doeg and Jonathan, his son, lost his life along with many of his father’s “loyal” followers. King David did not take his life because he thought, MISTAKENLY, that King Saul was still anointed. God is not double minded; He also said you cannot serve two masters. Again, when God removed His anointing from Saul and sent the Prophet Samuel to anoint David as king; in the eyes of God, Saul was no longer king from that moment.
The anointing of God no longer rests on the pastors and ministers that are divorcing, and the congregation is supposed to remove them. If they do not remove them, then be prepared to be destroyed by them. Please do not blame them; because they do not see stepping down from ministry as a part of God’s healing process. Because of their pride, arrogance, and greed, they see stepping down as a loss of personal power, prestige, and authority. Pride will never surrender to righteousness. So, be prepared to act on the Word of God. Obey God and not man.
I know that many Christians are afraid to do the things that I have written because they still believe that they are coming against God’s anointing. Have the church leaders or board of directors discuss the proper course of action, and then carry it out. If not, be prepared to lead by a blind person without the anointing of God. So, don’t complain when the church finally crashes because you did not act on the Word of God. Please do not begin a “guilt trip” of trying to find out why they fell or trying to justify reasons for keeping them. Don’t look for blame, just obey God and do what is necessary for their, and your, restoration with the Lord.
Always keep in mind that the church belongs to God not the pastor. If it has an IRS approved 501(c)( 3 ) tax exemption letter, then it is a business with non-profit or tax exempt status. The assets belong to the church not to the pastor or his or her family. They can leave, but they cannot take the assets of the church with them.
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” 1 Timothy 6:10.
So, why are people so surprised at the astronomical divorce rates within the Body
of Christ? Many people today are “shacking up” or having sex before marriage. How many Christian couples are having sex before marriage? Many have bought into the lie that you must find out if you are sexually compatible before you marry. Who or what are they comparing this sinful sexual relationship to? Sexual perversion at all levels, especially homosexuality, is being accepted by church
after church. Do Christians actually believe that acceptance makes it right? All sexual relationships outside of marriage are sinful. There is NO sexual test drive period. You are marrying a spouse not a car.
Divorces are a direct result of sin, sinning, and sinful behavior. Divorce occurs in marriages long before either person files the paperwork. Divorce is supposed to be the solution to an irresolvable problem in the marriage. Is there a problem in any Christian’s life that the Lord cannot resolve? Is there any sin too great that the Lord cannot forgive? I suppose that God’s forgiveness is no longer important because
few of them are repenting. They all want to just move on without repenting, but without repentance there is NO forgiveness from God.
If you were engaged in a sexual relationship before you were married and you did not repent of your sin(s) of fornication, you need to know that the marriage vows
did not take away your sin(s). Only through repentance can sins be forgiven. God sees you in the present and un-repented sins of the past are present sins. Your marriage is exposed to destruction because you have not repented. Make it right today.
“God hates divorce” Malachi 2:16! Don’t set your marriage up for failure before you have even vowed. In some churches couples are encouraged to have a prenuptial agreement arranged before marrying. How utterly STUPID! The person with the “things” you are about to marry hires a lawyer and plans for the divorce before the marriage. They also want you to know that their “things” will always come before you; and if you ever get in the way of their “things” they will divorce you. They show their lust for their things, but not their love for their spouse. How sweet, how loving is that?
Marriage is a vowed relationship with the Lord. The only other vowed relationship anyone has with the Lord is their vow to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Marriage vows come BEFORE your “Calling” in ministry. If ministry is interfering with your marriage, then step down from ministry, immediately, and heal your marriage. The ministry belongs to God, not you, and God has plenty of people to take your place. Keep your word and do whatever it takes to restore your marriage.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 states; do not make a vow to God and break it; do not make a vow to God and then say that it was a mistake (paraphrased). You, your spouse, and the Holy Spirit have formed a threefold cord. You now, must break your relationship with God before you can break you relationship with your spouse. The further you move away from God, the further you will move away from your spouse. However,
if you repair your relationship with God, then your love for your spouse will return to heal your marriage.
God has never and He will never tell anyone to get a divorce and marry someone else. Just because you think you missed God in your choice of a spouse, does not mean that you married the “wrong” person. If you are both Christians, then you are married to the right person. God did not and does not have someone waiting for
you once you have broken your vows to Him. The Word of God says that there is no other person. Stop lying about the Word of God. God hates divorce!
Please do not equate your feeeeeelings for someone beside your spouse as an indicator that he or she must be the true love of your life. If the mind and/or flesh are involved, then it is not of God. Your feeeeeelings are just fleshly lusts, which war against your spirit. Love is not a feeling, but an act of keeping your vow or your word. Don’t say that you don’t love your spouse anymore. Just say that you don’t love God anymore. Now, that is the truth. Remember, God also hates lying!
If you are considering divorce for any reason, I ask that you read “The Road to Self-Worth” Marriage & Relationships, before you go through with it. If you obey the commands of God (from the Bible) that are spelled out in the book then your marriage MUST work. If you obey God’s Word on marriage, then your marriage must be healed and restored because God cannot lie.
Praise the Lord!
Pastor Leo Bogee |
