To be very candid, I must admit a current struggle I'm going through in order to communicate what the Lord is speaking to me on it. It is common knowledge that most people desire to find a mate, with women being especially preoccupied with impending marriage. As I cross another birthday (ripe old age of 28!) and watch many of my friends (who are younger than me, I might add) step into marriage, I admittedly struggle with my own marital fate. I trust the Lord. I trust in his plan for me. But, like so many christians, if not all, my head is at odds with my heart. My head tells me that God has a "good, pleasing, and perfect will for me" and that he "has plans to prosper me and not to harm me" but my heart seems to bellow within me the repetitive "when?!" and "Will you actually do what you say?!" Even as I write those words my heart has been speaking, I have to own up to the similarity I see between my own question and the very first lie ever told to humans by the devil, which is: "Did God actually say...?" (Genesis 3:1)
As I have been bringing this struggle to the Lord, he has been showing me where my struggle has very little to do with marriage, singleness and/or trusting Him. On the contrary, my struggle is about being manipulated by lies instead of resting in His Truth. As an exercise in recognizing this battle being waged within me, I made a chart comparing and contrasting the lies I was believing from the devil to the Truth of God's unchanging word.
DEVIL’S LIES | GOD’S TRUTH |
God won’t provide a husband for me. | God is Jehovah Jireh, which means, “the Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14) |
God has forgotten me. | Zephaniah 3:17 says “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” If this is how God loves me, with such great delight, with me as his treasure—then he will surely not simply ‘forget’ me. |
He alone is not enough. | It’s not that he doesn’t love me enough, it’s that he IS enough. Marriage, a husband, a family will not fulfill me; He will. Psalm 73:25-26 says that HE is my portion, HE will fill me and be enough for me. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” |
He doesn’t love me enough to bless me with marriage. | 1 Peter 5:8, John 8:44 and John 10:10 all tell us that the Devil is an outright liar who is dead-set on devouring and destroying me. Whatever the devil is speaking to me is complete and total garbage and in direct opposition to the goodness of God’s Truth. God tells me to recognize the devil’s lies and hold them up against His Truth---- they won’t hold up. |
I encourage you to ask God to show you where you are believing the Father of Lies instead of God's holy and unchanging truth. The devil came to destroy me and you. He is a manipulator and deciever. Pray for God's protection and power as you strive to hold fast to His promises. God alone is faithful.
Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. And thank you for opening my eyes to see where I am being gnawed at by the deceitfulness of the devil. My desire is to set me feet upon the Rock. Please keep me bound to you and your Truth alone.
Ephesians 6:10-12 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
