One of my former teachers at school was a Christian (still is) and believed that God showed him his wife before he even met her. They did get married and have two children. After her father died, however, she did a lot of re-evaluating and said she didn't want to be with him any more. They are still not together, and it still boggles me that God would give him a vision like that knowing what would happen if he married her.
Things like this concern me because it seems that after you do everything you can to play your cards right, and live by God;s will, and even listen to him when he shows you someone is your spouse, its no better than when people in the world just marry for love. Just as fickle and volatile- that's a scary thought.
I have ... I'm divorced now. The mistake I made then was focusing solely on emotion "oh I just love him and he loves me" yet I failed to be realistic about what I truly wanted out of life and lining that up with what God wants for me according to His Word. After the marriage ended I thought of all the signs I missed and that was the key. Deep down we know it isn't of God. He warns us. He said His sheep hear his voice. So then that brings the question, are we asking God and truly being open to what He has to say or are so desperate that we hear our own voices and make our voices sound like God's.
The other side of that... We go into the marriage with unrealistic expectations or we change when enter into the marriage and we lose focus on God as the source of our decision making. We being to rely on the world and their system which causes destruction in our marriages.
I believe that God can restore any marriage if 2 people are willing to rely on him. My ex husband was Muslim.. So the problem there was that we were unequally yoked. I even tried to become Muslim (didn't work). I met him at a time when I was in a really poor state emotionally. My pastor always says we don't get what we want, we get what we are. A relationship is a reflection of what's in you. So we need to change ourselves and the type of man we attract will change. I gave my life fully back to God after getting divorced (and going though a string of horrible relationships) and I met a great man... I hope to be posting in the thread about how God answered our prayers for a husband soon
I know that was long. Hope it helps someone.
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loolalooh said:I have a story to tell, though we didn't make it to the altar (Thank God) and thus didn't have to go through divorce. I ended things before he could propose to me.
I'll keep this short. I thought this man was the one I was to marry based on the following:
[*]all his qualities lined up with what I wrote down for what I wanted in a husband
[*]a specific prayer that God give me a specific confirmation that he was the one
[*]prophets/pastors telling me that I would meet him in a particular time frame
[*]prophets/pastors then confirming that he was the one
[*]his great knowledge of Scripture and faith in us as a couple
[*]other confirmations via prayer and signs
When did I learn he wasn't the man God had for me:
[*]his cheating and lying
[*]his mentally and emotionally abusing me
[*]other things I care not to mention
[*]at times, it appeared he was the devil himself (no lie)
The discovery of him not being my future husband tore me up BIG time because I wondered how I misread God. I just didn't and couldn't understand what happened. I felt like I had covered all my bases - prayer, seeking counsel, and seeking confirmation. As time went on and my heart healed, I learned what happened.
The enemy is a great deceiver and will have you thinking God is at work when it is really him at work. Additionally, at least in my case, this was a lesson that I should rely on 1) Scripture and 2) Obedience and not on outwards signs, confirmations, and prophets/pastors. What do I mean? Throughout our relationship, I only obeyed God 50% of the time and adhered to only 50% of the Scripture.
[*]I ignored Scripture that pointed to being "equally yoked"; this man was a Christian Buddhist. I thought that was sufficient.
[*]I ignored the command to refrain from "sexual immorality". This man and I were having premarital sex.
[*]I ignored Scripture that pointed towards us being part of the "Body of Christ" and being part of the "church". This man refused to attend church with me or church at all. He was good at quoting Scriptures, but we never meditated on it, prayed on it, or anything.
So, had I focused on these three things associated with Scripture AND Obedience, I would've recognized early on that he wasn't sent to be my husband. Sometimes, I think we place too much stock in confirmations and signs. Don't get me wrong; God does speak to us in such manners at times. However, I think majority of the time, God isn't "talking" that much. He wants us to "listen" to our inner spirit, and the best way to do that is to adhere to His Word (i.e., Scripture) and His Commands (i.e., obedience).
MuseofTroy said:These stories are tragic but let's keep it real. Many people don't hear from god and allow their emotions and lust to lead them. Marriage is more than just good feelings and level of attraction. Many women fail to properly vet the man they wish to join their lives with. A sign that a man is lead by god is manifested in their life. A man is supposed to protect and provide. If he doesn't have a job or history of stability then he is not qualified. Also women need to pay attention to how a man acts under stress and treats other people. That is a huge indicator of how he will treat you in a relationship. If a man's words are not backed up by his actions then leave him alone. Get your mind right and stop making decisions out of desperation and lack. If you aren't happy as a single person then you will not be happy in marriage. The enemy will use your loneliness to bring the wrong person into your life so stay vigilant.
You posted an interesting point that I want to elaborate on... Signs. I don't trust them anymore. When I met the guy that I'm seeing now I kept praying for God to give me a sign. Around the time my sister was dating a guy and she said she knew he was her husband because she always received signs. They had been together over 4 years so I thought I needed a sign too. Well as I kept praying for that sign God told me that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after I sign. I wasn't sure what that meant. I just remember thinking, "But God I'm not evil.. I'm saved!" Well weeks passed and I still had no clue what God meant by what He told me. It ended up that the guy my sister swore was her husband (remember she received signs) broke up with her. And she called to confide in me and began to just tell me about all that he was doing and how she was miserable but she was convinced that he was her husband because of the signs. She said had he not broke up with her she would have stayed in that bad situation praying for things to get better because she thought the signs came from God. I had my answer. My God and Father told me to simply rely on His voice and stop looking for a sign. When he spoke I would know.
Now I'm seeing this man and everything fits but I'm remaining prayerful. Satan (the great deceiver) can give visions and signs as well. God gives us instinct. Many times we seek the signs because our God given intuition has already told us NO and we want a different answer. Other times we simply want confirmation. Either way, signs can be very deceptive.
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Very interesting responses. Its just tough to know who (other than out of their own admission) heard God and who didn't. I guess prayer (and even fasting) are key for this kind of thing, and once you got His word, for both of you to stay submitted to him and committed to one another.
Tell the truth and shame the devil!Very true and many times God wants you to use your brain that he gave you. Sometimes the answers are right in your face. If the man never held down a job, is still getting supported financially by his parents, just got out of jail, has children he doesn't take care of etc., those are just obvious red flags that anyone with good sense would avoid bringing into their relationship. AT least let the man have BASICS down. Move on if a man is lacking the basics! He isn't ready to be a husband. If a man can’t even hear God for his own life, how in the world can he lead a family? As my pastor likes to say some folks are plagued with the spirit of dumb.
The bottom line is that some men aren't qualified to be anyone's husband. As much as the church emphasizes that a woman needs to be ready for her husband, well a man needs to be ready for a wife and all the responsibilities that come with heading a household.
Very true and many times God wants you to use your brain that he gave you. Sometimes the answers are right in your face. If the man never held down a job, is still getting supported financially by his parents, just got out of jail, has children he doesn't take care of etc., those are just obvious red flags that anyone with good sense would avoid bringing into their relationship. AT least let the man have BASICS down. Move on if a man is lacking the basics! He isn't ready to be a husband. If a man can’t even hear God for his own life, how in the world can he lead a family? As my pastor likes to say some folks are plagued with the spirit of dumb.
The bottom line is that some men aren't qualified to be anyone's husband. As much as the church emphasizes that a woman needs to be ready for her husband, well a man needs to be ready for a wife and all the responsibilities that come with heading a household.
Tell the truth and shame the devil!
I will quote Pastor G. Craige Lewis on this:
If they don't line up, they won't line up!
He's video on the Power of One is good on this subject