God My Husband – Part 3 - God's Love at Work - Week of December 15

God My Husband – Part 3
by Margaret D. Mitchell

"For your Maker is your husband—The Lord Almighty is His name—The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth."  -Isaiah 54:5

Kill Ungodly Appetites

We are to be Spirit led and mission-purposed. Romance can be an additive substitute for true intimacy. And a drive to pursue love from any other source but God will lead to disappointment and a sense of despair.

It is commonly known now that women tend to give sex to get love. And men tend to give sex to get sex, causing women to feel more unloved. And so the cycle begins and perpetuates and grows until it is broken. Some circles now consider this cycle to be a form of self-mutilation because of the emotional and physical damage it generates.

Don’t let your enemy choke out life from you in this way. Kill the appetite instead.

I had to toss out all of my romantic music when I was single because I realized it had led my mind into vain imaginations that had, in turn, set wrong expectations in my mind.

Any and every appetite for that which is not of God must go. If you find yourself in an ungodly stronghold—in any type of addiction or lustful drive or destructive habit—pray and ask The Holy Spirit to deliver you and to lead you to get the help you need.

There is no shame inneeding help. The flesh, in and of itself, is weak. That goes for all of us.

James 5:16 instructs us: "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

Sometimes, we need to be counseled by mature Christians to help get enough truth in us to be set free. When God is in it, He will lead us to spiritual maturity and a higher measure of holiness, which includes love, joy and peace.

God delivers and heals us in different ways. Sometimes, it’s over time; and sometimes, it’s in an instant. To be sure, whichever way He chooses for you is righteous.

So if you are sex-driven or deeply angry and reckless and rebellious due to inner wounds, do yourself a favor and get some Godly help from Christian leaders—ones you can trust who know God and His precepts—and choose to live for Him.

Don’t Believe A Lie

You are loved by God. No exceptions. If you have been mistreated by someone, this is no reflection of God’s love for you. It is an evil substitute of behavior that person has chosen for themselves. God gives us choice—every one of us. Don’t confuse mankind’s treatment of you with God’s love for you. Seek Him alone, and God Himself will add the right people to your life, according to His will for you.

We are to follow truth and faithfully live in God’s truth (3 John 1:3-4). Anything that does not line up with the will of Almighty God is not truth. It is the enemy’s counterfeit, which we must learn to discipline our minds against by staying in God’s Word and taking every thought captive and into submission to God’s Word.

If you are believing lies of the enemy about who you are or that God doesn’t love you, you need to confess believing the lies as sin and ask God for His forgiveness. Then ask Him to help you know who you are in His eyes, receive His love for you, experience His love and live out His love by letting His light shine through you to serve others.

Beloved, Pray

Dear Lord, I choose this day to make you my Savior and The Lord of my life. Please forgive me for putting anything and anyone before You or above You, for doing life my way. I take responsibility this day for pursuing You as my First Love, my First Husband, my Maker. And I trust You at Your Word. Thank You for loving me, Lord, and for making a way for me to live in Your love and fruitfulness, empowered by Your grace. I ask that You, Holy Spirit, will help me to grow in love and in goodness as I serve You and others on earth as it is in heaven. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. This devotional was adapted from Margaret's forthcoming book, Enduring Grace. All rights reserved.