MARRIAGE/RELATIONSHIP 2014: HOW DO I KNOW THE LORD GOD’S CHOICE OF LIFE –PARTNER: HUSBAND OR WIFE? –Part One

Another New Year kicks in and 2014 begins in earnest. For singles, another heart-wrenching and worrisome year after waiting for Mr. Right or Mrs. Right to show up, and 2014 seemed to have sneaked in. “Lord, when will my husband/wife show up?” you ask. Apprehension of time and space; your age, the plans you have for life, raising a family, being fulfilled and even working for the Lord are tied to your choice of a life partner. You are right; your choice of a life partner will either make or mar your life and affect your eternal destination. No wonder the Word of Life says in Proverbs 18: 22: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” Do you notice that the verse didn't say a “good wife” but a “wife' and no references were made to “finding a husband” ever recorded in the Holy Bible? Well, you may complain of the misogynistic intents of the authors of the Bible, who all belonged to the masculine half of the human race, but believe the Spirit of the Lord, as far as the Almighty Lord God is concerned, male and female are not equal but are one that compliments each other before Him. Outside the Trinity or Triune Personality of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and they are One, no other creation of God is equal. Every creation of God is made to compliment the other in love and none of His creation can fulfill the intended purpose of creation, if all are equal. The Good Lord Almighty delights in creativity and diversity thus none of us is created alike and until you; either a man or woman understands this basic spiritual truth, you may find it difficult to hear what the Holy Spirit is telling you about your quest for a life partner.

Listen to me; when we say God Almighty did not create man and woman as equal, we are not saying man is greater than woman or woman is less inferior to man. What we are saying is that, spiritually speaking man is not created to shoulder the same duties and responsibilities as woman and vice-versa. Consequently, any man or woman seeking a life partner as wife or husband must have this mind-set from the word go before you can tap into the Power of the Holy Spirit and settle down this year. Hear me brethren; it is not the number of prayers, night vigils, resolutions, works of charity, crying, weeping and worries, including marriage seminars and workshops for single that will bring your wife or husband to you in 2014. After all, you have done all these over the years and yet there is no positive outcome. You are still single, so what is the problem? Certainly, it isn't because you have sinned and the Good Lord is punishing you; neither is He mean and wicked as not to see all these spiritual activities and give you your own husband or wife? No, the missing link is knowledge (Hosea 4: 6). Whatever teaching you must have listened to or seminar for singles you must have attended over the years, I want you singles out there that are reading this revelation knowledge to read it methodically, if possible, print it out and read it over and over again in the quiet of your home and cross –check the Bible references with a view to implementing the 12 Steps Toward A Life Partner in 2014 and watch what will happen between now in January and December 2014 as directed by the Holy Spirit.

BASIC SPIRITUAL FACTS ABOUT MARRIAGE AS LAID DOWN BY THE LORD GOD AS PATHWAYS TO FINDING A LIFE PARTNER

The plan of the Lord God Almighty for marriage on earth ab initio is to bring a man and a woman together as one with Him as the glue that makes Three in One as He, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are One. Remember I don't use the word: “equal.” To be one is different from to be equal. The former means; to think and interact together in peaceful harmony and perfect relationship cemented by spiritual love while the latter means; we are the same. Man and woman are supposed to be one in the Lord and not to be equal. As Galatians 3: 27-29 said: “… for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female (emphasis mine) for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” For example, in the work of human redemption, God the Father planned and purposed salvation; God the Son-that is our Lord Jesus Christ-carried it out and now in our era beginning from the Pentecostal Era in Acts 2: 1, God the Holy Spirit is applying salvation.

While these Three Personalities are One, but they are not equal, because the three dispensations involved three different covenants, which we commonly refer to as the Old and New Testaments. The word: “testament” simply means agreement. These three dispensations: God the Father's Era/Dispensation: Old Testament; God the Son's Era/Dispensation: New Testament and God the Holy Spirit's Era/Dispensation: Now till the Second Advent is what the Lord God Almighty modeled the institution of marriage after when He created Adam and Eve. There is nothing God the Father can do without God the Son and the Holy Spirit, yet they are One in their three distinctions. This is the mystery of the Lord God Almighty that no religion or spiritual quest can unravel unless the Lord God Almighty Himself reveals this to you. Marriage is also a mystery patterned after the God Head nature, because how can two be one and yet still remains and functions as two individuals? This was precisely the syllogistic submission of the Pauline epistemological thesis in Ephesians 5: 31-32 when he wrote: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.…” Such alliterative dyads of Christ and the church on one hand and man/husband and woman/wife in a marriage on the other hand can only be spiritually discerned by revelation through the Holy Spirit. That is why it is a mystery! Those who are spiritually blind misconstrue this God-Head harmony as three Gods, which is erroneously fallacious. They are one in Triune personality.

When the Lord God created Adam, He wanted a woman for Him to supply what was lacking in Adam and as soon as Adam saw Eve, he knew right away that she was what he needed in order for him to fulfill God's plan and mission for him on earth. No wonder he blurted out instantly in Genesis 2: 23: “The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." But the next verse is indeed remarkable because it lays the foundation for the oneness and not the equality of man and woman when it says: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2: 24). Why it has to be the man and not the woman that should leave his father and mother? Today, this is what most marital relationships have become, because cultures and traditions have interfered with God's original purpose and so we say we are sending forth the woman to go and join her husband. No. That verse there in Genesis 2: 24 says, it is the man that should leave his father and mother and “cleave” (KJV), “bond” (Christian Standard Version), “cling” (International Standard Version), to his wife. “They will become one flesh” and not: “They will become equal flesh” simply means, the man and woman will be one flesh with God as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are One but again, not equal. Don't we laugh today when we see or hear a man who leaves another state or town to “cleave” “bond”, or “cling” to his wife and call him all sorts of names? It is spiritual ignorance and male ego thing, yet the words of the Lord remain forever, Hallelujah!

This brings us to the 12 steps any single man or woman to take this year 2014 and claim his/her life partner.

12 SPIRITUAL STEPS AS LAID DOWN IN THE BIBLE FOR SINGLES TO FIND THEIR LIFE PARTNERS IN 2014

From the inspired Word of the Holy Bible, there are practical steps a single looking for a life partner should take toward “settling down” to serve the Lord God Almighty. Similarly, there are some steps or things a single man or woman should not do also when looking for a life partner. Some singles often say: “I'm waiting for my husband/wife” but it is sensible and jells with human tradition and prevailing mindset but it is not scriptural. If you do not take the practical steps necessary for building a Christian marriage/family, you can wait till when you are 50 or more before you finally have the spiritual knowledge and discernment to “settle down.”

1. You Do Not Choose Your Husband/Wife: Adam knew that something was lacking in his life, because “… for Adam no suitable helper was found.” (Genesis 2: 20). The International Standard Version rendered Genesis 2:20 this way: “still there was no helper just right for him.” In order to supply that particular thing that is lacking in Adam's life, God had to bring Eve to him. Adam didn't choose Eve but the Lord God Who created Adam knew the type of companionship Adam needed so He brought the woman that was perfectly tailored for him. Adam and Eve may have fallen after they disobeyed their Maker and driven out of their Edenic Bliss, but the Lord God Almighty never changes (Malachi 3: 6). What were those responsibilities that Eve was supposed to shoulder as Adam's helpmate that justified her creation as the Lord God stated in Genesis 3: 18? The Lord God had stated earlier in Genesis 1: 26 and repeated same in Genesis 1: 28; Man-the generic word for the human race-of which Adam was a representative was to accomplish three things on this earth namely: exercise power-which is the ability to enforce a will-over creation; authority which is the legal instrument to exercise power and dominion, which is the extent of the authority. In this case, Eve was to help Adam to control all the aquatic beings, the arboreal life and all things under heaven (Psalm 8: 4-9; Genesis 1: 28). If you are a single person out there reading this, tear-off that little list of yours you have been keeping for years about your desired husband or wife. You do not have the power to determine or choose who your husband or wife is, just as our First Parents; Adam and Eve didn't choose themselves but God Almighty Himself brought them together. Genesis 1: 22b says: “… and he-that is the Lord God- brought her-Eve- to the man-Adam.”

2. What Is God's Will for Your Life? When the Lord God created Adam, He had a will for His life. God's will is also His purpose for your life and God stated the three responsibilities He entrusted into Adam here on earth and then brought Eve as his helpmate to accomplish those three purposes on earth as we stated above. The same thing for you. There is a reason why God created and put you on this earth and until you find out what that purpose is, you can cry from here till eternity praying for a husband or wife, you are praying and will not receive because; “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,…” (James 4: 3 KJV). A Christian brother once called me and told me about his affection for a Christian sister and told me he was praying for the Lord God to confirm to him if the sister was the one and asked me to join him in prayer. I stopped him and asked; “What is God's plan for your life?” He said he was still waiting on the Lord to discover His will for his life and I told him, then you can't pray for a wife yet. It's like putting the cart before the horse, it can't work and the Almighty God is God of order (1 Corinthians 14: 33). How can God give you a wife when you have no clues what He wants you to do in life when the wife is your helpmate to fulfill that mission? If you are a sister looking for a life partner, do not pray for a husband yet but ask the Lord; whom have you created for me to be his helpmate Oh Lord? All those lists you keep won't cut it sister, trust me.

3. There Is a Particular Life Partner Created for Every Human Being on Earth: You read the demographic imbalance between the sexes around the world and, if you are a single woman you're scared. But as a child of the Living God, there is a husband already created for every woman on earth and similarly, there is a wife already created for a man on earth. Where you are currently living is not by accident and the Good Lord didn't make a mistake in human location as

Acts 17: 26 clearly stated: “From one man he made all the nations that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” If you have asked and discovered the purpose of God for your life; He may ask you to change your location and because you obeyed, your husband or wife is waiting for you at the exact location He wants to use you. Some sisters insist they will never leave so and so because they have stable jobs there and making money there blah, blah, blah! It can't work, brethren! When you have discovered the will of God for your life; which is also known as His purpose for your life, you will be amazed at how the King of kings and Lord of lords will begin to arrange situations and circumstances in your life to bring your real husband or wife to you. It will be like a dream, trust me!

4. Is Your Life Partner, a Church-Goer or a Regenerated Born-Again Christian? You can't change any man or woman to become a born-again Christian and simply because a brother or sister attends church worship services regularly and sings do not mean he/she has a relationship with the Lord. In many seminars and conferences for singles, this is the first factor on top of the agenda. You are told; make sure the brother or sister is a born-again Christian first and foremost before you even consider him as husband or her as a wife. The question is; how do you know if he/she is a real born-again child of the Living God in the first place? That is why it is the number four step and not number one, because you are setting up yourself for disappointment and shock if you put this as number one step, especially when the devil wants to play a fast one on you and trust me, the devil does that all the time. Instead, asks the brother; “what is the purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ for your life?” If a brother can answer such a life-defining question with Biblical explanation and spiritual conviction, it will be very easy for you to cross-check with your own prayer of helpmate and then it will work out perfectly. For example, a sister who has asked the Holy Spirit in prayer about her mission in life and she has been told, she will be a missionary will not find herself falling into the hands of a brother who is called to be a resident pastor. In other words, once a born-again Christian knows the will of God for him/her, it will be pretty easy for the Christian to know his/her husband or wife, because the potential husband/wife will confirm the will for both of you. Rather than begin to scratch your head to find out, if a brother or sister is a real born-again Christian, ask him or her, what God's will or purpose is for his/her life. If a born-again child of the Father and committed follower of our Lord Jesus Christ cannot explain in a simple sentence and in five or ten minutes what he/she has been called to do in the Body of Christ, then something is wrong with such brother or sister. If he/she says he/she is still waiting on the Lord and the Holy Spirit to show what God's will or purpose for his/her life; then tell him or her to comeback after the Lord God has revealed His will or purpose for the life of the Christian brother or sister. It's as simple as that.

 The above four steps are the basic fundamental spiritual steps every single looking for a husband-not waiting for a husband please or wife should take as primary pathways to “settling down” as we normally say. Once you have satisfied these four requirements, then you can proceed to the next steps which deal with the aspect of the human soul and compatibility matrixes between you and your life partner.

THE SOULICAL STEPS TO TAKE BY SINGLES TO FIND THEIR LIFE PARTNERS IN 2014

Marriage is a spiritual compatibility between two Christian man and woman, who have sought the face of the Lord God in determining His purpose and will for their lives and the husband and wife have jointly resolved to carry out this God ordained purpose or will on earth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is the spiritual and Biblical definition of the Christian marriage. In carrying out God's purpose and will, God will never efface our human personality. In other words, after you have satisfied the four spiritual steps or requirements stated above, you can now bring out your human lists and pray along those requirements:

5. Educational and Intellectual Compatibility: Knowledge is power, both secular and spiritual knowledge but the latter is far, far better both for now and eternity. The Wiseman admonished over and over again in the Words of Life that we should seek for knowledge (Proverbs 15: 14; 18: 15; 24). Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and information and how the dissect such acquired facts and information to make meaningful decisions about life is the domain if wisdom. As a single, you need someone who is educated and keenly aware of the potent power of knowledge. President Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States once said, a thorough knowledge of the Holy Bible is far more important than a college education. President Jefferson was and is still right but both secular and spiritual knowledge are important. The Lord God deliberately chose Paul to witness of His saving Grace to the Gentile world, because Paul was intellectually sound. He was a philosopher and studied at the feet of one the best, Gamaliel the chairman of the Sanhedrin (Acts 5: 34). It would have been difficult for a fisherman like Peter to make a headway among the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers at Mars Hall for instance, but the Lord God had been preparing Saul of Tarsus for that task (Acts 17: 16-34). The Pauline Literature continues to enrich our world not only because of its spiritual impact, but as anyone in the Academy will admit, the secular education world too has borrowed prolifically from one of the greatest philosophers in human history. Some Christians behave as if the more spiritual you are, the dumber and dumber one should become. That doesn't jell with the word of God. Even the Lord God Almighty enjoins us to come and reason and argue matters with Him (Isaiah 1: 18-23; 43: 26), so if you are a single, ensure you have educational and intellectual compatibilities with your spouse. Not all of us will doctor mind you and don't get me wrong, but don't marry an idiot.

6. Emotional Compatibility: Emotion is one vital are of the human soul. It's easy to disguise during dating and courtships but believe you me, anger as Solomon says rests in the lap of a fool. No matter your knowledge and wisdom, if you don't put a rein and leash on your emotion, Satan and his demons will make mincemeat of you. It is very easy to gauge a man's emotion and woman's too. As I advised a sister, annoy him deliberately and wait for his response. We are all recovering sinners and no human being can be perfect as long as we remain in this dirty and sin-soaked body of ours, but through His Grace, we are all work in progress. As Apostle Paul admonished in Galatians 6: 2; we are to carry each other's burdens, including the married couples and singles who are planning to build Christian homes, but as long as the foundation of your marriage is built on the rock, the burdens can be sacrificially shared.

To Be Concluded Next Week

Re-Prophecies and Predictions for 2014
To those who are spiritually blind and discount the Sovereign Hands of the Lord God Almighty of the heavens and the earth on human affairs, on December 30, 2013, the prophecies and predictions inspired by the Holy Spirit were published on this page and other platforms across the world. I didn't invent anything but wrote as directed by the Spirit of God. Read what I wrote 24 hours to the beginning of the New Year 2014: “The Lord God Almighty says He will continue to demonstrate His displeasure with the United States, because of our sins through nature and climate; desertification, drought, tornado, cyclone, hurricanes and the likes which will be unusual this year.” It isn't as if one takes pleasure in what is happening to a sinful and headstrong nation and world whose people have turned their backs on the Lord, but every negative action that violates the law of God must have consequences. You wait until summer later in the year and see how hot the year will be. Human beings that are spiritually clueless ascribe all these natural phenomena to global warming and all those human-made inventions, but those who are spiritually knowledgeable know what is behind all these phenomena. Again, Europe and other parts of the world should watch out too for unusual weather conditions this year. Let those who have ears to hear listen and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the world.

*Dr. Fayemiwo, CEO, Alternative Lifestyle Communication, DBA Chicago and co-author of “The Kingdom of Satan Exposed,” is head of Global Missions and professor of Biblical Exegesis at Kingdom Bible College and Seminary, Tucson, Arizona, USA. He can be reached at [email protected] Visit his website: http://www. allternativecommunication.net/