The Holy Spirit and Marital Choices
One wonderful way God keeps the believer on the path of righteousness is by the leading or the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
I'm not here talking only about righteousness which is translated to mean having a right standing with God, which I understand quite well, I'm talking about the practice of righteousness where we practice what is right before God, walking within His core values, doing the things that bring Him pleasure and living according to His predetermined counsel for our lives.
Without the leading of the Holy Spirit we can't walk in the plan of God for our lives. The new birth gives us the opportunity to be carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit in running through the divine courses for our lives to their ends.
John 3: 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (Berean Study Bible)
Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Berean Study Bible)
The New Creation was designed to operate by the Spirit of God blowing the believer around. The New Creation lives and derives identity and empowerment from the quickening (giving active life and vitality) of the Holy Spirit within to live according to God's will and not according to the flesh.
This isn't just in some areas of our lives but in every area, be it career, calling, marriage, or in spiritual decisions about our services to God and our lifestyle choices. It is our default state in following God's plan for our lives, either in the short, medium or long term.
We can't walk in God's plan for our lives without the Holy Spirit and we can only be sure about making the right life's choices if we are led by the Spirit of God.
This is the design of God for the New Creation.
But in the last two decades, from the late 90s to be precise, because of the frustration pastors feel about growing number of misters and spinsters of marriageable age remaining single, they feel the leading of the Holy Spirit in making right choices in marriage can be sidelined.
They feel it should be by individual charms and desires. Just 'point and kill' like they say in some restaurants, where you choose the live fish you want and the chefs kill it and prepare it for you.
The result of that change is everywhere for all of us to see. The last decade presented to us as probably the period with the most dysfunctional marital relationships in the body of Christ in the last half century.
If we need the Holy Spirit in making other choices that may be less important to our destinies, then we would need Him much more in making marital choices.
Does the Holy Spirit leading us mean our senses and intelligence are unnecessary? Of course not, the Spirit of God works with them so they won't lead us astray. There is a way that seems right into a man but the end is destruction. But with the Holy Spirit who sees the end from the beginning, we are safe. We shouldn't take every intuition, dream or vision as God's leading without judging, so also we shouldn't take beauty, charm and charisma as what's good for us without checking with the Holy Spirit.
Without the leading of the Holy Spirit, our intellect, senses and brains would be influenced by the flesh and consequently empower our lusts and inordinate affections to influence our choices wrongly, leading us through their vanities unto destruction.
Develop a vital relationship with the Holy Spirit by walking in the consciousness of His position and operations in your life, trusting that, just as the Word says concerning Him so is He within you. Getting Him involved in daily decisions and promptly yielding to all of His pressures in order to be in step with Him. And when it comes to marital decisions, it won't be strange following Him into marital bliss.
He leads, we follow and we are safe! With the Holy Spirit, we can always choose right!
