I am a Christian in my late twenties. At this prime age of my life, a chunk of the conversations I have with peers border on relationship\/marriage. I know my contemporaries around the world do, too. Amusingly, one quality that runs through expectations especially with regards to a potential spouse is \u201cGod-fearing\u201d.<\/p>\n
Everyone wants to marry a supposedly God-fearing spouse. Well\u2026 who doesn\u2019t fear God on this Earth? Even the devil does! So\u2026 how God-fearing is your God-fearing? You so badly want to marry a spiritual person? How spiritual is your spiritual? Are demons not spiritual, too?<\/p>\n
Is your definition for God-fearing someone who sends you scriptural messages daily? Do you know that sending biblical messages doesn\u2019t even make one a Christian (let alone God-fearing) just like sending updates on forex trade doesn\u2019t make one a bank manager?<\/p>\n
Many of us have fallen for some weird characters in church because all we saw was what we really wanted to see! If all you want to see is a tongue-blasting sister\u2026 that is all you will see. If seeing him lead prayer sessions already gets you horny, that\u2019s all you will see! We fall for wolves in sheep clothing\u2026 get married to them\u2026 and after marriage, we come crying, \u201cHe\/she has changed after the wedding!\u201d<\/p>\n
No, brother! She didn\u2019t change. You just didn\u2019t know her that much. No, sister! He didn\u2019t change. You just fell for his \u2018polish-on-dirt\u2019. You fell for his trap of a disguise.<\/p>\n
No one changes after a wedding. We just didn\u2019t know them much. We were so blinded by their mirage that we took their reality for granted. We were so distracted by their spiritual gymnastics that we took no notice of their spiritual maturity.<\/p>\n
God-fearing is\u2026 and has always been relative. Every living being has, at least, an iota of a fear of God in them. You can\u2019t assume that they are God-fearing because they are \u201cGod-fearing\u201d. It is too quick to perceive that because someone pays fat tithes and offertory, they automatically are your God-fearing kind.<\/p>\n
Many of us have reasons for doing what we do wherever\u2026 even in church. Others may do what they do to attract attention. Others may still do what they do just to portray a guise of spirituality. Just like we all walk into a hospital, for instance, for different reasons, not everyone who goes through the gates of the church has Heaven in mind.\u00a0 For you to assume that we all do may only be a perception of deception.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be deceived. Don\u2019t let his big Greek Bible cloud your thoughts. Don\u2019t fall for her overwhelmingly big scarf and long skirts in church. Humanity always has a way of scheming to portray a shade of spirituality. Many have led others to the wrong altars under the cover of spirituality.<\/p>\n
Getting to know a potential spouse should be your conscious effort. Interestingly, a bad spouse-to-be almost always gives us their \u2018signs and symptoms\u2019 but we may be too enchanted with their supposed \u201cGod-fearing\u201d stance in church that we just gloss over who they really are.<\/p>\n
Know no one after the flesh. Pray to God to reveal them to you. Get closer to know them. Know their priorities. Know their needs. Know their wants. Know what they can\u2019t live without. Know what they spend a chunk of their time reading, watching or listening to. Know their thought patterns. That\u2019s who they are. That\u2019s their character!<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t fall for him because he somersaults during worship. He might only be trying out some acrobatics. Don\u2019t fall in love with her because she lifts chairs in exuberance during sermons. She might only be exercising!<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t fall for her because she has some glittering crucifix tucked somewhere in her cleavage. It might only be fashion. Don\u2019t be too quick to marry them because they have a \u2018praying towel\u2019 dangling around their necks. Marriage goes beyond crucifixes and towels!<\/p>\n
Mind you, even when God was having a conference with His angels, the devil showed up to talk about Job. Church is no exception. Many characters walk in and out under the cover of a cross with all manner of agenda. Not everyone comes to church to pray or listen to God\u2019s word! Not everyone.<\/p>\n
Sitting in church doesn\u2019t make one a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes them a car. Think about it. Finding a potential spouse in church doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they will make a good husband or wife. There\u2019s a thin line between \u201cGod-fearing\u201d and God-fearing. Which one do you actually want?<\/p>\n
The church is indeed a hospital for treating the sick\u2026 not a court room for judgement. The sick walk in to be healed\u2026 not to be slaughtered on an altar of judgement. However, in the process of their healing, don\u2019t fall for their schemes lest you be infected, too. Remember they are still under treatment.<\/p>\n
You want to marry a God-fearing spouse? In every character on Earth is a shade of some fear of a deity in Heaven. So\u2026 how God-fearing is your God-fearing?\u00a0 Great weekend.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By: Kobina Ansah<\/p>\n
The writer is a playwright and the Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications, a writing company in Accra. (www.scribecommltd.com). His upcoming play this September is #MyWifeInLaw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am a Christian in my late twenties. At this prime age of my life, a chunk of the conversations I have with peers border on relationship\/marriage. I know my contemporaries around the world do, too. Amusingly, one quality that runs through expectations especially with regards to a potential spouse is \u201cGod-fearing\u201d. Everyone wants to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":244181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[374],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n