Spiritual Relationships

The Kingdom of God is based on relationships. How we relate to God, and how we relate to one another matters. There are different ways we can relate to one another, and different ways we can relate to the Lord. How we relate to the Lord determines our proximity to Him. The same is true with how we relate to one another. This article will examine spiritual relationships among believers and with God. The types of relationships we have with each other are important, the ways we relate to the Lord determines how far we will progress in the Kingdom of God. 

Boundary Lines in the Spirit

We must set boundaries in the Spirit with one another for the sake of our own hearts. Without boundaries, our hearts are at great risk for spiritual damage. We must walk in the discernment of the Holy Spirit to determine how we are to relate spiritually to other believers. The Lord will show us His will for our relationships. We must also be able to discern the hearts of other believers, and determine how they are relating to us in their hearts. If our heart is relating to them differently than they are relating to us, we are out of alignment and are at risk for being spiritually damaged. 

I have heard it said that “Jesus didn’t do boundaries.” Well this is simply not true. We shall examine the life of Jesus as He is always our perfect example. Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the way He interacted with certain people will provide excellent template to pattern our lives from.  

Jesus spent the majority of His time with His Heavenly Father. Most of Jesus’ years growing up in the private place were dedicated to the secret place. Jesus only had 3 1/2 years of public ministry. Many preachers love to talk about or celebrate their many years in ministry. Jesus’ loved to talk about and celebrate his many years in the secret place of His Father’s presence. Jesus withdrew often into the wilderness to seek the face of His Father, and to hear and see what His Father was going to do (Luke 5:16). If having many years in ministry was the standard of success that the Father will judge us by, then Jesus would be considered a failure while many American pastors would be a great success! However this is not how the Father will judge ministers. His judgment will be determined by intimacy with God, and obedience to specific assignments. Jesus was perfect in His short 3 1/2 years of public ministry. 

Jesus placed His time with the Father above all else, and would not allow others to encroach upon that time. In order to do that, Jesus had to set a boundary line. The line of His most intimate relationship could not be crossed. 

Jesus’ secondary circle was His natural family. His relationship with His mother and brothers was both natural and spiritual. He spent a lot of time with them growing up before He entered His relatively short tour of public ministry. Our family relationships with our wives/husbands and children must be second only to God. These relationships should be both natural and spiritual. A husband and wife are a prophetic picture of Christ and His bride (Ephesians 5:31-32). This relationship should be continuing to develop in Christ throughout the entire marriage. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this relationship to spiritual fullness, so that it proclaims Christ and His church. 

The relationship between the parents and the children is also very important. After all, God has also revealed Himself as the Father and the Son. He is speaking of the importance of this relationship if we will hear Him. He prioritizes the marriage relationship and the relationship between parents and children. We see this in Father God relating to God the Son, and God the Son relating to His bride (the church). The Lord designed the family unit for a reason, and we must hear Him speaking through it. The family unit is the second priority after relationship with the Lord. Putting the Lord first will empower grace to flow and bring life to the entire family. 

The scriptures show us that it is possible to have spiritual relationships. Jesus spoke of spiritual brothers, sisters, and mothers. It is possible for ones spiritual family to cross over the boundary of the natural family. When a person’s natural family is not abiding in the will of God, this can occur:

“Then He went to a house [probably Peter's], but a throng came together again, so that Jesus and His disciples could not even take food. And when those who belonged to Him (His kinsmen) heard it, they went out to take Him by force, for they kept saying, He is out of His mind (beside Himself, deranged)!” (Mark 3:20-21 AMPC)

“Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called for Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.” And He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God [by believing in Me, and following Me], he is My brother and sister and mother.”” (Mark 3:31-35 AMP)

Jesus’ natural family thought that he was crazy, and wanted to make Him leave the house where he was ministering to His spiritual family. Jesus was doing His Father’s will, and His natural family was caught up in their own expectations, demands, and will. Jesus’ natural family wanted Him to come out to them, but Jesus refused. He demonstrated that those who are actively in the will of the Spirit of God are spiritual family, and spiritual trumps the natural. Jesus actually put up a boundary with His own family. When family members in the natural are resisting what the Holy Spirit is doing in us, then we have to take the same posture as Jesus. Our Master is always the example. 

But the scriptures say, “Honor your father and mother” (Matthew 15:4). So if Jesus didn’t respect the request of His mother, wouldn’t He be disobeying His mother and thus breaking the law? In this situation His mother did not have the mind of God, and she was out of the will of God. Jesus was in the will of God and therefore, obeying His mother in this situation, would have caused Him to disobey His Heavenly Father. Our goal should be to “always do those things that please the Father,” even if it means others don’t understand. Because of your obedience to God, you could be judged by your own family. They may even accuse you of dishonoring your mother or father. Remember, even Jesus had to put up a boundary for His natural family when He was in the will of His Father. Natural minded family members have a difficult time understanding the things of the Spirit, and will sometimes judge you. Be of good courage, this happened to Jesus also. 

Jesus does not want us to be controlled by the will of other people. We are to be slaves of Christ, not other men. There are times in scripture where people wanted Jesus to do things that were outside of His assigned ministry:

“Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator over [the two of] you?”” (Luke 12:13-14 AMP)

The man wanted Jesus to do something for him, but Jesus put up a boundary. He wasn’t going to let the man control how He was using His time. Jesus wasn’t moved because this man had a need for judgment. He was moved by the will of His Father. There are many Christians that get caught up in “good deeds” that the Father is not actually doing. The enemy loves to sidetrack God’s children in doing “good” things that they are not called to do. If Satan can achieve this, he can distract God’s children from doing what the Father is doing. He also uses this tactic to distract us from being in the secret place of prayer and intimacy. 

Jesus did not get entangled in dead works. Satan will use condemnation to make believers feel bad that they are not involved enough in ministering or helping their communities. Satan will condemn believers for not serving in the church, or attending certain functions. But there is freedom in Jesus Christ. When Christ fills a person in the secret place, they desire to serve with the gifting that they are called to, and in the way they are called to. Jesus does not put a heavy burden on us, and a bunch of requirements. That is Satan. Jesus places on us a yoke that is easy, and a burden that is light.

Mary only desired to sit at the feet of Jesus and soak in His glorious presence. Meanwhile Martha had placed a burden of servitude on herself (Luke 10:38-42). Instead of being refreshed and renewed in the presence of Jesus, she was burning herself out with serving. Martha thought that Jesus would rebuke Mary, and tell her to start serving in the church. Jesus actually lovingly rebukes Martha, telling her that Mary has chosen the better part. There is a lesson to be learned here.

“Now there were some Greeks (Gentiles) among those who were going up to worship at the feast; these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified and exalted.” (John 12:20-23 AMP)

Here we see Jesus put up another boundary. It was the will and desire of certain men to see Jesus. Will Jesus change what He is seeing the Father do in order to cater to the desire of some men? No He does not. In fact, Jesus completely ignores what His disciples tell Him, and begins telling them what time it is according to God. 

Humanism

Jesus, after healing a man that the Father showed him to heal at the pool of Bethesda, slipped away discreetly because there was a large crowd of people there needing to be healed also (John 5:3,13). The Master, leading by example, demonstrates that we are not to respond to human need. If we base our ministry response on human need, we will fill our time with good things and projects that are not the perfect will of God. Many believers are currently trapped in this lifestyle. They are controlled by a humanistic way of thinking, and are responding to human need; instead of taking time to wait and see what the Lord would have them do. 

Some believers simply get tired of waiting for the Lord to show them what to do, and start doing something because “they need to.” Restlessness has filled much of the body of Christ. It’s difficult for believers to just rest in the Lord and “be” with Him. Believers should move in actionable ministry only when they have the command of the Lord to do so. Satan will use human need to pull believers out of the will of God, and he has been doing it for a long time. 

““I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NKJV)

Jesus does not say, “The follower who sees human need and responds to it, is the one who will bear fruit.” Instead He makes it clear on how fruit (character and ministry fruit) will come forth. Pride is to think that we have something to offer people, or that we can do good works for the Kingdom of God. Jesus couldn’t even do ministry works Himself (as an example to us). The Father who was in Him, did the works through Him (John 14:10-12). The works of ministry flowed from abiding in the Father. 

Self-abasement

“Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit,” (Colossians 2:18 AMPC)

We are in the times Paul describes in which men will be lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1-5). These people will have an appearance of godliness (religious), but they will project self-will onto you. They will tell you what you need to do in order to be religious or godly, but it’s nothing more than fleshly knowledge that comes from humanism. People infected with this devilish ideology will tell you that you need to abase yourself. Self-a basement means: humiliation of oneself, especially as a result of guilt, shame, or the like. 

There are believers who are preaching that some white people need to “have guilt” or “feel shame” for being white. Critical Race Theory has been brought to the forefront recently, and is being used to divide people in the United States. Here is the word of the Lord, “Let no one defraud you and disqualify you of your prize by insisting on self-abasement.” This is not of God, but of Satan. Only the Holy Spirit has the right to convict and bring forth humility in us. Believers who choose to turn within themselves and engage in this type of introspection, will find exactly what Satan wants to show them. Satan will drag this morbid self-evaluation out for as long as possible. There will never be enough confessing, repenting, or self-abasement. Then the trapped believer will attempt to ensnare others in this fleshly way of thinking. 

When the Holy Spirit convicts a believer of pride or any other sin, He does not drag it out in a endless cycle of shame, guilt, and repentance. Once a believer repents of a certain sin, the Holy Spirit gives life and restores. The blood of Jesus is enough. The believer can then move on with a cleansed heart into freedom. 

Self-abasement comes from the love of self that Paul said would be released in the last days. It can take on other forms, so stay close to the Holy Spirit. Don’t allow yourself to get swept up in humanistic self-condemnation that does not have any spiritual value. Pray for discernment. 

Unjust Judgment because of Boundaries 

If Jesus was operating in ministry on the earth today, He would probably be called a racist; as His ministry was only to the Jewish people (Matthew 15:24). With maybe a few exceptions, Jesus only ministered to the Jewish race. This type of ministry boundary in today’s society, would surely be met with cries of, “racist.” But yet Jesus was abiding in His sphere of authority in which the Father had commissioned Him for. 

We all have different callings and functions. Be careful in judging others, because you may not understand their calling. For example, I am called to believers who have given their selves to Jesus as His disciples. My calling is to help these people progress into becoming the bride and being overcomers. It’s a call to see people transformed into the image of Christ. I am not called to unbelievers or to various “helps” ministries. People could always judge me because of the things that I am not doing. However, I am doing my best to stay within the parameters that God has given me. You may not be able to properly discern or understand someone else’s calling, so do not judge. You cannot put your own ministry expectations on someone else.

Inner Circle

For three and a half years of ministry, Jesus had a close circle of trusted people that He gave access to Himself. Not everyone was allowed into this circle. The majority of people were not allowed to be with Jesus. This is just as much true today as it was then. Only those believers whose hearts are truly after Jesus, are allowed to come close to Him. Believers who are more focused on their earthly lives, religious activities, and their own good works; are kept at distance. 

The 12 apostles were invited to come and “be” with Jesus (Mark 3:14). Before there is “doing” there must be “being.” These men traveled with Jesus for almost three and a half years. A definite boundary was formed, for they were the only ones who got be with Jesus full-time. The crowds of people were not allowed to live with Jesus, only the 12. 

The 70 disciples were the next tier (Luke 10). Jesus taught and mentored this group, but they did not have the same access as the 12. The 70 were sent out for ministry purposes, but their level of intimacy with the Lord was not like the 12. 

Jesus also had good friends in which He would visit their house and have dinner (John 12:1-2). Jesus did eat with sinners and religious leaders, but it was different. While Jesus was eating with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha; He was enjoying their company as a friend. When He ate with others, it was in a ministry capacity (the sick need a doctor, and the blind need to see). 

Peter, James, and John got to go with Jesus on three recorded occasions, in which the other nine disciples did not. Why this intimate access to the Lord? The lord sees our hearts. He sees how much we want Him, and how often we think of Him. Do we take Him seriously, and believe His word for what it says? He looks at our integrity and character when we are alone. He then draws near to those who draw near to Him. 

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His….” (2 Chronicles 16:9 AMP)

Sonship

I first received a revelation of sonship when I was 26 years old. It changed me forever and created a firm foundation in the Lord. Before the encounter with the Lord, I was striving for significance, and very driven to achieve. But in February of 2009, everything changed with one power encounter. I understood who I was as a son of God, and I started to call God “Father.” I was delivered and empowered. I got set free from “doing” and began my journey of “being” with Him. 

The Father

The revelation of the Father heart of God is so powerful that many Christian “camps” choose to remain in that revelation and never move onward. To clarify, I am not saying we should ever set aside the revelation of how the Father loves us. This is beautiful, and in all honesty, can only truly be experienced by being before the Lord in His wonderful presence. That is how the love of Father seeps into one’s heart, and becomes transforming revelation. In that place, the Father’s love moves from theology into a spiritual reality. Preaching on this subject falls far short of the experienced reality before the Face of God. 

Some believers get stuck in the revelation of the Father’s love so that they cannot see God in any other capacity. I have seen believers who only want to hear about God’s love as a Father, and so they reject God as a righteous judge. Therefore they reject scriptures that reveal the Lord as a God of judgment and wrath. Their refusal to see the Lord for all of who He is, prevents them from journeying on with the Lord. Just as some believers who reject the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, refuse to go on with the Lord. An unhealthy obsession with only wanting to hear about God as a Father, blinds many believers from the full truth of who God is. 

The same can be true for believers who only want to know the Lord as the Savior, the Blesser, the Healer, or the Deliverer. Groups of Christians form around these individual truths about who God is. A true disciple takes in all of the truth of who God is, and seeks to walk in all of Him. There are groups of believers who only gather based on Jesus the Savior. All the messages are geared toward salvation. The same is true with healing. Some ministers and ministries only talk and preach on healing. The Lord is those things, but He is so much more. 

“Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” (Hebrews‬ ‭6:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

The revelation of the Father is necessary for proper spiritual development. It is foundational, but it is also elementary. Believers in the elementary school of the Spirit must have this spiritual milk, and abide in it. We don’t need to “leave behind” the revelation of the Father, but we continue in that relationship. However we should not stay in the elementary school of the Spirit. If we are going to be mature sons and daughters, we are going to have to let the Spirit bring us onward in the revelation of the Godhead.

Bridal

Sonship opens a door for bridal relationship with the Lord. The Holy Spirit taught me to wait on the Lord in silence until the presence of the Holy Spirit came. This took some time, but as I set myself apart to seek the Lord; His presence increased. I have felt such an intimacy with the Lord in that secret place of His presence. In that place, you receive a revelation of His love for you. You become connected to the Lord in which you feel “one in Spirit” with Him. It is such an incredible bridal intimacy that it can only be understood through revelation that is imparted by the experience. It’s the will of Jesus to release this revelation to all who will set themselves aside to seek His Face as the Bridegroom.  

Being a bride is much more than feeling His presence however. It is a commitment of faithfulness to the Bridegroom that is expressed throughout the duration of one’s life. Faithfulness means that the bride-to-be does not have any other lovers, other than the Bridegroom. This must be tested and proven.

Spiritual Father/Mothers and Sons/Daughters

Paul had a spiritual father relationship to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2). This relationship was of the Holy Spirit and it was pure. Some of what I discuss below can also be applied to other spiritual relationships that we can have with believers. 

Sons and daughters in the natural are in close relationship with their parents. A father and mother spend a lot of time with them, and the children have access to their parents space and time. The same should be true with children in the spiritual. 

Spiritual fathers and mothers must set boundaries and protect their own hearts. For example, a leader in relationship with a believer may start to view that believer as a spiritual son or daughter. A father may begin to open his heart to them as a spiritual child. However the son/daughter might not feel the same way. They may only view the leader as a teacher, mentor, or generalized friend. The spiritual father must be careful not to open his heart fully to the believer as a spiritual son or daughter. This has the potential to set the leader up for a broken heart. It’s in our nature to care for our own children in a deeper way (the spiritual as well).

True fathers must open their heart to their spiritual children, but only if the believers are ready for the spiritual relationship. Otherwise the father will end up getting spiritually damaged. The reverse scenario can obviously occur as well with a believer getting hurt by someone they want to be their spiritual father. Fathers and mothers desire to nurture and raise up spiritual children, but immature children who are not ready for the relationship can damage hearts. 

If spiritual children do not want a spiritual father then they should not be given the same access as a son or daughter in the natural. Spiritual children who do not want the relationship, but want special treatment are not in proper Kingdom alignment. A father should not allow someone close to him, whose heart is not open to him as a spiritual father. If a son/daughter’s heart is not open in that capacity, they are not ready to be a spiritual son or daughter. Obviously a leader should give believers time as spiritual family, but not at the same level as a father/son relationship. Jesus demonstrated this with the 12.

Real spiritual sons and daughters should get access to their spiritual father just as a son or daughter in the natural would. A spiritual father will make time to email, call, or spend time with a spiritual son or daughter (as he would his own natural son or daughter). This is because the spiritual son or daughter is apart of his family! Believers who only desire to relate to a leader on a lower level, such as a teacher, should not have the same access as son or daughter. This will protect the leader. 

The spiritual father needs to be with the Lord first and foremost. Next he must attend to his natural family. Then the father has a responsibility of being with his spiritual children. After that comes teaching the people that the Lord has given him responsibility for. These boundaries are important and healthy. If a leader places a priory of someone who he is only a “teacher” to, over someone who he is in closer relationship to; that leader is out of order. We must spend the majority of our time with those who we are in closest relationship with. Jesus modeled this for us. Jesus kept things in proper order, and did not open his heart fully to those He shouldn’t have. He is our example. 

We choose our relationships, and by doing so we set our own boundaries. The Kingdom of Heaven should be based upon close intimate relationships, but many choose to live at a distance for fear of being hurt. We must operate in true discernment as to not damage ourselves by getting involved in a relationship that is not of the Holy Spirit. However we must not stand at a distance from true Kingdom relationships for fear of getting hurt. We have to open our hearts to one another when the Holy Spirit breathes upon a certain relationship. 

The closer we are to God, the more of His heart He gives us. He will not give His whole heart to those who are not willing to walk with Him as a servant, a son, close friend, and bride. Whenever you give someone your heart that you are not in close relationship with, they can easly hurt and damage your heart. That is just as true for spiritual fathers as it is for sons and daughters. We are exposed when we open our hearts to people. This puts us at risk for rejection and hurt. However there is no other way to have the true relationships we see in scripture unless we become vulnerable. Discerning where people are at spiritually is the key. 

Father and son relationships should never be based on getting something from the other person, even spiritual things. Getting spiritual things may occur, but the purpose is for true kingdom relationship. I don’t want to be with the Lord for what He can do for me or give me. I want to be with Him because I enjoy being with Him for who He is.

Friendship with God

“You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.” (John 15:14-15 AMP)

Friendship with God is attained by being faithful to Him. It took the 12 disciples three and a half years to gain this honor. It does not happen quickly. Friendship is established when you consistently walk with the Lord over time. Journeying with the Lord is the key to friendship. This privilege is only granted to those “who have remained and have stood with Jesus in His trials;” (Luke 22:28)

The religious leaders accused Jesus of being a friend of sinners, but God never said He was (Luke 7:33-35). This is what Gos says:

“Whoever keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise son, but he who is a companion of gluttons and the carousing, self-indulgent, and extravagant shames his father. (Proverbs 28:7 AMPC)

Jesus did not shame His Father nor violate the scriptures. His friends do as He commands.

Ministry Partners

Paul and Silas worked well together. The Holy Spirit put them together, because their ministries and callings complimented one another. The Lord will certainly put apostles and prophets together in these last days to minister His Kingdom to believers. He will link individuals together by the Spirit, so that a prophetic/apostolic grace will be released and impact the church at a greater level. A force-multiplication in the Spirit will occur when teams of leaders work together and travel together. Each team members’ gifts and strengths being used by the Lord to form a perfectly rounded unit. A spiritual military unit that drives back demonic forces wherever it goes, and sets the captives free. The Lord is in the process of preparing people now for teams like this. He will pour out the “oil of unity” on them so that they will bond together with the same vision and message.

Bondservant

Children can know God as Father, but only a bondservant can know Him as Lord. Children can experience the Father’s love without being completely obedient to the will of the Lord. As natural Father’s love their children even when they are not obedient, the same is true with God. However, the Lord will only trust disciples or bondservants with power and authority, because of proven obedience. Yes, mature sons are those who have chosen the road of the bondservant. A son cannot become mature unless they have said yes to the discipleship call of the Lord. Sons learn obedience through the things they suffer. Sonship and discipleship must come together as a beautiful combination. 

Jesus Our Brother

“Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister” (Mark 3:31-35 NKJV)

Recently, the Holy Spirit started speaking to me about Jesus being our brother (John 20:7, Romans 8:29, Hebrews 2:11-12). I realized that I did understand this truth theologically, but that I did not know it by revelation (the truth made a reality in my heart and spirit). The Holy Spirit was giving me an invitation to go deeper into God and know Him in a different way. He will do this for our entire lives if we will allow Him. With the understanding of every way He chooses to reveal Himself comes a wider more complete picture of who He is. This is true spiritual sight. There are people who have spiritual visions and dreams, but do not see the Lord clearly. True spiritual vision is to see the Lord clearly. The Lord tells us not to be prideful about who we are or what we have; but rather to focus on the following:

“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV)

This scripture brings up another good point. It’s the Lord’s desire for us to know Him is these ways: love and kindness, righteousness, and judgment.

The Judge

Righteousness, by God’s standard, must reign or judgment will come. Very few believers seek to know the Lord as the Judge, and this grieves the Father’s heart. Children who only “want to sit in their Father’s lap” will not go on to maturity. The truth is, the Judge is just as beautiful as the Father or the Bridegroom. The judgment that is spoken of throughout the book of Revelation, is coming soon. Jesus actually initiates the judgment by breaking the seals on the scrolls (Revelation 5:2, 6:1). 

Many believers act like this is something that Jesus will do one day in the future (but only once). It’s as if it’s just a small exception to His personality. No brothers and sisters, this is who the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are. The Godhead has always been a righteous judge, and always will be. There are some believers who have bought into a false doctrine that states: the book of Revelation is metaphorical and only symbolic. What a doctrine of demons! I assure you that Satan wants believers to think that the book of Revelation is not coming to pass in the near future. This will facilitate his agenda, and the great falling away of the faith. 

Agreement Between Husband and Wife

Generally it is best for a husband and wife to be in agreement. This can be a safeguard against the enemy. If both spouses are abiding in the will of God, then this should be the case. I will point out some scriptures in the Bible, in which the Lord revealed His will to one spouse; and the decision was supported by the other spouse who didn’t hear the command of God. I only bring this up, because it helps to break our formulas of how we think God does things or should do things. 

When Jesus called Peter to come and be His disciple, Peter was at work without his wife. Jesus did not tell Peter, “I want you to quit working and give up your only source of income in order to be my disciple; but I want you to go home and discuss it with your wife first.” Jesus said, “Follow me.” Peter had to choose whether he was going to obey God and risk having an upset wife, or if he was going to put his wife ahead of the Lord. Peter may not have been one of the 12 if he had told Jesus, “Let me go and discuss our financial situation with my wife first.” One man who “almost” became one of Jesus’ disciples virtually said the same thing:

“He said to another, “Follow Me [accepting Me as Master and Teacher].” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”” (Luke 9:59 AMP)

The man’s response to Jesus revealed where his heart was at. God was not the man’s “everything.” Peter, on the other hand, did what the man could not do; because the Lord was first in His life. Jesus is greater than all else, and expects us to put Him first. With that said, I am sure that Peter’s wife was a godly woman and stood by her husband’s decision. But Peter did make the decision without his wife, and God was requiring Peter to make a decision that affected the family without his wife present. Now God does not always operate in this capacity, and I am not saying that husbands can make decisions apart from their wives. I am making the point that the Lord transcends our cultures, and our theologies of how we think He does things. We need to submit to what the Spirit is saying, and however He chooses to do something. 

The Lord operated this way with Moses as well. The Lord commanded Moses to go to Egypt and begin his public ministry by releasing the judgments of God on the Egyptian government. The Lord did not tell Moses to report to his home, and check with Zipporah to see if it was okay with her before he agreed to obey God. I understand that most of the time the Lord speaks to both born-again spouses when He desires to release life changing assignments. But He is God, and He can do as He pleases. We just need to remember that. If the Lord commands us to do something, there is only one acceptable response. 

Body Of Christ

Christ is the Head of the body, and this is where the focus of the Lord has shifted for this next season. The Lord wants us to become, by His grace, the body of Christ. He desires us to grow together and into Him. This should be a focal point of prayer and meditation for this next season.

“And not holding fast to the Head, from Whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by means of its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Colossians 2:19 AMPC)

“Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16 AMPC)

I have to note that various sins and sexual immorality contaminates a body part (individual), and thus stops the body of Christ from growing into the Head and into maturity (1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 1 Corinthians 6:15-20). So the sin of individuals in different gatherings, causes the body of Christ from fully developing (maybe even developing at all). The Lord will be addressing this in His church in the days ahead, because He desires His body to come to fullness. It is time for that to happen, and He will be moving in His love to accomplish this. 

The High Calling of Close Relationship

The scriptures demonstrate the eternal will of God for us. That will is for us to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, and be transfigured into His very image. We are to make ourselves ready and become the bride. And we have the high call of allowing Jesus Christ to live through us to such a degree, that He overcomes the world through us. Then He will call us overcomers for something He actually did in us and through us. 

All of these things are conditional. A believer can know Jesus as Savior and go to Heaven, but none of these things mentioned in the above paragraph will be realized by that believer. The only way that we will attain to the high calling is to focus on our relationship with the Lord. We should not make becoming the bride or being an overcomer our focus, although those are good things. Our focus must be to know all aspects of the Lord and to walk with Him, and for Him to represent Himself through us. If this is our primary pursuit, then we will be awarded with the attainment of the high calling. 

Use your time on this earth to come before the Lord, and discover as much as possible about Him. Not in a knowledge based way, but in a personal friendship way that transcends head knowledge. The invitation is open to His people for Him to come into hearts that we might have intimate communion with Him:

“Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 AMP)

Listen for the knock. 

-Ty Unruh (2021)