Matthew 7:24 - KJV "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon
a rock:"
1 Corinthians 3:11 - KJV "For other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 2:20 - KJV "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"
Is your foundation sexual, or spiritual? After many years in the ministry,
having counseled with hundreds of couples, I can tell you that the number
one problem between a husband and wife is the foundation upon which they
built their relationship on. In 95% of the cases, they didn't hesitate to
get involved sexually, almost always prior to marriage, but rarely if ever
prayed together! It is amazing to me that two people have no problem
jumping into the most intimate acts there are with another person, yet are
reluctant to pray together. If you never hear another word I ever tell you,
hear this word today. IF YOU BUILD A RELATIONSHIP ON A FOUNDATION
OF ANYTHING BUT JESUS CHRIST, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE THE STORMS OF LIFE DESTROY THAT RELATIONSHIP.
I get thousands and thousands of emails each day from people age 13 through
70, that are dealing with problems in their relationship with a boyfriend,
girlfriend, husband, or wife. Let me tell you a couple of things up front.
First, having sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage is a sin.
Period. This is not debatable. There are no exceptions. It is sin.
Second, one reason God warns us NOT to be unequally yoked, not to be married
with a non-believer is simply because you can never build a spiritual base
with someone who does not share your faith. On this subject, let me share
with you that the warnings in the Bible like this one are God's stop signs.
Ignoring this and the other warnings are no different than driving right
through a stop sign. yes, you may do it once, twice, and nothing happens.
By God's grace there were no cars coming. but trust me, keep running God's
stop signs and you will eventually have a major spiritual wreck. That is a
guarantee. So think about that when you decide to listen to, or ignore what
God says in His Word. Third, If you do not build a spiritual foundation to your
relationship first, you have ZERO chance at making it through the storms of
life that WILL come.
I want to address those who are not married but dating. I am very much
against young adults dating until after high school. I realize that may
sound very old fashioned, but trust me, I have seen the destruction to young
lives who get caught up in the world of romance in their teen years. I DEAL
EACH WEEK WITH OVER 10,000 YOUNG ADULTS WHO HAVE MADE
INCREDIBLE MISTAKES, MANY LIFE-CHANGING, BY GETTING
INVOLVED IN DATING TOO EARLY. I KNOW THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS,
BUT THE FACT IS, WHEN YOU ARE DATING IT IS TAKING YOUR
ATTENTION OFF OF OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU NEED
TO WORK ON. SCHOOL, YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, YOUR WALK WITH
GOD...SOMETHING SUFFERS. YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL TO START THIS ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE, AND
HAVE A MUCH STRONGER FOUNDATION TO WORK FROM.
The reason it doesn't work is the topic of today's Devotional. You build
your relationship on looks, on popularity, on peer pressure, on sex, on a
thousand of things OTHER than God. You have to understand, your Christian
faith is part of every aspect of your life. You can't separate it from any
aspect of your life. At least after High School you are more mature, better
equipped emotionally to handle dating. But even young adults in their 20's
and 30's, those in their 40's 50's, 60's and 70's make the exact same
mistake. They build their relationships on sex in most cases, as well as
many other things instead of the Lord. The result is out of wedlock
children, heartache, sorrow, bitterness, loneliness, insecurity, financial
problems, and countless other issues that dominate and practically destroy their
lives. The fact is, if you do it GOD'S WAY...it work. If you ignore GOD'S WAY...it
never
works.
I love you and care about you so much. Let me give you some advice. For
those who are married, it is never too late to go back and rebuild the
foundation of your relationship on the Lord Jesus Christ. It requires
praying together, reading the Word together, finding ways to serve God
together, making your faith that you share the center of your lives. It is
first above all else. For those who are not married. ***If you can not
build a spiritual relationship with the person you are with, I promise you that
you are NOT in God's will in that situation. If you can not make the Lord
the center of your lives together, and share that together, you need to do
some serious praying about who it is God wants you to be with.
A special note to those young adults still in junior or senior high school.
You have so much going on in your life, and your are starting to develop
physically and emotionally. You are not using good sense when you get involved
in
dating. It literally takes over your life and you lose all focus on
everything else. Pray seriously about if that is what is best for you at this
time. However,
if you do feel led to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, having a spiritual foundation
as the center of your relationship is a must.
I will be praying for you today. I know these have been difficult words for
many of you to hear. If you are married, you have made that commitment and
God wants you to honor your vows. If you have a spouse who is not receptive
to having a spiritual foundation, pray for them. Only God can change their
heart, but He is able!!! If you are not married, please, heed this warning.
Don't get into a situation that you will regret later by ignoring what I
have shared with you today. Again, young adults, think and pray. God loves
you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Only you can mess that up. The
Bible is our instruction manual. Life is complicated. It has many parts to
it. If we follow the manual, life works so beautiful. If we ignore the
manual and try to build life our way, trust me, we will fall short of what
God intended and never know the full joy, peace, abundance, and blessings
that there is to enjoy during this wonderful journey we call life.
Take a few minutes right now to pray, and ask God what foundation your
relationship is built on. It is NO ACCIDENT you are reading this today. As a
matter of
fact, this message needs to get to everyone you know. Send it to your
family members and friends. Get it to those you know at work and school.
Post it at your church. I will be praying that all who read these words
will work to build their relationships on the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller