Turning Divorce into a Blessing

There are many things God hates. “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” (Proverbs 16:16-19)

God also hates divorce since marriage is sacred and binding. “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce.” (Malachi 16:2)

Throughout the 90’s in the United-States, there was one divorce for every two marriages. This troubling statistic is at the root of this week’s message, a biblically inspired answer to the question: What does the bible say about divorce? This message also features faith driven options for those who have divorced and are living in God’s light.

In the the bible, Jesus teaches divorce is only acceptable to God when sexual immorality is concerned. “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:3-9)

Again in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus speaks about divorce. “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:32-33)

In a letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes:

Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-14)

The biblical conclusion to divorce is a simple, precise guideline. Since I do not believe in gray areas when the word of God is concerned I offer my sympathy and prayer to those who rebuked the Lord’s will and divorced for any reason other than sexual immorality.

What does this mean for Christians that have divorced against God’s commands? It means they have gravely sinned and disobeyed the Lord. The first step in divorce recovery involves repentance. Trusting that God forgives all sins, divorcees are sinners that must answer the Lord’s call to fulfill their mission in spite of their marital mistake. If you are divorced and curious as to your future among God’s family, you need to talk to us or your local church and find out how to turn your mistake into an offering pleasing to God.

One great example of ministry work resulting from divorce involves Rick, a fellow Calvary Chapel member. Richard separated from his wife in 1995 after evil got the best of Rick’s love for his wife Debra. Hiding behind substantial financial losses and drug addiction, the enemy succeeded at distracting both Rick and Debra from their faith in Jesus Christ. Within 6 months of giving birth to their second child, a 5 year marriage involving two children was lost.

Going against God’s will, both Rick and Debra went their separate ways. Raising both their daughters among unstable homes proved to be tremendously challenging however, through repentance and the Lord’s blessings, Rick and Debra were able to turn is disastrous marriage into a ministry.

Speaking about the impact of divorce to various groups including young couples and spouses partaking in marriage counseling, Rick and Debra passionately share their testimony with all those willing to listen and learn from their marital and parenting mistake. Rick’s catch phrases include the saying “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” while Debra’s speech features a more emotionally packed monologue which involve her two daughters and their struggle growing up among a dysfunctional family.

Are you happily married? If so, pray that God continues to bless your marriage. Also pray for those that are facing challenges around you. Finally I invite you to get involved at your church and help those who are under attack by evil.

Are you unhappy in your marriage? If you answered yes or hesitated, help is available. Marital issues are not to be ignored. When it comes to marriage, procrastinating is not only destructive, it leads to grave failure and immeasurable consequences. If you feel you need help or guidance to strengthen your marriage, I invite you to call on this ministry or your local church at once. Let us pray!

Father God;
We thank you for all that have blessed us with and for your love
We ask that you keep us from evil and continue watching over us,
May you inspire us to keep walking in Jesus’ footsteps
And to live righteous lives enriching those around us.

Lord we pray you will shine your light bright
Upon those who are blessed through marriage,
And those who have divorced against your will
Rebuking your commands and your word.

God we ask that you forgive our sins
And cleanse us of evil like only you can
So that we may rejoice in your ever loving grace.

Thank you all mighty God for all that you’ve given us!

Praise God,
Amen!

This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
Email: DanielStPierre@ThriveThroughChrist.com

Posted in Bible Studies.

Daniel St.Pierre