For most of us, when we think about a testimony, the court system comes to mind. The judge, lawyers, witnesses, and a defendant are all part of this scene. And let’s not forget the accuser, because the outcome will rest on whether the accuser has a valid case. In the legal sense, a testimony is a written or spoken declaration made by the witness that is under interrogation. In the spiritual realm, a testimony is the truth of a believer’s personal encounter with the power and love of Jesus Christ. The spiritual realm that is governed by Christ is more real than anything in the earth, because everything in the earth is temporary; it’s corroding and decaying. All we need to do is look around to see this. But the spiritual realm is where the real action takes place, and this is why our testimony of faith regarding marriage has an incredible and lasting impact.
Our testimony takes root in the strength of our faith, and our faith is how we respond to the goodness of God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that we can’t please Him without faith, and 2Corinthians 5:7 tells us that one of the defining characteristics of God’s children is that we walk by faith and not by sight. This means that we don’t allow our beliefs about God’s love and power to be determined by the conditions and circumstances that our physical eyes see. In other words, we’re not swayed by how things look. We keep trusting and believing God based on the truth of what He’s told us in His Word. So, it stands to reason that our faith must be based on the promises Heavenly Father has made in the scriptures, and in order to know what those promises are, we have to read and study them in God’s Word.
One of God’s promises is in 2Corinithans 9:8. He tells us that He is our sufficiency; He is our Source, and this is something we can never get twisted. We can’t lean on our money, our jobs, relationships, or family members to be our source, for they can never be. Our sufficiency is of God, and if we look to any other thing or person to be our Source, we are worshipping idols. That’s a big no-no!
Marriage is God’s institution. He created it and gave it to us as part of His provision for a fulfilling and meaningful existence. We’ve tried to put our spin on this institution with all kinds of things, but this is a futile exercise. God has established marriage as one of the most important events of a person’s life. He created it to be a ministry, and this ministry fundamentally supports the life of someone God has ordained to be significant in our lives. This person is a part of our destiny in the Plan and Will of God. The boyfriend-girlfriend thing doesn’t fit the model unless the significant person meets the criteria of what God has planned for us.
In Mark 10:6-9(NASB), our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ tells us God’s standard for a couple. He said, “6 But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, 8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” This passage should be very familiar, because part of it is actually in what most of us know as the marriage or wedding vows. Mark 10:6-9 is the way God has set things up, and our acknowledgement and commitment to His setup determines two extremely vital details. The first is our ability to identify the right person that God will present to us, and the second is the success and longevity of the union once the commitment is made. When we release the steering wheel to Jesus Christ and surrender our desire for marital partnership according to the will and plan of God, Heavenly Father will release the strategy and the preparation for these two things. We will know the right person and have complete confidence about it, and we will have gained the faith and spiritual maturity for a lasting union.
Our usual get-down is to make a choice and then ask God to bless it. We make choices and decisions based on our own agendas, and our own agendas typically only consider what is based for us. God’s agenda is what is best for everyone. He receives the glory when His Will goes forth, so we can’t squeeze a testimony out of a situation that He hasn’t ordained. That’s not going to work. It is available for you to let Jesus Christ lead you in every aspect of your marital union; from meeting the person, discerning they’re the one for you, getting to know them better, and walking with them through life. Not only is this available, it is exactly what the Lord wants.
There are a whole bunch of folks that never invite the Lord into their desires for marriage. They don’t see that it’s incredibly important, and because of this, they are ultimately overwhelmed or devastated by the complexities of marriage and relationships. The most damaging thing you can do to yourself is to become emotionally invested in a person that doesn’t have the capacity to match your level of commitment and ability to love. This causes you to lose time, momentum, and stamina. Momentum and stamina can be regained, but time is lost forever. Know that God’s way will forever and always be the best way. Trust Him with your desire for marriage, so that when it’s time for you to give a testimony of your faith, the evidence of the power and love of God will be the spouse that is standing right next to you.■
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“What’s Your Testimony?” written for Crazynlove.com ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!