The marriage covenant with Joseph could not be consummated for more than nine months after their wedding.
They would have to face being ostracized by the synagogue and by relatives who did not understand and would not accept the truth.
Walking out authentic discipleship, living a holy life as a son or daughter who carries God where ever you go and in every conversation will require loving choices that many will not understand and may bring ridicule and even rejection.
God wants you to make a commitment to keep your body exclusively for Him until He brings that man or that woman with whom you will make the covenant of marriage, and then not until the wedding night when the covenant has been made.
God wants you to have eyes only for your covenant partner, and that will limit the magazines you read, the websites you visit, the movies you watch and the music selection to which you listen.
Relatives, best friends and coworkers will not understand the change in your behavior.
Your boyfriend, girlfriend or fiance may not accept the change.
You will suffer ridicule and maybe even rejection.
There is no turning back, no quit, just because it gets rough and difficult.
This is where you learn to find joy in suffering for Christ’s sake.
Do not fear, child of God. Strengthen your faith in the One who chose you. You can live this out by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within you.
You have found favor with God.
You have been chosen to be His son or His daughter.
He has redeemed you and adopted you into His family.
He lives in you and has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places.
It is the best way to live. {eoa}
Dr. F. Dean Hackett has served in full-time Christian ministry since October 1971. He has ministered throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, serving as pastor, conference speaker and mentor. He has planted four churches, assisted in planting 15 others, and currently serves as lead pastor of Living Faith Church in Hermiston, Oregon. Dr. Hackett founded Spirit Life Ministries International in 2001 to facilitate ministries in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina and to open a training center for workers in those nations. You can find him at F. Dean Hackett – Foundational, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
