When We Take Our Eyes Off God

It was hard to listen to one of my dear friends’ frustration this week. For nearly 30 minutes, she complained that her significant other of two-years will never take responsibility for his mistakes. They’ve had many conversations on wanting to move their relationship to the next level, which is marriage, but they have two huge problems. The first is their lack of trust and the second is their inability to communicate with each other about difficult issues. Both are huge barriers that keep popping up and prevents them from moving forward in their relationship.

2 Peter 1:3 (NIV) says “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” The knowledge of God’s Word gives us all the instruction and guidance we need; it covers everything that pertains to living a Godly life. All problems can be resolved through the wisdom of God’s Word, and He has certainly instructed us how to treat one another in a relationship. Whether you’ve been in each other’s lives for six-months or sixteen years, there are disciplines expressed through God’s love that will build a solid foundation for any relationship. One of these disciplines is that both individuals must be vulnerable to one another and be accountable for their actions. This is necessary for the success of their union.   

When two people first meet, they should want to bring their very best to the table. They should be the best representation of themselves. As the relationship develops, this shouldn’t diminish but increase. Often, the exact opposite occurs. After the courtship has lasted a few months, folks become too comfortable, and they stop valuing each other as they once did. They allow those very best qualities they exhibited in the beginning to take a backseat. 

Colossians 1:11(NLT) contains a discipline that should be in our continual prayer lives. It says, “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.” Life in general requires us to be spiritually strengthened through God’s power, and marriage will most definitely require it. Endurance and patience are fruits of the Spirit. God commands us to produce the Spirit’s fruit so we can handle any situation. If we obey His command, we will increase in faith and remain poised to minister to our spouses. Through endurance and patience, we will love and operate out of God’s grace. Yes, there are going to be things about the significant person in our lives that we won’t exactly be pleased with, but the love of God in our hearts will help us navigate this in a way the preserves the unity of the relationship. 

We can’t take our eyes off God’s standards or principles. Doing so would allow the enemy an opportunity for his evil attacks. Romans 5:2-5 tells us that our goal must be for God to receive the glory in every situation. This is the hope we can rejoice in. And not only this, we can rejoice when we go through tough times, because they produce patience and endurance in us, and these build character. They build character because we begin to recognize that through tribulations and troubles, God’s strength and power works best. When we look to Him and lean on His love, His Spirit will give us what we need to endure the difficult times in a relationship. 

Many of us look to the significant person to be the hope, but our hope must be in God who works in every person that loves Him.  It is a hope that will never disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that indwells us. So, making the decision to trust God and lean on His strength activates the best in us, and it will keep us walking in this grace if we choose love every time. 

We can become so engrossed in the demands of a relationship that we lose sight of the reality that our purpose is to be a blessing, not to lose ourselves in the person. When we start constantly blaming them and not looking at ourselves, we lose an opportunity to see God at work within. Doubt then comes into play, because we’ve taken our eyes off God. 2 Timothy 2:5(NLT) tells us, “And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.” In significant relationships, we must learn how to submit ourselves to one another in humility and always keep our focus on loving with a heart full of the love of Christ. If we truly want the prize of a loving and faithful relationship, we must follow God’s Word, patiently endure, and let His Spirit take the lead in every aspect of our union.■

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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.

“When We Take Our Eyes Off God”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.