LETTER TO A SISTER IN DANGER
Are you lonely, hoping to be married, and looking for a good, faithful husband and companion? There are two people who want to provide you with a man.
The first one is called in Ephesians 2:2 the “prince of the power of the air.” He has a large family and they are called “the sons of disobedience.” They have not obeyed the gospel (see 1 Peter 4:17), and the Apostle John calls them “children of the devil” (1 John 3:10). A daughter of God who marries one of these will have the devil for a father-in-law, and it will be impossible to keep him out of the home. But the devil is astute, and he and his can disguise themselves as angels of light or ministers of righteousness, in order to deceive a believing woman and set a trap for her. More than a few have professed to be believers in order to marry a believer that they capriciously “fell in love” with. They will say they believe, pray a prayer, get baptized, go to church meetings, join a church, and do nearly whatever is asked of them in order to be accepted, “get in the circle” and marry the person they desire. They may even deceive themselves, thinking that they have been converted and are Christians, when it is not true, and in some cases is only a drama directed by carnal desires and by the mind of the prince of the power of the air, the master deceiver.
Some of the sons of this prince of darkness are good looking, friendly, decent and educated, but there is no light in their hearts. Their minds are darkened (unenlightened), and they have been taken captive by the devil at his will. When a woman who professes the name of the Lord rebels against His Word, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14), she converts herself into a daughter of disobedience and brings doubt on herself as to whether or not she is really saved. Love is blind, and Satan uses many devices to trap a woman in a commitment. He is like the spider that ties up a fly in its web.
The other who would provide you with a spouse is called the Prince of life and peace. From the moment that you believe on Him as Lord and Savior, He carries your name on His heart. His eyes watch over you day and night. He is the fountain of blessing and happiness. He has a large family and is taking “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2: 10). He is infinitely loving and wise, has never been mistaken or ruined the life of anyone who trusted in Him, and is worthy of our complete confidence.
He knows whether you should enter into such a relationship and marry or not, and He knows when and with whom you should do so. If you are to be married, and that is the case with the majority of people, then the Lord knows better than anyone else who you should marry. But you must be careful, not with the Lord, but with some of those in His household who want to do His work for Him. They are prepared to match-make couples, and think they are doing a service, but their knowledge is not infinite, nor is their wisdom, and as human beings they can easily be mistaken. For this reason our advice is to wait on the Lord, because He knows best. If it is His divine will that you marry, He and no one else has the ideal husband for you, and wants you to have a home where He will be honored, not tolerated. He is delighted when His children obey Him, and says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). But He is pained when His children turn their backs on His Word and obey other voices of humans who operate in a sphere that doesn’t pertain to them, or to the voice of their passions, or to the voice of Satan or his sweet-talking sons. Any of these voices can take a believer out of the will of God which is good, perfect and acceptable like none other (Rom. 12:1-2). This is how our first mother, Eve, made a terrible mistake, and had to support punishment of pain and tears, that is to say, she had to live with the consequences of her error and sin. If you heed such voices or your own impulses, the devil won’t be bothered, but you certainly will for years to come.
I lovingly advise you to stop and ask for the “the good way” (Jeremiah 6:16). “Walk in it”, God said by the prophet, “and you will find rest for your soul.” Don’t rebel like those who, when He spoke thus to them, replied, “we will not walk therein.” Talk to the Lord in prayer right now. Ask Him to forgive your rebelliousness against the Word of God, and ask for His counsel, with the Bible open. Ask for strength to avoid disaster in your life, and may the Lord guide and bless you.
Note: This letter is equally valid for a brother in Christ who seeks a wife.
Translated and adapted from an article in the magazine “Nuestra Santificación” (“Our Santification”), a compilation of the writings of S. J. Saword (1894-1988), published in Venezuela, 1999. Taken from: CONGREGADOS EN MI NOMBRE (“Gathered in My Name”), 2003, Nº. 1
