UNEQUALLY YOKED

Equally Yoked or Unequally Yoked?  

When I met my ex-husband, I was only 21 years old and had a much different relationship with the Lord than I do now.  After 5 years of dating, I found myself married to a man who was a fan of God but not a follower of God, the same place I was in my journey several years ago.  I moved to Washington to be with my ex, I began to pursue my relationship with the Lord, especially when I was alone during deployments.  When he was back home, we would go to church on occasion, but it was very few and far in between.  I am pretty sure he believed in the Lord, but he wasn't actively praying and seeking God's will.  It really was when he was gone that my relationship with the Lord really began to flourish.  I believe with all of my heart that the amount of time we spent apart (3 deployments), Satan's temptations, and his lack of faith played a large part in the decision he made to have an affair and ultimately divorce.  I said repeatedly that divorce was not an option for me and our marriage, but the fact that he was even considering divorce as an option was evidence that we were UNEQUALLY YOKED. 

Do not be equally yoked with unbelievers.  For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial?  Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

2 Corinthians 6:14-15

If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold onto him.  The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:13-14

If the unbelieving spouse walks out, you've got to let him or her go.  You don't have to hold on desperately.  God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can.  You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God.
1 Corinthians 7:15-16

 



When you are unequally yoked, the value system can't the same between the husband and wife.  Does this mean the marriage is no longer serving it's purpose?  What if marriage is not even about the two individuals and it's more about GLORIFYING THE LORD?  The closer to God the married couple gets, the closer their relationship is.  Marriage is a GIFT from the Lord, and our gift to him in return is a quality marriage focused solely on the Him.  Without God, marriage would be easy to just throw away when the "next best thing" comes along, because a two people are trying to make something that God created not centered on him, but what happens when God is the rock?  What happens when the temptation comes?  It will come, Satan is prowling.  He's waiting to steal, kill, and destroy any and everything God has created.  Marriage is not an exception!  As a matter of fact, Satan loves to destroy marriages with temptation and lust. 

We must guard our hearts and marriages!  Satan will do everything to tear it apart what was designed by the Lord, be prepared.  Put on the armor of God and defend the marriage.  The persistence of Satan and his desire to destroy is the exact reason that a husband and wife NEED TO BE equally yoked.  The man/woman you are with should lead you closer to God, not distract you from God.  The book Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas is an excellent read about the real purpose of marriage and glorifying God through our covenant. 

"The REAL purpose of marriage may not be happiness as much as it is HOLINESS"

~Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage