So much has been going on the past couple weeks, so let me catch you up. š
A LOT of people are asking how the new place is going! You guys are so sweet to have such concern for me. Itās so amazing to see. ā¤ļø I answered that question below!
Itās been a pretty wild ride the last couple weeks! Four men have wanted to redeem me to be with me, which I was not expecting.
One was my ex-husband. š¬ He offered me a place to stay (rent-free) and said I could have the kids back and we could have a good life. Heās a āchanged manā, he said, which Iāve heard a billion and one times.
I, of course, did not even respond, nor will I. I exiled the kids due to their abuse to me. Neither one of them have made restitutions with me, nor have they said theyāre sorry, and they have not changed, that I know of. There would be no reason to be in their life at this point and there certainly is never a reason for me to ever be in my ex-husbandās life again.Ā
The second person publicly promised to redeem me, only to follow that up with making out with another girl to the point of sex (they had clothes on so it was not technically sex, but they both were on top of each other and having sex to the full extent of sex, but with clothes on.) Obviously, he is not the right one for me as this is deplorable behavior for any Christian man. Iām not willing to consider him as a future husband.
The third is married and wanted me to wait for him while he leaves his wife and gets a divorce so he can be with me. This is also not something Iām willing to consider, which Iām sure you can understand (Exodus 20:17).Ā
The fourth is actually someone I really like. Heās a really godly man, seeks the Lord in all things, and Iāve known him well over 10 years now (off and on talking). He lives in the LA area (he graduated from the Masterās Seminary, super knowledgeable on Scripture).
He told me that heās read every single blog post Iāve ever created! š®š®š® WOW! The boy has DEFINITELY done his research and I know him to always make well-educated, incredibly godly decisions.
He wants to get engaged and for me to move over there. I JUUUUUST moved to the Albany area and feel like God led me specifically to Albany, so Iām in lots of prayer about what to do!
- What is Godās will?
- What does God want me to do?
- What does God want both of us to do?
I would love prayer in that regard for God to show us both what He wills to happen and for us to continue to line our hearts and desires up to obeying it, whatever He asks. If God wants me to move to LA, I surely will. I will do anything God asks, but itās something we both should be sure of, especially because itās such a major decision. Iāve been completely honest with him and told him that I just donāt see God moving me to Albany and then moving me off to LA, but I am completely open to Godās will, whatever it shall be!
If God wants this relationship to happen, to start, He will work everything out (and I hope He does). š
Questions and Answers ā Session 4
Lots of great questions and Iām happy to answer each and every one of them! š„°
1) You mention here (in #4) how God was training the Israelites to be a community. Can you go into that more of how?
Absolutely. Yes, I said, āWe were created to be a community. In fact, when the Israelites were NOT acting like a community, God led them in the wilderness to start working together as a community. Their first testing/trial was at Marah. The well water was bitter, not drinkable. Shortly after was another test having to do with water. They were constantly trained to become a community and to think and care about others.ā
It starts with God saving the Israelites out of Egypt with all the plagues. God parts the Red Sea, they have seen so many miraculous things at this point. Theyāve SEEN, first hand, His POWER and strength and have no reason to doubt.
Yet when they get to the Promised Land right away, they send scouts and some of the scouts make the Israelites afraid to take over the land, stating that the people are giants (Numbers 13:32-33). Joshua and Caleb want to take the land God promised them, but the others didnāt and they were split. The Israelites as a whole decided NOT to obey God.Ā
So, God led them into the wilderness for 40 years because of their sin. The sin was pretty major (rebels will be purged, exiled ā Ezekiel 20:38), everyone died, even Moses. Moses got to see the Promised Land from a distance, but he never actually got to enter it. The only ones who didnāt die and got to go into the Promised Land after the 40 years of punishment were Joshua and Caleb, who originally wanted to go in and overtake it in the first place.Ā
Itās during that 40 year stretch of history that God is teaching the Israelites to become a community and to grow them in their faith.
There were many trials that taught them how to be a community. The first was the trial of Marah. They came to the well and the water was not good. It was bitter. They say they named the place Marah, which means bitter, because of the water, but I also suspect itās because the hearts of the people were bitter also. They complained and cried out to God in their sin, a lack of faith for God to provide. Exodus 15:22-24.Ā
Moses ended up throwing the stick in the water and the water became fresh and they were able to drink (Exodus 15:25).
The second testing was also a well. There were around a million Israelites, so imagine coming upon a well and you have to give water to all the people, their animals, etc. Is there going to be enough water to go around? How do you decide who goes first? Who goes last? Do you send the aged first? Do you have women drink first? Children? How do you decide?Ā
It was a testing of acting like a community, working together in order to meet the needs of the massive amount of people.
Another testing comes to mind is in Exodus 17:8-16, when the Israelites were complaining and God allowed some (the groups of people falling behind toward the rear) to get caught by the Amalekites. The Israelites started to war against the Amalekites to save their people (working as a community), but they couldnāt do it by themselves.Ā
God had Moses raise the staff and when it was raised over his head, in that fight, the Isrelites were winning. But Moses (being an aged man at that point), his arms got tired and when he lowered them, the Israelites started LOSING the battle.Ā
So, Aaron and Hur came along (working as a community) to hold UP Mosesā arms until the battle was won. So not only did they need Moses, but also others within the community, all working as a team, to win the battle.Ā
After that, you almost wonder to yourself, if they moved up that weaker tribe to the middle of the group to protect them more, instead of letting them trail at the back. Itās about working as a team for the glory of God.
Even when they GOT TO the Promised Land, it was STILL all about community. Each piece of land is in long rows on the side of the hills (think: a very wide set of stairs). So, you have one row at the top and letās say they donāt work their land or keep it up with rocks and keeping it stable, then when a heavy rain comes, it will wash their row AND the rows below them.
So you have landowners coming from rows of land below you who are helping you stabilize YOUR row because it affects THEM. One person not doing their job, can affect 5-10 other rows of land.Ā
You also have where some rows had olives and others figs, pomegranates, grapes, etc. and they had to trade. Not every row, had EVERY type of food, so there was trading going on and a working together to accomplish food and stabilizing the land.
It was always about leading and growing them into a community, working together instead of being selfish and thinking only of themselves and their own family.
2) How do you like your new place?
SOOOO many people are asking me how I like the new place. You all are SO sweet to think of me! š„°
I am absolutely LOVING (!!!!) the new place so far. Itās so warm, I have a fridge and a washer/dryer. All my stuff is fitting nicely. Things that Iāve been without (makeup) that were packed in the car, Iāve been able to unpack and get to.Ā
Iāve been resting this week, catching up on sleep, taking it easy, getting into a new routine, and enjoying the new place. Itās been an exhausting ride and I think Iāll just take a month to really reset, rest, drink Living Water as always and just be chill. š Itās so important that we all balance things. Balancing working hard with resting. So Iām working on blog posts (such as this one) š„° and resting. Sleeping in, just hanging out. Taking a little time before I start a new church and get involved and ready to go flying!Ā
With all Iāve been through, I definitely need a little time to rest and Iām so thankful that God is giving it to me. He knows our needs. He cares. He is so good to me and Iām so incredibly blessed to be where Iām at now. Heās been so good to me along the way in everything.Ā
For Christmas, the homeless shelter adopted me for Christmas presents. I thought the gifts wouldnāt be anything I needed, but wow, they did a fantastic job. They bought me a brand new large pots/pan set, a ton of supplies (paper towels, dish soap, toilet paper, scrubbers, etc.). All things that I really need and will save me a ton of money. On top of that, they gave me $75 in groceries gift cards. They really gave SOO very much. It was a massively huge blessing.Ā
Now I donāt have to worry about running out and paying for a bunch of supplies (I can rest) and itās been such a relief and a burden off my back. So God is leading, guiding, helping along the way and itās really amazing to watch His hand. I love Him so much and my thankfulness for Him (and the people Heās using to help me) has increased along the way, so itās a good thing! š So very thankful!! ā¤ļø
3) In this post (#8), you mention how God shepherds His people and how effective ministry leaders are to shepherd the people also. Can you go into more detail of that idea? What is shepherding the people? How do we shepherd others? How does God do it with us? What are some examples?
Absolutely! So, the first thing we want to understand is that sheep are dumb. They are some of the dumbest animals ever created. They need a leader because without one, they often get themselves in trouble.Ā
They wander off from the herd, looking for water, etc. and they just donāt have those skills to be able to find it. They basically have to be shown what to do, where to go.
In fact, do you know how they slaughter sheep?
They have a bunch of males in a line in a pen and a female sheep comes out and leads one male sheep at a time up the line and into a room. The female sheep is taught to lead the male sheep into that room and leave him in the room. Once sheās out of the room, they slaughter the male sheep. The female sheep goes around and gets another male sheep, leads him into the slaughter room, leaves, and does this over and over until all sheep are slaughtered.Ā
Itās a great picture of a harlot, donāt you think? Itās why men knowing Proverbs 31 inside and out is SOOOO vitally important. There are SO many, even subtle harlots, in the world. I saw a subtle one destroy a man this week as Iām writing this. He fell for it, his flesh was weak, and she got him. SOOO many stories of women doing that to men and ruining menās lives because of it.Ā
So when we talk about sheep, we need to know that they are not the brightest animal and we need to be studying out Scripture how it was written and not plugging their words into OUR culture and context, but plugging their words into THEIR culture and context in order to understand it properly.
God is saying, āLook, you need to be led. Youāre constantly doing dumb stuff and without a GOOD shepherd (not a bad shepherd: Ezekiel 34:1-10), you WILL die.ā
Sheep get rocks stuck in their hooves and canāt walk. Therefore, canāt eat, so they die. They canāt outrun their predators (think: wolves).Ā
God has to lead us, He has to keep us safe, He has to be good (not like the subtle harlot who brings men to their deaths), and we have to listen to our Master. We canāt navigate this world without Him. šÆ We canāt find food or do anything. We NEED Him.Ā
And yet so many people think they can do ālifeā on their own and end up in bad situations with bad problems. We have to constantly, daily, minute by minute look to our Heavenly Father to lead and guide us down the right path, fleeing the temptation of wanting to do things our own way, which started in the Garden of Eden.
In Genesis 3:6, Eve ate the apple and then gave some to her husband. Like a fool, Adam ate too. It wasnāt just Eve being foolish, Adam was too. He should have said no! Just because our spouse sins, does NOT mean we have to also!!
When we turn our back on God when He doesnāt do what WE want Him to do, or we go off in our own way in rebellion and do whatever we want to do, we only prove that weāre in it for the wrong reasons to start with. We have to be willing to follow and obey God, no matter what!
The second thing to know about sheep and in the Bible times and culture, in their part of the world, is that itās NOT belly-high alfalfa.Ā
In our culture, we think of rolling hills with tall grass everywhere, so green.
In their culture, the pasture lands for animals is away from the country. The land in the cities and countries are for peopleās food, not animals.Ā
So itās not rolling green hills, itās a tuft of grass here stuck in between a rock and the dirt on the side of a dry, barren mountain and another tuft over there.Ā
You get a tuft of grass in your mouth, eat it, then take a few steps to get another tuft. Youāre grazing here and there.Ā
Idk anyoneās life who is filled full of rolling green hills, do you?
Life is HARD. Itās TOUGH. Itās NEVER easy. You may get a little rest here or there, but itās one barrage after another of problems. Just when youāre done with one problem, you rest a couple days, thereās another one.Ā
And yet, we have a beautiful picture of that as David pens Psalm 23:1-3.Ā
Verse 1, I lack nothing.
DESPITE all the problems, the hardships, the heartaches, the trials and pains of this life, God is good to us and we lack nothing. He meets our needs, He shows us where to eat, what to do. He leads and guides.Ā
Verse 2, He MAKES US lie down. Weāre just dumb sheep, we donāt know when to lie down or when to stand. We donāt know whatās around the corner. Is it more grass? A desert, barren place? We donāt know. Only He does, so trusting Him is vital. Listening to Him is vital, because only He knows. He knows our needs, when we need to rest and He provides it for us. Heās good to us. He gives us a trial to grow us, then lets us rest.Ā
It makes me think of moving here where Iām at now. There were 3 days where I was saying, āLord, I wanna get to the new placeā. But because of the snow, I couldnāt leave yet. He convicted me to rest. So, I did and you know what, I needed to rest because that drive was treacherous!! š
He knows what we need when we need it and provides those needs, sometimes causing us to wait or be patient when we donāt want to, causing us to lie down when we need it, knowing we need it. We donāt see that, but He does.
Verse 3, He leads us along the RIGHT paths. We donāt know where weāre going or what weāre doing. We canāt see the whole picture, the whole landscape or mountain of where weāre at. So He leads us on the RIGHT paths, not the path to the slaughter room, but with the path of His everlasting love, care, and concern for us. He leads us where He wants us to go, He gives us good things, has good plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11.Ā
So, while we are not the brightest of animals, canāt see where weāre going, canāt protect ourselves from enemies, canāt even find food on our own, or know where to go, He does.
Thereās another really interesting picture of sheep in that culture and thatās when sheep are in the pen. Itās in John 10:1-21.
The sheep are in the pen, itās gated, and thereās a small opening where the sheep can get in and get out. They stay in the pen to protect them from wolves, predators, etc.Ā
Oftentimes, the shepherd will sleep right there in the gateway so that he can protect from any intruders getting to the sheep and harming them, or from wandering sheep getting out.
Anyone who gets in the pen a different way (over the fence, for example), is an intruder. The sheep may hear that strangerās voice, but they do not follow him because they do not know him. They have come to know, love, and trust their shepherd and so they follow his voice alone.Ā
Because of that, many times, the shepherds will start out as kids and into adulthood because itās the voice that the sheep will follow.
Itās a great picture of us knowing our Shepherdās voice (getting to know Him, love Him, trust Him), so that we know the difference between an intruder and God. In order to do that, we must be spending massive amounts of time with our Savior.
Verse 12 is what God used to convict me never to hand over this blog to anyone else and why my future husband cannot have it. He can help work on it, but it must always remain mine.Ā
I, alone, have run this blog for over 10 years now. I alone know your names, those who write in and yes, I remember, even over the span of years! I know my sheep. I know those in whom I diligently serve. Anyone who comes after will not know all those nuances of 10 years of hard labor to shepherd and invest in the people, and while he will be able to help (and he should based on his skills, spiritual gifts, and knowledge of the Lord), he wasnāt here all those years building it up, sacrificing for it, so it has to be mine. It is mine and no one can take that away from me. I cannot let them.
It would be like someone else coming along when your children are 10 years old, and trying to be their mom all the sudden. No one can replace YOU. All that time spent together. All those days of sacrificing, loving, cuddling. No one can take away those memories.Ā
In the same way, GOD, and God ALONE is our Father, our Shepherd. No one can take His place (verse 18). It is HIS place. HE is the Shepherd. He is the only God.
4) Do you miss being married?
I do, yeah. I miss cooking for someone, serving someone, taking care of someone. Spending time with someone, having someone to share life with. Waking up to someone. Thereās a lot of things to miss about being married as marriage is such a huge gift, š but I know that right now, God has me right where He wants me to be and in the right time, in His precious timing, things will happen for me.
We shouldnāt seek out (force) love (Song of Solomon 8:4), we should just let it happen in Godās timing so that we make sure we meet and begin a relationship with the right person. A lot of times that is just stepping back and observing what the guy youāre interested in will do and how he carries himself as a single man.
- Is he godly?
- Does he do what is right?
- Is he full of integrity and honor?
- Or does he do bad things?
Donāt just rush into things but give it a little bit to see his actions and what he does. After a month or so, you can really know if heās right for you or not. If he is, then pray and let God handle things. šÆ Let God lead you guys together. If it is Godās will for you to be with that particular man, God will lead and guide you together. He will remove obstacles, fears, etc. He will open and close doors.
Itās really important to be with the right guy. So many men are frauds, pretending to be good but they are not, and simply observing for a couple weeks or a month FIRST how they act, will honestly save you a lifetime of regrets!Ā
I just watched one supposedly godly man falter and fail. Obviously heās not the right one for me and now God has brought another one for me to watch. Will see what he does. If itās Godās will, He will make the path straight and everything will work out.Ā
āTill then, I try to be as content as I possibly can as a single girl, waiting upon the Lord. I do desire to be married one day, but I refuse to date the wrong guy or be with someone just to rush things. I want the RIGHT guy, the guy that will make me happy for the rest of my life. The guy that I can make happy and we will have that Ruth and Boaz marriage. ā¤ļø
5) Iām a single mom and my son has severe separation anxiety. How do I handle this?
You have to understand that heās been abandoned. He doesnāt have a dad and he may be at that age where heās realizing it. āOh, other people have a dad, I donāt. Thatās not normal to not have a dad. Everyone else has a dadā, so itās like an awareness type of thing and heās trying to cope with it.
He might be thinking, āWell, maybe I did something to make my dad leave. What if I did? What if I make mom leave?ā There could be a lot of fears there. He lost his dad and doesnāt really understand why. Will he also lose you?
So heās ācheckingā with you every 5 minutes, so to speak, because heās afraid that he might do something to make you leave; ou wonāt come back then heās all alone. Itās fear and he may not even realize it; he probably doesnāt.
The best things to do, would be to continue to tell him EVERY DAY how much you love him, that as much depends on you, you will never leave him. You promise that youāre always there for him and just continually reassure him.
Let him be clingy because if you push him away, itās just feeding into his fear that heās doing something to make you leave. He will think, āWhy doesnāt mom want me? Why doesnāt she love me?ā Just continue to REASSURE him, all through the day, āHey Iām here, I love you, Iām right here. Iām not going anywhere, I love you.ā
I think itās more about reassurance than anything. Be clingy BACK! I know you have to work, I know you have a million things to do as a single mom and I get that, believe me! But, involve him MORE in what you do. Can you find a ājobā, a task for him to do, that while youāre working, he can help? what can he do to help you more? Can he empty the dishwasher while youāre doing something?
The more helpful he feels, the more he will feel connected to you. Like you need him, you want him, heās valuable to you. Remember that itās just a stage right now, but an important one. He needs to feel like youāre not going to leave, so just continue to work on that. Lots of extra cuddles, go up to him without him coming to you, and say, āI love you, gimme a hug,ā or āCan i cuddle with you?ā
YOU go to him, you pursue him. You be more clingy to him. He probably feels the need to feel wanted. His dad doesnāt want him or heād be there, in his mind. He left. So heās worried you donāt love him either.Ā
This also might be the beginning of him developing his personality and we should cultivate that, not run from it.
I am a VERY clingy person. Itās who I am. I want to always be with my future husband. I donāt want him to leave ever. I donāt want him to work outside the home. Iāve been leftā¦my whole life. My dadās abandoned us. My ex-husband. My church, my friends. I mean, Iāve been abandoned, so Iām clingy. Iām not ashamed of it. I LIKE that Iām clingy. I think it makes me a better person. šÆ
With my future husband, I dream of just laying in bed holding each other and cuddling all day long at least one day a week. ā¤ļø Itās my favorite (my love language), so I understand how he could be feeling and at that age, not being able to even realize it or put it into words how heās feeling. Is physical touch or quality time (cuddling with you, holding you, being around you, etc.) his love language? Is that how HE reads love?
I think that at certain times in our lives, everyone goes through a clingy stage. Donāt you miss/want to have a man hold you again? I know that you do. We all wanna be clingy at times. Itās not bad, or weird, or wrong! we just need that, we need to be loved. we ALL do. ā¤ļø Heās okay. Nothing is wrong with him. Itās normal to want to be wanted.
Thatās kinda how heās feeling. Scared, fear, scared of abandonment, needing love. Soak up that time, enjoy it, because kids grow WAY too fast and pretty soon, heāll be gone and youāll never get those precious, tender moments back! Enjoy the stage that heās in, treasure it! It leaves way too quickly!Ā
6) How should a scammer online be treated?
Do you know for SURE they are a scammer? Iāve seen a lot of people have sad stories and they are turned away, mocked, rejected. In fact, before I became homeless, I posted in a Facebook group asking for help with information. I didnāt know where to go or what to do and most of the people heard my story (a genuine one) and said I was a scammer. What scam I was trying to pull, I have no idea???Ā
I think that right now in our culture, people call out āscammerā so quickly without really trying to HEAR the story or the person, because it justifies their own actions to NOT help!
In their mind, if they say itās a scammer, theyāre off the hook, so to speak, and they donāt have to help them. Itās a justification of unkindness, so they can go on, continue being a āgood personā, all while being a complete jerk.
Even if someone IS a scammer, we do not haze them, bully them, be mean to them, or anything like that. Itās rude and mean and not acceptable behavior for anyone, much less a believer. Matthew 10:16.
Iāve seen people ganged up on, written about in such uncaring ways, and just being really MEAN toward the person in need.
If they are in need or not, that is between them and God. Yes, we should be smart and not be taken, but there are people out there who ARENāT scammers who are being treated as such. I know because I was one!
The Proverbs 31 woman stretches her hand out to the poor. Sheās STRETCHING it. Sheās LOOKING FOR, reaching out to find opportunities to serve and help others (Proverbs 31:20).Ā
This isnāt a woman who, reads a story online and helps. This is a woman who is proactively seeking out the poor in order to help them in ways that she can. Itās a completely different mentality.Ā
We justify our turning people away. Sheās out there SEEKING to serve others.
Another thing I see people doing is throwing Bible verses out. Someone says I need food and another person, I dare not call them a believer, spouts out some verse, the Lord will take care of your needs. And thatās it.Ā
Throwing a Bible verse at someone who is hurting, is cruel! It is exactly what is spoken of in Luke 11:11. They are asking for help and while yes, the Bible IS the answer to all of lifeās problems (2 Timothy 3:16), all youāre doing is making them hate the gospel because of your lack of love and spiteful, indignant attitude toward someone. Itās Pharisaical behavior and should never occur.Ā
This is not the love of Jesus. This is pompous, arrogant, unbefitting behavior by someone who is most likely NOT saved!!! We need to realize that Jesus came and died for this person, just as much as He did for YOU! You are not any better than them, whether because you have stable finances or because you think youāre saved and they are not (Luke 18:9-14).
Any time we are looking down on another person, for any reason, we must look inside ourselves and immediately know we are in great sin!
So if you are struggling with someone throwing Bible verses at you when you are needing compassion and help, just know, they are most likely not even saved and this is NOT the love of Christ! šÆ
If you see a scammer, and you genuinely have taken the time to determine they are indeed a scammer, then just ignore it. Donāt engage in drama or start gossip, just ignore it and move on, praying for them, their situation, and most importantly, their salvation.
Because the truth is, whether or not they are a scammer, they ARE in need.
People who are rich, arenāt going around using false stories to get money. They DO have a need there, financially, and while their methods are not morally upright, they really do need the help.
No one takes advantage just to take advantage. People donāt risk jail for no reason. Thereās a financial need there, so in essence, at the root, they really arenāt a scammer. There IS a need there, they just are dealing with it improperly, which is wrong.
Be kind to everyone, at all times, no matter what. How do you know if the person youāre demeaning is not an angel in disguise and YOU read the situation wrong?! Hebrews 13:2.
On the other hand, we are called to be smart about things and not be taken advantage of (Matthew 10:16), so definitely do your due diligence to judge the situation fairly, without partiality.
7) What do you look forward to the most in marriage? I bet you will say sex. š
Haha. Yeah, thatās definitely something I look forward to, in being without for so long, for sure, but I think the main thing I look forward to is just spending time with the person.
Doing everything together, hanging out, loving on one another.Ā
Even simple things like cooking for him or doing his laundry, sitting on the couch cuddling and watching a movie. Just ālifeā stuff. Having someone to share life with. Someone to laugh with, cry with, be tender with, have fun with. All the things in marriage, the daily living, the spending time, just treasuring their company, treasuring THEM.
Itās definitely something I REALLY look forward to. The things that everyone else seems to take for granted, just the other personās presence, is what I look forward to the most. š
Second would be your answer. š
8) How do I tell a girl Iām sorry to make sure she knows I really am? To apologize in a way she understands that Iām sorry. There are male to female differences and I wanna get it right.
Be genuine.
Everything really comes down to that. If you are completely genuine with her, she will be able to recognize and see that you are sorry. If sheās a godly girl, she will pray about it and ask her Heavenly Father what to do, how to handle the situation, etc. He will show her that you mean it.Ā
If you are genuinely sorry, it will include certain things that she will look for.Ā
- Will you do it again?
- Can she trust you?
- Do you need further restitution?Ā
- How can you fix the problem, not just SAY youāre sorry?
- What can you do to assure her that this wonāt happen again? That youāre trying your absolute best to be a godly man?
- Is your greatest desire to not do this again? To change behavior? To stop?
- Have you fully repented to the Lord (Heās ultimately the One we sin against)?
If you are genuinely repentant and sorry, it will show. It may be that she will watch your actions for a brief time to determine if you are genuinely sorry. Just continue to be patient with her and change the behavior. If she sees there is no change in what youāre sorry for, youāre NOT really sorry and she shouldnāt let you off the hook.
Also understand that while we are called as Christians to forgive, that doesnāt mean to be stupid and let someone treat us however they want.Ā
For example, letās say you are dating a girl and you cheat on her. She should forgive you because we are commanded to. Does that mean she should stay with you? I wouldnāt. If a man cannot control his members during dating, he will not be able to control them during marriage!!
If he cheats while dating or canāt keep his wandering eyes to himself, he will just do it again during marriage. šÆ
Heās not the right guy. Choose someone who can control himself. It is not impossible, for I have been without physical intimacy (as a single woman) for many, many years! Itās not easy, but itās not impossible.
And Iām not the only one who hasnāt had sex outside of marriage! I know of a man who is nearly 30 years old (!), a single man, who has never been married. He has had one girlfriend in his life and has not done anything deplorable with her at all, but has had a godly, pure relationship with her. They are no longer together (they dated for around a year, a long time ago) and he remains to be faithful and sexually pure (never doing p*rn either).Ā
Another man I know is in his late 40ās. Heās never had sex outside of marriage and he is in the middle of a divorce. His wife is not saved, she left him and they were married over 20 years. He is not pursuing another woman, nor is he being intimate with anyone else. He is acting in a VERY chaste manner (never does p*rn, etc.)
š THAT is the standard!!! š
THIS is what Godās will looks like in the heart and life of a believer. Itās not just me. There ARE godly (and pure) men and women out there who desire to be godly, even in secret where no one else can see! š
So just because she forgives you, it may be an issue of not letting you do it again to her, and in some cases, you will lose the girl (depending on what youāve done and how much sheās willing to put up with).Ā
How far did you go with the other girl? If the girl youāre trying to apologize to is a godly girl, sheās smart, she will ask God exactly what youāve done and He will show her. God doesnāt hide from us. Heās pretty bold and tells us what we need to know to make well-educated decisions.Ā
Did a girl flirt with you and you flirted back? Was it as simple as that or did you make out with the other girl to the point where there was no return, grinding with her? Youāre still a virgin, but you released with the girl and were pretty darn close to sex, doing absolutely everything except the actual act of sex?
So it really matters what happened also. All the details of the situation and if sheās godly, believe me, she knows. God will/has showed her. If you were grinding with another girl, youāre done. She will forgive you as is called by the Lord but never, ever let you back in her life and she shouldnāt. There are plenty of godly men out there to choose from for the godly girl and she should find someone who will treat her right. šÆ This is not right; it is disgusting behavior, not befitting of a Christian and there is never an excuse.Ā
Restoration should be made, that is sure, but do not expect to get her back. You are defiled now and she shouldnāt want you if she is godly.
A relationship between a man and a woman is to be beautiful, a shining example of Christ and the church. Not some flesh-driven grinding act you committed with a more than willing girl whoās only trying to take your virginity. She will get it, if you continue on this path and you will never get ANY godly girl in the future. A godly woman wants someone whoās never had sex outside of marriage, period.Ā
The world can do what the world wants to do, but for a godly girl, our standards belong to God and HE says, no sex outside of marriage. Thatās the standard. Thatās what we do (John 14:15).Ā
It really depends on the situation. Be completely honest, donāt try to hide anything (trust me, sheāll just find out, then youāre toast for lying) and just try to work things out if they can be worked out.
If they canāt, do everything you can to fix the situation and let her go in peace, knowing that God has someone better for her in the future and there is forgiveness for you, but you must change behavior (have you stopped being with the other girl whoās bad?, stopped trying to protect this bad girl and FLEE from her, for example).
If youāre still continuing in bad behavior (even if you already stopped being with the other girl but itās still public that youāre together, which is defrauding of others, making them think youāre together and youāre not), God will not let it slide and He will punish.
It all comes down to the heart.
You shouldnāt need to be told to stop bad behavior and the second a girl has to tell you, youāre done! You should have already done everything out of a genuinely repentant heart. If you havenāt already, it only proves youāre not really sorry.
Everything is always about the heart. Thatās what shows to the girl. Thatās what shows to God.
She may forgive you, as is fitting unto the Lord, but you will not get the girl. Sheās better than that and deserves better. Her Father wants better for her.