If God Gives Us the Desires of Our Hearts, Why Am I Still Single?

If God gives us the desires of our hearts, then why am I still single. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi there and happy Valentine's Day on Bill Meyer along with pastor Pedro Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

We would love to hear from you as our phone number it's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 will be taking calls for the next 25 minutes or so.

So now is the time to jump on the phone and give us a call.

You can also post your question on one of our social media sites you can watch a drill live in the studio on YouTube and send us a message to our YouTube channel course you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today. Here's a voicemail from one of her listeners named Henry with someone they were not married and I get back, but he's not a believer and I wonder whether you like all law, wondering what to do about that. I don't want to leave but I already have, but it bothered me go with them for a while. I heard get married to her and heard not find it so we got bless you, thank you for giving us a call here at core Christianity so a couple of things. I think the first thing is you have to prioritize your relationship with Jesus Christ. Following him and doing whatever that that means immediately following after the Lord and then number two still caring for your children, and Paul tells Timothy if a man doesn't provide for those of his own household.

He's denied the faith is worse than an unbeliever.

So now I don't know that that means that you are obligated back. I don't think that means we are obligated to marry this woman, you are obligated to care for these children but does that mean you have to get married.

She's not a believer. Paul in first printing chapter 7 verse 39 says it when it comes to Christians marrying were free to marry so long as it's someone who is in the Lord. That is someone who believes in Jesus is united to him by faith is been baptized and so if this woman wants nothing to do with Christ, and it sounds to me also.

Like you said she she actually would would drag you away from the Lord that it would be something that would keep you from following Jesus and I would say you have to set your eyes on Christ pursue him as a godly man and that will actually make you the kind of father that you need to be as well. Now you said you know you've been a prodigal for some time now.

And of course that language comes from Jesus you think of the gospel of Luke in Luke chapter 15 we read the parable of the prodigal son and I know that you're not alone in this.

I know that there people right now are listening who have drifted away from their relationship with God and they've begun doing things they know are not pleasing to the Lord and and some for some people. Just like I don't know if I could ever get access to me like that's that's part of your question, I dunno if I can ever get back. I feel like I'm being dragged down.

I just want to read from some of that parable that that Jesus gives their aces.

There was a man. This is Luke 15 verse 11, who had two sons in the younger of them said to his father. Father give me the share of property that is coming to me and he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all that he had into good journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living and when you have spent everything a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed pigs he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything.

Here's a guy who has turned his back on his father on the generosity of his father in the love of his father he squandered his inheritance. He's living now with the pigs he has nothing no one cares for him when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him. Father have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.

He arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him, the son said to his father. Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. The father said to his servants, bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet and bring a fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this son was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and is found.

And they began to celebrate I just want to say to you Henry that that the father when when you when you come to your senses. When we come to our sensibly realized what have I been doing, living like a prodigal, we sing, and go back to the Lord. How many confess I've sinned against heaven I've sinned against you, gracious father.

I'm not even worthy to be called your son. Right. None of us are God greets you with love and with compassion. He welcomes you and I think that needs to be the priority in your life right now is turning your eyes upon Jesus running back to the Lord and ordering your life in such a way that's going to help you to grow in your relationship with Christ and as you draw near to God and are filled with the Holy Spirit getting into good community Christian community where you can be supported. What what you're going to do is to go to continue to to seek to be the best father that you can before those children.

Maybe this woman comes to faith may be share the gospel with her and she believes in and things change and you guys can get married but if she's not a Christian. She denies the Lord and actually would would would turn you away from the Lord and I would say that's not the right decision for you and so may the Lord be with you and bless you and grant you wisdom and thank you for giving us a call.

Henry great counsel Israel and I love the fact that you shared the parable prodigal son so powerful for every one of us and just appreciate that this is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez.

Our phone lines are open. If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life doctrine, theology, or what's going on in today's culture and how your faith intersects with that. We would love to hear from you.

Here's the phone number it's 833-843-2673 you want to spell it out.

It's 833 the core by the way on this Valentine's Day.

This is a day and age when a lot of young people and even not so young people are choosing to live together rather than get married.

What is the Bible have to say about marriage will we have an excellent new resource that tackles that topic. That's right, you know, Bill, marriage is one of those topics that everyone assumes they know so well. They forget that the think through it you to ask you know what, what's the design. The purpose behind marriage and it is important asked why did God create marriage in the first place. Marriage is the vehicle for meeting our individual needs and desires. Is it waiting to get married to have sex and have a family to serve outdated teaching is the biblical view of marriage itself outdated to me that something that a lot of people around us are saying it was a good answer those questions and many other questions in this booklet. Why would anyone get married now more than ever Christian should be able to answer different questions like these, and to share about the beauty and wonder of God's design for marriage and so we create resources just like this to help you in your walk with the Lord to give you insight to these questions and so get a hold of this resource again is called why would anyone get married, you know, when you purchase resources from core Christianity you support us in doing the work to create the Bible studies and more resources into this radio program to help Christians everywhere answer those tough questions about important topics you can get a copy of why would anyone get married for a donation of any amount by going to core Christianity.com/offers again core Christianity.com/offers and look for. Why would anyone get married. What a perfect resource on this Valentine's Day will speak of Valentine's Day, here's an email we received a release from Titus and he says James 43 says you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

I've been praying to God to give me a godly wife to curb my passions in light of first Corinthians 79 which says, but if they cannot exercise self-control. They should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion, but James 43 seems to imply that God won't answer my prayer because I seek to fulfill my passion. Is that right asset limit is beginning verse one of James chapter 4 what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you, is it not this, that your passions are at war within you, you desire and do not have, so you murder.

You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your own passions you adulterous people do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God, and so seems like that the request here is for something that actually is not honoring to the Lord it it's the desire to fulfill the sinful passions. Now we know that sexual desires aren't aren't necessarily sinful. That is a part of how God made us and we made those desires to be fulfilled in the context of marriage at 61 of the things it's talked about in this booklet that we just offered right there on on why anyone should get married but a couple of things that I would just want to say to you, brother. As to your question first marriage does not solve the issue of lust, I think this is really important is a lot of young young men and young women out there who think oath if only I were married. This would be a problem know we begin to mortify those sins now but years ago I was talking Ashley wasn't. It was just a year ago now stuck in a frame on his.

It was a church planter and he was saying he was talking to another another individual who is interested in church planting in any*I know why is it that you want to to plant a church. And the guy responded to him and said I want to play tricks I want to preach every Sunday. I just love preaching and that my friends are wise a responding note wanting to plant a church, so that you can preach is sort of like wanting to get married just so that you can have sex immunity it's a part of what happens in marriage, but this is not everything. And so that we have to have the sort of right understanding of these things in and be careful that were not thinking of this other person as just the, the, the way to solve this issue of lust. Yes, the apostle Paul Dese and in first Corinthians chapter 7 that if we have these desires. It's an indication that were probably not called to celibacy that God is not given us that gift that we should be married and so I would say continue to pray for that because that is a good desire and in the meantime to practice contentment to trust in the Lord to draw near to the Lord to not try to to take matters into your own hands in terms of forcing something in a dating someone who maybe is in a Christian or who doesn't have the same values that you have at the gift to prioritize your your relationship with God continue to pray and to trust in the Lord and the trust that the Lord hears these processes places desires in your heart and know that the Lord is is going to answer those prayers and his timing. In the meantime, just continuing to exercise that contentment that I think were all called to in whatever stage of life that were in God bless this core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez would love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life.

Our phone lines will be open for the next 10 minutes or so, let's go to Gail calling in from Tennessee Gil what your question for pastor. Israel will daughter kick out the light pole and two older children that are Mary every day with all and not been battling cancer and now it is important to have a relationship with their children right prayer line prayer request that happen don't know what else do you sister. I am so sorry to hear about the circumstances, the loss of your your your child is well your 14-year-old daughter me.

I think I think it sounds to me like you're doing the right thing in terms of praying and I want to pray for you in this situation, also with with your cancer right now as well, gracious father, we come before you. We lift our sister Gail up to you, Lord, who has this just immense burden on her shoulders, Lord.

The pain of division in the family and hurts and just so many things Lord there and then also just bodily sickness Lord cancer that she's wrestling with Lord God.

We know that this is more than than she can bear in her own strength and so I lift her up to you, Lord Jesus, and I ask that you would grant her your strength that you would help her to lean upon you to cast her burdens upon you to look to you and God that you would bring forgiveness, reconciliation and healing in in my sister's family and also in her body would you grant that healing as well. So would you please Jesus our good Shepherd.

Would you be with her.

I asked these things dear father in Jesus name, amen sister. I think that I think that you continue to pray. I don't know you know that everything going on terms of the family dynamic with with the older siblings. I would say continuing to reach out into to open the doors of communication meant to ask the Lord to soften hearts just like just like I prayed there, that the Lord would would bring healing and peace and and a softening there and and as you do that continuing to cling to the cross, continuing to cling to Jesus to his mercy to his grace, not losing sight of that because what one will work when were struck by these kinds of circumstances just so easy to to make that II can't, I got nothing in me anymore.

I am fighting with my body and fighting in in these neato tensions within family. I just don't have the strength and you don't have the strength. That's what you need the strength of the Holy Spirit so may God be with you in this and fill you with his spirit and may he bring healing in the situation. Sister Gail thank you so much for calling will continue to pray for you and that that whole situation.

This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez we have Sam on the line calling in from Oklahoma. Sam what your question for Israel hello, my question is a conflict I'm doing with specifically how Christian core concept student with self-defense defending my family and using weapons to do so knowing what the end result can be yeah that's a great question Simon. I guess it was just depends on the content you think about the disciples in the New Testament, and when they were persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. They didn't plow swords.

It was, you know that they praise God for having granted them the, the, the grace the privilege of suffering for the sake of the gospel and so I think it in the context of the advancement of the gospel. The proclamation of the gospel as Christians it's never up to us to to fight back in. In a way that would harm another person is persecuting us for our faith in Jesus, but in this study breaks into your home right in there.

They're trying to harm you or your family is a sort of random act of violence. I do think that it is permissible for a Christian to exercise self-defense. One passage of Scripture that I think of is that in Exodus chapter 22. You begin to have these these various laws that are given by God through Moses to the people begins in verse one. If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it ourselves, that he shall repay five oxen for Knox and for sheep for a sheep if a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no blood guilt for him is his idea of self-defense there and and that is why I think even in in Israel's civil laws.

If you will.

There there we don't talk about these kinds of things it's I think if your question is you know. Should Christians take up arms to defend themselves. With the advancement of the gospel is were preaching the gospel, so we persecuted what the answer is no, but if somebody breaking into your home. This sort of random act of violence seeking to do you harm, I think I think you can and should protect your family.

So thank you Sam for your question. Thanks, Sam present you being a regular listener to core Christianity great question. By the way, just a reminder we have that great booklet available.

What a perfect booklet for this week with Valentine's Day.

If you are single, considering getting married or maybe you have a child who's considering marriage or is wondering about the whole idea of getting married. Should I live together before I get married. We have this wonderful booklet.

Why would anyone get married. It's a biblical view of marriage. God's design.

God's purpose for marriage and it's available to you for a gift of any amount just go to core Christianity.com/offers again core Christianity.com/offers look for that new booklet. Why would anyone get married. Let's go back to the phone's Raymond on the line from Memphis, Tennessee Raymond, what's your question for Israel.

After all, and I will talk about how great it was to go to Goliath scared. Of course he was brave new died because God's promise to keep an eye pastor said no you're not. He knew got to be clicking on this learner were used to investor may God bless your brother love having conversations with your pastor about the Scriptures that you're in Sunday school. I hope we can be. That's we want for all of our listeners that the each of you would be plugged into two good churches where you're studying the word together we can have these comp conversations with your own pastor you need up if you if you don't have a bashing of a church you need one and you need to have a passion you can go to for some of these things in Entech to have conversations like these. Now, with regard to this question about David and his bravery.

There is especially exhibited in places like first Samuel chapter 17. What was it was that was the root cause of his bravery will II think it certainly was his faith in God. His faith in the Lord not I do know that I would say you know he just knew he was invincible that kind of thing. Because of the promise of God.

Let me know. He's a mortal man but he trusts in the Lord and so you have that the class rather the original David and Goliath that this this matchup where you know ordinarily we would think boy David these ease this young boy going up against this, this, you know, warrior. This enormous warrior and yet David's confidence is is in the Lord need his faith, his trust is in the Lord and so I would say that that's what we attribute his his bravery to it's towards me know what the Lord had done and who the Lord was and so II think that your you're on the right track again. I don't that I think it's that he believed he was invincible, per se, invincible per se, but but there is this confidence that he has in God as he enters into the battlefield and so extra given us a call your listener. Her Christianity. Michael is on the line from Henrietta, Oklahoma. Michael what is your question for pastor. Israel, yeah I was going because jump back and forth between CNN and Fox and 24 trying to stay caught up on what's going on. The elusive and don't matter what side of the pole, you're on your own mother. Credit will select and you know the thing is just stop, just knowing this, I was still to write this down not been compelled to Toyota to our Lord Jesus Christ isn't left-wing or right-wing.

He doesn't have wings. Angels have wings, and 1/3+ one failed hey Michael, thank you so much for forgiveness a call. What I appreciate about what you're saying here is your you're right like things can be so politicized in the church today and people begin to hate each other, you know, as a result of the fact that they you know this person has a different view than me on on this issue and sometimes the issues aren't even really issues that Scripture speaks to another are issues I think of the Bible is really clear on that. That we hold fast to but we have to be careful that our Christian faith is the that the number one thing about is that our identity with an union with Jesus Christ is is what has the priority in our lives and I think what you're onto is that for many people. I think in the United States that the priority is politics even over religion it's it's interesting me. I mean every every election cycle. How how passionate people get on again. There's nothing wrong with that but they just devote hours and hours reading and reading and studying and looking at blogs and watching clips on CNN are on on YouTube.

Ron Fox news is, as you said, and yet how so often you know many of us.

Many of the same people are not willing to dig into the Scriptures to draw near to God through his word to spend time in prayer and I think I think you know we should challenge ourselves.*And what was the what's that was the most important thing for me in life where my putting my hope in my putting my hope in in civil leaders or am I putting my help.

Hope in God, and is were some 118 verse eight says is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men.

That doesn't mean that we don't engage with broader society and have conversations about politics and and seek to pursue those things in society in in just the the world in which we live that are going to be good and honoring to God. Good for our neighbors as well. Caring for them. Absolutely we should. It's one of the things that God calls us to.

But my my concern is sound like it's your concern as well. Michael is is are we fixed on Christ and on his gospel is that is that what were the most passionate about is these other things and often times when it's these other things, whether it's politics or something else we can begin to despise one another, even within the church, and it leads to schism division all sorts of other unhealthy things and so we need to be. We need to be wise here and I appreciate the fact that you're wanting to be wise in this area. May the Lord bless you a lot of wonderful questions that we received today a lot of difficult ones, friends, please remember as you as you hear some of these questions. Best for those who are suffering. Remember these these brothers and sisters in your prayers and let's continue to support each other, even throughout the week. God bless you all. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together