This past Sunday we continued our series at Grace Fellowship called TRUE GRIT (having the toughness, tenacity, character & courage to do marriage God’s way).  One of the passages we read at the end of the message was Eph. 5:18 NLT  which states: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit”.

For those of us who are followers of Christ, being filled with God’s Holy Spirit is of utmost importance if we’re going to experience marriage & relationships to the max!  One of the characteristics of a person filled with the Holy Spirit is that of submission to God which means submission to  the truth of His Word.   It means choosing to live life God’s way instead of my own.

The problem in many homes – those where both spouses claim to be followers of Christ – is that far too many won’t submit themselves to God daily and be filled with His Spirit.  Instead, many who claim to be believers want to ride the fence and pick those areas of obedience that suits them.   I’m not saying you’re not a follower of Christ because you’re disobedient; we all sin – we all mess up.  However, 1 John 2:3-6 states:   ³ We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. ⁴ Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. ⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.   What does your lifestyle reveal about you?  The issue you need to deal with if you struggle with what God’s Word states in 1 John 2,  is what Paul revealed in 2 Cor. 13:5.

Now, what about those followers of Christ who are trying to live on the fence?  When you try to live on the fence as a follower of Christ you’ll have no joy, power or influence.  In addition, you’re like the engine of a train that’s DERAILED and sitting half on and half off the tracks.  Get the picture of a powerful locomotive engine – all that power, ability and potential – sitting on, but off the tracks.  That engine is making no progress on it’s own, and perhaps worse than that – it’s hindering the progress of other trains that might be trying to get somewhere.  In other words, when you sit on the fence (half on and half off the tracks) you can’t make any progress as a follower of Christ & you actually hinder the progress of other followers of Christ.   In marriage this is an incredible principle to understand!  If you refuse to do marriage God’s way – you’ll not make the progress you want and you may very well block your spouse  (and even the future of your kids) from making the progress God wants to bring to the marriage & family. Think about it!