I am ashamed to say that I have kissed more than my fair share of frogs as well as a few princes (they just weren't meant to be my prince). How do you know when the love interest before you is a "Frog" or a "Prince"? How do you know if that Prince is meant for you?
The Bible teaches us, "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…" (Psalm 37:5-7a, NIV).
God has a prince or a princess set aside for you if that is truly the desire of your heart and aligned with God. He promises us in His word that if we wait on Him that He will give us the desires of our heart. When He says to be still, then we have to be still. We have to wait until He moves through the Holy Spirit to move us or the other person. Timing is God's thing.
Wait on God to move you. I can say this because I have failed to wait on God many, many times and have many broken relationships to show for it. The wages of sin are death. Per earlier blogs, I pay the wage for many sins past and present.
How do you know if you have a frog or a prince before you? First, do they claim to be a Christian? Check the person's nature. Remember, you will know by their nature: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5. No one is going to be perfect, but repentance will be evidence of a true heart for Christ. Galatians 24 says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
Then, is it God's will or your will? Sometimes, we have a picture of an end result that we desire like love, affection, physical sharing, companionship, the home and family with 2.5 children, a family dog, family size car, trips to the beach, Christ centered home, praying together, worshiping together, attending church as a family, family game night, family bike rides, little league games, and family meals on grandma's china...
The end desire may not be wrong if it lines up with God's will for your life, BUT it will not be the life that God intends for you if you don't wait for Him to put it together. There is a missing component to that little end picture: working together for unified goals under Christ, collaborating, sharing, sacrificing, leading, following, working, forgiving...
A prince/princess is more than just a crown and a pretty face. A prince is a true leader according to 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." Likewise, Ephesians 5:25 states, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy..." There is a balance in all of this. But a Christian man should be the leader spiritually and otherwise in the home.
Likewise, a princess is supposed to "love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:4-5.
I could write a book on all of my failures of carrying out Titus' structure for the woman in the home. I give new meaning to the concept of "strong willed". I struggle with respecting men as leaders when I perceive and judge their weaknesses. I am sure that I have been the frog in many of those fruitless kisses that I have shared.
Ephesians 5:31-33 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery- but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Christ died for the church, so doesn't this scripture indicate that the husband would be willing to sacrifice himself for his wife? Likewise, the wife must respect her husband. Who couldn't respect a man who carries out his part in this scripture? Who wouldn't love a wife who carried out her part?
Sometimes, we get so caught up on the wanting of Ephesians 5 that we miss the blessing that God really has for us. You can't jump to Ephesians 5 without finding the person that God truly has set aside for you. Wait on God. I speak from my failure and sin when I say that to do otherwise ends miserably. If you are praying and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, He will guide you.
Put your own will in the backseat. Let the Holy Spirit guide your path. Until then, the only Prince that we all really need is Jesus Christ. He is the one true Prince who will love you, forgive you, grow you, lead you, and die for you. It's kind of hard to live up to that kind of love and dedication, but we freely get it from Christ without having to do a thing. Receive it!!
Quit kissing Frogs and princes not meant for you. Wait on the prince or princess that God has set aside for you. Stand Firm, and Keep the Faith! I know about failed relationships, trust me! Kissing frogs may be fun at times, but it won't end with a prince unless it aligns with God. Keep those lips to yourself, hold out for the prince meant for you, and don't settle for anything less than Ephesians 5.
The Bible teaches us, "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…" (Psalm 37:5-7a, NIV).
God has a prince or a princess set aside for you if that is truly the desire of your heart and aligned with God. He promises us in His word that if we wait on Him that He will give us the desires of our heart. When He says to be still, then we have to be still. We have to wait until He moves through the Holy Spirit to move us or the other person. Timing is God's thing.
Wait on God to move you. I can say this because I have failed to wait on God many, many times and have many broken relationships to show for it. The wages of sin are death. Per earlier blogs, I pay the wage for many sins past and present.
How do you know if you have a frog or a prince before you? First, do they claim to be a Christian? Check the person's nature. Remember, you will know by their nature: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5. No one is going to be perfect, but repentance will be evidence of a true heart for Christ. Galatians 24 says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
Then, is it God's will or your will? Sometimes, we have a picture of an end result that we desire like love, affection, physical sharing, companionship, the home and family with 2.5 children, a family dog, family size car, trips to the beach, Christ centered home, praying together, worshiping together, attending church as a family, family game night, family bike rides, little league games, and family meals on grandma's china...
The end desire may not be wrong if it lines up with God's will for your life, BUT it will not be the life that God intends for you if you don't wait for Him to put it together. There is a missing component to that little end picture: working together for unified goals under Christ, collaborating, sharing, sacrificing, leading, following, working, forgiving...
A prince/princess is more than just a crown and a pretty face. A prince is a true leader according to 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." Likewise, Ephesians 5:25 states, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy..." There is a balance in all of this. But a Christian man should be the leader spiritually and otherwise in the home.
Likewise, a princess is supposed to "love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:4-5.
I could write a book on all of my failures of carrying out Titus' structure for the woman in the home. I give new meaning to the concept of "strong willed". I struggle with respecting men as leaders when I perceive and judge their weaknesses. I am sure that I have been the frog in many of those fruitless kisses that I have shared.
Ephesians 5:31-33 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery- but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Christ died for the church, so doesn't this scripture indicate that the husband would be willing to sacrifice himself for his wife? Likewise, the wife must respect her husband. Who couldn't respect a man who carries out his part in this scripture? Who wouldn't love a wife who carried out her part?
Sometimes, we get so caught up on the wanting of Ephesians 5 that we miss the blessing that God really has for us. You can't jump to Ephesians 5 without finding the person that God truly has set aside for you. Wait on God. I speak from my failure and sin when I say that to do otherwise ends miserably. If you are praying and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, He will guide you.
Put your own will in the backseat. Let the Holy Spirit guide your path. Until then, the only Prince that we all really need is Jesus Christ. He is the one true Prince who will love you, forgive you, grow you, lead you, and die for you. It's kind of hard to live up to that kind of love and dedication, but we freely get it from Christ without having to do a thing. Receive it!!
Quit kissing Frogs and princes not meant for you. Wait on the prince or princess that God has set aside for you. Stand Firm, and Keep the Faith! I know about failed relationships, trust me! Kissing frogs may be fun at times, but it won't end with a prince unless it aligns with God. Keep those lips to yourself, hold out for the prince meant for you, and don't settle for anything less than Ephesians 5.
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