Safely Home
By Randy Alcorn

"This book has been recommended to me by more people than any other book. An incredible story." - Steve H.

"Is this the day I die?" wonders Li Quan as he endures persecution for his faith. Half a world away his college buddy, businessman Ben Fielding, steps on the plane to China. Reunited after 20 years, both men face decisions that will determine their destinies---and the fates of their nations and the world. 400 pages, softcover from Tyndale.

home > Marriage and Divorce > Divorce > Letter > Answer

My husband has been divorced several times. What do we do?

Hello:

I'm glad to help you with answers to your questions and concerns.

Salvation: There is a simple way to tell if you have turned your back on the Lord, such that you never can go back again--as described in Hebrews chapters 6 and 10. If you are concerned that what is described in Hebrews 6 and 10 is what has happened to you, then it has not. Your being concerned means that your heart is still seeking after God. Those who have turned away from God no longer seek Him--they totally reject the Lord.

So you are fine and in the Lord's embrace.

Marriage: You should stay married to your husband. The Bible never tells us to disobey God in order to correct a past wrong. The Bible only tells us not to disobey God. To get a divorce now would be disobeying God, so you should not do it. Your past sins, and your husband's past sins, are
forgiven. Start today as a new day and draw strength from Jesus to help you not to sin again.

Sin: Until the day you die, it's never too late for you--and
you've never sinned so much that God will not forgive you. Even mass murderers have accepted Christ as their Lord and savior and thus have been saved--although not released from prison.

God hates sin. Even the smallest sin is digusting to Him. But notice, it is sin that God hates, not the sinner. He loves us (the sinners) more than we can imagine. That's why He gave His son so that we might be washed clean. Now, when God looks at one of His children (that's you) he does not see the disgusting sins, He sees the one He loves (you) wrapped in the glory and purity of Jesus Christ.

This brings up an important point. The Lord forgives our sins, all of them. But, we still must deal with the consequences of our actions. For example, God forgiving our sins does not heal those whom we have hurt, nor does it right the wrongs we have done.

The Holy Spirit: Once the Holy Spirit enters us, He never leaves. We may decide to ignore the guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is still with you. What we need to do is open ourselves to the Holy Spirit.

How do we do that?

Decide that Christ is the Lord and savior of your life. Christ being your savior is more than His making it possible for you to enter heaven. He is your savior every moment of every day. When you feel tempted to sin, call on Christ to save you. Call on Christ to step into you to give you strength. Call on Christ to put Himself between you and the temptation. Call on Christ to crush the temptation and remove it from your life. Trust the Lord not only for your eternal salvation, but also for your minute by minute daily salvation from temptation. He is there to help you.

And when you fail; when you give in to temptation and sin; go to Christ in confession. Tell him what you did, why you did it, and how you feel. Lay it all out in prayer and ask His forgiveness. He has already forgiven you before you ask, but express your desire for forgiveness anyway. And then ask Christ to take control of your life and lead you away from temptation.

How do we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit?

Be in the scripture. Read the Bible regularly every day. If you don't have it, the New Living Translation (NLT) is an excellent modern English translation that is easy to read, and is faithful to the original text. I read the Bible two ways at the same time. I'm always in the process of reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (beginning to end in order). I have a bookmark that slowly moves through the Bible. But, at times I feel a need to skip around--so some days I may read a Psalm or two; or maybe the Book of James. Then the next day (or next week) I'll return to where I was in reading the Bible from front to back.

Be with other Christians. Go to a good, Bible-based church. Join a Bible study. Be with other Christians who will strengthen your faith and help you when you are weak, just as you'll help them when they are weak.

Yours in the love of Christ,
Steve
Mission to America