When should faithfulness start?

When should you choose to be faithful to your spouse?“For a man to remain faithful to God, He must stay faithful to his wife, even if he doesn’t know who she will be yet” and the same can be said for the wife being faithful.

God says that, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

Being faithful does not start after marriage, but long before you know the one you will marry!

If you are single pray for your wife even though you don't know her and if you are a parent, pray for the spouse of your child. Pray for God to bring a godly spouse to your child and for your child to be the type of godly person that this person would want to marry. As Andy Stanley says, “Your present will be your past which will be present in your future”

If you are single, pray for your spouse because though you may not know yet who they are, God does. I heard a story of a man who thought no one had ever prayed for him before he got saved because he came from an agnostic background, but later after he was married he found out that his wife had prayed for him for years that God would make the man she would marry a godly man.

If you are married and have children and are a Christian, you can pray for the man or woman they will marry. First pray that they will not get involved with anyone not a Christian. Then that the Lord would guide them to the right person and that the person would be a godly growing Christian who would compliment them spiritually and in all other ways. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness”?

It is never too soon to pray for your spouse or the spouse of your child! Many good habits and character traits are learned at an early age and your prayers, like those of the lady in the story above, may be a part of developing the person into the type of godly person you would want to marry or have your child marry so that they can serve the Lord together and have a home centered in Christ.

And, if you are single, be faithful to your spouse now and don’t engage in any behavior you would not want them to witness or know about. God knows and as His child, He is in and with you always; keep in mind too if your godly spouse to come will approve of your actions. Strive to please God now because you love Him and strive to please your spouse now because you will love them.

Be faithful now to your Lord and to your spouse both!