1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Matthew 7:16a You will know them by their fruits.

In my earlier years of walking with the Lord, I diligently prayed for the blessing of a godly husband. This prayer was the cry of my heart and it became the center of all my attention. Instead of focusing on the Lord, I was focused on finding a husband which led to emotional involvements with men who were not called by God to be my spouse. Due to my desperation for love, the enemy capitalized on my weaknesses by sending me wolves in sheep’s clothing. Even though I was anxious for a husband, I would still pray and ask God for confirmation on whether or not the person was God’s best for me. The Lord would always answer immediately; He would reveal the true character of the individual, and provide evidence of red flags. In that season of my life, the Lord showed me, He alone should be my primary focus and I needed to make Him my first Love while relying on Him for discernment when meeting someone.

In order to safeguard and keep myself from the dangers of compromise, I prayed earnestly to the Lord and asked Him to give me His strength to live by certain standards. I will like to encourage you with these same principles:

– Do not have or maintain friends of the opposite sex (This may lead to a relationship forming contrary to God’s will and purpose for your life);

– Do not enter in or keep friendships with married men (This can be an open door to adultery or an emotional connection between both parties);

– Do not pursue or chase after another woman’s husband or any man for that matter (You do not want someone else’s husband, but your own godly husband);

– Do not date, but wait on God to bring you His best choice in a godly husband (Just because a guy is a Christian doesn’t mean he’s called to be your husband. Pray and ask God to give you wisdom and discernment);

– If you meet someone and he says, he’s not looking for a relationship, but just wants to be friends, this is a Red Flag. End the conversation, walk away and don’t look back;

– If you meet someone and it becomes known to you that he’s dating other women, this is a Red Flag. Run away and don’t look back;

– If you meet someone who says he’s a Christian, but he doesn’t feel the need to go to church, run away and don’t look back. This is a Red Flag. 

– If you meet someone who says he’s a Christian, but believes in premarital sex and he tells you that it’s ok to engage in this type of activity, this is a Major Red Flag. Definitely flee at all cost, run away as fast as you can, and don’t look back.

By adhering to these standards with the Lord’s enabling has helped me to decrease emotional distress, heartache, and the wrong relationships from forming.

The Lord loves you so much and He doesn’t want to see you as His daughter become the victim of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He has put standards in place for you and I to live by. It’s imperative to remain close to the Lord, keep Him first in all aspects of your life, read His Word, pray and seek Him diligently for His wisdom and discernment in all your circumstances as well as in meeting someone. The Lord has a wonderful godly husband for you. He wants you to wait patiently on Him and His timing to bring you His best.

A true man of God is a man who loves God with all of His heart, soul, and mind. He’s a godly man of integrity who is not out dating whomever and whenever. The godly man God has for you is not a married man, nor someone who is legally separated from his wife; however, still married, but a single man on reserve by God, appointed just for you, free and clear of any and all marital and dating relationships. He is also a godly man who holds fast to the Lord and diligently lives by His standards. He loves the church, God’s people, and he’s faithful in serving the Lord as well as the body of Christ.

God desires to give you His very best in a godly husband. Don’t settle for satan’s false imitation of second best, but wait patiently and expectantly on God for His fine choice. He will never disappoint you. The Lord is Faithful and He knows how to give good gifts to His children. The Best is yet to come!

Psalm 84:11b No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.