51 - Whitney - "My husband is verbally abusive and has threatened to kill me. What is your advice?”
“I traded a few emails with Whitney about this subject. This was her original email to me, but this recording was in reply to a subsequent email she sent me about her struggle.”
”Hey Michael, I ran across a video of yours on YouTube about an abusive spouse and the Christian woman. My husband has never been physically abusive but is very verbally and emotionally abusive and has threatened to kill me. He also has traits of a narcissist. Would you give the same advice to a woman in my situation?
Thanks for your time. God bless!
Whitney”
Finding Freedom in Christ: When Divorce is a Blessing
Are you trapped in a spiritual battle within your marriage, or like Whitney, even facing abuse? Does your marriage relationship hinder your walk with Christ rather than uplift it? Today's message offers a perspective that may challenge conventional thinking: sometimes, divorce can be God’s will and a path to real freedom in Christ. It has been for many.
This isn't about burning toast, late nights at work, or finding sexual fulfillment. This is about a spouse's persistent ungodliness, their unwillingness to live with you in peace (1 Cor 7:15), their refusal to come to a knowledge of the truth, and their unwillingness to allow you to worship and follow Jesus Christ. As 1 Corinthians 7:15 states, "But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace." This verse highlights a critical point: if the unbelieving spouse is willing to live with the believing spouse in peace, divorce is discouraged. But what if they are not willing, not just in words, but in actions? What if their presence means abuse, or actively stifles your spiritual growth, pulling you away from God rather than toward Him?
In Titus 1:16, we are warned about those who "claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him." 2 Timothy 3:5 describes those who "have a form of godliness but deny its power”, and tells us to have nothing to do with them. This principle of separating from darkness is echoed throughout Scripture. But what if that darkness resides within your own home, within the confines of a marriage covenant? Are we to prioritize an earthly temporary institution over our own spiritual and eternal well-being, our very salvation?
