Common-Law Relationships, Our Nation’s Greatest Threat

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own …” (1 Corinthians 6: 18 – 20)
If our nation is going to achieve certain goals by 2030, then the crisis of common-law relationships and children being born out-of-wedlock have to be addressed. Making efforts to achieve economic goals will not work unless we deal with this crisis. I know many within the society will quickly say abortion is the solution. But we cannot, as a society negate the value of life and the importance of teaching families the dangers of sex outside of marriage and the value of getting a solid education.

Respect Marriage
Having children out of wedlock will negatively affect those children’s future – emotionally and spiritually. (Deuteronomy 23: 2) The institute of marriage must be respected and its value held high. Marriage calls for real and deep commitment – common-law relationships do not. Children born out of wedlock brings a bastard curse on both individuals and nations. It opens the door to further poverty, crime, violence and termination of purpose. It also cause that person to struggle with rejection, fear and opens doors to insecurity, incest and abortion. Furthermore, the fathers often reject their children which result from those relationships and those children grow without their fathers and the vicious cycle begins.

Worth the Commitment
When we look through the communities, particularly (but not only) the inner city communities, we see those problems manifesting in more than half of the families in these communities. A mother will live with a man for 20 or 30 years without being married to him. One woman will have 3 different fathers for her children. A man will live with one woman and have several in addition, and these issues have become a crisis that must be addressed. Ladies, if the man is not willing to make a commitment to you and solidify it with the ring then move on!
You are worth the commitment.

Promote Abstinence
The gender issues that politicians and lobbyists should be focusing on are promoting abstinence and teaching the value of maintaining your virginity for the one who will value you. We should not be marketing contraceptives to people and especially to our youth -encouraging sex outside of marriage. Maintaining one’s virginity and sexual purity is more valuable than iPads, smartphones and pocket change. Exchanging one’s body for things from famous people is not worth it.
Do not exchange sex for food. There are still institutions that will give you the help without requiring sexual favours from you.

You Become Who You Sleep With
1 Corinthians 6: 16 tells us: “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
There is more to sex than being skin to skin. Sex is as much a spiritual mystery as it is a physical fact. In sex, two people become one. So, if a man sleeps with a harlot, he becomes that and if you have sex with him, so do you. If a married person commits adultery and then goes home to sleep with his/her spouse. They have now caused that spouse to be polluted spiritually. That is why when most people are struggling in a relationship they can tell that the other has strayed.

Yoked to Lineage of…
In Biblical times, (and it still happens today) if one is going to destroy a family or a nation they would do it through sex, by being yoked to the lineage of the ones they want to destroy. That is why you can’t lie with everybody or marry just anyone – or shack up with anyone.

Action Needed
There needs to be a united effort to go through the community and educated them on these issues. Pastors need to bless the people and break the curse from those in or out of common-law relationships (instead of blessings animals). (Deuteronomy 28: 1-2 & 4)
An action is to have mass weddings for those in common-law relationships who desire to be married.
There could also be discounts on wedding rings
Banks should open savings accounts for those newlyweds
Christen/Re-Christen children who are born out-of-wedlock – regardless of their age.

Apostle Dr. Steve Lyston is the apostle that presides over Restoration World Outreach Ministries Inc (RWOMI)