“Pastor, I want to marry a man that loves God. But how do I identify a man that really loves God?”

There are 4 major signs that show when a person loves God. Let me share them with you:

1. If you love God, you’d love to fellowship with Him.

It’s natural for you to want to spend time with a person you love. You can’t claim to love God and not desire fellowship with Him. King David was a lover of God, and we were told that he was always full of joy and gladness whenever he was invited to go to the house of God. In Psalm 119:164, he didn’t hesitate to tell us that he praised God seven times a day.

How many times do you fellowship with God daily? And I don’t mean that short prayer you do when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night. Fellowship demands quality time, and that’s what David was doing 7 times a day.

Fellowship moulds resemblance between lovers. The reason why a husband and his wife eventually resemble each other is because of fellowship. Although they may not have that resemblance before they got married, but their fellowship over the years will create that resemblance.

That’s exactly what God wants. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, the bible says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. Which means the more we behold His face through fellowship, the more we are changed into His image. You really cannot change into the image of God without fellowship.

No wonder David was so powerful on the battlefield. He was undefeatable. He carried God’s image through fellowship.

Make it a habit to fellowship with God daily. If not 7 times like David, at least once, but let it be a quality time with God. A time where you worship Him and discuss matters of His kingdom. And ofcourse you can discuss your personal needs too, that’s why it’s called fellowship – a communion between two or more people.

Call your family together and deliberately initiate a fellowship time with God in your house. The more your family fellowships with God, the more your family will operate in God’s image. And just as David, nothing will be impossible to your family.

So yes, a man who loves God will love to fellowship with God. If he scarcely fellowships with God, then his love for God may not be strong enough.

2. If you love God, you will love His word

King David seemed to possess all the signs that proves a person loves God. Let’s learn from him again:

Psalm 119:
97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Just look at that! If you love God, you’d love His word, and His word will be your meditation all the day. In the face of challenges, what do you think about? What would be your meditation all through that day? David was a king, and kings are known to carry burdens, yet God’s word was his meditation all the day. That means he always had a word from scriptures that tackled every situation. So instead of meditating on the situation like many of us would do, he meditates on the word of God instead.

So, what’s his meditation when he’s troubled? Does he worry over the situation or respond with the word of God? Does he maintain a good countenance in the face of challenges or is he overwhelmed when challenges come?

3. If you love God, you’d love what He loves

If you hate what your lover loves, your relationship will not stand the test of time. So loving to fellowship with God and loving His word is not enough, you need to also love what He loves.

For instance, God loves unsaved souls and He wants them saved. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. If He gave His son for unsaved souls, then you must be willing to give your time and resources to get souls saved.

4. If you love God, you will give to Him and His kingdom

I talked about this yesterday. David loved God affectionately, and so he didn’t hold back his resources from God. Let’s read from scriptures:

1 Chronicles 29:
3 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house
4 Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal.

Did you see that? Because he set his affection to the house of God, he sacrificed things that ought to be for his personal good to be used for the house of God.

This is beyong ten percent tithe and your Sunday worship offering, it’s about giving yourself, your whole heart. People have asked me if it’s advisable to give to God when what they have is not sufficient for them, well, learn from David. He gave his proper good. Love does not negotiate or consider anything, it just acts. So when you start considering the bills you’ve not paid before you give to God, your love is not strong enough.

I’ve heard stories of how a boy used his school fees to bail out a lady he loves from trouble. At that point, he didn’t consider the possibility of repeating a class or leaving school, his love was a priority. We do this things in the natural, but when it comes to God, we ask questions. We don’t love God.

So that’s it! These 4 characteristics must feature in a man or woman that claims to love God. Be very watchful about the fourth sign though, because you may eventually struggle in marriage if he or she doesn’t know how to sacrifice for the kingdom.

I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.

Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!

#EmekaAnslem