Dear Pastor Jackson,

I will like to get your advice on something. I have a friend who is really anxious to have a baby but is not ready for marriage. She feels she will be a good mother but is not ready to settle down in marriage and wants to take her time making that decision.{{more}}

Please give your opinion.

Hello to you,

What your friend desires is a scary reflection of the wave being ridden by society and the world at large. There is a continuous move towards rationalization of decisions that were once a straight given as they lined up against Godly principles. So once, it was grow up, get married and then have babies. In fact although many did it in a different order, such happenings were greeted with scorn as it were. Because the principles of God by and large were the only way.

Partly because of the increasing rate of divorce and general failure rate of marriage but also because of the increased selfishness and Godlessness prophesied by scripture to be characteristic of the times in which we live, there is a shift away.

So the absolutes of scripture are continuously being questioned and debated against, but let it be known, that the Word of God is still the absolute authority. It isn’t always easy to live by and we all fall as we walk this road of the will of God but never must we question His authority or wisdom.

I recently heard the result of a particular American survey (I honestly can’t recall the source). However this survey indicated that based on the sample, children who are raised by both parents in long term, marital relationships were less likely to go astray and the children did better at school.

Now I am not saying that children raised by single mothers (I WAS ONE SUCH CHILD) can’t and don’t succeed in life…absolutely not. I am just quoting the results of this survey and suggesting that I believe if other surveys are done that the numbers will indicate that children raised in stable homes (both parents together) are less likely to stray and if they do it will be at an older age. It will be interesting to find out what percentage of prisoners..incarcerated for violent and drug related crimes come from stable, marital homes.

I am not trying to raise a hornet’s nest and I am not pulling down the hard work of many single mothers, never will I do such but I am endorsing and standing by God’s word, knowing with a certainty that if we practise self control and live by it many of our social ills will not exist.

One such important principle is that sex outside of marriage is sin (tempting, difficult, a seemingly crazy and hopeless task) but sin nevertheless.

So to your friend’s question, tell her WAIT and make a good choice of a life partner, MARRY and live faithfully and then HAVE HER BABY!!!!!!!

She will be giving her young one a Godly heritage and edge in life by bringing him/her/them up in a stable, marital home according to the will of God.