I always found it interesting that one of the first things God was concerned about after creation was that we were not in life alone. In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him.” So in addition to creating the heavens and the earth and all the animals and finally man; God created marriage for the man and the woman. This early picture in the garden shows how much God loves and cares for us. Unfortunately, the fall of man was right around the corner in Genesis 3. Things would never be the same. One area where we can clearly see the effects of sin is in the marriage relationship. Divorce is very common today even to people that go to church and are believing Christians. The topic of divorce has many passages that we can look to for answers about when divorce is allowed, what happens when a spouse dies, and even what did Jesus have to say about divorce while he was here on this earth. If you are reading this article you have probably been affected by divorce either by your own personal divorce or by the divorce of someone close to you. Consider these verses…
Bible Quotes Containing Word Divorce
Deuteronomy 22:19 and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name upon a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife. He may not divorce her all his days.
Deuteronomy 22:29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
Jeremiah 3:1 “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her?
Malachi 2:16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
Matthew 1:19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Mark 10:2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
1Corinthians 7:11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
Matthew 5:31 It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
Scriptures Talking About A “Certificate (or Decree) of Divorce”
Deuteronomy 24:1-3 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife,
Isaiah. 50:1 Thus says the LORD: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
Jeremiah 3:8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.
Matthew 5:31 It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
Matthew 19:7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”
Mark 10:4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.”
Jesus Explains Why Divorce is Allowed
Matthew 19:8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Matthew 19:9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
Verses Where The Woman is Not To Divorce Because Their Spouse is an Unbeliever
1Corinthians 7:12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.
1Corinthians 7:13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.
Bible Verses Where A Wife is Freed From Marriage Because of Death
Romans 7:2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.
1Corinthians 7:39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.
Jesus Talks About When Divorce is Adultery (The same thought repeated by 3 of the Gospel Writers)
Matthew 5:32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Mark 10:11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Luke 16:18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The topic of divorce will always be a hotly debated subject. It is sad that such a large percentage of marriages will end in divorce. Jesus clearly allows for divorce under certain conditions but it is always important to recognize that divorce was never the intention or the will of God for His people. Maybe you are reading today and considering a divorce; if this is the case I would encourage to seek wise counsel. A great place to find great Biblical advice is from the pastor from a local church that teaches the Bible accurately. Most pastors would love to listen to you and try to help you. Maybe there will be a hope of reconciliation for you and your marriage. Divorce affects both spouses, any kids that may be involved, and even both families that are involved. My prayer for you this day is for healing for your marriage as you seek the will of God for your life.
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Here is the fifty thousand dollar question, which verse do we take for the actual words of Jesus? Matthew, Mark, or Luke? All these statements are attributed to Jesus, yet in Matthew he gives a clear reason for divorce, in Mark and Luke there is no such clarity. I do want to follow the will of Jesus, however there has been much playing of words with the divorce issue. No, I am not divorcing my wife, but I find it confusing in regards to the actual words of Jesus.
Have you ever wondered why the Gospels of Luke and Mark don’t say anything about fornication regarding divorce. Only the Gospel directed to the Jews from Matthew does. Matthew is referring to the betrothal period in which their is no consummation of the marriage. matthew 1:18-20 states When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. It was a Jewish thing. This betrothal period. The only way to get out of a marriage was this and The bride and groom never had sex yet. She still lived at her parents house. This is the answer that you are looking for. I hope this helped you.
No that isnt correct mary and joseph had 11 other children after Jesus did.adultry is the end of a betrothel.
What if you are liveing with some one , I movie her to a new place and I am living with him . But I do see I am not getting along with him I say it is because I can’t live with a man , I think I would be better off on my own .what would you say to this . It feels like he is right all the time , but maybe it is me . Just was asking this quiet sorry for my spelling . could it be because I dont have my church down her and I have no friend here I miss every one Thank you for listeing
Hi Teresa,
My thoughts and prayers go out to you. I will try to answer your questions as best that I can but your last line of your comment is where I would like to start. Yes, it is very hard when you leave your home church and it does not sound like you are connected yet in another church. I would encourage you to make that a priority. A good Bible believing church will be a great place to be encouraged and grow in your faith. It would be hard for me to give a quick answer to your question about whether you should move out from your boyfriend. I obviously do not know all of the circumstances but I do believe that the Bible teaches that we should not live together before marriage. That is a principle that comes through in Scripture. That is a principle whether or not your boyfriend is treating you right. Even if he is great, the Bible teaches that the “marriage bed is undefiled.” Or simply, that living together (and becoming intimate) before marriage is against God’s commands. This teaching may seem outdated with the culture that we live in but I believe it to be true and I believe that God will bless you if you follow his teachings. I pray that God will give you the wisdom to know what to do next in this relationship. Blessings to you.
i would take the time and get to know him first.
Thanks Chris for you heart-felt question. I believe that all of Scripture is inspired and inerrant. The gospels will sometimes have stories that overlap where more than 1 gospel writer will describe a sermon, miracle, or story. Why aren’t they all the same? That is a hard question but just know that each gospel writer had a different reason or emphasis for his writing. Sometimes individual stories are more complete in one gospel over another. Take for example the temptation of Jesus…Mark describes it in only 4 verses while Matthew uses 11 verses and Luke uses 13. Those accounts are much more detailed and complete. Does that mean that Mark got it wrong? No, but he had a different reason for adding detail where he thought fit. I think the same principle goes for the quotes of Jesus’ views on divorce. I am encouraged by your deep thinking on this topic and am glad you are not in the midst of a divorce. That may have been somewhat long winded but I want to emphasize that all of Scripture is God’s word and is his inspired words to us.
i am thankful for this website it gave me a lot of unaswered questions that i had, but i just feel like waiting for your answer from God is one of the hardest things to do. i might go through a divorce soon and i feel like its unfair that a man can be with you for 5 years and in 1 day falls for another lady. and right now i don’t know what to believe because i am getting different answers from 2 people the source and the sister. i am so confused but i know that my God is with me always. i want to remain with my husband but i don’t know where he is so i can’t talk to him, but i am leaving it to God to show me the way. please pray for me. thank you ui
Daryl can you please email me at redfury02@gmail.com I have a question.
While adultery is an unfaithful incident, some of the other forms of marital unfaithfulness can be chronic and long-lasting, causing great pain over extended periods of time. There are many ways in which the marital covenant can be broken. There are many things about marriage that God intends for us to uphold beyond just who we have sex with. To get married and to believe that so long as you never cheat on your spouse, God will be happy with just about everything else you can possibly do that is wrong to your spouse is absurd.
My husband has cheated on me several times. I am a christian and he is not. When I told my counselor at church we, he , filed for a divorce (we are baptist) she said well ok you are okay with God in my eyes. I am confused because we filed together I just didnt go into detals with her. Not to mention I divorced my 1st husband for adultry. So what is right and what is wrong? Was I wrong?
Hello Shauna. You are within your rights to divorce your husband who committed adultery. I read 1 Cor 7:15 says of the unbelieving spouse who leaves, “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”
I see no wrong in that since you went thru it together, the circumstances of the divorce and the grounds are what we look at and Jesus said that for sexual immorality, including divorce, you may do so. You had no choice but to file together for that is a technicality and states have different laws in that it must be signed by both or in some cases, the person being divorced doesn’t require both parties participate. You were not in the wrong for HE was the adulterer.
TJ
Thank God i have an opportunity here to asked my question. Am married to my husband but he committed adultery, lied to me, assault me and left me & the kids. I have forgiven him and receive him back again but still he will not stop and the last assault he told me to go and leave him alone and left me and the kids. I prayed and cried to God and have been waiting living alone for the past 3yrs but now i don’t have any feeling of love for him anymore and am ready for divorce. If i have a divorce and remarry is it right in the sight of the Lord…thanks
As others have already stated the various Scriptures seem sometimes to be in conflict on the subject. There are Old Covenant references and New Testament references. In other words, the Laws given to the Nation of Israel and then the New Testament Church made up of the Souther n Kingdom of Israel and people from other nations. Then of course the Bible is translated: From Hebrew, some Aramaic then Greek, Latin and British/English. Of course something gets lost and/or confused in the translations.
You don’t state he is a believer or not. 1 Corinthians 7:15, 16 Paul is speaking from the wisdom He has from God but not as a command from Him.
The Apostle states we are called to peace. Word study on that one word is very comforting by the way. You are free from him since an abusive marriage is not a peace giving situation. There can be no peace in such a situation.
Secondly, in Ephesians 5 the husband is called to love his wife as Messiah loved the church and gave himself for it. The husband is also called to nurture and cherish his wife.
The interesting aspect of this is that the chapter begins in Ephesians 5:1 that we are to be: verse 1) followers of God. Verse 2) Walk in love. Verse 18) Filled with the Spirit. Verse 21, very important) Submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God.
A husband and wife cannot even begin to fulfill the marriage verses 22-33 unless they are submitted to each other in the fear of God verse 21. Verse 21 makes all the rest possible. But even before that Love must be the foundation because God is love.
I believe many marriages fail (including my own abusive marriage because we lack understanding of what these Scriptures really mean. Are both submitted to one another in the fear of God before they marry?
We usually get married and the expectations arise. The wife needs love from him. The man needs respect and demands his wife to submit to him in everything whether he is submitted to God or not. Whether he is loving his wife or not. It is imbalanced. The wife may begin talking about him to friends or require him to submit to counseling. He resents it as a sign of disrespect.
He doesn’t realize she needs love or how to give it. She doesn’t understand his need to be respected or what that means.
In your case you are free to move on. He has shown no signs of being pleased to dwell with you and there is no peace. You in fact are in danger with your children because he physically assaults you.
Safety for you and your children is more important. If he changes down the road, good. Let him prove it. But do not stay placing yourself and your children in harm’s way. That is not what our Father has in mind. That is a declaration of hardness of heart Messiah spoke about and why divorce was allowed by Moses. Abusive husbands are showing no nurturing, cherishing nor sanctifying or cleansing you with the Word. Hope this helps. God bless you your children and deliver your husband from this tormenting behavior.
Currently me and my husband are separated and have been for the past 6 months. I am ready to divorce him. I feel like we have grown a part. I have been struggling with this because in the bible divorce is a bad thing. I want everything I do in my life to line up with the word of God but I feel like divorce isn’t. I pray for guidance and I don’t want to do the opposite of what God wants me to do. But I feel like my marriage is done. I no longer want to put in the effort to try and make it work. I guess I am just fed up and tired from years of trying to make it work. There is no infedelity, abuse or anything like that. We simply have different ideas about marriage, life and God. I truly do not think he is the man for me or the man God has on this earth for me. I’m just confused and apprehensive about getting a divorce because I honestly feel like I am getting signs from the Lord himself telling me to stay with my husband. But I do not want to. I do not want to be with him, but I do not want to ignore God…. I don’t know. I no longer want to be with my husband but I fear God is telling me otherwise…
Dearest C.J No,
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I have not been married and evidently I haven’t been divorced. I cannot imagine the spiritual as well as the emotional conflict you have inside of you. Yes, God says that divorce is wrong and such, and I would be a liar if I told you it would be okay. In truth it is not okay. As, you have noticed I am terrible at comforting people in their time of need, I just happened to be at this website when I saw what you had written. I shall pray for you Honey, because no one should have to go through what you are going through. Marriage is a blessed thing to partake of, a blessing to everyone.
I will let you know that no matter what you decide to do, God will not abandon you, he will always be standing by your side, ready to catch you if you fall. If you get a divorce God will not strike you down with a lightening bold,but instead he will cover you with his wing and guide you along your days either married or single. Continue to pray to him, because he always answers to those in need, even if it may not seem like it at the time, but trust me he listens and he hears all that troubles you.
Know that you have one friend that will pray for you in your days of need, and know that as another Sister in Christ, I love you and wish you to have the happiest life a person can have in Christ Jesus.
Sincerely,
Jessica
Jessica as comforting as your letter sounds it does not go in accordance with the bible and by you telling her that it’s okay to live in an adulterous state is very wrong and you will be held accountable for that. People should read the word and study it hard before giving advice to people. If you divorce this man just know that you cannot remarry and if you are living with any other sin in your life the only prayer God will hear from you is the one where you repent truly from your heart any sin you have. The only way you can enjoy God’s love is to get out of the way of his wrath first. Grace is given abundantly to those who seek righteousness. you have to forsake all sin and the Holy Spirit will enter you and through that Grace you can be victorious over sin, your marriage can be reconciled and your husband can be saved because he is sanctified because of you only if you are truly biblically saved. Please don’t take offense to what I am saying I am merely stating what the bible says on these matters. I can not sugar coat this, I don’t mean to scare you nor do I mean to scare you either jessica but God is not who we want him to be he is who the Word says he is. False teachers have plenty people going to hell. And the worst part is some know it, and still teach the lies. The bible talks about it a lot. Study up, Pray up and be encouraged. Come out of her my people.
I’m impressed by ua replies bt,I am in a dilemma too,I decided 2 sent my wife of 3yrs away because I was unfaithful to her though she insisted to stay bt I had to do it coz I felt ashamed;Do God allow 4 separation coz i consider this as nt divorce,I did all these even after consulting my junior pastor and the deacon,hey cn I take her back or what should I do because i committed a sin which amounts to divorce though the party which had to complain feels comfortable pliz help me.Oliver mwashi.
Take her back and get right with the Lord. Then the scriptures will be revealed to you. Be encouraged.
Wrong, you do not have to get right with the law before God will talk to you. Did Jesus not die for us while we were yet sinners? Do we get right with him before we get saved? His grace leads us to repentance! Stop diminishing the work of the cross with religious minded confusion. If we accept his love fully, we are dead to sin! It is not us that sins but sin that lives in us. Which means you throwing the law at people will quite literally condemn them. Jesus loves the adulterer, in fact grace is even more abundant on the adulterer, according to Corinthians 5:8. Be glad, Jesus loves you, and HE IS THE LAW.
I am divorced now 18 months. There are many reasons why I left , not relevant now. Point is the marraige left me traumatised , fearful of men , deeply distressed , no peace , no joy , no love , fighting everyday for 8 years. He wants me back , I would die first. We are both ‘christian’ whatever that means these days. I dont know. I dont have a question just a comment. How can I believe in God when His word tells me to go back to a monster? I have no hope. Cant move forward serving God , cant go back to being depressed.
Rozetta,
Whatever the Bible says about marriage and divorce (which is too much to go into here), we know it does not condone spousal abuse. One cannot claim to be following Christ while beating (physically or verbally) their mate. My counsel to anyone with marital problems would be this: seek God wholeheartedly (Matthew 6:25-34), make sure your relationship with Him is what it should be. Find a church, or other Christians, who can help you. It is much more difficult to live out an abusive situation alone. Protect yourself and your children. Relationships are hard enough without the added problems of abuse. I will be praying for you. Trust God, He loves you. If you think He wants anything bad for you, then you’ve simply misunderstood something. The Bible says that God is love.
Yours in Christ,
Robert
Hello Jack, I am a married christian that has been having lots of issues lately. I am of a Pentecostal background and I married a Jehovah’s witness. I have always been tolerant to other christian denominations believing the Common message of Jesus and his love cuts across all. My wife begged me to become a witness and i told her i will try. I started studying with some elders in her congregation. But my spirit could not agree with some of their doctrines. When i look at some of their teachings and what the bible actually says It was just difficult for me to join based on these doubts. As such i told her about it. Now she shows me little or not respect as the husband. She belittles me at every given opportunity. It is just like the marriage is over just because i couldn’t follow through to becoming a witness. Frankly speaking i am tired of everything. My dream for my home has always be founded on God word a home where love, joy and peace reigns. Now my home is one of bitterness , anger and hate. I really do not know what to do. We have been married for 3 years with a 2 year old lovely son. what do i do? I am at my wits end on the issue?. Sometimes i think of asking her that if she thinks she cannot overcome the issue of my not being a witness then we should be divorce why she looks for one of common faith to her. But an action like that does not sound scriptural to me.
My dear brother in Christ i really do need your prayers and counsel
Thanks Pullen.
You are right to believe that this is not ground for a divorce. Oh, that she would be an unbeliever rather than a JW. This is not a Christian faith-based church as you must know. I am glad that you felt that you could not agree with their beliefs. This wife of yours is truly not saved because she is not even displaying the role of a Christian wife (Eph 5) or a Christian either (1 John chapter 3, Rom 12, 1 Cor 13). I will be glad to pray for you because only God can change this woman’s heart (Prov 21:1) and it will take a miracle at present but God is in the business of doing miracles and what seems impossible for us is not at all for God. Although you probably know what JW believe, I would urge you to read why they are not Christ-followers because the Jesus they teach about is not the Jesus of the Bible.
http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe/
Sadly, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that WE are those who are at present lost and only their beliefs are accurate. In the link below there is also an article on the many false predictions and failed prophecies in the hundreds of the Watchtower magazine and you will also find dozens of Scriptures that clearly indicate that Jesus IS God and has always been God from all eternity and without beginning, which they don’t believe. Speak the truth in love, pray for her, love her unconditionally. Ironically, she needs your love and prays when she least deserves it.
http://www.christiananswers.net/evangelism/beliefs/jehovahswitness.html
Thanks Jack ur prayers are appreciated. I am confident that the Lord will turn her heart to experience and live out his True love.
Pullen,
I will say that I don’t agree with Jack about your wife. I grew up in a doctrinally sound church that also was oppressive and legalistic, full of the religious spirit. The religious spirit says, “if I do these things, I will be righteous before God”. Unfortunately, our righteousness is as rags. Your wife is probably like my wife, self-righteous, afraid, not knowing peace. I agree there is only so much you can take in a marriage, but remember, your not trying to convert her, your trying to reconcile her to the love of Christ.
did this work?
Sorry, Hello my name is Kim, I have a question regarding the Unbeliever. My husband and I have seperated several times over the last 9 years we have been together over things regarding money, lies and not keeping a job. He has even been in and out of jail for not paying fines that he has. I have bailed him out so many times before. I am six months pregant with our first child. And I have started going back to church and have taken him a few times he doesn’t like going. To get to the bottom of my question he was pulled over for speeding and does not have a DL so he is sitting in jail again and my family is wanting me to file and raise the child on my own. But from what I have read it says that if the nonbeliever leaves. He is not leaving because he doesn’t want me to leave he says he wants to change but I have heard this all before so I’m confused on what to do and I don’t want to make a rash decision
Hello Kim, there is no need to be sorry for your question. We are thrilled to see you here. Let me say that there are no grounds for you to divorce him biblically. Your family, you said, is wanting you to file for divorce and raise the child yourself.
My first question. Is “your family” your parents? Are they also Christian? Regardless, when God joins husband and wife together, God says that (in Gen 2:24) “a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” This also applies to the woman. They need to LEAVE the family out of all things regarding your marriage and in-laws should NEVER, ever interfere or offer advice, especially concerning divorce. I think it is encouraging that your husband attended church with you. Don’t give up on him. He is at the greatest need for you than ever before. These problems can drive your husband to his knees to see his need for God and His help. You must not leave him at this critical time. He sounds like he could be on the verge of repentance and putting his trust in God for he appears at the end of his rope (as you are too my friend, for that I am sorry).
God can change this man’s heart to come to faith in Christ (Prov 21:1) and so I will join with you to pray for him and I suggest you fast too. If your husband puts his trust in Christ, this could be such an amazing turn around your and your child as well as for him. We make our vows for “better or worse” and this is the “worse” right now. Please don’t make a rash decision. Its encouraging that your husband wants to change. That may be the Holy Spirit working! He doesn’t want you to leave…so please, I beg you, don’t.
Stop listening to your family…please. God is not pleased because you two are now “one flesh” and parental interference is sin in God’s eys. Please don’t give up. You don’t have grounds for divorce anyway. I beg you to hang in there…please…I will pray and I believe so will pastor Daryl.
My wife recently left me and is moving back to Mass. to live with her family, she has expressed that she still has feelings for Adam a guy she used to see before our relationship. I donot know if she is talking or seeing him but she has text him recently in the past. She wants a divorce but cannot afford to file…… what do I do in my situation because I want to have the assurance of being protected legally and at least have her sign the papers before she leaves agreeing that any future business endeavor I open later, that she cannot come back expecting me to give her all my hard work after picking up the pieces. What do I do since she left me?????
Hello TC. I am not the author of this article but another pastor is whose name is Daryl. He could probably give you better advice but I always recommend talking first to your own pastor first. Schedule a time with him soon. A person’s own pastor is always better since he knows you better, knows the situation better, and can visit with you face to face which I can not do.
Having said that, I would not make it any easier for this divorce to go thru. I would fight tooth and nail any divorce and since she can not afford one yet, please wait. Marriage is always worth a strong effort. Try fasting, praying, and turn it all over to God for when we can not do anything ourselves, it is always best to give it all to God for He is able to do above and beyond all we can do or might expect and exceedingly better than we can handle ourselves. In the meantime, try reading Psalm 37 for some comfort. I will join with you in prayer for your marriage and know that God can do all things as even the king’s heart is like channels of water, turning it whichever way He wills (Prov 21:1).
Here’s my situation-
My wife and I have been married for 4 years. For the first 3 years, we fought frequently as 2 people who weren’t really close to God at all. We both knew Jesus at a young age, and then the deceiver came around I guess. Anyhow, we were abusive to each other, verbally and physically. Not surprisingly, this resulted in our marriage being on the brink of failure. When I separated from the military a year ago, our stressful circumstance had driven my wife to leaving me. She quite suddenly left for Iowa with our daughter. To make a long story short, she filed an order against me, and I drove to Iowa to fight it in court. Luckily for me, it was dismissed. This was a “come to Jesus” experience for me. I never thought I would find Christ because I was so jaded by being brought up in an oppressive, legalistic church. Anyhow, I have grown in Christ throughout the year. My wife has harbored bitterness and resentment against me since she moved back to NY, and acts completely selfish and downright nasty at times. To top it off she has struggled with prescription drug dependency. This dependency comes with a lot of deceit. Anyhow, things came to a head recently when she physically attacked me with her fists and kicking. I’m afraid that the fighting is going to damage our daughter who is now 3. I have a mind to file for custody and will probably get the majority of the physical custody and legal custody. Of course God is always speaking MERCY to me. I still feel hopeful for her to get better. Glory to God.