Married to the Mission: When Our Own Choices Lead to Counterfeit Love

For so long, I believed I was walking in purity.

I convinced myself I was set apart, that I was waiting on God, that I was doing the right thing.

But what I didn’t see was that my own compromises—the things I allowed, the choices I made, the justifications I whispered to myself—were leading me straight into a counterfeit relationship.

A relationship that looked promising. A relationship that even had the appearance of something godly.

But it wasn’t.

Because I wasn’t.

And as painful as it was, I had to come face to face with this truth:

The relationship I stepped into wasn’t real—because I wasn’t real with God.

I had claimed to be faithful to Jesus, but my actions said otherwise.

And so, God let me walk into something that mirrored my own heart.

How My Own Heart Led Me Into a Counterfeit Relationship

In 2019, I made a radical decision: I was going to be single, celibate, and set apart.

No men. No distractions. No relationships.

I told myself I was married to Jesus.

I even acted it out—I printed out pictures of Him, placed them around my house, and asked myself:

“If I were truly married to Christ, how would I behave?”

And at first, it seemed like I was doing well.

I set boundaries. I cut ties with people I knew were distractions. I dedicated time to prayer, Bible study, and worship.

But deep down?

I was pretending.

It wasn’t real to me.

Because even though I had walked away from physical relationships, I had not walked away from sin.

I had removed men from my life, but I had not removed compromise from my life.

I still entertained lustful thoughts. I still indulged my flesh in secret.

I was saying one thing and doing another.

I was living a double life.

And I didn’t realize the full weight of my own deception until I ended up in a relationship that reflected my own unfaithfulness to God.

The Relationship That Revealed My Own Hypocrisy

I thought I was ready.

I thought I had done the work.

So when I entered a relationship that seemed like it could be from God, I believed it.

But instead of a godly partnership, I walked into a relationship that was built on false promises and deception.

I was lied to. I was manipulated. I was made to believe something was real when it wasn’t.

And when it finally unraveled, I found myself asking God:

“Why did You let this happen?”

And His response?

“Because this is what you did to Me.”

I was devastated.

But I couldn’t deny the truth.

I had spent years pretending to be faithful to Jesus, all while betraying Him in secret.

I had been a counterfeit bride to Christ.

And in the same way, I ended up with a counterfeit relationship.

The choices I made in secret led me to something that was never real to begin with.

Married to the Mission

That was the day I knew:

I don’t just want to pretend to be faithful.

I want to be faithful.

I don’t want to say I am set apart.

I want to live set apart.

I don’t want to be found in counterfeit love.

I want to be found pure, holy, and true before Christ.

So now, I am choosing to be married to the mission.

I am learning to live set apart, righteous, holy, and true.

Not just in the absence of relationships.

But in the fullness of my commitment to Christ.

Not just in word.

But in action.

Because my first relationship—the one that truly matters—is my relationship with Jesus.

If I am not fulfilled in Him first, I will always be looking for something else to complete me.

If I am not true to Him first, I will always be vulnerable to deception.

If I do not fully surrender to His love, I will keep falling for the counterfeit.

A Call to Sacred Surrender

If you’ve been living a double life…

If you’ve been justifying your compromises…

If you’ve been saying you are faithful to Jesus but still entertaining the things He has called you to leave behind…

Let this be your wake-up call.

God is calling us to radical obedience.

Not halfway.

Not kind of surrendered.

But fully, completely, wholly His.

The kind of faithfulness that doesn’t just look good on the outside but is true in the secret place.

The kind of obedience that doesn’t just show up on Sundays but is lived out every single day.

The kind of purity that isn’t just about abstaining from relationships but is about being whole in Christ first.

This is the call.

This is the mission.

And today, I choose to be married to it.

Will you?

A Prayer for True Faithfulness

Father God,

I come before You today, humbled and broken, realizing the ways I have been unfaithful to You.

Lord, I don’t want to be counterfeit.

I don’t want to just say I am set apart—I want to truly live it.

I surrender everything that has kept me bound.

I lay down every habit, every compromise, every lie I’ve told myself.

Make me whole in You, Lord.

Help me to be truly faithful.

Help me to be fulfilled in You alone.

Purify my heart. Refine my spirit.

Make me ready for what You have prepared.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Final Thoughts: Will We Be Ready?

If this message spoke to you, don’t ignore it.

Take a moment to ask yourself:

Have I truly been faithful to Christ?

Or have I been living a double life?

Because the relationships we attract often mirror the state of our own hearts.

If we are counterfeit to God, we will find ourselves in counterfeit relationships.

If we are true to God, we will never settle for anything less than what is real.

It’s time to walk in sacred surrender.

It’s time to be married to the mission.

Because Christ is coming soon.

And He is coming for a spotless bride.

Will we be ready? ⏰🕊️