A Sermon
Delivered on Wednesday Evening, June 10th, 2026, by
Evangelist PAUL ACQUAH,
Live on MZ Radio London, London UK.
Every day, believers face choices that shape their spiritual lives. The relationships we build and the partnerships we enter can either strengthen our faith or draw us away from God’s purpose. The Bible addresses this tension directly with a clear and powerful instruction: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” This command is not a call to avoid unbelievers or withdraw from society. Christians are called to be salt and light, sharing God’s truth and love with a world that needs Christ. At the same time, believers must exercise wisdom and spiritual discernment. While we are called to reach sinners, we must not allow ungodly influences to weaken our faith or compromise our obedience to God. So, how can we engage with the world without becoming controlled by its values? How do we know when a relationship is helping our spiritual growth or hindering it? In today’s message titled “Unequally Yoked,” Evangelist Paul Acquah explores what it truly means to live with wisdom, discernment, and unwavering faith in a world that constantly pulls us in competing directions.
Be blessed as you listen!
The scripture says in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14 that Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? The NKJV says it this way: Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? God is telling us not to be bound to unbelievers because of their influence on our lives. We must not participate in other people’s sins, as can be clearly seen by this text of scripture, but at the same time, the Lord doesn’t want us to retreat to a life where we keep our Christianity private. It is not God’s will for His people to live in isolation. That certainly was not the example of Jesus or any of His followers. We are the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13), and to release our life-preserving effect, and let our lives shine, we have to get out of our “comfort zone”. Did God say we should not love the lost? No. Did He tell us to treat them unkindly? No.
The Pharisees and religious leaders in the Bible often made complaint about Jesus, accusing him of eating with sinners (Luke 15:2). They used it as a criticism because, in that culture, sharing a meal was a sign of deep friendship, acceptance, and spiritual fellowship. Jewish religious laws prevented devout Jews from keeping company with any publican. To eat with a publican was unthinkable, since the Jews considered this actually partaking of the publican’s sins. This was why the people reacted so adversely to Jesus eating with Zacchaeus. However, Jesus did not eat at Zacchaeus’ house to participate in his sin but to extend mercy and forgiveness to him. By eating with “tax collectors and sinners,” Jesus was actively welcoming the outcasts and showing them grace instead of judgment. Jesus said, I came to seek and to save sinners. We are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), and to do any good, we have to get out and impact the world.
If we can be in control and minister the love of God, then we are right to associate with sinners. But when we are being controlled by the ungodliness of sinners, we need to take control or withdraw. For example, Paul went into the Jewish synagogues to share the Gospel (Acts 9:20; 13:5, 14-47; 14:1; 17:1-4, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; and 19:8) because they allowed anyone to speak up and comment on the Scriptures. But when the leaders of the synagogue hardened themselves against the Gospel and directly contradicted Paul’s preaching, he separated the disciples from the doubt and unbelief (Acts 19:8-9). 8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
Therefore, we must have dealings with the world’s system and those in it, but we need to be careful to maintain the proper balance. We should shun relationships where we are being more influenced by others’ negatives than they are by our positives. The Bible says we must be careful how we live. If the enemy gains a foothold in our lives by tempting us to compromise our faith and demonstration of God’s love and forgiveness, he will make significant strides toward undermining our relationship with the Lord and our testimony for Him. The word of God is saying that it is an abnormal situation to yoke a believer, who has the Spirit of Christ within, to an unbeliever, who is motivated by the spirit of the world. It’s like trying to mix water with oil; it cannot be done. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
The text of scripture makes it clear by the comparisons that being yoked together with unbelievers just won’t work. Believers and unbelievers have nothing in common and are as different as righteousness and wickedness, light and dark, Christ and the devil, someone who has faith and someone who has no faith, the temple of God and an idol. Any Christian who doesn’t see this conflict is deceived, Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character. (1 Corinthians 15:33). Marriage is one area where this principle is especially true. There is no closer union in life than the marriage relationship. Yes, 2 Corinthians 6:14 has application far beyond marriage, but it certainly includes marriage. It says that you shouldn’t be marrying people who aren’t believers. you shouldn’t be marrying a person just because you like certain interests or just because that person is beautiful. Did you know beauty is temporary? it’s going to change and this is why so many marriages fall apart because it’s based on the physical attributes, it’s based on things that you have in common or whatever.
First of all, it ought to be your love and commitment to God. That should be the most important thing to you, and if that person doesn’t share that then don’t marry that person. You shouldn’t ever entertain marrying any person who doesn’t share your core belief and values about God and yet people just choose to acknowledge God maybe on certain things, but when it comes to marriage, you’re going to do it your own way. How is that working for you? That’s the reason so many people have so many problems. That’s a reason divorce rate is nearly as high in the church as it is in the secular world because people are not following God’s system. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [b]direct your paths. We’re supposed to acknowledge him in all our ways, and he will direct our paths. You need to understand that marriage is going to be one of the most important decisions that you will ever make and if you marry the wrong person it could lead to divorce, it could lead to adultery, it could lead to all kinds of things that just literally would destroy whatever God’s plans for your life are.
So we need to enter into marriage with fear and trembling saying God I need to have your mind and God supernaturally will put you and your spouse together. There must be Physical attraction but that must not be the dominant thing. God will supernaturally put you together and because of that God will direct your paths and you can be married for life. And as you advance in years, the marriage even gets better than it’s ever been because God put you together and yet there’re people listening to me or reading this message that don’t acknowledge God in that realm. You feel like that’s up to you. just pick and choose who you want. You pick and choose your own career, you pick and choose how you go places, you don’t seek God in all your ways. This is a powerful truth from God. Your own understanding is like a broken reed, and if you lean upon, will fail. God has promised, He shall direct your paths; so that your way shall be safe and best, and great at last.
