Bible & Counsel Time – Golden Nuggets
Date: 24th October 2026
Topic: Questions and Answers on Relationships
Introduction
The Bible & Counsel Time discussion explored three important relationship issues: forgiveness and emotional healing for single mothers, intimacy and infidelity in marriage, and the challenges of single parents entering new relationships. The discussions emphasized biblical principles, personal responsibility, open communication, counselling, and the importance of putting God at the centre of relationships.
1. Single Mother Struggling with Unforgiveness
Question raised by: Karl Antwi-Adjei
A Christian woman whose child’s father has been absent and irresponsible for nine years continues to struggle with bitterness and unresolved emotional pain. How can she find healing and forgiveness?
Key counsel
Pastor George Oswald Ankrah (PGOA)
- Responsibility matters: Godliness must be reflected in responsible behaviour. It is easy to profess love, but true character is demonstrated by taking responsibility for one’s actions.
- Acknowledge the pain: Nine years of emotional hurt should not be dismissed. The woman needs empathy, understanding, and appropriate support.
- Prioritise spiritual well-being: She must protect her relationship with God and pursue peace beyond the disappointment of marriage or an absent partner.
- Seek support and healing: Trusted people should listen, encourage, and pray with her. Understanding her family background and formative experiences may also help address the deeper causes of her pain.
- Trust God for restoration: With the help of the Holy Spirit, emotional wounds can heal, and God can restore what has been lost or damaged.
Christina Darkwa
- Reflect on God’s love, grace, and faithfulness throughout the years.
- Release bitterness and unforgiveness rather than allowing past hurt to control the future.
- Seek closure where appropriate and possible, while recognising that healing does not necessarily depend on the father’s response.
- Look to God as her ultimate provider and sustainer, rather than depending emotionally or financially on an absent father.
Biblical reference: 2 Corinthians 2:5–11 highlights the importance of forgiveness and warns against allowing Satan to take advantage of unresolved grievances.
Golden Nugget
Forgiveness is not pretending that the hurt never happened; it is choosing not to let the hurt control your heart, your future, or your relationship with God.
2. Marital Intimacy and Infidelity
Question raised by: Karl Antwi-Adjei
A married man has begun seeking sexual satisfaction outside his marriage because his wife frequently declines intimacy due to exhaustion from work. She has reportedly suggested that he seek satisfaction elsewhere, and he claims that his home life has improved since he began committing adultery. What is the appropriate counsel?
Key counsel
David Darkwa
- Infidelity is wrong, even when there are underlying marital problems. Adultery may be a symptom of deeper issues, but it does not resolve them.
- The couple must identify why intimacy has become difficult. Honest conversations may reveal emotional disconnection, unresolved conflict, past trauma, or other concerns.
- Where necessary, the couple should seek professional marriage counselling and spiritual guidance.
- Counselling is more likely to help when both partners acknowledge the problem and are willing to change.
Pastor George Oswald Ankrah (PGOA)
- Intimacy is an important part of marriage: Couples should discuss their sexual needs, expectations, preferences, and concerns openly, with mutual respect and consent.
- Understand each other’s differences: Sexual desire varies between individuals. Some may prioritise romance, affection, or foreplay, while others may have different needs and expectations.
- Investigate underlying causes: Couples should explore whether exhaustion, emotional distance, past experiences, trauma, or behaviour within the relationship is affecting intimacy.
- Invest beyond the bedroom: Quality time, dates, thoughtful gestures, affection, and emotional support can help strengthen intimacy and rebuild connection.
- Avoid assumptions: Neither spouse should assume they fully understand the other’s needs without having an honest conversation.
Biblical reference: 1 Corinthians 7:3–5 discusses mutual responsibilities in marital intimacy.
Golden Nugget
A struggling marriage needs honest conversations, mutual understanding, and deliberate effort—not infidelity. Unmet needs should be addressed together, not used to justify betrayal.
3. Stigma Around Single Parents Entering New Relationships
Question raised by: Pastor George Oswald Ankrah (PGOA)
Should children from previous relationships be regarded as a burden when a single parent seeks to remarry? How can the church address the stigma and prevent children from being hidden, neglected, or mistreated to satisfy a new partner?
Key counsel
Karl Antwi-Adjei
- Society, including parts of the church, often applies a double standard by accepting men with children more readily than women in the same situation.
- Single parents may face additional challenges when seeking new relationships, making honest and compassionate conversations essential.
Lisa
- The decision to marry someone with children requires serious reflection.
- Prospective partners must honestly assess their readiness to accept the children and the responsibilities that come with joining a blended family.
David Darkwa
- Choosing not to enter a relationship involving children from a previous relationship is not necessarily sinful.
- However, once a person commits to a marriage, neglecting, discriminating against, or mistreating a stepchild is unacceptable.
- Parenting responsibilities extend beyond paying school fees. They include love, guidance, prayer, training, protection, and emotional support.
Pastor George Oswald Ankrah (PGOA)
- Blended families require thorough premarital counselling and realistic discussions about parenting responsibilities, sibling conflicts, and divided loyalties.
- Prospective partners must ask themselves honestly: Do I want this? Am I ready? Am I truly sure?
Michelle
- Parents should prepare their children for the transition into a new family while teaching mutual respect and healthy boundaries.
- A partner’s attitude towards one’s children is an important indicator of whether the relationship is suitable.
- Acceptance must be mutual: a person entering a blended family should be willing to show love and care towards the partner’s children as well.
- Blended families are not a new or shameful reality. Jesus Himself was raised by Joseph, His earthly or legal father.
Golden Nugget
Children are not baggage to be tolerated; they are lives entrusted to the adults responsible for them. Before entering a blended family, choose with honesty. Once committed, love, protect, and treat every child with dignity.
Key Lessons from the Discussion
1. Forgiveness brings freedom.
Unresolved bitterness can affect emotional well-being and spiritual growth. Healing requires acknowledgement, support, and a willingness to release resentment.
2. Communication strengthens relationships.
Couples must discuss difficult issues, including intimacy, expectations, emotional needs, and past experiences, rather than resorting to harmful alternatives.
3. Responsibility is part of love.
Love is demonstrated through accountability, faithfulness, consistency, and care—not merely words or promises.
4. Blended families require preparation.
Prospective partners should discuss parenting, family dynamics, expectations, and boundaries before marriage. Every child deserves safety, acceptance, and dignity.
5. Biblical principles must be applied with compassion.
Spiritual guidance should be accompanied by empathy, practical support, accountability, and appropriate counselling.
Conclusion
The central message from this session is that healthy relationships require more than love or religious commitment; they demand responsibility, forgiveness, honest communication, mutual respect, and deliberate action.
Whether dealing with past hurts, challenges in marital intimacy, or the complexities of blended families, Christians are encouraged to seek God’s wisdom while taking practical steps towards healing, reconciliation, and responsible relationships.
Bible & Counsel Time Golden Nuggets — 24th October 2026
