How aware and alert are single men and women? People in Christ know the importance and power of prayer, in order to make the right decisions. This goes for decision-making in all areas of life. No less, when it comes to choosing a spouse.

It is a childhood desire as well as adult desire for many women (and men) to have love, marriage and families. These desires can bring intense feelings that can be overwhelming for certain women.

One danger that I don’t think is highlighted enough is the fact that there are men who don’t like women, are not attracted to women, are interested in men, but they will marry women!

This is clearly relationship and marriage fraud, but it happens. Anyone can do a Google search on the topic and find information on this topic, even ones about famous people. No, I won’t mention any names.

Now, more than ever, there seems to be more silence on the topic of straight women marrying homosexual men. Or vice versa. Some straight men marry women who are into women and they may not be aware that their wives are not heterosexual.

There may not be more noise about this topic because we are in an age of people being accused of having “phobias.” It is a time of various agendas that are being accepted as healthy and normal by the masses.

Marrying under such fraudulent terms can happen to men, where women are into women, but marry men also. It is seemingly even more common for some men to use women as what is referred to as their beards.

According to Wikipedia, beard is a “slang term, American in origin, describing a person who is used, knowingly or unknowingly, as a date, romantic partner (boyfriend or girlfriend), or spouse, either to conceal infidelity or to conceal one’s sexual orientation…”

Some men go through the traditional motions of dating or marrying women. But they are either fighting them, or already succumbing to same-sex desires.

They may even have families with their wives. But they are having sex with men on the side. Some prefer men. Some are truly into both men and women.

It is real. Personally, I have known men who were into men and also had girlfriends or wives.

People should be aware and very mindful of this. Sometimes, in these situations, there are signs. As they say, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, has webbed feet and feathers, quacks like a duck, then it’s a duck!

At other times, someone’s true orientation and preferences may not be as obvious. For example, a man could have a football player type physique and be into football, car racing and other sports. He may be into weightlifting and by all outer appearances, he seems super masculine. Yet, privately, he is into men.

It takes prayer, discernment, direction from God to not end up in fraudulent, dangerous situations.

In particular, women are at a greatly increased risk of contracting bacterial infections and STDs when they are dealing with men who are having sex with men.

All potential dangers and possible unfavorable circumstances are no reason to panic or to worry. My point is, it is so important to proactively pray, seek God’s direction and pay attention. Asking questions is helpful also. Even when people are simply observant, they can take a lot in.

When women don’t ignore their intuition, it is very helpful. If they miss a red flag or two, that happens, but some women ignore red flags and alarm bells over and over again, to their own detriment.

I thank God that He helps His sons and daughters, and shows mercy and grace in times of confusion, stumbling and veering off the right paths. Tragically, some men and women are in the situations of having unknowingly married spouses who are actually not heterosexual.

I doubt there is any person on earth who wants to play the role of being a “beard” for their spouse.

No matter how long the wait is for things that are desired such as marriage, it is important that God’s children be content in every season. It is the role that a man or woman should not end up in- to be used as a cover to hide someone else’s sexual orientation.

It is important to always put trust in God, keep Him first and follow where He leads. Safety is of the Lord.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6