Before we can talk of keeping love ablaze we have to talk of couples living true to their covenant responsibilities. First, we should know that our marriage has a certain mandate in the heart of God to fulfill.
And here’s a second offense: You fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don’t get what you want from God. Do you know why? Simple. Because God was there as a witness when you spoke your marriage vows to your young bride, and now you’ve broken those vows, broken the faith-bond with your vowed companion, your covenant wife. God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that’s what. So guard the spirit of marriage within you. Don’t cheat on your spouse. -Malachi 2:13-15 (MSG)
Let’s see how the scripture goes in the Amplified version.
Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows]. -Malachi 2:14 (AMPC)
This is an indication that God takes our marriage vows seriously.
Our marriage vows are not just some cute words spoken on our wedding day, it is a promise before God and then to our spouse.
It is this understanding that will help us to see the reason why love must be kept ablaze, it is a lifelong work. We have to keep at it, at good times and not-so-good times, if we don’t understand the covenant of marriage, we will struggle.
Finally, let me add this for women. Being your best means being a virtuous woman, protecting your husband by satisfying him always sexually, know that his vulnerability will increase and become more intense if you don’t. Refuse to cheat on him no matter what, come what may.
I pray God helps us all in Jesus name.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY The wine in my marriage will not run dry, our love is rekindled and our hearts burn for each other.
PRAYER FIR THE DAY Lord, help me to keep my marriage covenant
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows]. -Malachi 2:14 (AMPC)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Study the word ‘one flesh’
It is important as young people, and also as people trusting God for marital bliss to keep your focus on God. That is how things are going to work. Why focus on God and on God’s word?
Here it is:
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. –Hebrews 12:2-3 (KJV)
Looking unto Jesus! Why the focus? You see it right there. He is the author and the finisher. Your life is like a book. Each year is like a chapter. 2022 is a chapter. It has been authored. He has authored great and mighty things about your life!
So you have to focus on Him in order to be consistent with what is in the book concerning your relationship life. In that book, there is no compromise, no fornication, or any other form of sexual perversion. So you must abstain from all these in order to have your destiny aligned with His plan for your life!
I want you to read verse 3 carefully in The Message Translation:
When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! –Hebrews 12:3 (MSG)
At those times when you get weak along the way, and your faith begins to flag, you focus on Him and His word, read it and study it, meditate on it and you will get some shots of adrenaline to your soul!
This day, I pray for you, God will strengthen you and honour you as you focus on Him in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I acknowledge you Lord as the Lord over my life, I say today that you are the most important person in my life and relationship
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father, in Jesus’ name I ask for a heart that loves and worships you. Make my focus be on you continually, Lord.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. –Hebrews 12:2-3 (KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Make a commitment to spent time daily in prayers, worship, and reading God’s word. Also start attending a good bible believing church.
Some people think they are the most important person in their relationship. They feel if everything can just favour them and be exactly the way they want things to be, everything will be alright.
Generally, human nature is that of selfishness and the different temperaments clearly show this.
All the temperamental weaknesses are based on physical or emotional selfishness. It’s either you want to have it your own way, you hurt others without care or you’re just overly sensitive.
You hurt easily and don’t seem to be able to control your extent and duration of hurt. Interestingly, opposite will always attract, and so we usually find the one that hurts getting attracted to the one who easily gets hurt, akin to the predator and the prey, needing the other for survival.
Some others feel their fiancé/fiancée is the most important person in the relationship. They try their best to give their partner all they need almost to the point of pampering them. Their partners become their focus and obsession.
This will work for a while but soon you will discover that no man can fully satisfy the needs of another man, there is a downside to everything. Man in himself is not wired to sustain himself, not to talk of another.
Both parties require a common focus. They both require a common source of strength, encouragement, joy, power, grace, inspiration, direction, and fulfillment. It is only God that is qualified to take this place. He is the most important person in our relationships.
As we seek to please Him, serve him, worship and obey Him, we become better and bring out the best in our partners. Our relationship with God gives us the required wisdom to be a loving person in a relationship. His principles and person impact us with the grace needed for success.
Don’t put the cart before the horse. In the natural anyone who does that is considered ‘sick upstairs’. It looks like the highest form of foolishness, yet we want to do that in our relationships and expect things to work.
If you’re in a relationship now, the best thing you can do for yourselves is to begin developing your relationship with God. Make Him your focus. Courtship time is not the time for all play and fun. It’s the time to build a solid foundation of a qualitative relationship with God.
If you are not born again, get born again and consecrate yourself afresh to a lifestyle of fellowship and worship. This is wisdom and it’s your ticket to a blissful marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I acknowledge you Lord as the Lord over my life. You are my focus and my obsession. My relationship will work.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father, in Jesus name I ask for a heart that loves and worships you.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way? –1Corinthains 3:3 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Make a commitment to spend time daily in prayers, worship and reading God’s word. Also start attending a good bible believing church.
4. Attach Pain To The Experience Of Having An Affair
Until an affair is associated with pain in the mind and the brain, a thorough work is not done. The erring couple must have several quiet moments of self-talk and deep ruminating of the issue. That’s why depending on the situation, the erring spouse must be left alone to have some sober reflections.
These sober reflections are necessary for certain positive conclusion to be made. Also, a lot of prayers are needed in this period. The support of the other spouse is also needed by not criticizing, nagging and not showing rage or irritability.
A lot of love, emotional support, care and reassuring words should be given to the erring spouse at such times as this.
A spouse should come out of this ordeal stronger, better and bigger, ready to help those on the same predicament. That’s the way God organized things in the kingdom. What you have overcome, you have the Grace to help set others free from.
5. Change The Environment
It might be necessary to change that environment where the affair happened. However, this may not always be possible. If you can’t change your environment, you can at least change what you do within that compromising environment.
If you have lunch breaks together alone with a particular lady, you have to change this. Note that an affair is not necessarily sexual, it could be an emotional affair. Don’t be deceived, an emotional affair is as serious as a sexual affair, in the sight of God, they are the same.
But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. –Matthew 5:28 (NLT)
6. Make Sure You Don’t Play The Blame Game.
What has happened has happened. Don’t cry over spilt milk, don’t wallow in self-pity. That is the devil’s domain; you don’t want to cooperate with the devil to make your freedom difficult. You must embrace Gods free gift of forgiveness and obey all His principles. Don’t go to the extreme of condemning yourself.
David committed adultery and murder, yet God called him a man after his own heart. God restored him, and he was one of the most famous kings on earth.
Don’t doubt Gods love, when He says He has forgiven you, He means exactly that. Embrace His love and His forgiveness.
I believe you have found these steps helpful. May God enlighten our darkness in Jesus name.
God bless your marriage!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My marriage is blessed and fruitful
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Ask for the grace to be a good spouse
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY I bless GOD every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. –Psalms 34:1 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Put the above points to practice
COUPLES – How To Show Respect To Your Spouse – Part 2
What are the practical ways to show respect to yourselves in marriage?
1. Know that your spouse is so very special before God. Your spouse is bought with the precious blood of Jesus. Jesus would have come to die for your spouse alone.
2. Do not yell at your spouse. You may be angry but never yell.
3. Allow freedom of expression. It is okay to be different. That’s why you married in the first place. Men and women are meant to be different.
4. Let your spouse feel safe, secure, and trusted by building mutual respect.
5. When you have opposing opinions which will happen most times, you listen. Your listening shows respect.
6. Respect that your spouse is worth listening to. He/ she has something vital to bring to the table.
7. Allow healthy space when it is needed, it shows respect. Let your spouse be by him/herself, have her own friends, her own things etc
8. Do not control one another. Your relationship is unhealthy when there is the slightest control. God asks us to love, not control. Jesus never controlled the church.
9. Both spouses should admit once they are wrong and sincerely seek forgiveness. Swallow your pride and admit you are wrong and apologize.
10. Never treat one another shabbily, in private or public. Show appreciation for every little thing your spouse does. Don’t take each other for granted.
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY my marriage is blessed in all ramifications.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray that God will enable you to pay the price for the fullness of His blessings in your home.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Heb 13:4 [AMP]Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous.
