Day 5: Marriage

Marriage In God's Eyes

• 50% of all marriages end in divorce
• You CAN save your marriage
• Couples owe it to themselves and their partners to learn to stay together, not give up.
• If you are single, do NOT get married thinking it will solve your problems (financial debt, lonliness, boredom, irresponsibility, immaturity)

Problems

• Marriage combines two different people with different likes, dislikes, backgrounds, personalities, etc
• Financial issues
• Different disciplinary styles in raising children
• Lack of knowledge of how to be married, no clue what you're doing
• Too self-centered, expect to get more than they are willing to give
• Wanting someone else to change, yet unwilling to change themselves

*Problems lead to broken marriages and families, violence, emotional issues, infidelity

Good Marriage

• Both partners know what marriage really is
• The marriage improves as time goes on
• Having good insight and clear judgement, making the right decisions for the right reasons
• Sharing a relationship with God
• Partners focus on each other
• Couples give themselves completely to each other, physically, emotionally, and spiritually
• Marriage requires trust
• Pray together
• Have disciplined obedience against sinful temptations such as sexual immorality, addictions, overspending
• Love each other beyond the superficial love
• Forgive each other's past and move on together, exception: abuse and addictions (forgive but move on alone)

Recommendations

• Communicate honestly and openly
• Forgive one another, first with words, then actions
• Re-examine original hopes and dreams that got you together
• Discuss the benefits you enjoy as a couple
• Seek help of counselor if needed
• Read the bible and pray together
• Pray for wisdom and patience in your marriage
• Marriages change as people change, and its ok

Habits of Loving Couples

• Pray for one another
• Take care of one another
• Suffer with one another
• Get help from trained counselor if needed
• Do not compare partner to others unfavorably
• Do not spread stories about partner
• Have confidence in each other
• Talk to each other
• Listen to one another
• Treat each other with respect
• Apologize and make amends when one treats the other unfairly
• Never domineering, abusive, temperamental, manipulative, insensitive or irresponsible
• Remind each other that they love each other, never assume they know

God and Marriage

• God created the human need for companionship
• God made us sexual beings that complement each other
• Marriage and intimacy satisfies the human need for companionship
• Sexual intimacy in marriage is a way to honor God through a couple's harmony
• Sexual impulse is a special creation of God, designed to enrich your life as a means of commnication between married partners and a way of sharing their love with each other

Bible Verses And Quotes

• "Marriage is a process of growing together in love, loyalty and understanding"
• "Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate" -Mark 10:9
• "A good marriage takes unshakable determination"
• "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" -Ephesians 5:21
• "With forgiveness, any marriage can become a good marriage"
• "It is not good that man should be alone..." -Genesis 2:18b



Prayer List

• Raechel: has been getting bad news lately and is on her final appeal for the insurance company to pay for her stem cell transplant
• Tammi: needs some home repairs
• "Sassy": in an abusive marriage and needs to have the courage and strength to stay away
• Joe: needs help with insomnia and substance abuse
• Charlotte: recovering from eye surgery
• Jon: needs guidance and love in his heart
• Ashlee: single mother of 3, two with disabilities, needs love and support
• Marcy: battling Crohn's, needs to be healed and needs positive energy sent her way
• John: recovering from bowel surgery
• Gracifer: dealing with emotional aspects of Crohn's disease..needs prayer that her life can return to normal and that she'll have faith in her future