Friday, September 28, 2012

WHAT ARE YOU BELIEVING FOR IN YOUR MARRIAGE?

Hebrews 11: 1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” What are you certain of? We surely are certain of the sky being blue and the grass being green?
Why not be certain of having the marriage God intended? Is it the demon yelling in your ear that your spouse will never amount to anything, that they will never change, or that this is the best it will ever by in your marriage? You see, Satan loves to take a picture of where your marriage is right now and tell you that this is the pinnacle. Satan tells us to get ready because this will never get better.
First and foremost: tell Satan to take a hike! Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan” in Matthew 16:23. Jesus did not ask Peter why he said what he did. Jesus did not ask Peter if he was having a bad day. No. Jesus spoke directly to Satan. Remember, that we have that authority and we must exercise it daily.
We must use the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) and our Spiritual Gifts (Ephesians 6: 10-18) to thwart Satan’s attacks. I know some will say these gifts died with the 1st Century Church. It does not say that in the Bible. Either the entire Bible is true or all of it is false. Hint: it is all true – the living Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
If you really want your marriage to get better, here is the best way. Keep God first in our lives. By putting God first, we are seeking His will for our lives. This will help you hear the Holy Spirit speak to you on what to do next. A counselor friend says, “Do the next right thing.” Sounds easy but the world will try to rebuff your right thinking. Stand strong and then keep standing.
Put your spouse second. Many spouses put the children second by living their life through their kids. This is not respecting the husband or loving the bride. Ephesians 5:33, “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” We must model the kind of marriage we want to our children. We don’t want the world modeling marriage for them. Satan is using inappropriate television shows and bad music to model the wrong kind of lifestyle to our children. They must see it at home first.
Our kids come third. Yes, third. Our role as parents is to train them up in the ways of the Lord. When they mature, 18-22, they will leave our nest and begin their own lives. Until then they are under our covering. But afterwards, we can become friends with them and give them advice – when they ask or if we see them about to go over the cliff.
Church and/or Ministry are fourth. Yes we all have a ministry whether we want one or not. It is to tell others of Jesus, to be the spouse God calls us to be, to model a Christian marriage to our kids and to teach our kids about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Verbal declarations are a great way to help set your mind on the things you are believing for. My bride and I have some we say daily. They are below. By saying them aloud, you are telling yourself, your mind, of what is to come. Remember Hebrews 11:1.
Our Declarations:
1. That we fulfill the call God has placed on our lives.
2. That our marriage is blessed by God and we are the spouse that God designed us to be.
3. That our finances are blessed and we have paid off all debt. That our finances increase because God prospers what we lay our hand to.
4. For witty ideas and inventions.
5. That we and our family walk in divine health.
6. That our children are blessed and they marry strong Christians, have a strong Christian marriage and that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren are strong Christians.
God spoke the world into existence so we must speak our great marriage into existence also. Words are very powerful! That is why we are commanded to say with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and not just think it in our heads. Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Keep speaking life over your marriage!