GPS to a Joyful Marriage

In looking back at various trials in my life, it always amazes me at my lack of faith at certain times.  I know that I know that I know that God is real.  He has shown up many times in my life and changed it dramatically when I finally decided to turn to Him.  But yet, those moments occur that I’m overwhelmed by the world.  This is a part of our humanness that we all have to contend with at one time or another. Consider the Israelites when they left Egypt with Moses (Exodus 14).  They had been through some tremendous trials as slaves of Pharaoh. Before their departure, God had sent ten plagues upon Egypt that destroyed crops, livestock and the firstborn of every Egyptian family.  The Israelites were immune to the plagues; God protected them.  That should have been a huge boost in the faith of the Israelites. They leave Egypt, finally, after some intense negotiation, with the Lord leading them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by...

Faith seems to be a rare commodity in our country.  Is it any wonder, though, that we have lost faith when we look at the state of our society? We’ve lost faith in a government that once governed “for the people, by the people.” It has become greedy for power and control – unconcerned for the needs of the people.  We’ve lost faith in the values that once resonated strongly in the hearts of our country.  Now, there is no right or wrong.  It’s all about what works for “me.” We’ve lost faith in a justice system that once ruled fairly and just but is now influenced by the power of money. We’ve lost faith in a healthcare system that has  over-inflated  the cost of care while  under-inflating  the quality. We’ve lost faith in a banking system that once looked out for its customers but now crushes their dreams for the almighty dollar. We’ve lost faith in the security of jobs because it’s become too expensive for employers to high...

The apostle Paul is my favorite character in the Bible (next to Jesus, of course.)  He endured hardships that we could never imagine facing. “He faced rejection from some of his closest friends and, even worse, by many of the churches in Asia. (2 Timothy 1:15).  He had been severely beaten several times (2 Corinthians 11:24, 25).  He had been shipwrecked three times (2 Corinthians 11:25).  He had lived through perils in the city, in the wilderness, and at sea.  He had been in peril of robbers, of heathens, and of false brethren and had endured periods of hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness (2 Corinthians 11:26, 27).”   From Sparkling Gems – by Rick Renner Through all this adversity he kept his amazing faith.  In 2 Corinthians 4:17 he wrote, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” He calls what he experienced “light and momentary troubles”?  Through all my trials and...

I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving.  My day (and weekend) was blessed with a house full of family, fun and FOOD!  Now back to faith. The ultimate faith producer, in my opinion, is to believe.  Believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins.  Believe God’s promises of the Bible.  Believe that He has a plan for your life.  Believe that He loves you and stands by you every moment of the day. If it weren’t for my belief in God’s plans for me, I would probably want to stay in my home and never face the world.  The desires He has placed in my heart and the promises He has spoken to me keep me going.  I've been waiting for quite awhile to see those plans accelerate. There are days, though, when the world overwhelms me and I question that plan.  That is when I need to head directly to the word of God or on my knees in prayer.  I need to strengthen the beliefs of my faith.  I look at Abraham -- when God asks him t...

Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ first miracle - turning water into wine at the wedding feast.  John 2:11 says, “This, is the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.  He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in Him.” Witnessing a miracle of God is a surefire way to strengthen your faith.  Jesus used these miracles as a tool to ignite the faith in many.  Our faith continues to grow as Christians and we have a choice whether to feed it or let it fade.  It would be nice to witness miracles continuously to strengthen our faith, but that is not how God works.  We have to embrace it without the physical evidence. I talk often about putting on the armor of God because it takes a conscious effort to embrace your faith.  Ephesians 6:16 tells us, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  The enemy will try to sidetr...

Often times, we are our own worst enemies in our Christian walk.  We expect instant gratification as humans.  Therefore, when our answers to our prayers don’t appear immediately, we become impatient and begin to lose faith, seeking our own avenues to unanswered prayer. I think about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.  The Red Sea SEPARATED for the Israelites to cross, and then it closed to destroy the Egyptians as they followed.  Now that is a HUGE miracle!  A miracle of that proportion should satisfy anyone’s faith for the rest of their life.  (So it seems to me.) But then, only three days after this amazing feat of God, and the Israelites could find no drinkable water, they grumbled to Moses in Exodus 15:24, saying, “What are we to drink?”   Had they forgotten about their Red Sea experience three days earlier?  God makes the water drinkable for them through Moses.  A little later, when they reach the Desert of Sin, they be...

For those of you who may have recently tuned into this blog, I usually write on topics that deal with marriage.  Frequently, you will find articles about your relationship with God.  Your faith can be a strong barometer as to the well-being of your marriage.  Therefore, I believe it is important to discuss the role God plays in your life.  If your marriage experiences problems, checking your vertical relationship with God is the first key to the road of healing. My last posting discussed faith.  Now I want to look at what the Bible tells us about increasing your faith.  In this world, we need all the faith we can get! Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Our faith is strengthened through God’s word, the Bible.  This is why it is so important to study the Bible and know what is in it.  Hearing God’s word once a week on a Sunday morning is not enough if you want your fa...

Do you ever feel inadequate in the amount of faith you have?  Do you often compare yourself to other Christians and wonder why their faith seems more concrete than your own?  We all have moments, even seasons, that we wonder where our faith went. What exactly is faith?  Hebrews 11: 1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” One definition for faith in my computer dictionary says: 1.  Belief or trust: belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof  Without logical proof.  That is often the stumbling block that gets in the way of our faith in God -- a stumbling block that the old devil will use to bring us doubt.  It is very difficult to keep a strong faith when we live in a world of instant gratification.  The fruit of our faith is not always revealed in the timeframe we would like, and we get impatient and begin to lose faith.  We want to se...