"A Website for Today's Christian Couple"
|
|
|
Need Ways to Save a Marriage?Ways to Save a Marriage - How to Stay Married - How to Save My Marriage
 
Searching for ways to save a marriage can be like looking for a life preserver on a sinking ship, stressful to say the least.
As the water gushes in, you wonder how in the world could such a tranquil journey turn into a catostrophic disaster? One minute you were enjoying the sunny weather. The next minute your were trying to keep from drowning. But try not to panic. Instead, take a deep breath and relax for a moment. But how can I relax, you say, when my marriage is sinking quickly? It's simple my friend, It's time for you to trust God. You see, no matter what the problem is you're experiencing, applying Godly principles is STEP 1 to turning things around. If you want to know how to stay married when devastation surrounds you; here are 10 ways to save a marriage using Godly principles... 10 Ways to Save a Marriage: 1. Love What God Loves and Hate What God Hates "For I hate divorce! says the LORD, the God of Israel. It is as cruel as putting on a victim's bloodstained coat, says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife." Malachi 2:16 God hates divorce and so should you. So, in looking for ways to save a marriage, you must start by taking the word divorce out of your vocabulary. Imagine for a moment that your marriage is your dream home. By taking divorce out of your vocabulary, you are removing all possible exits from your dream house -- there's no way out! If your house catches fire, the only choice the two of you have is to stay inside and find a way to put out the blaze. Divorce is no longer an option. 2. Change Your Speech A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 As difficult as it may be, you must learn to filter your responses to your spouse through the love of God. That means do away with the sarcasm and sharp comments. Someone once said if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. We disagree when it comes to marriage. As a Christian, you must find something nice to say. In marriage, silence is not golden. 3.Be Willing to Forgive Lately, you find yourself thinking about it all the time. What is it? It is whatever your spouse did that hurt you so deeply. Was it adultery, lying, or disrespect? Whatever it was, you can hardly bring yourself to believe they betrayed you in such a terrible way. Listen, I know it was hurtful. And truthfully, there's absolutely no excuse for what they did. But the bottom line is that you must forgive. It's simply not optional if you want God to forgive you of your sins. (See Colossians 3:13) 4. Swallow Your Pride "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18 What is pride? The New American Webster Dictionary defines it as, a sense of one's own self worth. The Bible describes it as thinking more highly of yourself than you should. Are you prideful? The truth is, all of us are to some extent. Pride causes you to say and do things just to "save face". Pride will cause you to say things like, "I'm not apologizing until s/he apologizes." But be careful. Like it says in Proverbs, pride comes before destruction. It simply is not good in marriage or in life. Make a decision to get rid of pride. That is, if you want to save your marriage. Ask yourself this question, is it more important that I be right, or that we be reconciled?" (Ways to Save a Marriage Cont'd) 5. Seek Godly Help Psalm 37:30 says, "The Godly offer good counsel; they know what is right from wrong." One of the mistakes I (Wanda) made in my first marriage was waiting too long to seek Godly counsel. By the time I sought help, my marriage was already on the bottom of the ocean. Don't make the same mistake. If you need Christian marriage counseling, swallow your pride and get it. 
6. Know the Needs of Your Spouse Sure, you know what you need from your spouse. You've written it down and told him/her over a hundred times. But do you know what your spouse needs from you? Remember, marriage is about the needs of TWO people, it's not all about you. Find out what your spouse needs and then make an effort to meet their needs. In other words, don't be selfish. 7. Demonstrate Unconditional Love Keep in mind that there is no such thing as falling in or out of love. God is love and He never changes. So, quit saying you're no longer in love with your spouse. Grant it, you may not get butterflies in your stomach anymore, but that has nothing to do with love. Love is a decision. So, make a decision today to love your spouse no matter what happens. Love as God loves you. 8. Be Honest Being honest sounds so simple but for many couples it's not. Secrets between spouses can quickly destroy your marriage. The two of you must be willing to share the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Having secrets in your marriage is an open door for the enemy. Secrets promote division. Remember, you are not divided, you are "one flesh". 9. Be Patient As you travel the road to restoring your marriage, remember change will not come overnight. It took time for your marriage to get where it is now and it will take time to repair it. Be patient. 10. Draw Closer to God James 4:8 says if you would come closer to God, He will come closer to you. With that being said, you must make God a priority in your life and in your marriage. Pray to Him daily and ask Him for more ways to save a marriage. But don't be surprised when He directs you back to Scripture. Because applying Godly principles will always be STEP 1 in restoring a Christian marriage. Thank you for reading ways to save a marriage, please continue to browse our website for other helpful marriage tools. |
   A Bright Idea...
Join Christian couples around the world as they journey through the entire Bible.
Get your FREE Bible Reading Plan today! 
* Right click please Meet Mike and Wanda 
Christian-Marriage-Today.com
on Facebook |
|
Marriage ToolsMarriage BasicsChristian RomanceMarriage IssuesSoul FoodPrayer Cafe'Engaged CouplesAbout This SiteNew!
Now you can translate any of our web pages... |
||
|
Christian-Marriage-Today.com__Copyright© 2008-2010__"Thou shalt not steal"
| ||
