Marriage is not easy. Do you remember your vow of loving each other for better or for worse? You are guaranteed to face tough times together as a couple, but you cannot give up when times get tough. It’s not an option. This week you will read from God’s Word about the importance of not giving up in your marriage and discuss ways you can do this in your marriage.
Day 1: Matthew 5:31-32, Mark 10:1-12
It seems many married couples have lost their will to fight. We see evidence of this in the growing divorce rate. God’s Word tells us divorce should never be an option. When times get tough in your marriage, the word “divorce” should never enter into your vocabulary. Your marriage is worth fighting for. Never give up!
- Talk: Discuss with your spouse how you’ve seen divorce impact your family and the families of those you know.
- Pray: Ask God to help remove the word divorce from your vocabulary and give you both the will and determination to never give up when times get tough.
- Do: Look up your wedding vows or find some vows online that you both like and recite them to each other. Take time to write new vows that will help shape the vision for the future of your marriage.
Day 2: Ephesians 6:10-20, John 10:7-10
God never promised us an easy life. As followers of Christ, we will face difficult times. The same goes for our marriages. We have a spiritual enemy whose purpose according to John 10:10 is to steal, kill, and destroy. Our spiritual enemy wants to take you out and he would love nothing more than to take your marriage out as well. Just knowing the fact that your marriage will be attacked will help you fight for your marriage.
- Talk: Discuss with your spouse some of the ways you feel your marriage is under spiritual attack.
- Pray: Ask God to help you recognize when your marriage is under attack and guide you on the best ways to fight for your marriage.
- Do: Work on a simple project together or do one of your chores together. As you work together, enjoy a time of quality conversation.
Day 3: Nehemiah 4:1-23
Family is worth fighting for. Your marriage is worth fighting for. Don’t give up when times get tough and instead do as Nehemiah said, “…fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” If you are heading towards divorce, fight against it. If your relationship with your spouse is strained, fight against it and seek restoration. If you’ve been hurt by your spouse and you’re holding a grudge, fight against it. Let that grudge go and forgive them.
- Talk: Admit any grudges you have with your spouse and forgive them. Discuss those areas of your marriage that need restoration.
- Pray: Ask God to equip you with the tools you need to fight for your marriage when it comes under attack.
- Do: Commit to staying actively involved in reading God’s Word together and praying together by choosing a new reading plan or devotional to begin next week.
Day 4: Titus 2:1-10, 1 Peter 5:1-5
When it comes to growing your marriage and fighting for your marriage, you can’t do it alone. You need other married couples mentoring both of you. Allowing a more mature, wiser couple to speak into your marriage during both the good and bad times is essential to having a long and healthy marriage.
- Talk: Discuss these questions with your spouse: who are some couples that you admire for their strong marriage? What can we learn from them?
- Pray: Ask God to bring the right couples into your life that will help grow your marriage.
- Do: If you don’t have a couple mentoring your marriage, decide with your spouse on a couple you can approach to ask to become your marriage mentors. If you already have marriage mentors, do something special for them today to thank them for the positive influence they have on your marriage.
Day 5: Matthew 19:1-6, Genesis 2:4-25
Over the past few weeks you’ve learned from God’s Word how to fail proof your marriage by doing these five things: seeking God, fighting fair, having fun, staying pure, and never giving up. Sure, these five things sound easy to do, but it will take a lot of work from both of you, but your marriage is worth it. Don’t let your marriage become part of rising statistics. Remember that God placed you together just as He placed Adam and Eve together in Genesis 2. You were designed to complement each other, to be companions, to love each other, and to carry out God’s divine will for your marriage and your lives.
- Talk: Discuss what next steps you need to take in order to ensure that you continue to grow and protect your marriage.
- Pray: Thank God for all you’ve learned about each other and your marriage over the past few weeks. Ask Him to help guide the next steps you take towards a long, healthy marriage.
- Do: Do something special to express your love to your spouse and your devotion to ensuring that your marriage lasts for a lifetime.