It is hard to live alone sometimes, and we often long to find a soul mate to share our life with; yet choosing hastily or unwisely can make us even lonelier than we are as a single person. Does this potential mate love God more than he/she loves you? Does he/she love you more than they love him/her self? These are important questions to answer before marriage.
Other questions are: do they enjoy spending time with you? Do they cherish your relationship more than any other part of their life? Do they share your Christian principles? If you can say “yes” to these questions, then feel free to say “yes” to a proposal of marriage. If any of the answers is “no,” then just remain as friends and give yourself room to date other people.
There are also small personal habits that irritate us during the dating stage that will grow into huge mountains once we are married. We can either change our focus about them and learn to cherish them, or we can give our self time to date other people.
Does our potential mate support us and help us to reach the goals that we feel the Holy Spirit directing us to reach, and can we support him/her and help them to succeed in their efforts to obey God’s Spirit? Make time to chat about this as a couple and to hear new ideas from the Spirit through couple prayer time.
What words or behavior do you or your spouse use that hinders you or your loved one from feeling successful in this life? Converse about how to change these habits to be an encourager instead. We do not neglect our self and our needs, but we prefer one another (Romans 12:10). Pampering one another makes us truly feel secure, loved and cherished.
Prayer:
Father God, teach us ways to make our spouse feel secure and cherished in our love for them. Remind us that simple consideration, appreciation, thoughtfulness, random acts of kindness, fully listening when our mate converses with us rather than allowing our mind to wander or interrupting them when they talk to us, sharing personal and intimate time with each other, serving in a ministry together, snuggling some part of every day, etc. all help us to stay in love as the years of our union march past.
Point out to us how You see our spouse and help us to focus on those qualities when he/she does something to hurt us or to disappoint us. Strengthen our inner being to resist the appeal of the flesh, the lies of the world, and the destructive deception of satanic forces that filter through our mind. We love You alone, and we thank You for our spouse.
Thought for the Day:
Prayer for Us and Our Spouse –
“Father God, I pray for my spouse today, that they will have the mind of Christ and think as the Holy Spirit would lead him/her and not the flesh. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
That You will keep our thoughts and eyes from temptation, and that we will turn our eyes from sin and RUN from temptation (Matthew 6:13; Mark 9:47).
Cause us to make wise eating choices and to avoid those foods that instigate poor health and other issues. Keep us in health physically, spiritually, financially, mentally, and emotionally,
Help us to hear Your still small voice instructing us, and only be led by Your Spirit. (1 Kings 19:12, Psalm 32:8). That our actions, thoughts and words will always be pleasing to You (Psalm 19:14).
Keep the sights and decisions that turn our head to honor You in ALL regards, and keep us holy, safe and healthy; that we will continue as a man and woman of integrity, discipline and perseverance in Your holiness and calling on our life (Psalm 25:12). In Jesus’ name and for Your glory. Amen
