out there. It’s not for those looking for case-specific, long-term solutions. It’s designed to give your marriage a boost….a jump start... while you take steps to build toward a satisfying, long-term marriage.
Let’s begin.
Step 1: Believe Things Can Get Better
“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This is one of the most famous proverbs in Scripture, and truer words have perhaps never been written. They are particularly true when it comes to marriage, for the success or failure of a marriage is first determined in the heart.
When overwhelmed with sorrow, heartbreak, bad experiences, stress, anxiety, or depression, it is a human tendency to surrender all hope and think things will never get better. You must fight this tendency and hold onto hope. It is your compass in the midst of the storm. Without hope, you are lost and your marriage will be shipwrecked.
The kind of hope to which I refer is not a blind wish. I certainly am not encouraging you to take a trip off the edge of reality and dream your way into an escapist fan tasy. Escapism is why people foolishly turn to alcohol, drugs, or reckless living. Rest assured, the hope to which I’m calling you is substantive and genuine.
I’m not asking you to hope in yourself or in your spouse. I’m asking you to hope in God. As the psalmist wrote over 3000 years ago, “ Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. ” (Psalm 42:11, KJV).
If you want to jumpstart your marriage, yo u must focus your hope in the right direction.
There is every reason for you to take heart at this word of encouragement and exhortation from the Psalms. Just as a wise investor will look for indications of credibility and promise when making financial decisions, so must we when investing our hopes and dreams. And what better person is there to trust with our hopes and dreams than the Creator of the universe?
Do you believe in God? Depending on what survey you read, over 80 to 90 percent of the world’s population believes in the existence of a Supreme Being. Chances are, if you picked up this e-book, you too believe in God, especially since it’s written primarily for a Christian audience. I am, however, not asking if you possess a casual, “I guess so,” type belief in God. I’m asking if you literally, truly, deeply, and absolutely believe that God exists and that He has power over this universe and all that happens therein.
If you believe in such a God, that means you believe that in a God that is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present and all-good. Faith in such a God is what drove the Apostle Paul to ask the church in Rome: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
So, I will ask you again, do you believe in God?
Many times, professing Christians doubt whether their situation will get better, because they doubt God. They may not be fully aware of this consciously, and they may never admit to it, but they either doubt God’s existence, His power, or His willingness to use it.
In other words, many professing Christians suffer from a tremendous lack of faith. And it’s worth mentioning that this is one of the most displeasing things to God. The book of Hebrews tells us in no uncertain terms that “without faith, it is impossible to please [God].” (Hebrews 11:6).
Let me give you three facts which should encourage you to believe in the future of your marriage. Here they are:
God is real.
God loves you.
God wants you to have a happy and fulfilling marriage.
We’ll start with the first fact: God
Let’s begin.
Step 1: Believe Things Can Get Better
“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This is one of the most famous proverbs in Scripture, and truer words have perhaps never been written. They are particularly true when it comes to marriage, for the success or failure of a marriage is first determined in the heart.
When overwhelmed with sorrow, heartbreak, bad experiences, stress, anxiety, or depression, it is a human tendency to surrender all hope and think things will never get better. You must fight this tendency and hold onto hope. It is your compass in the midst of the storm. Without hope, you are lost and your marriage will be shipwrecked.
The kind of hope to which I refer is not a blind wish. I certainly am not encouraging you to take a trip off the edge of reality and dream your way into an escapist fan tasy. Escapism is why people foolishly turn to alcohol, drugs, or reckless living. Rest assured, the hope to which I’m calling you is substantive and genuine.
I’m not asking you to hope in yourself or in your spouse. I’m asking you to hope in God. As the psalmist wrote over 3000 years ago, “ Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. ” (Psalm 42:11, KJV).
If you want to jumpstart your marriage, yo u must focus your hope in the right direction.
There is every reason for you to take heart at this word of encouragement and exhortation from the Psalms. Just as a wise investor will look for indications of credibility and promise when making financial decisions, so must we when investing our hopes and dreams. And what better person is there to trust with our hopes and dreams than the Creator of the universe?
Do you believe in God? Depending on what survey you read, over 80 to 90 percent of the world’s population believes in the existence of a Supreme Being. Chances are, if you picked up this e-book, you too believe in God, especially since it’s written primarily for a Christian audience. I am, however, not asking if you possess a casual, “I guess so,” type belief in God. I’m asking if you literally, truly, deeply, and absolutely believe that God exists and that He has power over this universe and all that happens therein.
If you believe in such a God, that means you believe that in a God that is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present and all-good. Faith in such a God is what drove the Apostle Paul to ask the church in Rome: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
So, I will ask you again, do you believe in God?
Many times, professing Christians doubt whether their situation will get better, because they doubt God. They may not be fully aware of this consciously, and they may never admit to it, but they either doubt God’s existence, His power, or His willingness to use it.
In other words, many professing Christians suffer from a tremendous lack of faith. And it’s worth mentioning that this is one of the most displeasing things to God. The book of Hebrews tells us in no uncertain terms that “without faith, it is impossible to please [God].” (Hebrews 11:6).
Let me give you three facts which should encourage you to believe in the future of your marriage. Here they are:
God is real.
God loves you.
God wants you to have a happy and fulfilling marriage.
We’ll start with the first fact: God
Similar Books
The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey Into the Minds of Sexual Predators
Stephen G. Michaud, Roy Hazelwood
