Unbreakable Unity: The Supernatural Power Behind a Lasting Marriage

-

    


What do you do when your human resources completely run out? What happens to a marriage when the feelings of romance disappear, an argument turns bitter, or your spouse fails to meet your deepest emotional, spiritual or physical needs? 

    We live in an era where marriages are falling apart all around us. Traditional statistics routinely remind us of a devastating 50% divorce rate, a reality that brings immense pain into our families churches and communities. The world tells us that the primary purpose of a marriage is personal happiness or getting our individual needs met, but when those needs go unmet, the world says it’s time to walk away. We live in a if it's broke throw it out society and that includes our relationships. It is a rare thing this day and age for people to remain committed. It is a rare thing these days to hear of someone who is celebrating a 20, 30 40 year anniversary.  

    I believe this is because we try to sustain a supernatural relationship using purely natural strength. Most marriages fail to allow God to be their strength. Many times God is never factored into the relationship at all. It is silly to think that God would define what marriage is, but fail to give us the tools to actually sustain it. If we are going to strengthen our families, we must stop looking to worldly opinions and anchor ourselves directly in the power of God's Word.

    To discover the ultimate bonding agent for a relationship, we have to look at the overarching goal God has set for husbands and wives.

"'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.'"- Ephesians 5:31

    When you study this passage, you see clear, distinct roles assigned to the husband and the wife—but right in the center of those roles sits this powerful declaration of unity. This serves as an unmoving reminder that the ultimate purpose of marriage is not romance, happiness, or having children; the purpose is absolute unity with one another. To become a unique and united family. 

    There will inevitably be seasons in your marriage where your spouse will fight with you, argue with you, or upset you. There will be days when you feel utterly unloved, rejected, or highly disrespected. It is precisely in those difficult moments that you must look past your temporary emotions and stay completely focused on the divine purpose of your marriage. Marriage is not easy and the bible never said it would be.

 Husbands must make a deliberate decision to love even when it is incredibly hard and when she doesn't deserve it—remembering how many times the church behaves wrongly, yet Christ continues to love her. Wives must make a firm decision to respect their husbands even when they don't deserve it. Your personal obedience to God and to your sacred oath is never dependent on your spouse’s performance; it is dependent entirely on your obedience to the Lord.

    So how can a marriage maintain unity? How can a Husband love his wife like Christ loves the church? How can a wife respect her husband even when her husband doesn't deserve it? How can a marriage stand the test of time? The answer to these question is both simple and profound. You must rely on God to make you the spouse you need to be. You must rest in the power of God to be the husband/wife your spouse needs. 

    Imagine a high-powered electrical appliance. You can have the most expensive, beautifully designed appliance in the world, but if you don't plug it into the electrical outlet in the wall, it remains completely useless. Trying to have a godly marriage without the Holy Spirit is like trying to run an appliance without electricity.

    This absolute level of sacrificial unity is entirely impossible without the active power of the Holy Spirit living inside you. Husbands desperately need God's supernatural help to love like Christ; wives desperately need God's power to show authentic respect; and both partners need divine strength to resolve conflict, forgive, and remain united. You need the power of the Holy Spirit to help you navigate the troubled waters of life. To be able to go through the storms of life while still hold on to your marriage you need the power found only in Christ. 

    To apply this to your life today, stop waiting for your spouse to change and begin drawing your strength directly from the Lord. If you are a husband, take your wife by the hand today, come together as one body, and pray together. If your spouse is not currently walking with the Lord or isn't present, pray aggressively for them, asking God to draw them near so your marriage can be bound together in true unity.

    What do you do when your human resources run out? You plug into the supernatural power of God. Ponder this today: Are you trying to sustain your marriage through your own limited willpower, or are you surrendering your relationship daily to the power of the Holy Spirit? Commit today to stop fighting each other, start praying together, and allow the Sustainer of marriage to protect your home.

Location: Ashmore, IL 61912, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

In case you missed it

Ruined but Renovated

-
When I moved to Ashmore IL a little under 10 years ago to answer the call to pastor Ashmore Baptist church a lot of things have changed. For instance Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital in Charleston IL has expanded and grow exponentially. I have seen businesses come and go. Pastors of other churches have come and gone. But one thing that has not changed was the eyesore across the street from the church. What is interesting is at one time this house was a very nice house in Ashmore. You can tell that this house at one time was beautifully constructed and well made. It was a house that at one time sheltered families, where children would run and play in the yard. It was a home where memories were made, and families were raised. However over time, as it changed from owner to owner. The house slowly became neglected. Needed repairs were not made and the small problems started to grow into bigger problems. So a once beautifully made house that housed families, and rasied children and m...
Read more

Sustaining Today's Faith, Not Yesterday's Glory

-
       Depiction of Exodus 16 We often find ourselves reflecting on moments of spiritual triumph, those times when our faith felt vibrant and alive. Yet, the challenge lies in maintaining that fervor amidst the daily grind. As my father would say, "It's not how you start, but how you finish that matters." This adage echoes a profound truth, particularly in our spiritual journey. It's not the initial spark that defines us, but the consistent flame we carry through life's ebbs and flows that matters most.      There have been many pastors who have started off strong only to be found no longer serving God later in there life. There have been Christians who at one time were faithfully serving the Lord, yet now they are no longer to be found in church, let alone involved in any kind of service for the Lord. There have been many who's faith started out as a blaze, that has now dwindled down to a mere ember.       King Solomon, a man of un...
Read more

Taking God's warning seriously

-
    Cindy had just got a new job at her town's Dairy Queen. As she worked there she could not help but notice something that concerned her. She could not help but see how blackened, crusted the ventilation duct was in the ceiling over the top of the grills. What concerned her even more, is that she began to notice that the grill seemed to smoke a lot more than she thought it should.  Each day she worked she continued to observe this more closely.        Finally she could not help but bring her concerns to the Manager, supervisors and to her co-workers.  However no matter how much she tried, they seemed to not pay to much attention to her warnings or her concerns. They would tell her "Oh it's ok, Its been that way for years and there is nothing to worry about. Cindy could not help but feel that the more she called this to there attention, the more and more annoyed with her and her warnings they became. No matter she was insistent that they nee...
Read more

Straddling the Fence: Christ’s Treatment for a Divided Heart

-
     Have you ever found yourself "straddling the fence"—holding onto your faith with one hand while flirting with the world’s values with the other? It is a common struggle in our modern walk. This is especially true as we see the divide between God and the world to continue to widen.       We often try to hide our compromises and our hypocrisies. We strive to keep on pretending we have it all together, but Jesus reminds us clearly: "I know where you dwell". You might try to cover the scent of compromise with the "perfume" of religious activity, but God sees right through to the truth of our conduct. We play church on Sunday and live like the Devil throughout the week and think that we have fooled everyone. Yet you will never fool God!       The church in Pergamum was exactly in this position. They were living in a "corrosive culture" and, while they held onto their faith in some areas, they had begun to ignore sin and false teachi...
Read more