MARITAL ISSUES => MARRIAGE MESSAGE 34

The Christian church is being lulled into sin, just as the world is. And this is causing problems in homes, churches, communities, and our world at large. Plus... it has to be breaking God's heart! He wants better from His children! We are to be a light, poking holes in the darkness -- not helping the darkness to spread further! How we pray all of us within the church will wake up!

Do you realize that sex is a type of worship? (See the quote on our web site www.marriagemissions.com for further explanation.) Lets face it, the enemy of our faith is all for disrupting and eliminating any type of worship possible that delights God's heart. "There is a right worship and a wrong worship. Wrong worship brought death to Aaron's sons when they offered the wrong fire and incense before God. To look at this literally, you can say that sex outside of marriage brings about death to our spirits, as well as to our sense of well-being or esteem" (Michelle McKinney Hammond).

But what about how you express yourself within your marriage? That's our concern. And we would like to address these concerns, from different angles -- with Cindy addressing wives and Steve addressing husbands.

CINDY: The concern that God has laid upon my heart is the misconceptions that women have allowed themselves to embrace in this area of marriage. I've been there and have done that myself, so I'm the last one to throw stones. However, praise God, I woke up. Sadly, when I speak on this topic at women's groups, I find many women are fooled just as I was. Authors of the book "Intimate Issues", Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus said that in their travels, they've found that "between 90 - 95 per cent of women don't have God's perspective" on this area of their marital relationship. I have to agree. The enemy of our faith has done a good job of snookering us!

We seem to go to two extremes. It's difficult to explain with the e-mail filters we have to get beyond, but basically, one is that we should be less expressive (especially as we see the world taking this publicly to a wrong extreme) and the other is that our husbands should shut themselves down to require less of us for many reasons. Both of these extremes are problematic.

The first extreme is dismissed by the example of the Shulammite woman in the book of Song of Songs. She was more than expressive, and yet God included it in the Bible. Why? It must be that He condoned her actions. Love like this, when it is expressed within marriage between husband and wife, is "good." It delights God's heart because it unites us as "one." However, when we take that expression outside of marriage and involve other people,that is when it isn't condoned by God and shouldn't be something we allow ourselves to participate in or entertain.

The other extreme should be viewed in the way that God created us -- as man and woman. We aren't created the same physically (which is obvious), but also in our mental and emotional tendencies. We aren't just packaged differently on the outside, so what makes us think we're the same on the way approach life intellectually and emotionally? We've got an entire section on our web site titled "Gender Differences" which addresses this issue that I encourage you to visit, because I think you could learn a lot (as we did).

We are different in what sex means to us. "The male drive is generated by physical needs, accompanied by emotional needs; a woman's drive stems from emotional needs along with physical needs" (Jack Mayall). "Visual [excitement over nakedness] is not as strong for women, but the emotional longings and cravings of our heart and soul for love, intimacy, affection and attention is just as difficult for us to deal with as the visual is for men" (Shannon Ethridge). That is why it is cruel for a man to continually deny his wife affection and it is cruel for a woman to continually deny her husband physically. Both are very important needs that shouldn't be overlooked, just because one or the other sees things differently. 

If you're having trouble in this area of your marriage, please, please, please get help! No matter what has been in your past, or is surrounding you in the present...seek to be whole and healthy to the glory of God (even if your husband isn't).

STEVE: There is so much that needs to be said from a man's standpoint, but this week I just want to give us men two quick thoughts to meditate on and then I will elaborate on them more next week. These come from what I believe to be the most powerful book (other than the Bible) addressing a man's heart and mind when it comes to sexual issues, "Every Man's Battle" by Steve Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. I highly recommend you get this book if you can. It's subtitle says a lot too: "Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time."

I'm going to ask you (and me) two questions. I want us to pray and ask God to reveal to us (men) what truth He wants us to come to terms with relating to them.

1) Do I look pure on the outside to everyone else --but in reality have I merely settled on a middle ground somewhere between paganism and obedience to God's standard?

2) Do I get any sexual gratification from anyone or anything other than my wife?

Please don't minimize the importance of how you answer these questions. As hard as it may be to come face-to-face with the truth, ask God's Holy Spirit to break through any defensive mechanisms you may have put up so that you can come to the place of beginning to "choose to be strong and courageous and to walk in purity."

We pray you will put and keep God at the center of your marriage -- especially in this area because the enemy of our faith is looking for a way to tempt you to stray away from being close to each other. Please make it your mission to shame the devil, not each other, and not God.

By Steve and Cindy Wright

If Anointed Child has been a blessing or source of encouragement to you please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your contribution big or small, is deeply appreciated. Be Blessed!

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=>> There Is Power in Prayer! Your Prayers Have the Power to Profoundly Impact Your Destiny. <<=

Prayer is the most powerful weapon against trials. The most effective medicine against sickness. And the most valuable gift to give to yourself and your loved ones. Through prayer, you can conquer all things.

Jumpstart your prayer life today with empowering, uplifting and inspiring 30 Days of Prayer. Act Now! Don’t let the enemy cheat you out of your divine destiny! Invest in your prayer life today, and begin to unlock your destiny through powerful prayers!

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer! People are testifying of financial breakthroughs, business breakthroughs, job promotions, marital breakthroughs, academic breakthroughs, healing and so much more, after 30 Days of Prayer!

~ Act Now, Tomorrow Is Promised to Man! Take the Challenge Today & Begin to Unlock Your Destiny Today! Tomorrow May Be Too Late! ~

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=> 30 Day Prayers for Favor

=> 30 Day Prayers for Singles

=> 30 Day Prayers for Fasting

=> 30 Day Prayers for Healing

=> 30 Day Prayers for Success  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Prosperity

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Family

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Children

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Marriage

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Finances

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Business

=> 30 Day Prayers for Every Situation

=> 30 Day Prayers to Unlock your Destiny  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Stubborn Situations  

The Key to Answered Prayers:

1. Have faith.
2. Be obedient.
3. Seek God’s will.
4. Repent your sins.
5. Pray without ceasing.
6. Pray with perseverance.
7. Praying with persistence.
8. Pray in the name of Jesus.
9. Give thanks and praise to the Lord.

PRAYER => DECLARE ABUNDANCE

I declare by faith that Jesus will supply all my needs, spiritually, financially, physically and emotionally throughout this year.

I declare that every aspect of my life will yield abundant fruit in Jesus name.

I declare that I shall be a blessing to the people of God and the work of God.

I declare that God will enrich my life with the abundance of His joy.

I declare that God will shower me with such an abundance of His favour that even the enemy will have to acknowledge it in Jesus name.

I declare that I shall be blessed with supernatural abundance that will bless generations to come in Jesus name.

I declare that the Lord will feed me with the best of foods; He will satisfy me with wild honey from the rock.

I declare that the blessing of Zion will flow my way throughout this year in Jesus name.

I declare that the covenant of God’s blessing will be made manifest in my life in the name of the Lord.

I declare that the power, glory and the kingdom of the living God will come upon every department of my life, in the name of Jesus.

I declare that I shall be victorious in every way financially buoyant in the name of the Lord.

I declare that through the unfailing love of God, I find refuge in the shadow of His wings, I shall feast on the abundance of His house; He will give me drink from His river of delights. 

Prayer Confessions by Pastor Simeon Oladokun & Senior Pastor BGCMI.

If Anointed Child has been a blessing or source of encouragement to you please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your contribution big or small, is deeply appreciated. Be Blessed!

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=>> There Is Power in Prayer! Your Prayers Have the Power to Profoundly Impact Your Destiny. <<=

Prayer is the most powerful weapon against trials. The most effective medicine against sickness. And the most valuable gift to give to yourself and your loved ones. Through prayer, you can conquer all things.

Jumpstart your prayer life today with empowering, uplifting and inspiring 30 Days of Prayer. Act Now! Don’t let the enemy cheat you out of your divine destiny! Invest in your prayer life today, and begin to unlock your destiny through powerful prayers!

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer! People are testifying of financial breakthroughs, business breakthroughs, job promotions, marital breakthroughs, academic breakthroughs, healing and so much more, after 30 Days of Prayer!

~ Act Now, Tomorrow Is Promised to Man! Take the Challenge Today & Begin to Unlock Your Destiny Today! Tomorrow May Be Too Late! ~

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=> 30 Day Prayers for Favor

=> 30 Day Prayers for Singles

=> 30 Day Prayers for Fasting

=> 30 Day Prayers for Healing

=> 30 Day Prayers for Success  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Prosperity

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Family

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Children

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Marriage

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Finances

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Business

=> 30 Day Prayers for Every Situation

=> 30 Day Prayers to Unlock your Destiny  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Stubborn Situations  

The Key to Answered Prayers:

1. Have faith.
2. Be obedient.
3. Seek God’s will.
4. Repent your sins.
5. Pray without ceasing.
6. Pray with perseverance.
7. Praying with persistence.
8. Pray in the name of Jesus.
9. Give thanks and praise to the Lord.

MYTHS/TRUTHS OF MARRIED LOVE (PART 1) => MARRIAGE MESSAGE 85

“While our cultural values continue to elevate marriage, our behavior drifts away from it. We’re a nation obsessed with marriage. The problem is that we may not know how to make marriage work” (Alex Kotlowitz). For the next few weeks we’d like to focus on some problems in our thinking that can hinder us in making our marriages “work.” We’d like to discuss some of the myths of married love - hopefully dispelling their falsehood. To do this we’d like to share parts of a newspaper article entitled, “Myths and True Meaning of Married Love” written by Michael McManus. McManus is the Founder and President of Marriage Savers (www.marriagesavers.org).

We’re going to share 8 myths over the course of the next few weeks. At the end of each of McManus’ points you’ll see bullet points with comments, scriptures, and discussion questions that we’ve added hoping you’ll spend quality “Intentional Time” with your spouse going over them.

MYTH #1: THE PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE IS OUR PERSONAL HAPPINESS. However, if so, when there are inevitable disappointments, and crosses to bear, the conclusion must be, “Either marriage is not fulfilling its promise, or something is wrong with me.”

Dr. Glenn Knecht, of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, says, “The true goal of marriage is not happiness but oneness. Jesus taught, ‘So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.’ Happiness is a by product. However, seeking oneness is costly. It involves sacrifice of the ego, so human pride is crushed until it has no life of its own anymore.”

• Comment on Dr. Knecht’s statement on the true goal of marriage.

• Do you agree that “oneness” in marriage is costly? Explain.

• Does this “oneness” mean you can’t have individuality within your marriage?

MYTH #2: THE GOAL OF MARRIED LIFE IS TO GET MY MATE TO SUBMIT TO MY WAY OF THINKING.

Men have memorized, “Wives, submit to your husbands.” But the preceding verse is “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” That is followed with three verses on the role of the wife, and nine verses on how men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church.

Marriage is an exercise in learning to submit even when we don’t feel like it. Knecht adds, “If your marriage is a tug of war, drop your end of the rope, so your spouse can win. Submission is the most demanding, most difficult and most important assignment in the school called marriage. It is a giving up of rights.”

• Read Ephesians 5 together and discuss what the Bible says about submission.

• Take turns commenting on what McManus and Knecht say about submission in marriage.

• How can you drop your “end of the rope” and yet not enable your spouse to continue behavior that you may find offensive?

• Speaker and author, Cynthia Heald once said, “Submission is ducking low enough so God can deal with your husband.” Wives—comment on that statement. Do you ever find yourself standing so firm on a point that you’re overshadowing what God wants to do with your husband?

• Husbands: comment on the following statement by Jan Schrader, “So many men want a Godly wife but they do very little to make it happen.” Is this true in your marriage? What more can you do to help your wife to be Godly?

• Read together Philippians 2:1-11and Romans 12:3 and discuss how this is relevant to marriage.

• The New Life Application Bible gives this commentary on Philippians 2:5-11. “Often people excuse selfishness, pride, or evil by claiming their rights. They think, ‘I can cheat on this test; after all, I deserve to pass this class,’ or ‘I can spend all this money on myself —I worked hard for it,’ or ‘I can get an abortion; I have a right to control my own body.’ But as believers, we should have a different attitude, one that enables us to lay aside our rights in order to serve others. If we say we follow Christ, we must also say we want to live as He lived. We should develop His attitude of humility as we serve, even when we’re not likely to get recognition for our efforts. Are you selfishly clinging to your rights, or are you willing to serve?” Comment on this statement as it applies to marriage.

MYTH #3: LOVE IS WHAT HOLDS A MARRIAGE TOGETHER.

True, we don’t enter marriage without love. But once that step is taken, it is the vows that hold it together, “for better for worse, in sickness and in health…” Love may actually wax and wane and there are times it is absent altogether. The vows said on the wedding day are sacred promises, said by billions of people. All marriage is spent learning the meaning of those vows.

Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett was invited to a colleague’s wedding. They did not exchange the traditional vows, but pledged to stay together “as long as love shall last.” He sent them paper plates as his wedding gift!

• Comment on the danger of promising to stay together “as long as love shall last.”

• What does this philosophy teach children about what marriage is all about — particularly a “Christian” marriage?

• How does this philosophy stack up against what the Bible depicts about marriage?

By Michael McManus

If Anointed Child has been a blessing or source of encouragement to you please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your contribution big or small, is deeply appreciated. Be Blessed!

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=>> There Is Power in Prayer! Your Prayers Have the Power to Profoundly Impact Your Destiny. <<=

Prayer is the most powerful weapon against trials. The most effective medicine against sickness. And the most valuable gift to give to yourself and your loved ones. Through prayer, you can conquer all things.

Jumpstart your prayer life today with empowering, uplifting and inspiring 30 Days of Prayer. Act Now! Don’t let the enemy cheat you out of your divine destiny! Invest in your prayer life today, and begin to unlock your destiny through powerful prayers!

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer! People are testifying of financial breakthroughs, business breakthroughs, job promotions, marital breakthroughs, academic breakthroughs, healing and so much more, after 30 Days of Prayer!

~ Act Now, Tomorrow Is Promised to Man! Take the Challenge Today & Begin to Unlock Your Destiny Today! Tomorrow May Be Too Late! ~

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=> 30 Day Prayers for Favor

=> 30 Day Prayers for Singles

=> 30 Day Prayers for Fasting

=> 30 Day Prayers for Healing

=> 30 Day Prayers for Success  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Prosperity

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Family

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Children

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Marriage

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Finances

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Business

=> 30 Day Prayers for Every Situation

=> 30 Day Prayers to Unlock your Destiny  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Stubborn Situations   

The Key to Answered Prayers:

1. Have faith.
2. Be obedient.
3. Seek God’s will.
4. Repent your sins.
5. Pray without ceasing.
6. Pray with perseverance.
7. Praying with persistence.
8. Pray in the name of Jesus.
9. Give thanks and praise to the Lord.

PRAYER => PROCLAIM THE GREATNESS OF THE WORD OF GOD OVER YOUR SITUATIONS

I proclaim, that my heart will not be a way side place for the word of God, in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that my heart will not be a ground of thorns for the word of God, in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that the handwriting of the enemies will turn against them, in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that the secrets of strange people around me will be revealed, in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that every satanic connection in the air, water and soil against my life, shall be broken in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that I shall be led of the Lord and I will never take any steps without Him.

I proclaim that the Word of God will lead and guide my life at all times.

I proclaim that as I seek the face of God throughout this year I will always find clear direction in Jesus name.

I proclaim that the seed for the Word will fall on good soil in my heart in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that every weed of distraction that hinders my growth would die in Jesus name.

I proclaim that my life will mirror the lifestyle of God’s kingdom in the name of Jesus.

I proclaim that as was spoken into the life of Rebecca, one day my children will possess the gates of their enemies in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Confessions by Pastor Simeon Oladokun & Senior Pastor BGCMI.

If Anointed Child has been a blessing or source of encouragement to you please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your contribution big or small, is deeply appreciated. Be Blessed!

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=>> There Is Power in Prayer! Your Prayers Have the Power to Profoundly Impact Your Destiny. <<=

Prayer is the most powerful weapon against trials. The most effective medicine against sickness. And the most valuable gift to give to yourself and your loved ones. Through prayer, you can conquer all things.

Jumpstart your prayer life today with empowering, uplifting and inspiring 30 Days of Prayer. Act Now! Don’t let the enemy cheat you out of your divine destiny! Invest in your prayer life today, and begin to unlock your destiny through powerful prayers!

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer! People are testifying of financial breakthroughs, business breakthroughs, job promotions, marital breakthroughs, academic breakthroughs, healing and so much more, after 30 Days of Prayer!

~ Act Now, Tomorrow Is Promised to Man! Take the Challenge Today & Begin to Unlock Your Destiny Today! Tomorrow May Be Too Late! ~

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=

=> 30 Day Prayers for Favor

=> 30 Day Prayers for Singles

=> 30 Day Prayers for Fasting

=> 30 Day Prayers for Healing

=> 30 Day Prayers for Success  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Prosperity

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Family

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Children

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Marriage

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Finances

=> 30 Day Prayers for your Business

=> 30 Day Prayers for Every Situation

=> 30 Day Prayers to Unlock your Destiny  

=> 30 Day Prayers for Stubborn Situations  

The Key to Answered Prayers:

1. Have faith.
2. Be obedient.
3. Seek God’s will.
4. Repent your sins.
5. Pray without ceasing.
6. Pray with perseverance.
7. Praying with persistence.
8. Pray in the name of Jesus.
9. Give thanks and praise to the Lord.