Nurturing a Christ-Centered Marriage: 5 Practical Ways to Include Jesus Daily

Nurturing a Christ-Centered Marriage: 5 Practical Ways to Include Jesus Daily

by | Jan 22, 2024 | Articles

Your marriage is a sacred bond, and integrating your faith into the daily fabric of your relationship as believers in Jesus is essential. Following the teachings of Jesus and incorporating His presence into your marriage will deepen your connection and provide a spiritual foundation for your marriage. 

If you want to incorporate some practical and meaningful ways to include Jesus in your marriage on a daily basis, here’s where you can start:

Practical and Meaningful Ways to Include Jesus in Your Marriage Daily

Start the Day with Prayer: How you begin your day matters, and when you start by inviting Jesus into your marriage through prayer, you’re giving your marriage the best place to launch from. This can be as simple as a shared moment where you express gratitude, seek guidance, and ask for blessings in your relationship. Praying in unity will set a positive tone for the day and reinforce your commitment to having a Christ-centered marriage.

Read and Reflect on Scripture Together: Take time each day to read and reflect on passages from the Bible together. This can be a shared devotional time where you discuss the teachings of Jesus and how they apply to your lives as a couple. Whether you’re a newlywed or not, we recommend the Newlywed Couples Devotional as a great resource to discuss scripture together and practically apply it to your marriage. You can also choose scriptures that resonate with your current experiences and challenges or share a daily Psalm or Proverb with one another. 

Attend Church Services Together: Regular attendance at church gives you a shared spiritual experience for the week. Worshiping together and engaging in community can strengthen your connection to your faith and to each other. Corporate gatherings in the church also create a sense of community and give you support as a couple. 

Pray for Each Other and Your Marriage: Daily pray for your spouse and your marriage. Lift each other up in prayer, asking for strength, wisdom, and God’s blessings. This practice fosters a sense of unity and demonstrates a commitment to supporting each other spiritually. Don’t know where to start? Check out the free 30 Day Praying for Your Husband  or Wife challenge!

Practice Gratitude Together: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude within your marriage. Take time each day to express appreciation for your spouse and the blessings in your life. Focus on and acknowledge what your spouse does right each day instead of on any flaws they have or mistakes they make. 

Incorporating Jesus into your marriage daily will transform your marriage

By weaving prayer, scripture, and Christian values into your daily relationship, you will create a foundation that will withstand the tests of time. Remember, the consistent, intentional efforts to include Jesus are what will strengthen your marriage and bring you closer to each other and to God.

30 Day Praying for your Wife Challenge

 

Husbands...Men, if you’re ready to impact your wife's life and encourage her to become
all that God has created her to be, then you're in the right place!

Find Out More Here

30 Day Praying for your Husband Challenge

 

Wives, if you’re ready to impact your husband’s life and encourage him to become
all that God has created him to be, then you're in the right place!

Find Out More Here
Unveiling Red Flags in Marriage: 5 Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Unveiling Red Flags in Marriage: 5 Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

by | Jan 8, 2024 | Articles

Marriage is a journey that is filled with both challenges and victories. While some level of conflict is normal and healthy in any relationship, there are certain signs—red flags—that should not be overlooked. Recognizing these warning signs is crucial if you want to have a healthy and thriving marriage.

Watch Out for these Red Flags

Lack of Communication:

Communication is foundational for a strong marriage. When open, honest communication isn’t present and important conversations become challenging, it may be a sign that deeper issues are present. Pay attention to avoidance of topics or persistent misunderstandings because those are traits that can lead to emotional disconnection.

Lack of Intimacy:

Physical and emotional intimacy are integral components of a thriving marriage. If you’re experiencing a decline in affection, emotional closeness, or interest in each other’s lives, then your marriage needs some attention and exploration to figure out what is happening. A lack of intimacy will eat away at your marriage. 

A Lack of Trust

Trust is the bedrock of a healthy relationship. Signs of suspicion, jealousy, secrecy, or broken promises should not be ignored. If you can’t trust your spouse, you will have nothing to build your relationship on. Addressing trust issues when they first come up is essential to prevent the erosion of the foundation upon which your marriage is built.

A Lack of Peace:

While disagreements are natural, persistent and unresolved conflicts that remove the peace in your marriage can be detrimental. Constant arguing, an inability to resolve issues, or the recurrence of old problems are red flags that should serve as a clue that you need to start seeking help in finding constructive solutions. Unresolved and repetitive conflict leads to even more disconnection. 

A Lack of Safety:

Any form of abuse, whether emotional or physical, is a serious red flag that should never be tolerated. Seeking professional help and creating a safety plan are crucial steps in addressing abuse within a marriage. It’s never okay to be yelled at, name-called, gaslighted, controlled, or physically harmed. If your marriage fits in this category, check out this podcast episode, Enough is Enough.  

If you ignore red flags in your marriage, you are inviting in resentment

If resentment is present, it won’t be long until things start falling apart at a rapid pace. Resentment is like poison for your marriage and can only be tolerated for so long. 

While these red flags serve as warning signs, it’s important to remember that every marriage is unique, and all couples face challenges differently. Addressing issues when they come up through open communication, empathy, and a willingness to seek professional help when needed can help you navigate the struggles of your marriage and help you build a resilient, fulfilling, God-honoring marriage.

Your marriage is meant to give God glory, be a good example of love for your children, friends, and family, and be a supportive, loving lifelong partnership, and it’s okay to want it to be all of that. 

If you see any of these red flags, check out our Restoring Connection Course   or our How to L.O.V.E. Your Way Through Conflict Course. 

3 Things Your Husband Needs to Know

3 Things Your Husband Needs to Know

by | Dec 4, 2023 | Articles

I don’t know about you, but one of my greatest blessings is supporting my husband in becoming all God made him to be. That’s why I want him to know these things, and I hope you make sure your husband knows them, too.

3 things your husband needs to know

3 Things Your Husband Needs to Know

1. He is allowed to fail.

Men can have such a great fear of failure, so much so that it holds them back in life. You may not know this, but if there’s a risk of failure, many men won’t even try. Their fear of failure is not something they will usually tell you, but it is a reason behind some of their lack of change or repeatedly pulling back from things. Ultimately, if they fail, they believe that they themselves are a failure. 

It’s good to let your husband know that you support him in his failures. Beyond that, I always remind my husband that failure is only possible if he quits; everything else is part of the learning curve of growth. I want him to know that I will still be there for him no matter what.

2. You Support Him

You also want him to know that you support him going for it, whatever “it” is.  This can be difficult because wives tend to be a little more risk-averse. I know I am! Safety and security are something many wives long for from their husbands, and if we’re honest, some of the things they want to do feel a bit too risky for us.

While this doesn’t mean you need to approve of every exciting thing he wants to go after, it does mean you need to let him know that you’ll pursue dreams and risks with him. Let him take some risks because those risks often pay off the most, and your belief in him matters a lot. 

3.You See His Potential

Lastly, make sure he knows about all the potential you see in him. Let him know that you want more for him and that you don’t want him to settle for being anything less than God made him to be. 

When your husband is dealing with the fear of failure or when he’s feeling inadequate, there’s nothing better for him than you calling out his potential, showing your belief in him, and cheering him on. What you think of him matters far more than you might know or than he might ever lead on.

Ensure he knows he can try and fail, and you will still cheer him on.

Don’t just let him, but also want him to take risks and not be led by fear. Have a desire for him to know that his effort will always mean more to you than his results. 

If you want to hear more on this topic, check out the Expedition Marriage podcast, Episode 85, What Exactly is a Help Mate? 

What Happens When You Don’t Pray for Your Marriage?

What Happens When You Don’t Pray for Your Marriage?

by | Nov 20, 2023 | Articles

Before my husband and I became followers of Jesus, we spent zero time praying over our marriage and one another. Every type of healing or help we tried to find came through some very white knuckles. It was exhausting. Trying to control your tongue, have patience, and be supportive in a trial are very difficult without the help and power of the Holy Spirit. 

The truth is—When you don’t pray for your marriage, you get the results of what you can do. When you do pray, you get the results of what God can do. And let me tell you, there’s a difference. 

Marriage requires a lot of supernatural power. Without God’s help, we’re only going to thrive so much. We need His help with all of the patience, grace, perseverance, steadfast love, wisdom, humility, and willingness to grow that marriage requires of us—to name a few things!

Therefore, one of the best things you can do for your marriage is to pray constantly. Ask for the Lord’s help. Ask for His wisdom that He promises to pour out abundantly on you. (James 1:5) Let His love flow freely into you so it can flow freely into your spouse through you.

God is always there, ready to provide, and our marriages need all the support they can get nowadays. There’s no need to let your white knuckles or pride get in the way of seeking the Lord’s help.

Simple ways to seek God’s help through prayer.

 

  • Pray for the protection of your marriage every day.
  • Pray for the Lord to reveal any areas where you need to grow or change. 
  • Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the life of your spouse.
  • Pray for God’s will to be done in your lives as individuals and as a couple. 
  • Pray for your marriage to be used for His glory. 

 

If you want more ways to pray for one another, check out our free 30 Day Praying for Your Husband or Wife Challenge!

30 Day Praying for your Wife Challenge

 

Husbands...Men, if you’re ready to impact your wife's life and encourage her to become
all that God has created her to be, then you're in the right place!

Find Out More Here

30 Day Praying for your Husband Challenge

 

Wives, if you’re ready to impact your husband’s life and encourage him to become
all that God has created him to be, then you're in the right place!

Find Out More Here

4 Must Have Marriage Habits for Christian Couples

4 Must Have Marriage Habits for Christian Couples

by | Oct 28, 2023 | Articles

Do you have any goals for your marriage? Have you ever sat down and talked about where you’d like to be as a married couple years down the road? When we were first married, we always wanted to grow old together and be that cute little couple you see holding hands while on a walk or sitting across the table laughing with one another. We could see ourselves all wrinkled and thriving in love. 

We’ve had many goals through the years; some were to make more money, to have a certain number of kids, to buy a home, to get careers we wanted, and to be in better shape. You name it, we’ve probably dreamt of achieving it.

But the truth is, goals don’t get you anywhere. Goals without good habits, anyway.

Habits are where it’s at when you have big things you want to accomplish in life, and I’m assuming a happy and thriving marriage is one of those things.  Your marriage will only be as good as your habits, so you must be sure you have some good ones!

Things to incorporate DAILY into your marriage :

Acknowledge one another when you wake up, leave, reunite, and go to bed. Say good morning, offer up a goodbye and hello kiss, and an I love you before bed. These are simple but profound ways to prioritize your spouse.

Offer your help. Grab a towel and help dry the dishes, offer to bathe the kids, or tidy up a cluttered space. Be a helpful contributor in your marriage. It’s great to have divided tasks and household duties, but it’s also great to do some of the things that aren’t on your list but on theirs. Practice serving one another selflessly habitually. 

Pray individually and together. Ask the Lord to use you in your marriage every day. Ask Him to grow you as a husband or wife and pray together for your marriage. Many studies have shown that couples who pray together daily have a less than 1% divorce rate. It just doesn’t get much better than that! Check out this 30 Day Praying for Your Husband Challenge to up your prayer time! 

Get in the Word. Seek God and grow as a child of God. He has the best plan for you and your marriage, but if you never check in with Him or get to know Him, His best plan will also be left unknown. He is the Creator of marriage and knows exactly what it takes to succeed. He’s also the one who knows you and your spouse better than anyone. The more time you spend with Him, the more clearly you will hear Him. 

 

Ultimately, you must have good daily habits if you want a marriage that will last through the years. The little things done with consistency will keep you heading in the direction you want to go.