‘Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.’ Philippians 2:12-13(NLT)
‘Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21(NLT)
As we seek to restore and build our relationship with our spouse, ultimately we must first build our relationship with the Lord. We must remember that He is God and only He transforms hearts. He is the only one who can ultimately transform our heart or our spouse’s heart. We must keep in step with Him, walk with Him and listen; carefully obey His Word and ask Him to teach us how to love Him and love our spouse.
That is the goal of this plan. And it is not something you can accomplish by sheer force of will in your own strength. You must be careful not to be results oriented. Keep your eyes and your heart fixed on God and leave all of the results up to Him to accomplish in His own way and in His own time. He is sovereign and in complete control of every moment of every day. Trust Him. He knows what He is doing. Do you believe that God is all you need? Do you believe that He is the only one that can transform your marriage?
Give yourself and your marriage to the Lord. Walk forward by faith believing that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. Say no to your sin and turn toward Christ. Step forward in obedience entrusting it all to Him. Daily, intentionally, deliberately, obediently, sacrificially, faithfully, and humbly DO the dos and DON’T do the don’ts.
DO:
1. Turn your eyes to Jesus.
2. Thank the Lord and praise Him.
3. Take ten to twenty minutes with the Lord in His Word.
4. Take every thought captive.
5. Treat your spouse as more important than yourself.
DON’T:
1. Do not correct your spouse.
2. Do not complain to them, around them, or about them.
3. Do not make comments.
4. Do not control.
5. Do not criticize.
from Dos And Don’ts: A One-Week Plan To Help Your Marriage