Marriage

A new play: The Marriage Conspiracy

April 13, 2013 by standing

The Marriage Conspiracy, opened to enthusiastic reviews! It’s being called “The Screwtape Letters” for marriage. The thoughts and insights from God’s Word are illustrated in such a way that people are still meditating on them weeks later. Viewers are reporting back that they are thinking of their vows in a whole new way, and are fighting with new zeal to have the marriage God intended them to have!

This dark comedy blindsides with Biblical truths, as we watch the strategies of two demons plotting the destruction of a marriage. One of the greatest attacks on the church currently is focused on marriage. This play will be especially useful to married fellowships and retreats, as couples will be stirred up to recognize the spiritual warfare that targets their relationships, and help equip them to take a stand for God’s plan in their marriage!

For more information see michaelsewell.com

Filed Under: Announcements, Marriage

Immanuel – Christ is with us during divorce pain at Christmas

December 13, 2012 by standing

Are you hurting due to divorce, separation, or estrangement from your spouse during the holidays? Greg Laurie’s message “Immanuel” speaks the truth that Christ is with us and knows first hand the pain and loneliness of estrangement.

Listen to Immanuel (MP3) > Greg-Laurie-God-Is-With-Divorced-and-Lonely-People

Filed Under: Audio, Greg Laurie, Loneliness, Marriage, Pain and Hurt, Sermons

Mother’s Day Testimonies

May 13, 2012 by standing

Rejoice Marriage Ministries published some touching testimonies from women and men who are trusting Christ to heal their marriages. http://rejoiceministries.org/mothersday.php

Filed Under: Charlyne Steinkamp, Family, Marriage

This Momentary Marriage

May 10, 2012 by standing

Desiring God produced this short documentary about the love story between Ian and Larissa Murphy.

Marriage is not mainly about prospering economically; it is mainly about displaying the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church. Knowing Christ is more important than making a living. Treasuring Christ is more important than bearing children. Being united to Christ by faith is a greater source of marital success than perfect sex and double-income prosperity.

If we make secondary things primary, they cease to be secondary and become idolatrous. They have their place. But they are not first, and they are not guaranteed. Life is precarious, and even if it is long by human standards, it is short. “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Prov. 27:1).

So it is with marriage. It is a momentary gift. It may last a lifetime, or it may be snatched away on the honeymoon. Either way, it is short. It may have many bright days, or it may be covered with clouds. If we make secondary things primary, we will be embittered at the sorrows we must face. But if we set our face to make of marriage mainly what God designed it to be, no sorrows and no calamities can stand in our way. Every one of them will be, not an obstacle to success, but a way to succeed. The beauty of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church shines brightest when nothing but Christ can sustain it.

—John Piper, This Momentary Marriage (Crossway, 2009), p. 178.

Visit Ian and Larissa’s blog here.

Filed Under: Marriage, Media and Publications, Video

Is Your God Big Enough? Stand Firm by Charlyne Steinkamp

December 2, 2010 by standing

If you have accepted Christ as your salvation, you are trusting Him to save you from death. But are you trusting Him with your life? You may say “There is no hope for my marriage – my spouse just keeps on rejecting. It is impossible. If you could only see how messed up things are” This is a lie. The word of God clearly teaches that God loves marriage, hates divorce, and can do the impossible, but we need to stand in faith.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mar 10:27

Please listen to the Charlyne Steinkamp’s message “Stand Firm.” Charlyne and her husband lived through separation, divorce, and so many marriage problems even the pastors in their church gave up! But God brought Charlyne back from hopelessness and she stood for her marriage and believed in the word the Lord gave her. God restored their marriage beautifully. God can heal broken marriages – just believe in what the word says and have faith:

Listen- Stand Firm – Charlyne Steinkamp

Please visit the Steinkamps ministry site Rejoice Marriage Ministries for so much more . . .

Filed Under: Audio, Charlyne Steinkamp, Forgiveness, Marriage, Revenge, Sermons, Trusting God, Waiting

God Must Change You First!

November 12, 2010 by standing

It is easy to point the finger at another person in a marriage crises or divorce, but God wants to change you.

It is not our own effort that will change us. We may have no more human love to give, being too hurt for too long. However, if you have Christ you have all His Love that can flow through you. This Love is not like the old human love, but is the pure sweet Love of God himself that will heal your hurts and work in you prodigal spouse:

1Cr 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Here’s a good resource –

http://www.marriagemissions.com/winning-without-words/

If they don’t believe the word, try winning without words. Let your life do the talking. If your life doesn’t shine with the reality of God working in you, then nothing you say will have any effect. But if your life does exhibit God’s transforming power, your spouse is sure to notice the difference.

Does this mean your husband or wife will be happy about the new you? Not necessarily. Even if you’re more loving, kind, and considerate than you ever were before, your spouse may become more troubled and angry than ever. But that’s not all bad. Lee Strobel explains from his own experience:

If you had asked me back then why I was so mad, I probably couldn’t have told you. Now, as I look back, I can pinpoint the root of my rage. Basically, as Leslie pursued a godly lifestyle more and more, her behavior increasingly accentuated the difference between that lifestyle and my own.

In other words, the more she sought after purity, integrity, honesty, tolerance, and forgiveness, the more obvious it became that my own life and relationships were corroded with cynicism, bitterness, superficiality, and self-centeredness. It was as if Leslie were unwittingly holding up a mirror and I was seeing myself for how I really was, and I didn’t like the picture. The Bible calls it being convicted of sin, and it made me angry because I didn’t want to face it.

The Strobels’ experience shows that loving, godly behavior by a Christian spouse doesn’t always produce a pleasant reaction. Their experience also shows that there’s no need for a Christian to criticize an unbelieving spouse. Why should you harp on things your spouse is doing wrong? Just depend on God to make you more and more like Jesus, and the contrast between your life and your spouse’s will do more to show him his sin than any words you could say. This may stir up negative emotions that are no fun for either of you, but such turbulence may be a step in a journey that leads to Christ.

Filed Under: Forgiveness, Marriage, Pain and Hurt, Waiting

Who is our First Love?

October 27, 2010 by standing

So who is our First Love?

Do I believe that Christ Loves us like he says in his Word?

Our answer to these questions is central in our marriage crises.

I’m convinced that the more we draw closer to Jesus over the long-term the more he will work in our spouses, even when they are separated from us.

I really believe one lesson he is teaching us is to accept Him as the First Love in our lives so we are not weak and needy when we approach our spouses. There is no more strength in your life when you can say to yourself “Christ, you give me all I need – I don’t need my spouse’s love, but I do want them to return to me so I can share this Love I have from you, Lord .”

God is a jealous God, and he does not want any person above Him. But he also Loves our spouses in good ways we can never imagine and He Loves Marriage.

What he wants to do is Love our spouses by giving us His Love to do this, even when they do not love us back.

BUT, and this is important, we have to accept His Love for us first . . . .

We cannot keep rejecting His Love by saying “God does not Love me – and this crises is proof.”

Look, the first step our spouses will have to take for reconcilation is to accept our Love for them as genuine. Right now they don’t believe we Love them! They are making up all kinds of stories in their minds to justify a lie that we don’t love them.

Our relationship with Christ is no different. We must accept the fact He Loves Us! We must stop looking at our crises in self-pity and to support the lie of the enemy that God does not Love us. Once we accept His Love as Genuine then we can begin to Love Him and His love will flow!

The first step is to daily reaffirm that God loves us. The two ways are to praise and love Him in some good alone time with just Him – just praise him – don’t beg him to stop the crises. The second is to seek Him and learn about who He is in His Word – read the Psalms and you’ll see who Christ really is . . .

1 John 4:19 ”We love Him because He first loved us.”

Filed Under: Love, Marriage