Why do people get married today? Is it to make a big splash? Create great photos of “the happy couple”? Does anyone get married to get a divorce if it doesn’t work out? It seems so, since divorce seems to be one of the most frequent consequences of marriage. So what happened?
In order to have a better chance at a lifelong and happy marriage, you need a firm foundation. There are many elements that go into it, essential things firmly set if you really want it to work:
A strong faith in God is priority number one for both parties. I Corinthians 6:14 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” But there is more to it than just both parties believing in God. The devil believes and trembles. He is not saved, does not have a relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is vitally important that both parties believe the same things about God, who He is, what each person believes about the Bible. Having a different belief in these areas can cause serious issues later, especially when children enter the picture.
There is no marriage that God cannot fix or heal. A wise marriage counselor once told me, “there’s no such thing as can’t: only won’t.” If your marriage is already in trouble, it is not beyond repair unless one party is unwilling to let God have His way.
If you are not “saved,” or “born again” yet, here are the simple steps you need to take. Now, please understand, nothing gets fixed overnight. God will not wave a magic wand, and presto! everything is fabulous. That’s a fairytale, not reality.
- Admit you are a sinner. The only person ever born who was not a sinner is Jesus Christ. He was God in the flesh and knew no sin. That’s why He was/is qualified to pay our sin debt. The Jews had to offer a perfect lamb as a sacrifice, hence Jesus is called in scripture “the Lamb of God.” Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.” Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
- Realize you owe a penalty. “For the wages (what we deserve, what we have earned) of sin is death;” Revelation 20:15 says, “And whosoever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” When we get saved (admit we are a sinner, apologize to God for our sin, recognize that Jesus was the only one worthy to pay our sin debt, that He was dead, buried and rose again the third day, and ask Him to save us) our names get written in God’s book of life, also called the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
- You must believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins through His shed blood on the cross. “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
- You must receive by faith God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot be earned by good works, but it is a free gift from God. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23b “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9 No one in heaven is going to be bragging about how much good they did in order to get there.
- Jesus is the only way to heaven. How do you receive Jesus as your Saviour? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.
If you will trust Jesus Christ alone as your Saviour, say a similar prayer to this: “I know I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins and that he arose from the dead. I am willing to place my complete trust in Jesus to save me. I ask you to forgive my sins, and I now trust Jesus as my Saviour. From this moment on, I will completely depend on Jesus and Jesus alone for my salvation. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
If you pray this prayer, the next step is to find a church that believes in the final authority of the King James Bible. These churches may be hard to find in some parts of the country. If you have difficulty finding one, ask God to direct you to the church where you can begin to grow as a Christian. Be sure to read your Bible every day and spend time every day thanking Him for the gift of salvation, and praising Him for who He is and all the wonderful things He has done on this earth.
You will mess up from time to time. There may be times when you forget or don’t feel like reading your Bible. God is patient. If this happens, tell God you are sorry and ask Him to help you start over the next day. Satan, your arch enemy, will not like it when you get saved. He will do all he can to make you angry, miserable, too tired, etc. He may create family or job problems in an effort to get you to give up on God. Don’t despair. This is just part of the growth process. Each time you gain victory over these things, write it down in a notebook to look back on, so you can see your progress when it feels like you aren’t making any at all.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. My ministry is to women and children because scripture says a woman is neither to teach nor usurp authority over a man. I don’t have all of the answers, but I know where to find them.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Aleta Kay
The Encouragement Corner 