LOVE YOUR SPOUSE

 YOUR SPOUSES DEEPEST URGE

 The desire to be important is the deepest urge in human nature and in your spouse.

Here is a list that will help in finding new ways to make your spouse feel important.

• Thank him for everything he does and just for being there for you.
• Be his cheerleader.
• Take him on a date or getaway without the children.
• When someone criticizes him, you support him.
• He wants to be proud to be seen with you so look your best.
• Be his covering by praying for him.
• Refrain from giving him the silent treatment.
• Be respectful even if you are angry.
• Respect his dignity by not criticizing him in front of others.
• Watch your words towards him and choose them carefully.
• Don’t make him feel fearful of being called stupid because he expressed himself freely.
• Keep yourself in shape and work at it.
• He is not a mind reader so don’t expect him to be one.
• Watch TV with him even if it is a program you do not like.
• When he makes good decisions, compliment him.
• When he makes bad decisions don’t criticize him.
• At home or in public, hold his hand.
• Don’t argue with him over money; Discuss peacefully keeping in mind that he is a hard working man and you are not his mother.
• Don’t put blame on him when things go wrong.
• Don’t treat strangers better than you treat him; be courteous.
• When he says something wrong, give him the benefit of the doubt.
• When he gets home greet him with a big kiss.
• Spare him from boring details in a discussion; get to the point.
• Respond to his sexual gestures.
• His intelligence is important to him so don’t belittle it.
• If you have plans, make sure that he has agreed to them.
• When you do things for him, don’t expect to get a “thank you.”
• Don’t compare your relatives with his relatives.
• Be kind to his relatives.
• Never make him choose between you and his family.
• If your habits annoy him, work at getting rid of them.
• Handle him with much care because he belongs to God.
• When he needs it, help him finish his goals, hobbies and education.
• Give your husband time to recover when he is in a bad mood.
• Be a “help meet” to him whenever he needs it even if it is inconvenient for you.
• When he comes home from work, give him time to unwind.
• In front of the children, be sure to honor and respect him.
• When he is tired, keep your conversation brief.
• Whether he is there or not, brag about him to people.
• Don’t wear yourself out so when he wants sex, you will be available to him.
• Allow your husband to be the “head of the house”.
• Don’t nag or belittle him.
• Give advice to him in a loving way.
• Give him specific reasons why you are proud of him.
• Surprise him with a gift he will really enjoy.
• When you make a mistake, admit it to him.
• Don’t make him feel guilty for the time he needs to be alone.
• Show him you need him in different ways.
• Forgive him when he offends you.
• Leave plenty of time to be with him.
• As often as you can, compliment him.
• Don’t allow your family members to disrespect him.
• Stay focused on the things your spouse is doing right.
• Don’t focus on the things that are going wrong that he does.
• Be respectful when you talk with him.
• Look for ways to keep laughter in your conversation
• Realize that he has feeling also so be gentle.
• Tell him you like him and you love him.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage be a success.

LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE

     ARE YOU OR YOUR SPOUSE weighed down or burdened by events from your past? I think some Christians are living life like someone who is trying to drive a car but can’t take his eyes off the rearview mirror. In your own family, you may need to help your mate understand that he or she has no business dwelling on things God has already forgotten.

     One woman I know had been in an ungodly dating relationship that she finally broke off. During the next year, Isaiah 43:18,19 became very real to her, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. “What a promise! If you or your spouse struggles over foolish choices in the past, may I encourage you to dwell upon the promise of this passage?

     Along the same lines, Paul writes, “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (phil. 3:13, 14). Paul refused to focus on his rearview mirror. He resolutely looked forward-at the person of Christ. Help your mate do the same. Encourage your children to learn to deal with their failures and receive God’s grace.

NOTE:  This article came from the book Family Life & Marriage Bible by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage succeed.

IT’S A MATTER OF WHO (and WHOSE) WE ARE

Most of our problems-marital and otherwise-can be summed up in two things;

1. We forget who God is.

2. We forget who we are in christ

     When we lose sight of who God is and of our identity as Christians, when we forget that we are children of the King, for whom nothing is impossible, we set ourselves up for failure in the very areas in which God has called us to succeed. This is particularly true in the home.

     When God calls us to marriage and parenthood, He doesn’t promise us that it will always be easy. What he does promise, however, is that He will strengthen us, help us, and uphold us through anything that comes our way. Speaking through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, God lovingly tells His people, “You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (41:9,10).

     Are you struggling with some difficulty in your home right now? If so, remember that you belong to the Creator of the universe, and that you belong to Him. Fear not!

     Take Him at His word … He promised to uphold you.

NOTE:  This article is from the book Family Life & Marriage Bible by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage succeed.

 GENUINELY LISTEN TO YOUR SPOUSE

 Genuine listening is one of the highest compliments that you can pay your spouse.

Psychologists, therapists and communication experts often discuss about the great benefits of being a “good listener.”

You can improve your marriage and have a spouse that enjoys to be around you by being a good listener.

Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself:

Do you interrupt your spouse when they are talking?

Do you show any signs of impatience while listening to your spouse talk?

Do you actually hear what they have said?

If you are an “active listener”, then you should practice focusing entirely on what your spouse is saying.

Is this possible?

Listening is a very hard skill to master.

Even communication therapists have trouble going home after a full day at work and have problems listening to their spouse.

Do you stop working and stop watching TV while your spouse is talking?

Do you stop reading and look at your spouse?

All these things are important to your spouse.

Do you fake like you are listening while you are really thinking about something else?

Here is a recipe to make your husband despise you:

** Never listen to him for long.

** Talk incessantly (without end) about yourself.

** If you want to talk while he is talking, don’t wait for him to finish, just bust right in and interrupt him in the middle of his sentence.

If listening to a spouse is so difficult for communication experts, what can you do?

The Holy Spirit can help you be an “active listener.”

This is what our God specializes in and He will let you hear your spouse’s heart even though it never came out of their mouth.

He can help you listen for your spouses unspoken fears and concerns.

God will show you when your spouse is reacting to a hurt or troubling mood.

You will learn how to listen without thinking about how you are going to respond.

God will show you the strengths and abilities of your spouse so you will know how much they will be able to handle.

You must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit who will show you impending trouble.

You serve a God who wants to give you great wisdom.

You can make your spouse feel so good and he will follow you anywhere.

Just give God the opportunity to help you.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage be a success.

NEVER SHAME YOUR SPOUSE

A wife holds great power to make or break her spouse.

Your husbands name is IMPORTANT to him and you need to respect it.

Respect means to consider worthy of high regard; to refrain from interfering.

Respect is both an ATTITUDE and a way of acting and talking.

Do you respect your husband by giving him honor in word and deed?

This would be honoring and recognizing that your spouse has RIGHTS as a husband.

One of those rights is to not do anything that will shame him.

Disrespect and ridicule dishonors your spouse and DEMEANS him.

A wife is commanded to respect her husband.

Eph.5:33 “…The wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Jesus respected his parents even though they were uneducated, common people living a humble life.

Jesus showed respect to little children, lepers, tax collectors, those controlled by demons and for prostitutes.

If your creator can show respect for everyone, whom do you think you are to show disrespect to your spouse?

When you invited Christ into your life, the power of the Holy Spirit was given to you so you can show respect to your spouse and others whom you may feel DON’T deserve it.

1Pet.2:17 “Honor all people (including spouse), love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.”

You respect your spouses name when you respect his property.

Your spouse deserves the right to own and use the things he has WORKED for.

Showing disrespect to your spouse’s property often results in stealing.

Jesus said that he always did what honored his father.

We need to do what always honors our husband.

Behind every great man is an admiring and respecting woman.

A husband usually doesn’t rise above the level at which a wife respects him.

Lift your spouse to the next level that you both deserve to be on.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage be a success.

 WHAT SHOULD ALL WIVES WEAR?

 The expression you wear on your face for your spouse is far more important than the clothes you wear to look nice.

Prov.15:13 “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance…”

Smiling makes you more attractive to your spouse.

It is better than walking into your house looking like you are in a  ZOMBIE-like state!

Your spouse will be drawn to your smiling face because people want to figure out what is so good.

Your smile draws your spouse IN.

Smiling lifts the face and makes you appear younger.

It takes more ENERGY to ignore and pretend to be very serious, than it is to smile at your beloved.

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.

Prov.17:22 “A merry heart is good medicine but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Smiling relieves stress because it prevents us from looking tired and overwhelmed.

STRESS can really show up in our faces.

Your immune function improves possibly because your more relaxed if you smile.

When you smile, it is a NATURAL drug.

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin.  These three make us feel better.

When you smile at your spouse, it makes you more APPROACHABLE.

Your smile is welcoming and your spouse will be more at ease around you.

Your smile to your spouse can be CONTAGIOUS.

Be completely pleased to see your spouse.

It can change your spouse’s mood after a long hard day and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Your secret weapon is your SMILE!!

Smile – it’s the next best thing you can do with your lips.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage be a success.

 MAKING YOUR SPOUSE LIKE YOU

There are ways to make your spouse like you and one of them is to be genuinely interested in them.

Morning, noon and night your spouse is interested in HIMSELF.

Phil.2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”  KJV

 “Look out for the interest of others and not only for your own personal interest.”  NSB (New Simplified Bible)

Statistics show that it is easier for you to make your spouse a friend in two months by becoming genuinely interested in him than you can in two years trying to get him interested in you.

Spouses, it’s alright to do things for your SPOUSE that requires your time, energy, unselfishness and thoughtfulness.

Listen to what your spouse likes and take them a gift of something they will enjoy.

Listen for CLUES of what your spouse is interested on and initiate a conversation on the topic of his interests.

If you want to know what your spouse is interested in, have a Bar-B-Q and invite your spouse’s friends.  Listen to their conversation and you will learn their favorite topics.

In Meriden, Connecticut, a survey was done to see what subjects adults were most interested in studying.

The result of the study was that their first interest was Health.

The Second interest was in people:

How to understand and get along with people;

How to make people like you; and

How to win others to your way of thinking.

The authors sole purpose of his survey and book was to help readers discover, develop and profit from their physical and mental resources that are dormant and unused assets.

CASE AND POINT:  There was a time in my marriage when I felt like I didn’t have anything of interest to contribute in trying to open communication with my husband.  I decided that the only way I can have a conversation that would prompt his interest was to ask a question on one of his favorite topics.  When I did that, he opened up and kept talking.  I felt like I had really accomplished something in our marriage.

This may seem very hard and strange at first because it takes us out of our “comfort zone.”

It stretches us to talk on a subject that we not only know nothing about but we are also not interested in it at all.

God will bless your EFFORTS.

Anything you do to improve your marriage, the Holy Spirit will get in the middle and anoint it.

It has happened to me over and over again.

Marriage isn’t for babies, it’s for adults.

You will get on the ground and play with a silly toy just to bond with your child and see a smile on their face, yet you don’t take the time to make conversation on a topic your spouse loves.

What are you WAITING for?

I’m glad I didn’t wait.

Don’t lose out on this daily opportunity that won’t come back again because of your PRIDE.

Just ask a widow!!

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage be a success.

GOD LOVES UNITY IN MARRIAGE

There will always be conflict in your marriage, your family, your workplace and in your church.

Chaos doesn’t create a marital relationship where you can safely express your FEELINGS.

In Proverbs, God states that he hates disunity

Prov.6:16-19 “…the Lord hates…he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Prov.10:12 “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.”

A spouse that hates, makes a bad situation worse.

Wicked actions from a spouse can SOW discord when they disrupt the harmony, unity and peace within a marriage.

A chord in music is any harmonic set of two-three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.

Music was first created in heaven.

Harmony is a must in music in order for the sound of every note to be heard as one.

God uses that same principle in our marriage.

When you stir up your passions AGAINST your spouse, you are alienating affections from your spouse.

Take every opportunity to promote unity and agreement.

God loves UNITY in a marriage.

Matt.5:9  “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

If “…blessed are the peacmakers”, then CURSED are the peace-breakers.

If peacemakers are the children of God, then peace breakers are the children of the devil.

Rom.16:17 “…mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

Are you a spouse that is willing to disrupt peace in your home in order to accomplish an evil desire?

The bible not only tells us God HATES discord but to not have anything to do with them as if they were witches or murderers.

Deut.27:24 “Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor secretly…”

The enemy will tell you that you have wasted seven years married to the wrong person.

Being married to someone for seven years is not a waste of time; it is an INVESTMENT in your future.

The more you invest, you will get a return on your investment.

WHY?  Because God is a giver!

You serve a God who sees everything and “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.”

“Where there is envy and strife, there is confusion and every evil work”.  (Jas.3:16)

 EVERY EVIL WORK!!

Do you really want to be an initiator of “every evil work?”

Become a peacemaker right now!!

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage be a success.

FREEDOM FROM CRIPPLING FEAR

    HOW DOES FEAR SHAPE YOUR response to life’s difficult moments, especially in the family?

Fear pushes some to procrastinate and put off decisions they know they should make. Others erect barriers to keep anyone from truly knowing them. Still others are controlled by a fear of failure. Finally, fear drives people away from God. Some men and women refuse to surrender to God and His will, fearing what He might require of them.

So what is the best antidote to this kind of crippling fear? Hear what Isaiah  says, “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you” (35:4). The best antidote to crippling fear is prayer and total surrender of your will to Jesus Christ.

How many things do you really need to worry about? None. Instead, you should entrust your situation to a loving and almighty God. Your Lord wants you to approach Him with an attitude of gratefulness for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. As you pray and yield your life, marriage, and family to God, and as you learn to “be anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6) and begin “casting all your cares upon Him” (1. Pet. 5:7), God will begin to replace your fears with faith.

NOTE:  This article is from the book Family Life & Marriage Bible by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage succeed.

THE TROUBLE WITH THE 50/50 PLAN

     All husbands and wives have expectations of how the relationship should work. Often, they assume, “My spouse will meet me halfway.” Over the years we’ve heard couples talk about having a 50/50 marriage. “You do your part,” the thinking goes, “and I’ll do mine.” But while this concept sounds logical, couples who try to live it out are destined for disappointment. One reason why is that we focus more on what the other person is giving than on what we are doing. So we withhold love until the other person meets our expectations. Of course, it’s impossible to know if a person has ever met you halfway. As Thomas Fuller said, “Every horse thinks its own pack heaviest.”

     Early in our marriage, we tried this plan. I would give affection to Barbara only when I felt she had earned it. Barbara would show me affection and praise only when she thought I had held up my end of things.

     Contrast this with the type of love God shows for us. No matter what we do, He gives us 100 percent. He gives us love even when we don’t deserve it!

     So I propose that couples adopt the 100/100 plan in marriage. Under this plan, each person gives 100 percent … no matter what the other person does.

NOTE:  This article is from the book Family Life and Marriage Bible by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

NOTE:  Daily there is a new post to help your marriage succeed.