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When you Fast and Pray

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Have you ever fasted and prayed? Have you ever fasted and prayed for your relationship? The weekend before our wedding, Anita fasted and prayed to make sure that this was a God idea and not just a good idea.

Fasting is a good spiritual discipline. It helps to quiet the flesh and its desires and awaken us spiritually to the voice of God. By ignoring the craving for food and replacing it with the Word of God, we train ourselves to fully rely on the Lord instead of ourselves.

It is usually good to fast for a specific purpose or reason. When you need an answer from God regarding a specific problem or when you are fighting any spiritual battle, fasting is a good idea.

Fasting is not optional for disciples of Jesus Christ. Combining prayer with fasting is a biblical way to move mountains!



Here are some examples.

When fighting things in the flesh like indulging in sweets, watching too much tv or lying, you may want to tailor your fast for those vices. In addition to withholding food, stay aw…
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Intimacy all year long - Seven things to remember

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This year, we want to start off with a BANG! Here are seven things that every married couple should keep in mind when thinking about sex and intimacy in their relationship. We will discuss them in the form of an acronym - I.N.T.I.M.A.C.Y. Hopefully it will help you to remember each of the seven suggestions. We are definitely not sex therapists, but after being married for 17 years (will be 18 this year by God's grace) and 2 kids, we think we could help someone a little. Intimacy does not equate to sex, but many times it leads to intercourse. That is what we are referring to here today. Here they are!

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I - Investigate each other
(Genesis 4:25, kjv) When we married, Anita was a virgin and so everything about everything sexually related was new. But she is a nurse, so she had book knowledge but not experiential knowledge. In any case, learning the body of your spouse can be an adventure. Use all y…
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One word for your marriage (50 ideas)

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We attempted to make new year resolutions for our marriage, but we find that concentrating on a single idea for ourselves works much better. Simplicity is key. Study and meditate on that one word. Think about how it relates to you personally and to your spouse. Plan your new year with that word in mind. Back up those plans with prayer and scripture references and be prepared to watch your marriage make a transformation!

(This post contains an affiliate link in which we may earn a percentage of a purchase)

Here are 25 word ideas for your relationship:

Love
Truth
Character
Share
One
Faithful
Together
Bond
Peace
Health
Laughter
Joy
Solid
Strength
Kind
Promised
Cherish
Commitment
Abide
Influence
Reconcile
Friendship
Refine
Protection
Relate
Nurture
Hope
Devoted
Grace
Humility
Connect
Recover
Comfort
Generation
Simple
Yield
Celebrate
Destination
Authentic
Thrive
Inseparable
Decided
Still
Vision
Faith
United
Selfless
Intercede
Possible
Surprise

 What other word (s) would you add to this list…
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Kick the devil out of your Marriage

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Some of us are used to chaos in our marriages. It is normal to fight daily and to struggle with communicating regularly. For many, the enemy has a space in your bed, a seat in your car and is welcomed into your home by way of several types of media. The devil is that third person in some relationships and we do not even recognize him. Well, I do not know about you, but I do not want him anywhere close to me or my marriage! The good news is that if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we have authority over the enemy even in our marriages.



We need to kick the devil out! Our weapons against the enemy are clearly delineated in scripture. Contrary to popular opinion within and without the church, counseling is not a cure. More money will not bring more peace. Another spouse is not the answer either. You will face the same battles with any person with which you align yourself in matrimony. In Ephesians 6, we see all the pieces of the armor:

The Helmet of Salvation
The Sword of the Spi…
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3 New Year Marriage Resolutions that you won't quit

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A resolution is a firm intention to do or not to do something. In marriage, we have already made the commitment to each other for life. However, we want to continue to grow and develop in our relationships with each other. Let's take assessment of our current status and work even harder to make our marriages even better. A couple of years ago we wrote a blog about accounting for your marriage every year. As one year closes and another begins, let's look at three resolutions, or intentions to make us both better.

First, pray often. We tried to make a commitment to pray together daily but yeah...that didn't really happen. When you do not meet your goals, you revise them right? So instead of praying together daily, we have decided to pray for each other regularly. It is actually pretty easy to say "Praying for you" instead of "I love you" sometimes. That is realistic. Then, actually pause and pray. You may even try to develop the habit of saying a quick &…
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FUN in Marriage

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We are so excited to start a new year! It is a fresh chance to build on the foundation of our marriage. It is important to be intentional about enjoying each other's company. We have decided to share with you a few fun things that, perhaps, you have never thought of before. Hopefully, you can begin the New Year with some fresh ideas and plan out some fun things to do together!



(This post contains affiliate links of companies that we work with to support our blog. We may be entitled to compensation if our readers click the links....hint, hint).

Dating

So what you are married? The dating never stopped for us! We plan to try out a few date boxes this year. After our Christmas date with Get Date Box we were hooked. Everyone loves mail and why not invest in your marriage? During the cold winter months of Ohio, we are now looking forward to fun dating more inside the house. We sent the boys upstairs to play and we had a great time!

We also do traditional dating at a restaurant too. It has…
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Winter Romance: Four Ideas for when you are NOT in the mood

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(This blog post contains affiliate links that we may receive compensation for if you click them, but we do not mind if you do :)



When it is cold out and the snow is falling, things can happen! This is baby-making season as some say, lol. However, the reality is that as much as we may be showing physical attention to our spouses, we may not be meeting their emotional needs. Romance (especially for a woman) is so much more than sex. In the winter season, the fact is that stress and sadness can cloud our attempts at being and reciprocating romance. As much as we are physically together, we may actually be very distanced in other ways. Depression, grieving and anxiety can take a toll on a marriage especially around the holidays.

Some couples seem to have it all together. They happily celebrate the highs in life and support each other through the lows. Everything looks so perfect from the outside. Yet we all know that any good marriage takes much work and intentionality. We have to be will…
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