The Fruit of Faith
A little mustard seed of faith can grow acres of spiritual fruit!
Prayer of Faith
Consider prayer for instance. I waited and waited for Maurice to change into the man of my dreams. I wished and hoped and nagged, but it didn't work. However, I can promise you that NOTHING worked as fast as the prayer of faith. Why? Well, praying in faith cannot be done until your heart is right. I was out to change a man, but that doesn't really work. God had to change my perspective first. If I was going to pray, I shouldn't be worrying about my husband. If I was going to worry, I had no need to pray.
The reality is, I could only believe God for so much. You know what I mean? A compete makeover would be miraculous. Now don't get me wrong - we were both saved and everything, but oh...the details in marriage!! I wanted him to do laundry my way. I needed him to understand that interior decorating was my department and I didn't want his opinion. He needed to be perfect and never sin, never whine and never point out my errors. Wow. With that mindset, it was difficult to pull the speck out of my husband's eye because of the beam in my own.
The prayer of faith is based on what God knows is best. Something as simple as saying "Let your will be done Lord" is a great prayer of faith. It can move mountains.....and beams out of your eyes too!
Walk by Faith
Your lifestyle is your "walk". How you live out each day shows the world what kind of faith you have. And no one knows you better than your spouse. They say that integrity is who you are when no one is looking, well....faith is looking like what you profess. It's the evidence that backs up your claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The person that can see that best is your marriage partner. What would they say about your faith walk? Is is real or do you have a limp in your spiritual legs?
Faith is not just believing in God. It is far more. It is not merely hope, but firm trust and assurance that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. When you know it, you walk like it!
You want your spouse to be a Godly man who leads his home right? Well, after you have prayed, have the faith to step back and let him lead. Where is your faith? Walk it out and watch God work!
Stay Faithful
Faith without works is dead. Maurice and I took an inventory of couples that we have known since our marriage and it was staggering to see that almost 80% of them are now divorced! The fruit of faith is.....you guessed you....faithfulness! We are certainly not here to throw blame around or cast stones. Some divorces happen for legitimate causes and reasons. However, we also know that when two people of faith collide, there is a harvest.
When we are connected to the same vine, we both have the same opportunity for growth. When two healthy branches intertwine, they support each other don't they? Your fruit actually has MORE potential when you are surrounded by others with the same connection. Now you could pluck a grape from another vine and throw it on top of yours so you could be together, but obviously, one will grow weaker and the other stronger. After a while, that disconnected grape will fall away. It's only a matter of time that separation is inevitable - now and for eternity.
However, when we remain, we reproduce, we get stronger, we thrive off of one another. That is our prayer for you in your marriage. Don't settle for a marriage that does not look like Christ and His church. Pray in FAITH until something happens, then keep right on praying. Stay faithful to God in prayer and stay faithful in your marriage!
Prayer of Faith
Consider prayer for instance. I waited and waited for Maurice to change into the man of my dreams. I wished and hoped and nagged, but it didn't work. However, I can promise you that NOTHING worked as fast as the prayer of faith. Why? Well, praying in faith cannot be done until your heart is right. I was out to change a man, but that doesn't really work. God had to change my perspective first. If I was going to pray, I shouldn't be worrying about my husband. If I was going to worry, I had no need to pray.
The reality is, I could only believe God for so much. You know what I mean? A compete makeover would be miraculous. Now don't get me wrong - we were both saved and everything, but oh...the details in marriage!! I wanted him to do laundry my way. I needed him to understand that interior decorating was my department and I didn't want his opinion. He needed to be perfect and never sin, never whine and never point out my errors. Wow. With that mindset, it was difficult to pull the speck out of my husband's eye because of the beam in my own.
The prayer of faith is based on what God knows is best. Something as simple as saying "Let your will be done Lord" is a great prayer of faith. It can move mountains.....and beams out of your eyes too!
Walk by Faith
Your lifestyle is your "walk". How you live out each day shows the world what kind of faith you have. And no one knows you better than your spouse. They say that integrity is who you are when no one is looking, well....faith is looking like what you profess. It's the evidence that backs up your claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The person that can see that best is your marriage partner. What would they say about your faith walk? Is is real or do you have a limp in your spiritual legs?
Faith is not just believing in God. It is far more. It is not merely hope, but firm trust and assurance that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. When you know it, you walk like it!
You want your spouse to be a Godly man who leads his home right? Well, after you have prayed, have the faith to step back and let him lead. Where is your faith? Walk it out and watch God work!
Stay Faithful
Faith without works is dead. Maurice and I took an inventory of couples that we have known since our marriage and it was staggering to see that almost 80% of them are now divorced! The fruit of faith is.....you guessed you....faithfulness! We are certainly not here to throw blame around or cast stones. Some divorces happen for legitimate causes and reasons. However, we also know that when two people of faith collide, there is a harvest.
When we are connected to the same vine, we both have the same opportunity for growth. When two healthy branches intertwine, they support each other don't they? Your fruit actually has MORE potential when you are surrounded by others with the same connection. Now you could pluck a grape from another vine and throw it on top of yours so you could be together, but obviously, one will grow weaker and the other stronger. After a while, that disconnected grape will fall away. It's only a matter of time that separation is inevitable - now and for eternity.
However, when we remain, we reproduce, we get stronger, we thrive off of one another. That is our prayer for you in your marriage. Don't settle for a marriage that does not look like Christ and His church. Pray in FAITH until something happens, then keep right on praying. Stay faithful to God in prayer and stay faithful in your marriage!
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