What is the vision for your marriage? A marriage without a vision is like a journey without a destination, A marriage without a destination is susceptible to distractions, wrong detours, demonic exploitation, and divorce.
Take a minute and examine your own relationship. Envisage it as a vehicle going on an adventurous journey! A vehicle in motion is symbolic of a marriage relationship.
In your own marriage:
What manual, map, or direction are you utilizing to navigate this venturesome journey of a lifetime?
Who are the front and back passengers of your marriage vehicle?
Who is operating the steering wheel of the relationship?
Are you and your spouse driving in the same direction?
Where is your marriage heading?
Who fuels the energy of your relationship?
What sharpens your relationship?
Who "checks and balances" the tires and wheels of the relationship?
What is the horsepower of your marriage engine?
At what speed are you driving your relationship vehicle?
Do overload of conflicts, disappointments, emotional wounds, communication barriers, distrust, and other unresolved issues weigh down your marriage vehicle?
Who or what is the driving force of your marriage - your spouse, job, extended family, friends, social status, career, or Christ?
What are you doing to fend off distractions so you can focus on this adventurous journey?
Are you teachable enough to avoid making wrong detours?
Are you looking for short cuts to avoid going through the process? Has this marital journey narrowed or enlarged your capacity for growth, tolerance, and compassion?
Are you and your spouse "team mates" or "rivals"?
What influences you the most on this journey - God or your own sense of reality?
What propels your marriage vehicle - Truth or your personal opinion?
Are you in the relationship to fulfill God's will or pursue your own personal agenda?
Is your relationship Christ-centered or Self- centered?
Is your marriage relationship purpose- driven or self-driven?
Purpose- Driven or Self-Driven? The answers to the above questions will determine whether you are in a Purpose-driven or Self-driven relationship. Purpose - driven marriages are based on the word of God, not individual opinion or feelings. God's word not only mentors, guides, corrects, and steers couples in the right direction, it also checks and balances the relationship as well. On the other hand, Self-driven marriages are based on feelings. We cannot rely on feelings to nourish or grow a relationship. Emotions or feelings are unpredictable and fluctuate just like the weather. One minute, we vow to love our mates when they are meeting our needs. However, when they fall short of our expectations, we become bitter, resentful, and vindictive. Couples in Purpose-driven marriages acknowledge and honor God's purpose of marriage. It is this realization that spurs them to use their character, friendship, children, jobs, carriers, emotional, sexual intimacy, and all that they have in the relationship to glorify Him. When we recognize God's purpose of marriage, we will not only embrace its sacredness but will weave its reality into every aspect of the relationship. It compels us to be fair and compassionate even when our flesh wants to be obstinate and prideful. Only truth in God's word keeps us sane and humble enough to share love with fallible spouses regardless of whether they deserve it or not. It empowers us to do what is right during tumultuous times even when all we really want to do is react in ways that gratify the flesh, venerate our egos, or defend our rights. Numerous marriages fail because the couples in these relationships are self-driven, not purpose-driven. They are love seekers, not givers. They are only interested in pursuing their own interests, not fulfilling God's will. When they can't have their way, like a spoiled child, they want to pack up their toys and go find a new playmate that is too naive and passive to share their toys. When storms of life hit the marriage, they want to pack up and flee the relationship because they have no spiritual stamina to outlast the stress. They are relationship hoppers! They stay in a relationship only when it is meeting their needs. Like a parasite, after they have sucked life out of it and it is no longer fueling their desires, they head for the divorce court. While purpose driven marriages are based on God's righteous standard, self-driven marriages are based on individual or worldly standards. In purpose driven marriages, couples utilize the word of God as a yardstick to measure their character, thoughts, words, and actions to determine if their dealings with each other is in conformity with God's. In Self-driven marriages, couples model after worldly standards. They practice the "if it feels good then do it" societal norm even when it is detrimental to the growth of the relationship. The world has zero righteous standards. When we adopt a secular measure, however horrible, immoral, or insensitive one's actions are, it is somehow applauded as long as one can intellectualize and defend them. The Bible cautions us about the pitfalls of having no righteous and moral paradigm to live by. Often, our character, reflections, and responses will largely depend on our own upbringing, past experiences, how we define life, and our own sense of reality. This is dangerous because we are fallible and greatly flawed by our carnality and human depravity. Our character should be based on truth, not on erratic emotions or on some perverted worldly standards.
The Purpose-Driven Marriage Conference will empower you to:
Build a Purpose - Driven Marriage.
Define and function in marital roles.
Work together like a team.
Identify areas in your relationship you have not submitted to God.
Discern how to avoid wrong detours.
Redirect your relationship even if it is heading to the divorce court.
Identify and get rid of distractions.
Discover healthy ways to nurture the relationship.
Be inspired to have a vision and blueprint for your marriage.
Discover God's original intent for creating the institution of marriage and learn how to weave it into your own relationship.
Unload the various burdens that the enemy has used to weigh down your relationship.
