HEALING THE HOME -Part 7

TOPIC:-HANDLING DIFFICULT AND TOUGH TIMES IN MARRIAGE

God’s initial; intension was not that the family will experience hard times but with the fall of man in the garden of Eden, trouble, sickness, suffering, poverty and even death came in. The attack on the home is also an attack on the church and society. The aim of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy. The devil don’t want to see a joyful marriage on earth that is why he will start the attack from the choice of the marriage partner, wedding day, birth of children, rearing of children and the entire home.

The devil is out to destroy even marriages that are God’s willed to each other. The husband and wife must join together. Live together and deal with the enemy together. Genesis 2:18. It was when Eve was alone that Satan tempted her. The serpent got Eve because Adam was absent.

There are many hard incidents in marriage but only the basic ones will be discuss.

1.      Childlessness in marriage. It is the will of God for us to have children. In fact God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 1:27-28. God told the Israelites that even their animals will not be barren. Exodus 23:25-26, Deut 7:14.14-15. Therefore if your marriage is childless, it is your chance to remind God concerning his promise. 

     Throughout the word of God the only woman that remains barren was Michal who disdained David as he was praising God.2 Samuel 6:18-23. All other Barren women in the Bible later got children. 

      

    (a) Hannah who was mocked.1 Samuel 1:1-6. 

    (b)  Elizabeth who were both righteous and her husband. Luke 1:5-25. 

     (c) Serah who has passed the age of giving birth according to science. Genesis 17:15-17, 21:1-7. 

    (d) Rebekah after 25 years of marriage. Genesis 25:20-26. 

     To crown it all, children are gifts from God. Psalms 127:1-5. Instead of couples accusing one another for childlessness, they should face God squarely to provide in his good time. The question of whether the baby is a male or female is another thorn in the flesh of families.

2.    Sickness of one of the member of the family. The child of God that is sick will remind God concerning his promise that God will take away sickness from us. Exodus 23:25, Deut 7:15.

3.    Poverty and insufficiency. God has promised to give us our daily bread. Mathew 6:9-15. Because of the disturbing unplanned economy , a lot of nations are suffering from unemployment  which bring hardship upon the family to the extent that some husbands will run away and abundant the family. The problem for some is insufficient income but others because they live above their income. Some is the lost of money or properties which again is the plan of the devil to put untold hardship in the family. For some family, the problem is mismanagement. Others is laziness but as long as the couple are not proud they can get what to do to feed themselves and the entire family.

4.    Death. Sometimes families are face with the lost of a member after spending all their money on medication. On the wedding day, the pastor will remind you the marriage will last till death do you part. It is sometimes very painful to lose a member of the family especially the bread winner. Families are expected to trust in God who never fails. Psalms 125:1-2.

5.     Backsliding or spiritual attack. If any member of the family backslides, it is always very hurtful to the family and sometimes you will have to combine his family upkeep with your own. Spiritual attack on any of the member of the family is an attack on all, which all must rise up to fight. The devil is out to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10.

6.    When you want to succeed in your marriage, make your weak points your prayer points and not your quarrel points or they will become your melting points. Don’t look at the weakness of one another as no one is perfect. If you don’t allow the past to pass, your marriage can never have a pass mark.

7.    Let the joy of your marriage be beyond children and material things.

8.    See beyond each other’s faults. When they say love is blind it means you are blind to one another’s fault. Outside this one you must open your eyes very wide in marriage. If you are bent on seeing fault in your spouse, there is no how you will not see it.

9.   The attack on the family is a direct attack on the church and the society also.

10.          The absent of God in many families. Every family needs God.

CONCLUSION: - Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. It is when the going gets tough that the tough gets going. When people mock you hold on because victory is near.

BY PASTOR S.N. MAICHIBI