Indications That Your "Marriage-Dow" May Be Dropping !
* You become so busy that something has to give, and first to go is
your devotional time and your time alone with the Lord.
* You listen to the opinions of others more than you listen to our
Lord God.
* A favorite comment has become, "I don’t see any change."
(Remember, miracles and faith are working where we cannot see a
thing.)
* You allow the Enemy to bring tiredness to you. Instead of planning
how you can get rested, you fold up your stand.
* You still subscribe to marriage restoration newsletters, but you
no longer read them very often.
* You no longer listen to your collection of tapes and read the
books about God’s miracle of marriage restoration. (Where you once
were thrilled to receive a new tape, and almost wore it out in the
first week, new tapes now sit unopened.)
* Your wedding band is temporarily removed, for a good reason, but
then never goes back on your hand.
* A personal head knowledge of standing exceeds your heart
knowledge of walking daily with Jesus, allowing Him to guide you.
* You allow the line between the sacred and the secular to no longer
exist.
* You think (or say) "This is too hard." (All you are doing is
living a married lifestyle, while you become more like Jesus,
praying for Him to touch your prodigal. If that is too hard, your
Dow may be about to crash).
* You start to fantasize about specific people of the opposite sex.
* The email you send is more about the bad circumstances than about
what God has promised to you.
* The computer replaces your Bible and you are spending more time
online than in local church activities. (No, they are not the same.)
* You unintentionally emphasize the faults of your spouse to
justify your own actions.
* You define "stander" as anyone wishing they had a spouse at home.
(We use that name to describe a group of men and women, sold out to
Jesus Christ, "standing" with Him, and praying to Him for the miracle
of marriage restoration His way, regardless of the circumstances.
* It is easier to talk about a far-off God than to tell others about
your personal relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
* You become bitter and judgmental over the marriage restoration of
others. You cannot rejoice in their miracles, thinking "Mine might
be next!"
* You are more concerned with your personal happiness than with your
personal holiness. (Does the Word say God wants you holy or happy?)
* Your prodigal mate’s eternal destiny falls off the radar screen.
Forgiveness becomes something for others, not for your prodigal.
* You no longer pray for the other person your spouse is involved
with.
* You justify your actions and reactions, not based on the Word of
God, but on the world’s standards and the opinions of people.
* You feel comfortable having phone chats and talking online with
people of the opposite sex.
* You go out with the opposite sex, but pass it off as "only coffee
with a friend."
* When there is a crisis, you run to people, and the computer,
instead of running to God in prayer.
* You spend more time requesting prayer than you do actually praying.
* You have become comfortable with your single lifestyle.
* You look for encouragement from people, instead of asking God for
special verses from His Word.
* You are no longer certain that you want even your prodigal home.
The "Dow" of a marriage starts to fall when a strong stander-for-marriage forgets
where the line between light and darkness lies. They become more
comfortable with the world's solutions than with God's ways. Left
unchecked, that line will totally disappear.
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved
darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." John 3:19
When the "Dow" of a marriage begins to fall, and nothing is done to
change it, the person who once prayed so faithfully will wake up one
day and realize their entire stand has vaporized. Many go on to
other relationships, which they will later call a "painful detour."
Some will later get back on track to re-build their stand.
Twenty years ago, when we were divorced, and Charlyne was standing
and praying for me, she must have had her moments when she
mused, "Why am I doing this?", but I never knew about them. I thank
God that He gave me a praying, standing wife, with her priorities in
order, and who worked at keeping her personal "Dow" closing higher
every day. That, my friend, is how marriages are restored!
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales;
rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of
some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding
promise for both the present life and the life to come."
1 Timothy 4:7-9
Blessings,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061 USA
your devotional time and your time alone with the Lord.
* You listen to the opinions of others more than you listen to our
Lord God.
* A favorite comment has become, "I don’t see any change."
(Remember, miracles and faith are working where we cannot see a
thing.)
* You allow the Enemy to bring tiredness to you. Instead of planning
how you can get rested, you fold up your stand.
* You still subscribe to marriage restoration newsletters, but you
no longer read them very often.
* You no longer listen to your collection of tapes and read the
books about God’s miracle of marriage restoration. (Where you once
were thrilled to receive a new tape, and almost wore it out in the
first week, new tapes now sit unopened.)
* Your wedding band is temporarily removed, for a good reason, but
then never goes back on your hand.
* A personal head knowledge of standing exceeds your heart
knowledge of walking daily with Jesus, allowing Him to guide you.
* You allow the line between the sacred and the secular to no longer
exist.
* You think (or say) "This is too hard." (All you are doing is
living a married lifestyle, while you become more like Jesus,
praying for Him to touch your prodigal. If that is too hard, your
Dow may be about to crash).
* You start to fantasize about specific people of the opposite sex.
* The email you send is more about the bad circumstances than about
what God has promised to you.
* The computer replaces your Bible and you are spending more time
online than in local church activities. (No, they are not the same.)
* You unintentionally emphasize the faults of your spouse to
justify your own actions.
* You define "stander" as anyone wishing they had a spouse at home.
(We use that name to describe a group of men and women, sold out to
Jesus Christ, "standing" with Him, and praying to Him for the miracle
of marriage restoration His way, regardless of the circumstances.
* It is easier to talk about a far-off God than to tell others about
your personal relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
* You become bitter and judgmental over the marriage restoration of
others. You cannot rejoice in their miracles, thinking "Mine might
be next!"
* You are more concerned with your personal happiness than with your
personal holiness. (Does the Word say God wants you holy or happy?)
* Your prodigal mate’s eternal destiny falls off the radar screen.
Forgiveness becomes something for others, not for your prodigal.
* You no longer pray for the other person your spouse is involved
with.
* You justify your actions and reactions, not based on the Word of
God, but on the world’s standards and the opinions of people.
* You feel comfortable having phone chats and talking online with
people of the opposite sex.
* You go out with the opposite sex, but pass it off as "only coffee
with a friend."
* When there is a crisis, you run to people, and the computer,
instead of running to God in prayer.
* You spend more time requesting prayer than you do actually praying.
* You have become comfortable with your single lifestyle.
* You look for encouragement from people, instead of asking God for
special verses from His Word.
* You are no longer certain that you want even your prodigal home.
The "Dow" of a marriage starts to fall when a strong stander-for-marriage forgets
where the line between light and darkness lies. They become more
comfortable with the world's solutions than with God's ways. Left
unchecked, that line will totally disappear.
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved
darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." John 3:19
When the "Dow" of a marriage begins to fall, and nothing is done to
change it, the person who once prayed so faithfully will wake up one
day and realize their entire stand has vaporized. Many go on to
other relationships, which they will later call a "painful detour."
Some will later get back on track to re-build their stand.
Twenty years ago, when we were divorced, and Charlyne was standing
and praying for me, she must have had her moments when she
mused, "Why am I doing this?", but I never knew about them. I thank
God that He gave me a praying, standing wife, with her priorities in
order, and who worked at keeping her personal "Dow" closing higher
every day. That, my friend, is how marriages are restored!
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales;
rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of
some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding
promise for both the present life and the life to come."
1 Timothy 4:7-9
Blessings,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061 USA
posted by TIUranta at 12:39 PM
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