“The first nine years of our marriage were constant hand-to-hand combat,” admitted a husband. If the truth were known, not some but most marriages are marked by periodic skirmishes—and occasionally all-out war! Frequently, marital warfare occurs in the trenches of belligerence or moodiness or both. Some battles are night ambushes or surprise assaults. Others are cold wars of stoic silence. Cruel methods of torture are also employed: public criticism, fearful threats, intimidation, ugly sarcasm, and hateful remarks designed to put down one’s mate. Such tactics are popular . . . but wrong, because they are unfair and never lead to domestic peace. In this message, we will take a look at why couples fight, as well as the rules that can keep any fight clean, good, and beneficial.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

“The first nine years of our marriage were constant hand-to-hand combat,” admitted a husband. If the truth were known, not some but most marriages are marked by periodic skirmishes—and occasionally all-out war! Frequently, marital warfare occurs in the trenches of belligerence or moodiness or both. Some battles are night ambushes or surprise assaults. Others are cold wars of stoic silence. Cruel methods of torture are also employed: public criticism, fearful threats, intimidation, ugly sarcasm, and hateful remarks designed to put down one’s mate. Such tactics are popular . . . but wrong, because they are unfair and never lead to domestic peace. In this message, we will take a look at why couples fight, as well as the rules that can keep any fight clean, good, and beneficial.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

It is a proven fact that termites destroy more structures each year than fire does. Incredible as it may seem, tiny, silent, unnoticed insects create greater havoc than lashing, brutal, destructive flames—but it’s always the fire that makes the headlines, not the termites. This is also true in a marriage. Most homes are not destroyed because of enormous, headline-making fires . . . but because of the quiet, gnawing, unnoticed, irritating insects that eat away at the troth, or trust, in a relationship year after year. This message exposes five of the more common species of relational termites that weaken and ruin the inner walls of a home.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

It is a proven fact that termites destroy more structures each year than fire does. Incredible as it may seem, tiny, silent, unnoticed insects create greater havoc than lashing, brutal, destructive flames—but it’s always the fire that makes the headlines, not the termites. This is also true in a marriage. Most homes are not destroyed because of enormous, headline-making fires . . . but because of the quiet, gnawing, unnoticed, irritating insects that eat away at the troth, or trust, in a relationship year after year. This message exposes five of the more common species of relational termites that weaken and ruin the inner walls of a home.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

It is a proven fact that termites destroy more structures each year than fire does. Incredible as it may seem, tiny, silent, unnoticed insects create greater havoc than lashing, brutal, destructive flames—but it’s always the fire that makes the headlines, not the termites. This is also true in a marriage. Most homes are not destroyed because of enormous, headline-making fires . . . but because of the quiet, gnawing, unnoticed, irritating insects that eat away at the troth, or trust, in a relationship year after year. This message exposes five of the more common species of relational termites that weaken and ruin the inner walls of a home.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

Immediately upon the mention of the word honeymoon, most people picture a time of intimate romance and unrestrained physical affection between newlyweds. Our culture promotes such a concept. We think of that period of passionate ecstasy as the beginning of a marriage—the time between the wedding and the return to the responsibilities of life. There is nothing wrong with such a concept—except for what it implies: namely, that such a show of physical affection is brief . . . is only for newlyweds . . . and is necessarily temporary, passing away with the passing of time. But God’s plan is that married couples enjoy such delights without shame or reluctance until “death do us part.”Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

Immediately upon the mention of the word honeymoon, most people picture a time of intimate romance and unrestrained physical affection between newlyweds. Our culture promotes such a concept. We think of that period of passionate ecstasy as the beginning of a marriage—the time between the wedding and the return to the responsibilities of life. There is nothing wrong with such a concept—except for what it implies: namely, that such a show of physical affection is brief . . . is only for newlyweds . . . and is necessarily temporary, passing away with the passing of time. But God’s plan is that married couples enjoy such delights without shame or reluctance until “death do us part.”Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

In the previous message, we learned that God’s plan for remodeling a house into a home calls for some specific behaviors and attitudes which serve as bricks or building blocks for the relationship. Some of these bricks are contributed by the wife and some by the husband. Regrettably, both sets of bricks can be substituted with cheap imitations. These may seem to be adequate and acceptable at first, but over the long haul, they cause great damage.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

In the previous message, we learned that God’s plan for remodeling a house into a home calls for some specific behaviors and attitudes which serve as bricks or building blocks for the relationship. Some of these bricks are contributed by the wife and some by the husband. Regrettably, both sets of bricks can be substituted with cheap imitations. These may seem to be adequate and acceptable at first, but over the long haul, they cause great damage.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111

Everyone expects the dangers of this world to attack from outside the comforts of home. However, with divorces taking place at alarming rates, attacks from without are being replaced with staggering disintegration from within. Divorce stands as the final ruin of a house that has fallen in on itself. If you or a member of your family hasn’t fallen victim to divorce, it almost certainly has affected a number of your friends and acquaintances. The reality of crumbling marriages in our world should cause God’s people to stand up and take notice. Thankfully, the Bible provides clear direction regarding the proper materials it takes to build a lasting marriage.Download Message Mates

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1118/29?v=20251111