The Marriage Habit

Most Christian couples are familiar with the term "equally yoked." But the modern church has so blandly and ineptly described, defined, and discipled this that it has basically meant the two parties in the marriage have attended Church or, more likely, self-identify as a Christian. My contention in this episode is that even the definition of attending church and self-identification as a Christian is insufficient and can lead to problems. If you are dating, pre-engaged, and want a successful marriage, please listen to this. Even if you don't consider yourself a "sold out to Christ" Christian, it's still valuable.

1: Man and Women are Biblically Literate (Aligned and Ordered - The One Flesh Marriage)

2: Man is Biblically Literate, Woman is Not (Overruled and Controlled - The Eve Marriage)

3: Man is Not Literate, Woman is Biblically Literate (False version: Controlling; True version: Potential Conversion)

4: Neither are Literate (Bliss is Ignorance Till One Changes into 2 or 3)

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV)

Verses Before (2 Corinthians 6:11-13, NIV)

"We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also."

Verses After (2 Corinthians 6:15-18, NIV)

"What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' Therefore, 'Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.' And, 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'"

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 (NIV)

"To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"

1 Peter 3:1-2 (NIV)

"Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives."

The default area most therapist and counselors will guide couples on is communication. This is wrong. Not because communication isn't important, because it is. But communication is not the root. What needs to be discussed from a Biblical perspective is control. This episode we'll talk about the nature of its root and why it is a prevalent challenge, and how to address it.

The default area most therapist and counselors will guide couples on is communication. This is wrong. Not because communication isn't important, because it is. But communication is not the root. What needs to be discussed from a Biblical perspective is control. This episode we'll talk about the nature of its root and why it is a prevalent challenge, and how to address it.

16 To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;

with painful labor you will give birth to children.d

Your desire will be for your husband,

and he will rule over you.e” Genesis 3:16 NIV

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

iin pain you shall bring forth children.

jYour desire shall be contrary to6 your husband,

but he shall krule over you.” Genesis 3:16 ESV

16 Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,

and in pain you will give birth.

And you will desire to control your husband,

but he will rule over you.* ” Genesis 3:16 NLT

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” 

Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Ge 4:7.

The Marriage Habit

This podcast introduces you and your spouse to the concept of the Marriage Habit. 

It's intended to be listened to by both parties in your marriage. And the best time to start was the day you get married.

The second best time: now!

You can read about my habits and the devotionals online:

https://themarriagehabit.com

Steps you can take:

1. Subscribe to the podcast - constant, regular content shows your priorities!
2. Subscribe to my emails - go to https://themarriagehabit.com and subscribe to get valuable reminders today that can save your from thousands of dollars in the future in therapy!
3. Ask a question! Right now, till I can make a better app (which is coming), ask your question by giving me a rating!  I get notified of it and can answer those questions in the next episode!

The culture isn't comfortable with shared accountability. But the Christian life is marked by it. Learn how it is missing in most marriages, the impact of missing this critical element, and how we can address it.

What is shared accountability?

It's owning all of what you own together. It's owning all of your stuff, all of it, and by stuff, I don't mean the material: I mean the behavioral and the outcomes. It's owning together all of the other person's stuff to the degree you can do anything about it without controlling the other person. It will include the difficult task of owning how your actions may have contributed, not caused, but contributed to the other person's actions. And the other person owning, even if there was huge contribution by the other person, their own actions.

What threatens it?

I go back to the therapeutic model which has made its way into the church, and if you want to learn more, go to those episodes. It's highly important to understand that traditional, modern therapy, even that exercised by the church, to restore marriages will likely make it worse, and certainly will not lead you to a stronger foundation on the Truth of the Gospel.

Accountability is not evenly distributed in society, in the family, in most cultures.

The scope of accountability differs and it leads to control. If you are a wife, as an example, and you consider your scope of responsibility, as it often is, to ensuring the kids are healthy, surviving, the house is organized -- you can often criticize the man for not meeting those standards of these seen areas of accountability; a man's area of accountability is to wrestle with the world to face the challenges of work and acceptance and financial stability and spiritual leadership, and those are unseen powers. He will be criticized for the internal scope; criticized for the lack of fruit of the unseen scope not knowing what's going on; and criticized for not giving a Westernized and corrupted sense of "love" to the woman in exchange for shame and criticism.

The man's scope is protect and provide and lead into the unknown, and that scope does need to be taken on, but accountability turns into criticism and control very quickly because a) it's not shared; b) not fully understood; c) not seen.

What are examples?

- Wife breaks down emotionally, raising her voice, getting angry, insulting, in a session, but the therapist turns to the man and asks what do you think about these tears; and asks the wife, what's behind all of this? But leaves it, as if the heightened emotions, alone, are the truth.

- Wife wants caring, nurturing, gifts, affections, all her tasks done -- but doesn't own the mound of criticism that has preceded the withdrawal. Doesn't see the lack of respect in even very basic communication.

- Wife only sees the man getting defensive, but not owning that he's defensive because she is, in fact, in attack mode, in shaming mode, in blaming mode, as opposed to seeking help mode, or desiring support mode.

Scripture

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:3-5

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." - Romans 12:5

Your marriage is constantly put under the pressure of a pot of boiling water. 

Frogs that stay there...well, you know what happens. 

The solution? 

Regularly, constantly, pouring fresh cool water into the pot. That's what a Marriage Habit is. But most people don't like habits...so listen in to get into the mode!

The Marriage Habit

This podcast introduces you and your spouse to the concept of the Marriage Habit. 

It's intended to be listened to by both parties in your marriage. And the best time to start was the day you get married.

The second best time: now!

You can read about my habits and the devotionals online:

https://themarriagehabit.com

Steps you can take:

1. Subscribe to the podcast - constant, regular content shows your priorities!
2. Subscribe to my emails - go to https://themarriagehabit.com and subscribe to get valuable reminders today that can save your from thousands of dollars in the future in therapy!
3. Ask a question! Right now, till I can make a better app (which is coming), ask your question by giving me a rating!  I get notified of it and can answer those questions in the next episode!

Subscribe and get notified whenever there's a new episode.

To find the link for this episode, go to:

https://themarriagehabit.com/marriage-means-cleaving-from-mother-and-father/

I bet the thought of a marriage habit, especially one with a devotional, feels like pulling teeth.

That, alone, should be a signal, right?

For some reason, most of us would prefer to wait to experience the pain before we do something about it.

But when it comes to your marriage, is that worth it?

I hope not.

Take a listen to hear what I have to say about it....

You won't have a marriage problem if both of you can follow this one devotional together.

Sorry to say, I can guarantee you won't.

But it's worth hearing, getting convicted, and digging in together.

The verse:

Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭46‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

““But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” ‭‭

Make sure you read the short devotional and sign up so you don't miss one.

https://themarriagehabit.com

Today's marriage devotional is perhaps one of the hardest habits.

But it can bring great healing to your relationship.

What is it?

Confessing to each other areas of trespass or offense against each other.

This sounds scary. It's so much easier to keep those offenses in the darkness.

James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

This sounds like I am taking all the fun out of marriage by associating it with a "habit".

But I believe it's the answer to a common problem, a problem I believe you want to avoid: an unhappy marriage.

The lie is that if you follow heroically spiritual practices, all of which are, indeed, good, you will have a great marriage.

The issue isn't that following such conventions are bad.

It's that they don't take into account how broken two people can be.

Listen in to find out what why I think my approach to The Marriage Habit leads us through the thick of things into the promised land.

https://themarriagehabit.com/bible-study-1/why-have-a-marriage-habit/

In this marriage devotional, you'll learn about an important habit that can impact the intimacy of your relationship.

Most couples, even Christian couples, spend most of their time conversing about the commonplace. The "human wisdom."

Nothing wrong...until it's the only topic.

Instead, learn how speaking to one another in "spiritual truths" deepens your conversation and creates fellowship within the marriage.

Read more about this marriage habit: https://themarriagehabit.com/share-spiritual-wisdom/

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