Before You Say "I Do" Article

Posted : 6 Apr, 2009 04:41 AM

Encouragement for Today Daily Devotional Thursday, November 16, 2006



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 Marry for friendship, not romance. Romance is nice but like a pair of earrings, it can lose its luster. A friend is someone you connect with, appreciate, and respect. Save physical intimacy for marriage



 Marry someone you know well. Allow the attraction that unites the two of you to be rooted in your minds, hearts, and souls - where true intimacy develops. The development of a deep relationship takes time. Don�t rush into a decision that can�t be �returned.�



 Marry for honest reasons. Marriage is God�s design. It is a union between two people who promise before God to take care of each other, to encourage one another, and to help each other grow towards Christ. Marry a man who loves his Lord more than he loves you! Marry a man who has learned from God how to love his wife. Don�t marry for status or money. Also, don�t fall prey to the notion that you can �fix� him once you are married.



My Prayer for Today:

Heavenly Father, I long for a relationship with a man who will love me and cherish me. I know You have a perfect plan for me and I pray for patience and trust to wait for that husband. Give me the wisdom and strength to accept only Your best for my life, in Jesus Name I pray, Amen.



Application Steps:

Describe your notion of perfect husband/wife . Ask God to show you what His notion of a perfect husband/wife is. Do the two lists match up? As you wait for Mr/Miz. Perfect to come along, remember there is only one perfect Man. Allow your relationship with Jesus to grow and develop to the point that know Jesus alone satisfies. Prepare yourself to offer the purest gift of all to your future husband, a treasure no other has encountered.



Power Verses:

Song of Solomon 5:16, �His mouth is altogether sweet; he is lovely in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.� (NLT)



1 Corinthians 6:18-20, �There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever�the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.� (MSG)



Philippians 4:6-9, �Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. � whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy�meditate on these things.� (NKJV)



Additional Resources:

Dreams of a Woman by Sharon Jaynes

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