5. SANCTIFY YOUR MARRIAGE WITH PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING.

None of us are exempt from trials. We all face hard times in our marriages. What do you do? Grumble and groan? Complain and criticize? Talk negatively and nastily. Oh it is so easy to do this, because this is how we feel. But here’s the secret. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Thank Him. Trust Him. All your groaning and blaming one another will not solve the problem. God is your Deliverer! You can trust Him. Learn to hang on to God and look to Him as your source. Don’t trust in your husband’s ability alone, but in the Lord.

Make it your habit to pray and praise the Lord together daily. If you pray daily together, you’ll keep free from "the little foxes that spoil the vines" that eat away at your marriage. Make your home a house of prayer and thanksgiving. Matthew 18:19 is a wonderful promise for married couples. "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Notice these words – "If two of you…" The two of you together can claim great power and miracles in your relationship and in your home as you faithfully pray together.

And never forget the exhortation in Ephesians 4:26, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." If you have an argument or get upset with one another, don’t act like a baby and put on the silent treatment. Sort it out. Say "I’m sorry." Forgive one another. Never go to sleep until you have restored the relationship. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.