GPS to a Joyful Marriage

“For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” - Luke 6:45 How did your heart do on the heart test from my last posting?  We are often unaware of the negative thoughts, resentments, unforgiveness, etc. that we hold in our hearts.  Most of it comes from our experiences as children, and so we don’t realize how unhealthy the “evil stored up in our heart” can be.  That’s all we’ve ever known. Have you ever been around a negative person that seems to have nothing positive to say about anything?  It’s exhausting.  Imagine how it must be to live in a negative world like that.  The things stored up in our hearts greatly affect our relationship with God and our relationship with our spouse.  For example, when Rick and I were first married, I didn’t realize I had a right to my own opinions about choices we made in our marriage.  I thought it was up to Rick.  That’s how I was raised.  My father made all the decisions, and I grew up thinking my opinion, and my mothers, didn’t ma

In Luke 6 verses 43-45, Jesus tells us the truth about the fruit in our lives. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.  People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.”   You can’t hide the real fruit in your life.  Other people notice what kind of fruit you bear, especially your spouse. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.”  What does your heart look like? Proverbs 4:23 (NKJ version) says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”  The NIV version says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is

When we strive to live by the Spirit of God, we will bear the fruit that portrays our righteous life. This is usually easier said than done.  We have an enemy out there (the devil) who’s job is to turn us away from God.  He will try everything possible to keep us from a righteous life.  We need to put on the armor of God EVERY DAY (Ephesians 6:10-18).  According to these verses, the “Sword of the Spirit” is the word of God.  It will pierce through the plans of the devil.  Know God’s word and study it every day.  Keep it fresh in your mind.  (Check out my posting on August 2, 2010.  I pray this prayer daily to make sure I start out with my armor on.  It is very powerful!) Besides God’s word, our own words are a mighty force against Satan.  When we sing praises to God or worship Him with our mouth, the Devil will flee.  He can’t stand it!  That’s why it is so important to watch the words that come out of your mouth.  Satan will use the negative ones against you at every chance he g

We need to live by the Spirit in order to bear the good fruit.  Prior to the verses about "Fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5 are these verses about living by the sinful nature and living by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-18 - “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Once we decide to live a life for God, we face the battle between living by the sinful nature and living by the Spirit.  We are made up of three parts (our own trinity) - the spirit, soul and body.  C.S. Lewis once said, “We do not have a soul, we are a soul.  We have a body.” Our spirit is the innermost part of our being.  It is the part that stays dead and lifeless (in heavenly terms) until regenerated by the desire to know God.  The soul is the outward part of our sp