One of our greatest pleasure is fishing.   Michelle and I are huge outdoor people.  A big part of our relationship is built on exploring.  Many of our fishing locations were found while on one of our many Saturday expeditions.  We were always fortunate in finding our way without mapping it out.

It is a great feeling when you are able to explore and find your way without help from navigation systems.  To the contrary, it is one of the worst feelings to get lost and cannot find the way out, wasting precious hours intended for fun.  Sadly, this happens to many couples and can lead to blame for not using technology for directions.

Marriage was created by God with its special navigation system called the Bible.  There are some couples who follow this navigation and hardly get lost but there are many who choose to explore marriage on their own and end up lost in perilous relational problems.  God created every human to love Him.  He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’’ Luke 10:27.  Love for the marriage creator God, is the only key that will open the door for a great marriage.  When both spouses choose to follow the greatest navigation system, the Bible, while traveling the marriage journey by loving God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind, husbands and wives benefit greatly from  these four awesome experiences in the marriage:

GREATER LEVELS OF INTIMACY

Whether physical or spiritual, intimacy is like the glue that holds the marriage together, especially when things get crazy.  It is the crazy glue that sticks husband and wife together as one flesh.  Intimacy starts in the heart.  A spouse with a heart for love and respect loves to be intimate with the other spouse.  The heart communicates to the soul and gains strength while traveling to the mind of such a spouse, bursting out a desire for intimacy.

True love for God leads to true intimacy with God and with your spouse.  This is called spiritual intimacy.  True love for God leads to true connection with your spouse in a physical way.  This is called physical intimacy (sex).  Yes, God created sex to be enjoyed in the boundaries of marriage.  The greater your love for God is the greater the level of spiritual and physical intimacy you and your spouse will experience….what a beauty!

EVERLASTING PEACE

Love’s closest relative is Peace.  Without peace love gets thrown out the door.  A peaceful spouse is a loving spouse.  A spouse who loves God is a spouse who experiences peace that cannot be explained.  When your heart, mind, soul and strength are poured into loving God, your heart, mind, soul and strength is automatically poured into loving your spouse.  Peace is a luxury that every spouse gets to choose.

When a conflict arises in the marriage, both spouses can choose to handle it in a peaceful way but only when the love of God is in both spouses.  When one spouse has that peace and the other does not, the marriage experiences a tug-o-war with one spouse pulling on war while the other pulls on peace.  When both spouses follow God’s way then the marriage experiences everlasting peace.

REVERSED MARRIAGE PREVENTION

Google definition of reverse….”GOING IN OR TURNED TOWARD THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT PREVIOUSLY STATED.” To enjoy your spouse is to enjoy your marriage.  To enjoy your marriage it must be real.  Many couples, though unintended, are living in reverse in their marriages.  A real marriage is one in which the vows are committed to by both spouses to God and each other.

Marriages fail when a spouse or both spouses go away from the commitment of the vows the speak when they first got married.  Marriages thrive when both spouses commit to placing the marriage in drive instead of reverse.  The love of God is the driving force that allows both spouses to make that commitment and keep it.

AN UNSHAKABLE FOUNDATION

A well made sandcastle is a beauty but watching the waves come crashing in, tearing it down is one of the most disappointing experience to any kid.  A marriage built on solid ground, the love of God, is bound to last no matter the temperature from the “heat in the kitchen.”

When both husband and wife love God that love will drown out bad feelings from temporary arguments and fallouts in the marriage relationship.  Every marriage experiences a stormy night but not every marriage will ride out the storm safely…only the ones built on a solid foundation of God’s love in both spouses.

If you are in a marriage and you are not experiencing God’s love you are missing out on a vital key to a really great marriage.  I encourage that you seek a relationship with Christ and allow God to pour his love out on you so you can pour that same love out on your spouse…this will make for a great, peaceful and enjoyable marriage relationship.

About The Author

Carim Hyatt was born and raised partially in Jamaica, West Indies.  He is one of seven children from the Hyatt family and has grown into a great man of God.  Carim had the luxury of seeing his grandparents model a Christian family life while portraying a marriage in God’s image.  Carim had his mother in his life also and learned a great deal about values and wisdom.

Carim’s passion is marriage and family. He and his wife of twenty years, Michelle,  are hosts of MARRIAGE IN A MINUTE, a brand new radio talk show reaching as far south as Miami and as far north as Orlando.   He has authored two books, The importance of Salvation and Staying Married Becoming One Flesh.  Carim is now on his third book, PURITY IN PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE.  His journey has taken him from Insurance adjuster to minister through writing and public speaking.  Carim leads men’s ministries, married couples lifegroups, praise and worship along with many other areas of ministry as God has lead him.  Carim and his beautiful wife Michelle have appeared on Television programs , namely TBN, speaking about marriage and family.  He is a great motivator, mentor and loves the Lord with all his heart.  His passion is to see every marriage go the long haul while being molded into God’s image.

Join Carim on this great journey as He reaches the unsaved for Christ while continuing to encourage marriages and families. Visit his website for updates. Read all marriage articles on Jamaicans.com

Photo source: Deposit Photos