Wisdom in a Warning

For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths.  – Proverbs 5:21

Years ago, one of my close friends came over and asked my husband and I what we thought about her “martial crisis.”  She explained that she’d walked into their home office to discover an employee sitting and laughing on her husband’s lap.  Startled, my friend screamed, the other woman jumped, and her husband said it was no big deal.  My friend asked us if we thought she was overreacting?  

Looking into my friend’s red, puffy eyes, I could see that she was as upset as I would have been.  I desperately wanted to believe that her husband was telling the truth and their marriage was strong.  My husband was less optimistic, shaking his head and flatly stating “they’re having an affair.”

Over the next several months, we watched a marriage unravel and a family fall apart.  They would never fit the pieces back together again.  The affair continued and the husband moved away. Two children lost a dad, while a wife mourned deeply, saying “this is worse than a death.”

The twenty-three verses of Proverbs 5 describe how easy it is to be lured away by sexual sin.  None of us are foolproof.  As soon as you announce “that could never happen to our marriage,” you become a target for the enemy. 

What does the Bible say we can do to combat the temptations of adultery?  

Proverbs 5:18 encourages husbands to rejoice in the wife of their youth.  I am not a martial counselor or psychologist but I certainly believe in the power of rejoicing.  When we rejoice, we express our joy and gladness as well as our thanks and praise out loud.  

If you’re married, I challenge you to carve out time this week to experience joy and gladness with your spouse.  Make it an everyday practice to say “Thank You” and praise your partner for his/her specific characteristics that enhance your marriage.  

You can also discover each other’s Love Languages (how you best receive love) by taking a simple quiz online.  If you’re not married, you can still take the quiz.  We all give and receive love daily.  Your results will be helpful to all your relationships.  I also challenge you to pray and encourage the marriages around you. We need your encouragement to stay faithful and true.  Your kindness, guidance, and love may be just what we need to keep us on track and in bounds.

God is love (1John 4:8).  He is waiting to be invited into the center of all of our relationships.  There, He has the most power to transform, heal, help, and restore.  There are marriages that overcome affairs with God’s hands leading them and knitting their hearts back together again.  With God nothing is impossible.  He can put the pieces back together again.

Rejoice and be glad, give thanks and praise the One who is always faithful, even when we are not.  His love can be trusted.  He watches over us and guides us along good paths.  We can thank Him for giving us the wonderful gift of marriage.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a Part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement