Is Their An Obstacle In Your Marriage?

By Pastor Gary & Mona N.

“… Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

(Ruth 1:16-17 NLT)

Marriages are bombarded with many obstacles that stand in the way of restoring the oneness that Christ intended for Christian marriages. One of the main obstacles is inappropriate outside influences. Let’s look at a couple of examples:

While shopping, you come across something that really tickles your fancy. However, your finances dictate that now is not the time to purchase the item. But, you really feel driven to buy it today because it’s on sale and supplies are limited. Deep down inside, you know that if you ask your spouse you’re going to get a thumbs-down. So, you bypass your spouse and make a beeline to your parent’s home where you plead your case to them; shortly afterwards you’re on your way to the mall → → OUTSIDE INFLUENCE.

Perhaps, you and the love of your life have really been going through a lot lately. The silent treatment is now in full effect accompanied by an atmosphere of extreme stress and tension in your home. To deal with all of the craziness, you start airing your dirty laundry to anyone who will listen. You enlist their advice and start putting what you’ve gleaned from them into action with total disregard of that person’s relationship track record … Is that person married now? If so, is God the center of their marriage? Do they worship God or reverence the institution of marriage? If the answer to any of these questions is no → → OUTSIDE INFLUENCE.

“Marriage should be honored by all …” (Hebrews 13:4a NIV)

An outside influence is anything or party outside of your marriage that has access to the intimacy that exists between you and your spouse. Some other examples are work, children, sports, internet, emotional infidelity, addictions, television, or hobbies. The list is endless! These influences subtly creep into marriages, ultimately manifesting into a controlling presence.

To guard against negative outside influences we must value our marriages and invest in them on a daily basis. Marriage requires two committed adults striving for unity, and boundaries must be set to protect the marital union.

To read the rest of the article go to: http://bottledtearsinheaven.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/unity-blocker-outside-influences/