One: A Marriage Devotional by Jimmy EvansSample

The Faith Choice Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them. (Psalm 5:11) Women are simply incredible, especially when it comes to relationships. When it comes to marriage, women initiate the vast majority of marriage counseling. When something is wrong with their marriages, most women seek to fix it and are much more open to getting outside help. Having said all of that, there is one major fault that most women deal with as it relates to men and marriage. The problem is fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. It causes you to over-react to issues and to act in a manner that actually causes your fears to come true. The following Scripture from the book of 1 Peter speaks to the issue of women, marriage and fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. (1 Peter 3:3-6) In verse six, Peter tells women that they are called to be like Sarah, Abraham’s wife (the father of faith), but they will have to overcome “terror” to be able to follow her example. Because women are very relational and caring, the devil tries to use their strengths as his open door. When things go wrong in the home or a husband is falling short of the standard of God’s Word, women intuitively know it and want to do something about it. There are always two choices: faith and fear. Fear motivates you to act according to your emotions and to Try to force results. Fear magnifies a husband’s misbehavior and then prophesies to his wife gloom and doom for the future. Ultimately, it drives her to do the wrong thing and to justify what she does because she is trying to save the day. Faith is just the opposite. Faith tells you to believe God, do the right thing, and trust Him for the results. Instead of acting on your emotions, you choose to pray and place your confidence in the Lord. According to Peter, this is the right choice for wives who want to get real results. Talk It Out | Wives, in what area of your marriage do you sometimes react in fear instead of faith? Husbands, talk with your wife about ways you can come alongside her and help her replace her fear with faith in God. Walk It Out | Begin planning a special weekend away from home—no children, laptops, cell phones, etc. For convenience, you can make it a place that is a short drive or flight from home, but make it a place where you can reconnect and focus on each other and your marriage.