Fireproof Your Marriage 1

Hello Everyone,

If you were to see an "off" ramp sign on the highway that says "do not enter" would you resent it or would you appreciate it?

If you were trying to find your way on to the highway and you didn't know if it were an on-ramp or an off-ramp you would appreciate the fact that somebody put up a sign that said "this ain't it."

God has given us Ten Commandments in His word that we've been looking at the past few weeks. Whenever God says a negative He always has a positive purpose behind it. He always has a reason. It is not to cause you pain. It is for your protection. God says when you play be the rules you win.

Exodus 20:14 -- our seventh commandment -- "You shall not commit adultery."

Nothing destroys a family faster than adultery. God says this is My protection plan. I don't want you committing adultery. Even the mention of this word causes some of you pain and memories and shame.

The purpose of this week’s e-votion is not to resurrect your past. If you have confessed a sin to God and you've been forgiven God has forgiven it and forgotten it and you need to also. If you feel guilty over sin that you have committed and confessed to God that guilt is not from God.

It's from Satan. Don't let Satan condemn you for things that are in your past and have already been forgiven and forgotten.

This week we're going to focus on the future. God is no kill-joy. God invented sex. But like everything it must be controlled. He wants us to use it not abuse it.

All of God's gifts have limitations on them. God has given us the gift of water. You can't live without water. But too much of it and you'll drown.

God has given us fire. Fire can either warm you or burn you.
It's how you handle it.
God says I've given you a sex drive. Properly controlled and expressed within a marriage it's beautiful and fantastic.

But outside of marriage it is destructive and detrimental to your health as a human being -- emotionally, spiritually, in every way.

This week, what I want us to look at is how do you “fire proof your marriage”. Notice God wants us to use sex as a tool for building a marriage not to destroy it.

It's easier to get married than it is to stay married. In today's world where there are permissive values that basically says anything goes, and an entertainment organization obsessed with sex, and sex is used to sale everything from cars to bananas and there are more women in the work place, and there is birth control and constant bombardment by the media, you don't stand much of a chance of remaining pure unless you establish some guidelines for your life.

Readers Digest did a study and said 50% of all husbands and probably 35% of all wives have committed adultery. This is happening even among Christians.

I have put together six biblical steps on how to “fire proof” your marriage. We will start tomorrow with number one.

Until then All For Jesus

Pastor Phil