Even great marriages find themselves in a season of conflict or difficulty.  However, struggling marriages seem to become stuck in this season.  Often times a couple steps back and asks, “How did we get here?”  A bride and a groom do not make the decision to marry because they hate each other.  Almost every bride and groom stand before one another on their wedding day committing to love one another no matter what.

Yet in a matter of days… months… years… decades… what started out as a “good” marriage goes “bad”.  In Genesis 3, we find a similar progression with Adam and Eve.  In Genesis 2, Adam and Eve celebrate their honeymoon and in Genesis 3 it goes from good to bad in a hurry.  How did this happen?  We find 8 marriage killers in this chapter that led Adam and Eve’s marriage from good to bad and these marriage killers are still alive and well today.

1. Their marriage was attacked by Satan. (Genesis 3:1-3; see also Ephesians 6:11-12)  Do you feel like your marriage is being attacked by outside forces?
2. They believed some lies. (Genesis 3:4-5)  Have you bought into lies about your spouse, yourself, or even your own expectations of how marriage should be?
3. They made several selfish choices. (Genesis 3:6a)  Have you been selfish lately and thinking more about yourself and your needs rather than your spouse and his/her needs?
4. They disobeyed God’s clear command. (Genesis 3:6b) Are you obeying God’s commands in your marriage?  Have you been true to your wedding vows?
5. Adam was passive. (Genesis 3:6b)  Are you letting things slip in your marriage?  Are you being active in pursuing intimacy and closeness with your spouse?
   
6. They both felt ashamed and hid. (Genesis 3:7-10)  Are you allowing baggage from your past to hinder your marriage?  Are you choosing to run and hide rather than face your past and seek healing?
7. Neither took responsibility for their actions and had a victim mentality. (Genesis 3:11-13)  Do you tend to blame things on your spouse rather than taking responsibility?
8. They both were cursed because of their sin. (Genesis 3:14-19)  Marriage is hard!  Is your conflict the result of just being married in a fallen world?

So where do we go from here?  Pray as a couple asking God to inhabit your marriage!

Lord Jesus, we invite You into our marriage. We apply Your blood to the doorpost of our marriage and ask You to command the destroyer of our marriage to flee. Lord Jesus, we ask You to take control of our marriage and to mold it into what You want it to be. Please fill us individually and as a married couple. Let us reflect You to the watching world. Be glorified in our marriage and home. Thank You for answering this prayer. 

It’s Friday!  I am very excited about hosting our Love & Respect Video Conference this weekend at West Bradenton.  Praying that God works powerfully among couples who attend.   But we all know what Fridays mean…  another fun-filled post of useless trivia.

• Apple seeds can be poisonous.
• The most common disease is tooth decay.
• Mexico has more American residents than any other country except the United States.
• The heaviest baby who survived birth weighed 22lb, 8oz.
• Manatees possess vocal chords which give them the ability to speak like humans.  However, they do not use them because they have no ears with which to hear the sound.

• The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat.
• The infinity sign is called a lemniscate.
• The Nile River is the longest river in the world at 4,145 miles.
• House flies have a lifespan of two weeks.
• Camel milk does not curdle.