Last night my wife and I went to a marriage conference entitled, "Every Great Marriage" held at Gateway Church in South Lake, TX. We missed a turn and ended up taking the long way there, during rush hour, but we made it there okay. It was very much worth the drive.
It was led by Jimmy Evans and his wife Karen who have a ministry called "Marriage Today" which is broadcast on ABC Family as well as several Christian TV stations. To my knowledge, it is the only Christian marriage program on television.
Last nights session ran about 2 hours and there is another one today. The nice thing about today is that there should be a lot less traffic to deal with and we know which turns to take... :-) .
What I like about Jimmy is that he is not teaching anything new. The ideas he teaches are simple, bible based concepts that many Christian's simply do not grasp. Things like how men and women think, what motivates us, how we should treat each other, and the roles that God has destined us to fill. Men and women today *generally* do not fill those roles well, if at all. I know that I didn't.
Sex is another thing that has been misrepresented in the world today. Our enemy has twisted the concept of sex into something that is nowhere near what God has planned for us. Christian's should not be against sex, only against sex outside of the marital boundaries. If you look at the beginning, God created man and woman as husband and wife, naked in the Garden of Eden. It was not until Adam and Eve sinned did they feel the need to cover up their nakedness.
The church historically has not done a good job of teaching this. Sex has always been a "four letter word" in the Christian church and Christian's who are attempting to live the right way have been confused. The Devil loves the fact that we have been confused. He loves to plant ideas in our head that will make us think that we are sinning when we are not. Example:
Let's say you have had a problem with a "wandering eye" when it comes to women. You have tried very hard not to linger when a pretty woman walks by. You are feeling pretty good that you have some success with this and you are thanking God for his strength in your weakness. The Devil will whisper to you that sex is bad and when you start thinking of your wife, he makes you feel guilty that you are desiring your wife. You begin to pull away from her...feeling guilty.
STOP! This is *exactly* what he wants. Instead, go to your wife. Confide in her. Tell her your problems. Let her listen to Jimmy and Karen (or any other good, modern Christian teacher), and tell her you desire her.
More later...
No comments:
Post a Comment