Marriage Minutes – July 2023 “A show of force…”

Adrian Marsh

One of the reasons our nation’s Navy sends a Carrier battle group and other shipping teams to patrol different areas of the world on the high seas is to display a “show of force.” This show of force is to let others know that there is a unified team ready to engage whatever threat comes their way or to those that are our allies.

The same should be the mindset of a husband and a wife. Show your unity and strength by becoming one flesh as the Bible instructs us to do. Here is an area to consider when showing that you are a unified, God-fearing couple ready to protect your marriage union at all costs:

Your kids need to know that your spouse is the priority and not them.

Many times couples are more careful about how we treat our kids than how we treat our spouse. We beg, bargain and promise things to get our kids to do something or not to be angry at us, but we bite off our spouses head for the slightest error in judgment.

We explain our orders and directions to the kids as if they require a need to know about everything regarding our reasons for something, but we expect our spouse to read our minds or just know what we are in need of.

One day the kids will move out, and it will only be you and your spouse in the home with nothing in common with each other because the kids got all the time and attention over the years.

How to put on display a show of force in a marriage

  • Model what a true marriage partner looks like by serving your spouse and standing in the gap for each other.
  • Support your spouse as much as possible in as many ways as possible.
  • Don’t let folks play you against each other {mainly your kids} and watch each other’s backs.
  • The Bible says that a man and a woman will depart from the care of their parents and cleave to each other. Don’t let in-laws, other family members, friends, kids, job,s or anything else keep you from depending on each other and fighting for your marriage at all costs. The best thing Lisa and I did early on in our marriage was leave the country and live abroad with no family support but ourselves.
  • The best way to show your force as a couple is to allow God to be the center of your marriage and to let Him be your Commander in Chief.

When you follow God’s plan for marriage and not the world’s, you become a resilient and battle ready force ready to take on any fiery dart Satan throws your way.