Getting Power to Your Fixer Upper

Attaining a Spiritual Power Connection for Your Marriage

A power connection is one of the most important things for a house to have. Its where an outside source of electricity is connected to house into a fuse or breaker box. Without it, many features in the modern home are useless. Also, a Christian marriage must have a strong connection to its power source. Join us live in the Fixer Upper Marriage Class to learn how to get your marriage hooked up to the most powerful connection in the universe- the power of the Holy Spirit.

Introduction

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen
Ephesians 3:20,21

There are many potential problems with power in a house.

There are several causes for power loss in house.
- The meter that the power company uses to measure usage is defective.
- A tree or branch may have fallen over a power line near your house.
- Utility workers may have inadvertently cut the damaged the power cable.
- Bad weather may have caused your service to be interrupted.
- You may have forgotten to pay the bill!
Not having power in a house creates several obvious problems.
- The lights go out.
- You have no way to cook food.
- There can be no hot water, or even water at all.
- You cannot use electronics!
- In some cases you may not have access to a phone, this could be dangerous as you cannot call emergency services.

Marriage without a good connection to the power of God can also have serious problems.

How does your marriage lose “power”.
- When you leave God out of your marriage, your lose access to His power.
  - Its like forgetting to pay your power bill.
  - The power is there, however YOU have a responsibility to use it.
- When you neglect to use the power of God in your relationship.
  - Why would you live in a cold, dark house, when all you have to do is flip a switch to fix it?
  - Why would you live in cold, dead marriage, when all you have to do is use the tools that God has already provided for you!
What happens to a marriage that has no “power” connection?
- Discontentment takes over.
  - You begin to wish you were married to someone else or not married at all.
- Disagreements turn into heated fights and arguments.
- You give up on your marriage
  - Maybe you just accept an unhappy, mediocre relationship.
  - You file for divorce.

How to Get a Power Connection for Your Marriage

Be consistent in your walk with God.

What you do every day matters most as a Christian.
- Consider the children’s song “Read Your Bible, Pray Every Day.”
  - “Read your Bible pray everyday and you’ll grow, grow, grow.”
  - “Neglect your Bible, forget to pray and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.”
- Church is awesome, but it should not be your only means of growth.
  - God is using what you go through everyday in your marriage to develop you as Christian.
  - Every disagreement, and every problem is a opportunity to learn how to be a better Christian.
  - For example, during a session with a personal trainer at our local YMCA, I learned that I was overdeveloped in some muscle groups.
  - In a similar way, you can miss out on spiritual development, by not allowing God to use the circumstances in your marriage.
    - God may be teaching you how to forgive through your spouse.
    - God may be teaching you how to serve Him, as you learn how to serve your spouse.
    - God may be teaching you how to have right relationship with Him, by learning how to manage your relationship with your spouse!
“Cramming” does not work in your relationship with the Lord.
- I was the quintessential exam crammer in school and that is bad study habit.
- Sometimes we try to do God that way by spiritual cramming when we have marital problems.
  - Now that the problems in my marriage are serious, I will try to pray for hours and even memorize Bible verses.
  - Now that my marriage is completely falling apart, I will talk to my pastor, or a Christian counselor.
  - Now that things seem totally hopeless, I will finally visit FixerUpperMarriage.org and binge listen to the podcast!
If your relationship with God has slowly faded, the way back will be slow.
- We all want to know the shortcut to being spiritual.
- Consider for example to diet plans that are advertised.
  - It always some new way to get skinny fast.
  - We spend 10 or 20 years getting fat and want to be skinny in 30 days!
  - All the while we all know the truth, that if we make healthy choices and exercise we we be healthier and lose wait.
- Making your marriage and your walk with Lord better is a process that you go through every day!

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Philippians 3:10

Involve the Lord in every aspect of your marriage.

Pray about everything.
- He made you. He made marriage. He knows you.
- Pray about sins and temptations you are struggling with.
- Pray about issues you are having with your spouse.- He may have an unexpected answer.
  - You may be praying about all the things that are wrong with your spouse, but He shows you what is wrong with you instead.
Pray together.
- Make it important enough for you to make the time to pray together despite conflicting schedules.
- Understand that the Devil is the enemy to your marriage and will fight to keep you from praying together.
- Keep your expectations for your spouse’s prayer simple because it is OK to pray simple prayers together.
  - Take away the pressure of expecting some eloquent, comforting, problem solving prayer.
  - Just talk to Lord together about things that affect your marriage and home.
  - Consider focusing on one thing when you pray together like your kids, finances, or a particular problem you are having.
- Commit to making your prayer time together “safe”.
  - This is not a time for you to correct your spouse.
    - Consider the following BAD examples of prayers together.
      - The husband who prays, ” Help my wife to be a better housekeeper and lover.”
      - The wife who prays, “May my husband realize the importance of spending time with me and the kids.”
  - Don’t hold what your spouse prays against them.
    - In the heat of the moment as you angry with your husband, “You prayed that you would be a better leader for our family, so you prove it.”
    - Don’t let your prayers together be a point of contention and miss understanding.
    - When you hear your spouse pray for you, assume that they mean the best for you.
He is the Ultimate Counselor.
- Pastors and Christian Counselors are great. God gives people that ability and skill to develop.
  - For example, my brother in law is an electrical engineer, so I would ask him if I wanted to know about electricity.
  - If you have someone who is gifted, trained, and experienced in that area that you can trust, you should ask them for help.
- However, God is the greatest Counselor and our help for your marriage should ultimately come from Him.
  - See Psalm 16:7, 32:8, 33:11, 73:24, 119:24 and John 16:13 for further reference on this subject.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (italics added for emphasis)

Depend on the power that God provides.

Keep a positive outlook on your marriage.
- Have confidence in what God is doing for you.
- Don’t give up on your marriage.
- There is a special power in staying confident about what God can do in your life.
God could do more, if we just believed Him more.
- As a Christian, you serve an incredible God, who has limitless power to.
- See Psalm 78 where the nation of Israel limited God by their unbelief.
- This brings us to the age-old question that if He can fix things, why doesn’t He just fix it as soon as we ask? The answer is found in His purpose.
Don’t miss His purpose.
- God is not playing games with you.
- Even in marital problems and disappointments, He has a divine purpose and plan.
- He wants to elevate you to be more like Jesus through what you are experiencing. see Romans 8:29
- God is using your marriage to make you Holy!

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 78:40-41

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:29

Conclusion

How to Get a Power Connection for Your Marriage

Be consistent in your walk with the Lord.
Involve the Lord in every aspect of your marriage.
Depend on the power that God provides.

God has something amazing planned for your marriage!