Relationships

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

(Romans 12:10)

"Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

(Ephesians 4:32)

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People have contacted us from very remote and persecuted areas of the world. These resources are not available to them and/or if they are seen with them they can be persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Some people can only look at these resources for a brief moment on their cell phones. This library is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ and to those with fierce determination are following Him.

The books, media and information on this website are a library service and for educational purposes only. This is a lending library for the persecuted church around the world. Please look inside the back of each book or look up the authors name on the internet to obtain more information and more resources from these great ministries. Also, please financially support their ministries as they bring the good news of Jesus Christ to billions of people around the world.

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Worth Fighting For!

A Powerful Series

By Pastor David Breed

WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

ARE RELATIONSHIPS WORTH FIGHTING FOR?

Part 1 of 4

Are Great relationships possible? Yes!

The Top 3 things people come to me as pastor and want me to pray with them for is:

Relationships - Finances - Health.

Lamentations 3:19-23 (LSG)

19 Quand je pense à ma détresse et à ma misère, A l'absinthe et au poison;

20 Quand mon âme s'en souvient, Elle est abattue au dedans de moi.

21 Voici ce que je veux repasser en mon coeur, Ce qui me donnera de l'espérance.

22 Les bontés de l'Éternel ne sont pas épuisés, Ses compassions ne sont pas à leur terme;

23 Elles se renouvellent chaque matin. Oh! que ta fidélité est grande!

Lamentations 3

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God is willing to give you a new start in life. A blank page in life. God is willing to give you a Do Over. His mercies are new every morning.

Are great relationships possible?

Relationships are to be enjoyed not endured

The Answer:

Yes, great relationships are possible but not likely to happen on their own.

We need Gods way. God created relationships.

If you do it the worlds way you will get the worlds results.

The worlds statistics are saying 50% of all marriages end in divorce.

I want to give you one thing today that will change every relationship in your life. If you get this one thing today it will change everything for you.

Matthieu 6:33 (LSG)

33 Cherchez premièrement le royaume et la justice de Dieu; et toutes ces choses vous seront données par-dessus.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

The biggest discipline in our life is to SEEK GOD FIRST.

If you think someone else will complete you, that is to much pressure to put on another individual, the only person that can complete you is God.

God is not interested in being on your list of many things. He wants to be on the top of your list.

MARRIED PEOPLE

God is MY NUMBER ONE and my spouse is my number two.

SINGLE PEOPLE

Say this - I will seek MY NUMBER ONE while God is preparing for my number two.

Instead of looking for the godly person - become the godly person you would want to marry.

I will seek MY NUMBER ONE while preparing for my number two.

There was a study done at Harvard University. They studied 1,246 married couples. Out of these 1,246 married couples only 1 got a divorce.

I want to increase your odds. Change your thinking from 50% to less than 1% chance of divorce.

.0008025%

They studied these married couples - only 1 didn’t make it.

What do they have in common? They found 3 common characteristics.

1. They prayed together on a regular basis.

1 Pierre 3:7 (BDS)

La Bible du Semeur

7 Vous de même, maris, vivez chacun avec votre femme en faisant preuve de discernement, et en tenant compte de la nature plus délicate de la femme. Traitez-les avec respect : elles doivent recevoir avec vous la vie que Dieu accorde dans sa grâce. Agissez ainsi afin que rien ne vienne faire obstacle à vos prières.

…mais elle est votre partenaire égale ……

1 Peter 3:7

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner……

2. These couples discussed the bible together.

Deutéronome 6:6-7 (LSG)

6 Les commandements que je te donne aujourd'hui seront dans ton cœur. 7 Tu les répéteras à tes enfants; tu en parleras quand tu seras chez toi, quand tu seras en voyage, quand tu te coucheras et quand tu te lèveras.

Deuteronomy 6:7

6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.

7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

This bible verse is talking about making the bible a lifestyle. When a situation arises in life ask yourself this question, what does the bible say about this situation?

It stirs something in your heart when you talk about the bible together as a couple. The bible makes you want to be a better person.

3) These couples attended church together.

Lets look at a successful habit of Jesus.

Luc 4:16 (SG21)

16 Jésus se rendit à Nazareth où il avait été élevé et, conformément à son habitude, il entra dans la synagogue le jour du sabbat. Il se leva pour faire la lecture.

Luke 4

16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.

Studying the Bible together, brings results.

No urgency= no results.

RECAP:

1 Prayed together on a regular basis.

2. Discussed the bible together.

3) Attended church together, faithfully.

Psaumes 127:1 (LSG)

1 Si l'Éternel ne bâtit la maison, Ceux qui la bâtissent travaillent en vain; Si l'Éternel ne garde la ville, Celui qui la garde veille en vain.

Psalm 127:1

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Fill in the blank - Unless the Lord builds ___________ - Marriage - Family - Friendship

Putting God first life in your changes everything.

WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

ARE RELATIONSHIPS WORTH FIGHTING FOR?

Part 2 of 4

How to fight fair in relationships.

Psalm 133:1, Mark 3:25, James 4:1, 1 Corinthians 6:3

“A good marriage is not without conflict. A good marriage is when you learn to resolve issues” - Jimmy Evans

Healthy couples fight for resolution. To make things better. To work together.

Unhealthily couples fight to win.

James 1 (NIV)

19 Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James 1:19-21 (MSG)

19-21 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.

1. Lead with your ears - Stop and listen carefully

Proverbes 18:2 (SG21)

2 Ce n'est pas à l'intelligence que l’homme stupide prend plaisir,

c'est à l'étalage de ses pensées.

Proverbs 18:2 (MSG)

2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;
    all they do is run off at the mouth.

2. Follow up with your tongue. Guard my mouth.

Proverbes 21:23 (LSG)

23 Celui qui veille sur sa bouche et sa langue

se préserve de bien des angoisses.

Proverbs 21:23 (NLT)

23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

Here are 5 rules of engagement.

1. We should never call each other names in the middle of a fight.

2. Never use absolutes like - you always are doing this or you never do that.

3. Never raise your voice and argument.

“The discussion will never rise above the place it reaches in the first 3 minutes of a discussion”. - Jimmy Evans

4. Never get historical. Go back in the history of relationship and find faults.

5. Never quote your pastor in a middle of a fight. This is not the time to be right and defend yourself. If you defend yourself it will show the other person you want to win this fight. It is not a fight, it is a time to love each other, work together and resolve the issue.

Be Slow to Anger - Let your anger be far behind you. Not right in front of you when you are resolving differences.

Éphésiens 4:26-27 (SG21)

26 Si vous vous mettez en colère, ne péchez pas. Que le soleil ne se couche pas sur votre colère, 27 et ne laissez aucune place au diable.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT)

It's not wrong to be angry, it's wrong when the anger controls you.

The goal is not to win - the goal is to win your relationship.

Remember healthy couples fight for resolution. Unhealthily couples fight to win.

Nothing is ever too far gone for God to come in and get involved with your relationship.

Matthieu 19:26 (SG21)

26 Jésus les regarda et leur dit: «Aux hommes cela est impossible, mais à Dieu tout est possible.»

Matthew 19:26 (NLT)

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

ARE RELATIONSHIPS WORTH FIGHTING FOR?

Part 3 of 4

Having fun in relationships. 3 Ways to have fun.

It is important to have fun in your relationships. God is the creator of fun. So He wants everyone to have fun in their relationships.

Jean 10:10 (SG21)

10 moi, je suis venu afin que les brebis aient la vie et qu'elles l'aient en abondance.

John 10:10.

I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows.

God wants us to have fun in your marriage and in all of our relationships.

Ecclésiaste 9:9 (BDS)

9 Jouis de la vie avec la femme que tu aimes, pendant tous les jours de cette vie dérisoire que Dieu t’accorde sous le soleil, oui, pendant tous les jours de ton existence dérisoire, car c’est la part qui te revient dans la vie au milieu de tout le labeur pour lequel tu te donnes de la peine sous le soleil.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (NIV)

9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days.

Most of us need to know God wants us to have fun in our marriages and in all relationships in 3 areas.

3 Ways to have fun in relationships.

1) God wants us to have fun Emotionally. God created emotions.

How do you build someone up emotionally? Everyday we build people up and tear down people emotionally. How do you build up your family, spouse, friends and family? It all comes down to one word. Words.

The words that come out of your mouth build people up or destroy people downward. Our emotional gas tanks or batteries are filled with words.

1 Pierre 3:8 (SG21)

8 Enfin, ayez tous les mêmes pensées et les mêmes sentiments, soyez pleins d'amour fraternel, de compassion, de bienveillance.

1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate…

THE CONVERSATIONAL SIDE IS THE EMOTIONAL SIDE.

We need to do alittle extra to show them that you love them.

What is the meaning of Extra Gum commercial?

Extra -Chewing Gum Advertisement.

The purpose of their commercial is to encourage the viewer to realize the importance of a stick of Extra gum in their life. The commercial begins with a tender moment between a new father and his young daughter as he chews a piece of Extra gum and makes an origami bird out of the wrapper. The heart of the commercial is that we need to spend more time with people. To take that extra time out of our day to spend with someone.

When we spend extra time with someone it fills up our emotional gas tanks or you could say charges up our battery in life.

2) God created us to have fun physically.

Single people - Purity is powerful!

We have to follow God's way in the area of purity in our relationships. God's way is the way that will keep peace in your heart and keep you in the plan of God. I have seen many single people get out of the plan of God for their lives because of the pressure of another person. It is very important for you to keep purity first place in your life as a single person so that you can stay on track to God's plan for your life.

When I met Carol Joy, I asked her to be my girlfriend. But we stayed pure in a relationship until we were married. It was an easy. But we put god's plan first place in our life, we follow the peace in our hearts to make sure we were in the right path that God had for us and we had a great respect for one another. It is very important that we respect the other person that we are dating. This will only come by putting God first place in our lives.

Married people.

God is the one that put pleasure in physical intimacy, that was not man's idea that was God's idea.

Proverbes 5:18 (SG21)

18 Que ta source soit bénie,

fais ta joie de la femme de ta jeunesse.

Proverbes 5:18 (NLT)

18 Laissez votre FEMME être une fontaine de bénédiction pour vous. Réjouis-toi de la femme de ta jeunesse.

Proverbs 5:18 (NLT)

18 Let your WIFE be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

God's Word says a man and a woman are to become ONE when they are married. The word for ONE in the Hebrew language is the word for covenant, contract, married, and bonded for forever.

Proverbes 5:19-20 (NEG)

19 Biche des amours, gazelle pleine de grâce:

Sois en tout temps enivré de ses charmes,

Sans cesse épris de son amour.

20 Et pourquoi, mon fils, serais-tu épris d’une étrangère,

Et embrasserais-tu le sein d’une inconnue?

Proverbes 5:19-20

C'est une biche aimante, une biche gracieuse… laissez toujours ses seins vous satisfaire, puissiez-vous toujours être ivre de son amour.

Proverbs 5:19-20 (NIV)

She is a loving deer, a graceful doe… let her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.

In the Bible it talks about the woman being a deer, and I'm not a Hunter, but I have noticed the men that are deer hunters have passion. My grandfather was a hunter. He was passionate and focused on his deer when he was hunting.

I just want to tell you the world has presented the physical part of the relationship outside of the act of marriage and is not what the bible says, it is not scriptural. The bible says physical intimacy is something that is very special - something to be honored - we have to be approaching the physical part of married relationships loving, affirming, quiet, tender hearted, respectful, and be careful about your approach and not ruining the moment. Be grateful for your relationship and honor the person that you love.

3) God created us to have fun Spiritually.

God wants us to have fun - Spiritually.

There's something spiritually about DOING LIFE TOGETHER FOR GOD that is very special. It binds us together.

How do you have fun spiritually?

Hébreux 3:1 (GW)

3 Frères et sœurs, vous êtes des partenaires saints dans un appel céleste.

Hebrews 3:1 (GW)

3 Brothers and sisters, you are holy partners in a heavenly calling.

What binds Carol Joy and I together in our marriage is that we have an emotional connection, a physical connection, a spiritual connection to together. We are building something together for God's kingdom.

One of the greatest things that you guys can do with your spouse is serve God together, do something together that makes in an eternal difference.

Anything you do for the Kingdom of God that makes an eternal difference will always have an earthly sacrifice.

There was a survey:

When only mom's serve God - 17% of the time the children will follow.

When Dad and mom both serve God that percentage jumps to 93% - you can't argue with numbers.

Matthieu 6:21 (BDS)

21 Car là où est ton trésor, là sera aussi ton cœur.

Matthew 6:21(NLT)

21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Sometimes were giving the world are best and not our family or our church. When the world gets our best then our family and our church will get the leftovers, we need to reverse this, and give our family our best and the church our best, and give the world all of the leftovers.

Lasting love is a decision. When good choices lead, feelings will follow.

WE WILL ALWAYS DO WHATS RIGHT IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS!

WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

ARE RELATIONSHIPS WORTH FIGHTING FOR?

Part 4 of 4

Never give up and How to stay pure.

Are great relationships possible? Yes they are!

God created us with a desire:

#1 to have a desire for Him and to be with Him.

#2 to have a desire to have relationships with others.

Lamentations 3:19-23 (NEG)

19 Quand je pense à ma détresse et à ma misère,

A l’absinthe et au poison;

20 Quand mon âme s’en souvient,

Elle est abattue au-dedans de moi.

21 Voici ce que je veux repasser en mon cœur,

Ce qui me donnera de l’espérance.

22 Les bontés de l’Eternel ne sont pas épuisées,

Ses compassions ne sont pas à leur terme;

23 Elles se renouvellent chaque matin.

Oh! que ta fidélité est grande!

Lamentations 3 (NLT)

19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.

20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.

21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.

23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

In the last few weeks strategies to be successful in relationships. We will finish today.

5 strategies to success in relationships.

1. Seek God - We need to always put God first and then our other relationships second.

2. Fight Fair - We don’t fight to win - we fight to resole conflict to keep our relationships.

3. Have Fun - We have to bring the fun back into relationships. Keep them hot. GOD CREATED FUN.

TODAY

4. Stay Pure - How to stay pure in relationships - the bible speaks to this real plain and clearly. The world is giving us the wrong definition. We talked about this last week. Gos is always first place in our lives.

5. Never give up - to much pressure when you have the fear of others bailing on you.

Let’s dive into this weeks topics of Purity and Never Giving Up.

Number 4 - STAY PURE!!!

Hébreux 13:4 (LSG)

4 Que le mariage soit honoré de tous, et le lit conjugal exempt de souillure, car Dieu jugera les impudiques et les adultères.

Hébreux 13:4 (BDS)

4 Que chacun respecte le mariage et que les époux restent fidèles l’un à l’autre, car Dieu jugera les débauchés et les adultères.

Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

There is an active role you play in protecting purity in your relationships.

We need bible results in this area, We have 100’s of bible verses on this subject. REMEMBER - God wrote everything in the Bible not for His benefit but for your benefit.

We have to come back to God standards if we want God's results.

Éphésiens 5:3 (LSG)

3 Que l'impudicité, qu'aucune espèce d'impureté, et que la cupidité, ne soient pas même nommées parmi vous, ainsi qu'il convient à des saints.

Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

1 Thessaloniciens 4:3 (BDS)

3 Ce que Dieu veut, c’est que vous deveniez toujours plus saints : que vous vous absteniez de toute immoralité

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

Greek word - it means anything outside of marriage covenant

Proverbs chapters 5,6,7 talks about all the cost associated with relationships outside of your marriage.

Proverbes 5:8 (BDS)

8 éloigne-toi d’une telle femme,

et ne t’approche pas de l’entrée de sa maison

Proverbs 5:8 (NIV)

Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house.

If we ever find ourselfs in uncomfortable situations in our lives we need to look to Joseph as our a good. He was in a difficult and uncomfortable situation but he chose the right thing to do. He left the situation in a hurry. You must be like him. We must always do what is in what is right to protect our character, our dignity, our reputation, our bodies, and the call of God on our life. God's will and God’s call on our life should always take first place in our lives.

Genèse 39:11-13 (BDS)

11 Un certain jour, Joseph était entré dans la maison pour faire son travail. Aucun domestique ne se trouvait là. 12 Alors elle l’agrippa par son vêtement en disant : Couche avec moi ! Mais il lui abandonna son vêtement entre les mains, et s’enfuit dehors. 13 Quand elle vit qu’il s’était enfui dehors en lui laissant son vêtement entre les mains.

Genesis 39:11 (NIV)

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

Always runaway from temptation.

1 Corinthiens 6:18-20 (BDS)

18 C’est pourquoi, fuyez l’inconduite sexuelle. Tous les autres péchés qu’un homme peut commettre n’impliquent pas son corps, mais celui qui se livre à l’inconduite pèche contre son propre corps.

19 Ou bien encore, ignorez-vous que votre corps est le temple même du Saint-Esprit qui vous a été donné par Dieu et qui, maintenant, demeure en vous ? Vous ne vous appartenez donc pas à vous-mêmes. 20 Car vous avez été rachetés à grand prix. Honorez donc Dieu dans votre corps.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV) RUN FOREST RUN

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

God is not against the fire of passion in our relationships, He created the fire of passion. God created us for a need for desire the passion in relationships - but we need parameters.

The problem is not the passion, the fire, the desire - the problem is we are burning it in the wrong place and that is where we get into trouble, if we will burn it in the right place we will be productive.

WRITE THIS DOWN.

Passion is not the issue, containment is.

Don’t get ahead of the game.

When I first saw Carol Joy, oh man, I had to stay in the parameters of God. I promised God I would keep myself pure until I married Carol Joy. And I did. Passion needs parameters.

I am submitting to God, not what I think is right but with God thinks is right:

1. I will make a commitment to God’s standard of doing things.

Psaumes 119:9 (BDS)

9 Comment, quand on est jeune, |avoir une vie pure ?

C’est en se conformant à ta parole.

Psalm 119:9 (NLT)

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.

Galates 5:24 (BDS)

24 Or, ceux qui appartiennent à Jésus-Christ ont crucifié l’homme livré à lui-même avec ses passions et ses désirs.

Galatians 5:24 (NLT)

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

2. I will manage my mind. I will keep my mind on what is right.

Job 31:1 (BDS)

Job évoque sa conduite

31 Pourtant, j’avais conclu |un pacte avec mes yeux :ils ne devaient jamais porter |un regard chargé de désir |sur une jeune fille.

Job 31:1 (NLT)

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.

When it comes to relationships, we need a guard our minds. We need a guard, our eyes, and what we see, and what we watch. I need to watching and thinking on the right things. I love my wife and I am accountable to her.

I am accountable to my wife and my reputation of character on my social media, I have content blockers, and passwords set to do what is right. I let my wife set the passwords and blockers on my phone and computers. This frees me up to do the plan of God and keeps my mind quiet in the area of doing something wrong. We all need to be strong in our minds.

When it comes to relationships, we need a guard our minds. I need to think on the right things. I love my wife and I am accountable to her.

I am only one step away from stupid. I don’t want to lose everything that I worked so hard for and love so dearly.

3. I maintain proper relationships with others. I respect and care for the lives of those around me. God has a call on those around you. I am never with the opposite sex with out my wife and others knowing. I am accountable to others. I’ve seen too many of my own leaders fall over the years to adultery. My relationships are worth fighting for.

I learned a lot from my spiritual father, Mark Brazee when I was a single man. When I worked for his Ministry, I learned to never be alone with another woman in a room by yourself and never alone in a car with a woman.

So many people say, you are just putting rules on my life. No, I don't know about you, but I want to run my race, the plan God has for me and finish my race with God.

There's a saying: Sin will take you farther than you want to go. Keep you longer than you want to stay. Cost you more than you want to pay.

We will always do what's right in the sight of God. We put God first place. God is watching us. God wants us to be successful. All these Bible scriptures, we mentioned is because God wants us to be successful in our life. God loves us so much! He wants to accomplish His will for our lives. He wants the best for us.

TODAY

Part 4 - NEVER GIVE UP!!! - I Never, Ever Give Up

WE AS CHRISTIANS ARE ON FIRE - THE FIRE IS THAT WE NEVER GIVE UP IN LIFE!!

Never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up on your relationships. You walk in love.

Galates 6:9 (BDS)

9 Faisons le bien sans nous laisser gagner par le découragement. Car si nous ne relâchons pas nos efforts, nous récolterons au bon moment.

Galates 6:9 (NEG)

9 Ne nous lassons pas de faire le bien; car nous moissonnerons au temps convenable, si nous ne nous relâchons pas.

Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The Bible says we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!

Let's be faithful stewards over our relationships.

Matthieu 25:23 (LSG)

23 Son maître lui dit: C'est bien, bon et fidèle serviteur; tu as été fidèle en peu de chose, je te confierai beaucoup; entre dans la joie de ton maître.

Matthew 25:23 (KJV)

23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

I want Jesus to say to me that I was good and faithful to Carol Joy, my wife, and also to all my friendships.

I want the reward of standing in front of Jesus and him looking me in my eyes and saying thank you David, you are faithful to your wife, and to all your friends.

One day when I was praying, the Lord spoke to my heart, He said, thank you for taking care of my daughter Carol Joy. That really shocked me to know that He is watching me and how I'm taking care of my wife, His daughter. I believe He's watching how we take care of our friendships and relationships also.

Our relationships are important. We don't want any of the people that we have relationships with they get off the call of God that He has for their lives.

I knew a couple that got married, but they were very unhappy. The reason why is because they didn't pray before they got married. She had a calling on the mission field to Africa. He had a calling in business which was in this country. He had no desire for her to leave the country, and go to another country to serve God. And they were not compatible. They were miserable and both out of the will of God. That's why it's so important for us to pray before we find the one that we are to Mary. We do not want to be miserable in a relationship and we don't want the other person to be miserable in a relationship. We need to know we have the same calling and we're walking together in unity.

That is why Carol Joy and I took a long time to talk about everything before we started a relationship. We prayed and prayed, and then prayed some more. We followed peace the in our heart. We followed the knowings in our heart of the Holy Ghost we telling us. We had such deep respect for each of our lives and knew God had a call on our lives individually and wanted to do what was right for Him. That's why we wanted to do the right thing. We all need to do the right thing when it comes to relationships.

I know I'm talking about never giving up in your relationships. Part of never giving up on relationships is first finding the right relationship. The relationship that is what I call a forever relationship.

If you're having problems in your relationship the first place we need to look is at your prayer life and the time you spent with God.

Yes, mistake we all make in relationships is we need to be praying for the other person. This is when we will have the right heart to take care of other people in our relationship. This is where a lot of people make a mistake. If you are not praying for the other person, you won't have the God results you're looking for in your relationships.

If you want God results you need time to be with God. Putting God first is the only way you're going to love and get answers for not only yourself but the other person. Even if the other person is not putting God first, you need to put God first at the is where you're going to get God’s wisdom, compassion and Grace to help rebuild the relationship.

There's so much I can say about this.

In the area of relationships we cannot give up on the other person. We need to be there for them. Love them. And respect and honor them.

You can go to the Prayer area on our website under study materials for more information how to pray the word of God over your relationships.

SERIES RECAP:

5 Strategies to success in relationships.

1. Seek God - We need to always put God first and then our other relationships second.

2. Fight Fair - We don’t fight to win - we fight to resole conflict to keep our relationships.

3. Have Fun - We have to bring the fun back into relationships. Keep them hot. GOD CREATED FUN.

4. Stay Pure - How to stay pure in relationships - the bible speaks to this real plain and clearly. The world is giving us the wrong definition. We talked about this last week. Gos is always first place in our lives.

5. Never give up - have a strong prayer life, don't blame the other person blame yourself for not praying. Put God first place in your life and respect the other person. If the other person has a different calling in life that does not match you calling let them go and do what God wants them to do. You want to be compatible with them. Be secure in your relationships knowing that God is always with you. Stay strong in the Word of God and follow the Holy Spirit for your life and you will be successful in your relationships. Never give up other people.

  We are serious about you.

Contacts us, we want to pray for you.  God has a great things ahead for you.