Have you ever taken a walked on a hot day and needed a drink of water? Where nothing but water would refresh your thirst. A nice ice-cold water. Soon as you drank it, it was refreshing. What about when spring comes. All of a sudden, we get the spring-cleaning bug, and we start cleaning everything in our house on the inside and out. It gives your home a nice refreshing smell and a great feeling that you accomplished something.
This is true whether you have been married 6 months, or 62 years, your marriage needs refreshing on consistent basis.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord….
Webster Dictionary meaning of Refreshing is:
Serving to refresh or reinvigorate someone.
Refresh: give new strength or energy
Reinvigorate: give new energy or strength to.
God is in the business of seed, time and harvest. You see this in Genesis 8:22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Gods’ purpose of a seed is to produce.
When you said your vows and came in covenant with each other as husband and wife before God. That became your seed. The seed of your marriage. You became one and God sees you as one.
We all know at times we need to stop, and take the time to refresh/strengthen our marriage.
As that seed grows, its roots will grow down and run deep, but the stem grows upward and strong which nourishes the leaves and pedals.
Just like a plant you planted it starts out as a seed. As it grew it became the plant you see now. As a natural illustration the plant you planted represents your marriage.
If you do not refresh/nurture (care for and encourage the growth or development of) that plant, it will wither and die. If you do not refresh, strengthen and nurture your marriage it will eventually die. To where either you as a couple are no longer spending quality time together and just living as roommates, divorce can be on the horizon.
When you pour water into that plant it saturates the roots and flows up through the stem to the leaves, flowers or fruit.
When you pour into your marriage with Gods word, speaking life and what God says, praying together and praising the Lord together. You will saturate your marriage with the Love of God where you will blossom and bare much fruit as one, the way God intended. All for His Glory. You will affect others for God, because the world is watching.
In order to refresh your marriage, so you can pour out into it, you must spend time with Him in that secret place. The secret place of the most High. Your own devotional time communing with Abba Father.
Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
Abide in Him
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except you abide in me.
Jude 20 and 21 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
In the Greek it means, Be being constantly filled with the Spirit.
Spending time in His presence is where the times of refreshing shall come, He, Abba Father pours into you. Then you can pour out what was given into your marriage. It’s there where you will stop pointing your finger at your significant other and realize that you have some changing and growing to do as well.
WEEDS
We know that we need to watch for weeds. Weeds will spring up around our plant, and will try to steal the life from that plant. You’ll have to do some weeding to keep your garden refreshed and radiating with beauty.
Weeds of a marriage can be:
Strife, Unforgiveness, Bitterness, Selfishness and even Jealousy
The minute you recognize that weed or weeds, PULL IT! Don’t allow it to overtake your marriage. The Devil wants to overtake your marriage in the sole purpose of destroying it. Don’t allow him to do so. Give him no place.
Like the plant in the pot there are stages of growth where that plant can no longer stay in the same pot. It eventually out grows that pot, ready for a new larger pot. Well at least most plants.
Our marriage is to be on a journey of a continuous process of growth. Yes, God does expect us to grow as one together as Husband and Wife. Growing towards God radiating with His Glory and baring much fruit.
Homework assignment: Watch on YouTube together
Rick Renner (59.56 minutes)
“Seven Things to do Everyday to Become Spiritually Strong”
These are the Seven things Rick Renner gives:
1. Everyday spend time with God every morning.
2. Everyday spend time feeding your spirit on other sources. Ex: Cd’s Kenneth Copeland or Kenneth Hagin
3. Everyday spend some time in quietness.
4. Everyday spend time with people who strengthen your soul.
5. Everyday take random pauses to acknowledge God throughout your day.
6. Everyday say no to things you are not supposed to do and yes to things you are to do.
7. Everyday pray to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18
Mitch and Mary Mims
Marriage Matters Directors