Here in Georgia, we often experience 3 seasons within one day. You can wake to a comfortable spring morning then transition into the summer heat. At night, you’ll feel the crisp air of winter.
If you’re from the “old school”, you were taught to layer up and wear a t-shirt from fall until summer to guard yourself against seasonal changes. For me and my house, the most important foundational garment is the thermal. It’s what we lay closest to our body as the first layer of defense against changes in the weather. Plus, we take a double dose of vitamin C every day to strengthen our immune system against germs.
Coach Jesus tells us that in the last days, the love of many people will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). Coverings are important. Just as we cover our physical bodies, the body of “two who have become one” (Ephesians 5:31) needs covering as well.
3 Ways to Cover Your Marriage
1. Choose a set of prayer thermals.
Warfare prayers will protect every aspect of your relationship no matter the temperature of the outside world.
Thermals keep you cool when situations get heated and keep you warm during freezing times. Likewise, prayer covers your relationship in God’s Word and His promises and keeps forces that will come against your relationship defeated.
It’s important to choose the appropriate prayer thermal for your life. Choose prayers that will allow the Holy Spirit to work freely in your marriage, not quench or restrict the move of God.
The prayer of faith will hold up under anything the world tries to pile on you. Prayer will also keep you from piling on too many societal beliefs that are contrary to the will of God. Consider prayer as the shield that protects the covenant between you and your spouse.
No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
2. Know that seasons change.
Be proactive, knowing that the good and the bad are part of the relationship.
Have your heart open to give and receive unconditional love – and not just when it’s good and easy to be married. Clothe yourself in the entire wardrobe of a Christian soldier, the full armor of God, in order to prevent a fatal wound from the one who is closest to you.
There will be things that cause hurt to each other in a relationship, intentionally or unintentionally, because a relationship brings together two imperfect people. However, if you and your spouse are aware that neither of you is perfect, then the imperfect moments will not kill the relationship during the winter seasons.
Have a thermostat (Spirit of discernment) that allows you to sense when the seasons are changing within your marriage.
For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
3. Administer a Daily Dose of Vitamin C(hrist).
Digest your vitamin C, Jesus Christ, His word and His instructions before you begin anything for the day. If this is your first step, everything that is done within your relationship will be done from a Christ perspective – not a selfish perspective.
If we skip our dose of Jesus, our bodies become more susceptible to the flesh. And, the world will begin to dictate the ways we work within our relationships.
Take a double dose of Christ! Ensure that whatever we must digest throughout the day does not counter-attack the God that is within our marriage.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33).
So, What’s the Play Call?
Lay out your morning thermals – speak God’s word in prayer – and prepare your night thermals to end your day with God’s protection during rest.
Know which season your relationship is in to cover it appropriately. Try this free quiz to identify whether your marriage is in summer, spring, winter, or fall.
Keep an abundant reservoir of Vitamin Christ in your relationship to never be deficient or lose sight of the Christian way to love.
Great tips even for singles to archive before getting married. I think many of us are unprepared when we go into it and therefore not dressed properly at any given change of temperature.