Today I have the privilege of introducing Tiffany Montgomery from Hope & Joy in Christ to the site. Tiffany has a passion for encouraging Christian marriages. And she is just about to launch her new marriage course to help couples connect, strengthen and live a more biblical marriage. I’ve had the opportunity to check out the course and it truly is a great resource. And one of my readers will win the course for free! So don’t miss the details below. But first read Tiffany’s thoughts on marital priorities.
Hopeless. Lonely. Frustrated. Angry. Bitter. Those are the words I would have used to describe my marriage a decade ago. We had decided to never consider divorce as an option, but that didn’t mean we were working to fix our wreck of a marriage.
Most days we ignored the issues and tried to get on with things. But then other days we couldn’t even be in the same room together.
God slowly, methodically re-structured every part of our Marriage. Did I say Slowly? Ug. God’s way and timing are not always like mine. Can you relate?
If things had gone my way I would have started with that man – my precious husband – because I was sure all the blame rested firmly on his shoulders. But God… Don’t you just love that phrase? But God had a plan.
You see, if God had started with my husband I would never have acknowledged all the sin – hidden deep in my heart. And I would have missed the chance of freedom.
Do you need Freedom in your life, heart and soul?
Freedom came through Forgiveness. Hah, even saying it today makes me cringe. The things I’ve had to forgive are too numerous to count at this point. Big things (abuse and neglect) and small things (slights from friends, harsh words that cut too deep). But things that had built up over time and that I had justified over time.
Do you ever justify your own sin?
I mean, I am just flesh and blood. No one can measure up to Jesus example. I’ll just ask forgiveness – God knows I’m just made that way…
I am good at justifying my own sin. And so God knew He had better start with me. I didn’t want to work on me… you see that man had a lot of obvious problems that were affecting our real life… and I was sick and tired of being the one to do all the hard work of changing to accommodate him.
But God had to get my attention somehow. He had to get me Focused on the right Priorities.
What are the right Priorities in a Biblical Marriage?
Well, if it’s biblical (rather than vaguely christian) we had better look at the Bible 😉
Matthew 22:36-38 (NASB) ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment”.
Our first Priority is to Love God – with all our heart mind and soul. This is the first key to unlocking hope and joy!
This is not some christian cliche. Those words in scripture really meant something to the early disciples. Let’s look inside the first and see what it meant:
What does it look like to love God with all my heart?
Our culture has seriously diluted the idea of love by making it all about emotion. In the Bible time, the heart was so much more than emotion, it was a conscious choice made in our will. Love is an action that comes from feelings yes, but also through thoughts and intentions. Love had a real meaning.
Loving God as my first priority means I will love God when things are good and when things are bad. To choose to make God my first priority every day I have to make a plan for it, or the other- more physically present- things in my life will take over that priority.
What does Loving God First do for our marriage?
When we start the day with God – instead of rehashing our problems or the things we are frustrated about – we start on a different playing field. We communicate better, have a better outlook and can respond when things get crazy. It is a game changer for our homes. This is how to begin walking in our Biblical Priorities.
This was one of the first steps we took toward Finding Hope and Joy in my Marriage – Getting very Focused on Priorities and ignoring the cultures propaganda.
Are you longing for Hope and Joy in your Marriage?
God took me through a journey of re-learning how to live as a wife with a Biblical Worldview. It is a joy for me to teach and mentor locally and I am thrilled to launch this Online Course.
In this 9 week Course we will dig into the Bible and find out how to restore our Marriage – rebuilding it to Last a lifetime!
This Marriage Course will include:
10 Self paced video lessons in the areas of
- Love
- Forgiveness
- Desires Vs. Preferences
- My Mouth
- Appreciation & Admiration
- The Leader
- Understanding Men
- Respect
- My Priorities
9 weeks of personal study
- 5 days each week that should take 10-15 minutes
45 Days of Prayer prompts
I would love to giveaway a Seat in the Course. Enter to Win below!
In Him,
Tiffany
Tiffany is a Jesus Girl with a passion to Encourage and Equip Wives and Moms through Biblical Discipleship.
Connect with her on Facebook and Pinterest.
I would imagine that starting the day with God is good, whether one is married or not.
Yes! Starting the day with God – regardless of your life situation is always good! God bless!
I would love to have a seat in this course!
It really is a great resource for wives to intentionally and prayerfully invest in their marriage. I’m so glad Tiffany is sharing it with us today! God bless and good luck! 🙂
I am so thankful for quality marriage resources. I found one when I was a newly wed that changed the way I looked at my husband. I can’t imagine what our marriage would have been like without it.
That’s why I was so excited and willing to share Tiffany’s post and course. There are so many options (not all good) so I’m happy to share ones that I know can be beneficial.
That is amazing! I love having resources online too – that way we can work it into our schedule!
I have had to learn over and over again that God’s timing is not my own. But His timing is ALWAYS better!
Amen! His timing IS always better. It’s so crazy how we have to relearn that, right?!
His timing really is better… though it feels hard in the moment! Glad He is God and I am not or I’d rush everything and mess it all up 🙁
Tiffany, what a great study this sounds like! Yes, if we want to be the wives God has called us to be, starting the day with Him is the best way to become that woman. I appreciate how you differentiated between a biblical marriage and a vaguely Christian marriage.
I’ve learned nurturing a Biblical marriage takes time, an I’ve definitely done some two-steps-forward-one-step-back growing.
Thanks for sharing this!
thanks for sharing that Jeanne! I believe the more open we are about that growing dance – the more it encourages other wives to keep pressing on when days are hard!
Love the Lord your God with all your heart. That is what I need a continual reminder of. Thank you for putting that idea right up front. It can and will make all the difference. – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/
It really is the game changer!
We always think it’s the other person when tension mounts in relationships, don’t we? This looks like a great resource!
That was a key perspective change for me Julie. To focus on my own growth and let hubbys growth be between him and God. With a healthy dose of defensive and offensive praying!
My husband and I have found that courses like these really work wonders for us when we go through difficult times. I am so blessed to have a husband that invests in our marriage.
That is such a blessing Alice! Praising God with you today!
You are never too old or have been married too many years that you can’t benefit from recharge in your marriage. I know I have to check myself to make sure that I’m not taking my marriage for granted. The one thing my husband and I do on every anniversary or close to it is to have “Our Business” meeting. What I mean by that is as a couple we come together and make goals together spiritually, physically and financially. We have found it helps both of us to keep on track and also when you are achieving goals together it is FUN!
That is a wonderful practice! Do you use something as a guide?
Sheila that is such an awesome ritual! My husband and I aren’t as formal as that but it really is such a great habit of coming together as a couple with joint goals. Thank you for sharing! God bless!