June Hunt - Considering Marriage

The printed version of this eBook is the Considering Marriage: Are You Fit to Be Tied? pamphlet, ISBN-13: 9781596366763

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Considering Marriage: Are You Fit to Be Tied?
Copyright 2013 Hope For The Heart
All rights reserved.
Aspire Press, a division of Rose Publishing, Inc.
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Torrance, California 90503 USA
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CONSIDERING MARRIAGE

Are You Fit to Be Tied?

JUNE HUNT

• Gives practical advice and Biblical wisdom from June Hunt, a biblical counselor whose award-winning radio program Hope For The Heart is heard on more than 900 radio outlets around the world. For more than 25 years, she has counseled people, offering them hope for todays problems.
• Provides excellent tools for opening the door to meaningful communication and includes marriage quizzes that will help you and your significant other maneuver through potentially tough and thought-provoking questions with ease.
• Provides biblical answers from a Christian counselor to common pre-marriage questions, such asIs it important to be romantically attracted to the person I want to marry? What are the root causes for marrying the wrong person? and Will God stop a marriage if it's not His will?
• Learn the secrets to a Christian marriage, and the ups and downs to expect as you travel through the reality of marriage after the honeymoon. Includes a checklist of unrealistic expectations about marriage to help you build a healthy relationship.

Dear friend,

From the beginning of time, when God said, It is not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), people have sought to find someone special with whom to share their lives. For some, marriage has been immensely meaningful, but for others, its been pure misery.

What do you need to know before you tie the marital knot? Consider this true story about someone very dear to my heart.

This sweet-tempered, sweet-spirited college student began to date a handsome, winsome young man. He pursued. She pulled back. He pursued. She wanted time. He pursued. She left for the summer. He followed her. Shortly afterward, they were engaged and then married.

Meanwhile, I was delightedwhat an attractive couple! A few years and a few children later, they divorced. How could this be? I wondered. Many of us were stunned, but we did not live in their home. We did not have all the facts.

How could this be? What happened?

While there were biblical grounds for divorce, in truth, she should never have married him in the first place. This became increasingly clear as she shared from her heart, June, I didnt want to marry him. But he constantly pursued me, and I didnt know how to say no .

And then she made this statement, justifying her decision: I remember praying, God, if Im not supposed to marry him, please stop itbut He didnt!

For a period of time, she lived with anger toward God, blaming Him for not answering her prayer. Yet, in effect, God had already answered. He had already revealed His will. Simply put, God had not given her peace about marrying this man. Yet she allowed herself to be people-pressured instead of Spirit-led.

How much better if she had possessed the strength to [speak] the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)the strength to say, No . I think you have many wonderful traits. I like many things about you, but the type of love I have for you is not a marital love. Saying yes would be wrong toward you, therefore, I must say no . Saying no when you need to say no requires strength of character.

If you truly desire to prepare for marriage, first yield your will to the will of God. Then, if you are considering a certain marriage partner, pray that you will be led by the peace of God. (Or pray that you will not have His supernatural peace if that person is not the right partner for you.)

Either way, be encouraged. God wants you to know His perfect will for marriage even more than you want to know it. He promises, If any of you lacks wisdom, [you] should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to [you] (James 1:5). Therefore, I urge you to pour out your heart to the Lord regarding every aspect of your romantic relationship. Ask for His divine wisdom. When you do, remember: While God always answers our prayers, sometimes His answer is yes, sometimes no, and sometimes not now.

May this bookalong with earnest prayer and the wise counsel of trusted advisersgive you such godly guidance that you will know when God is leading you to say yes to marriage and when you need to say no . And on each step of your journey, may His thoughts be your thoughts as you surrender your will to His will.

Yours in the Lords hope,

CONSIDERING MARRIAGE

Are You Fit to Be Tied?

Once upon a time an unhappy frog lived in the enchanted forest. Year after year the frog stayed in his swampy pond until the day he coaxed a beautiful princess to kiss him. In the twinkling of an eye, the ugly frog turned into a handsome prince. Then the beautiful couple married and lived happily ever after.

While children assume marriage is like a fairy tale, if you are seriously dating, you need to distinguish fact from fiction. If you believe marriage will meet all your needs or miraculously turn your marriage partner into a prince or princess, youre living in fantasyland! Gods Word exhorts us to be wise about our expectations for marriage and wise about whom we let into our hearts.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Regret, regret, regret! How many couples choose their mates too quickly and now live their lives full of regret? In order to build a strong foundation for marriage, learn as much as possible about yourself, your future mate, and Gods purpose for marriage before you tie the knot.

Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 29:20)

Premarital counseling is practical advice given to a couple in preparation for marriage.

• Ministers and mentors often give spiritual, financial, and emotional guidance with special focus on relational pitfalls.
• Medical professionals give physical examinations and information about sexual and pregnancy issues, as well as genetic concerns.
• Wedding consultants primarily give guidance about the wedding ceremony and reception.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22)