SESSION 3 HAPPILY EVER AFTER UTD

HOW MANY OF YOU WERE LIKE THOSE COUPLES?

BUT I THINK IT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LIFE HAPPENING, I BELIEVE IT COMES DOWN TO “ ARE WE ON A JOURNEY OR ARE WE SIMPLY TRYING TO FIGHT THOUGH LIFE TO GET TO AN IMAGINARY DESTINATION?”

LAST SESSION WE TALKED ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF FORGIVENESS-FORGETTING THE FORMER THINGS. THE MAJORITY OF SESSION 2 WAS SELF-INFLICTED OR A WOUND FROM SOMEONE ELE.

WE ARE GETTING READY TO WATCH THE NEXT ROUND OF TESTIMONIES AND I WANT YOU TO REALLY LEAN IN, LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING. MANY OF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TOTALLY RALATE AND SOME OF YOU THEY WILL BE TELLING YOUR EXACT STORY. I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE CONDEMNED OR HEAVY BY WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH OR HAVE WENT THOUGH. PAY ATTENTION TO “BUT TAKE HEART, I HAVE OVERCAME THE WORLD”.

LIFE BEGAN ROLLING REALLY QUICK…OUR DREAM/DESTINATION WAS HAPPILY EVER AFTER, BUT REALLY WE HAD NO PLAN AND THEREFORE WERE UNEQUIPPED FOR ANY ISSUES THAT WOULD ARISE

I CALLED TRIPLE A AND THEY MAILED US A MAP THAT GAVE US THE STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS TO & FROM OUR HONEYMOON DESTINATION. WITHOUT THIS MAP WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST, WE DIDN’T HAVE SMARTPHONES, WE HAD TO RELY ON THAT MAP.

· THIS MAP WAS OUR TRUE NORTH-AN ESTABLISHED POINT OF DIRECTION

BASICALLY YOUR TRUE NORTH IS THE ONE POINT IN YOUR LIFE THAT NEVER MOVES, ITS AN ESTABLISHED, STATIONARY POSITION THAT YOU CAN REFFRENCE YOUR INTIRE LIFE ON TO KEEP YOU TRACKING IN THE RIGHT DIRRECTION.

AND FOR THE CHRISTIAN THAT IS GOD, HIS WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND HIS WAYS.

LIKE AMANDA SAID, AFTER WE GOT MARRIED WE TOOK OFF ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED MARRIAGE REALLY FAST. WITHIN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF MARRIAGE WE BOUGHT A HOUSE, STARTED A BUISNESS AND HAD OUR FIRST CHILD. AND FOR THE MOST PART LIFE WAS GOOD AND MARRIAGE WAS GREAT. AND TO BE HONEST THE BEGING OF OUR MARRIAGE REALLY STARTED OF RIGHT. WE READ OUR BIBLES, WAS INVOLVED IN CHURCH, AND EVEN LEAD SMALL GROUPS. WE BELEIVED GOD FOR THIS BUISNESS AND HE MADE THE WAY AND EVEN BLESSED OUR PATH.

LIFE HAS ITS WAY OF THROWING CURVE BALLS, AND I QUIT BASEBALL BECAUSE OF CURVE BALLS!

SO THIS BUISNESS REALLY TOOK OFF. AND IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING SEEMINGLY GOING GREAT THE CURVE BALL CAME AND I REALLY WASNT READY. SOMEWHERE AROUND YEAR 5 OR 6 I BEGAN TO FALL INTO A DEEP DEPRESSION. FEAR, ANXIETY AND WORRY PLAGED ME AND GRIPPED MY LIFE. IT WAS IRRATIONAL, DIBILITATING FEAR AND WORRY, BUT IT WAS VERY REAL TO ME.

‘YOU MAY BE OFF TRACK RIGT NOW BY NO CHOICE OF YOUR OWN. YOUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANC IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CHOSE-IT JUST HAPPENED.

DURING THESE STRESSFUL YEARS, WE WERE GOING TO CHURCH, LEADING SMALL GROUPS, TITHING, READING OUR BIBLE, DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS BUT HONESTLY WE HAD STOPPED SEEKING GOD FOR A RELATIONSHIP AND WAS DOING IT OUT OF OBLIGATION.

YES THIS DETOUR OF STRESS, ANXIETY, WORRY, AND NOT KNOWING HOW TO HANDLE IT, TOOK US OFF TRACK & COST US TIME, FOR YEARS WE DIDN’T LIVE THE LIFE OR FULLY ENJOY THE MARRIAGE GOD HAD DESTINED US TO.

GOD HAS TAKEN US ON AN INTENSE TRAINING COURSE WHICH HAS LED TO US BEING HERE AT ISD…

OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS GOD HAS SHOWN US WHAT A TREASURE MARRIAGE IS.

EPHESIANS 2:10 FOR WE ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE. HE HAS CREATED US ANEW IN CHRIST JESUS, SO WE CAN DO THE GOOD THINGS HE PLANNED FOR US LONG AGO.

THE PROBLEM IS WE CAN NOT SEE IT. LIFES PROBLEMS, MISTAKES, CIRCUMSTANCES OUT OF OUR CONTROL, THINGS WE DIDNT ASK FOR AND THINGS WE DONT WANT HAPPEN TO US. AND IT COVERS THIS MASTERPIECE GOD MADE WITH MUD.

HOW MANY OF YOU CAME HERE BECAUSE YOU WANT YOUR MARRIAGE REVIVED? I THINK MARRIAGES ARE HUNGRY FOR REVIVAL.

THIS PAINTING IS A BUITIFUL MASTERPIECE BY ITS SELF, BUT IT DOES MORE THAN CASUE PEOPLE TO STOP IN AWE OF ITS BUITY. IT POINTS PEOPLE TO ITS CREATOR. THATS WHY WE CALL IT A PICASO OR A REMBRANT..

AND THAT IS WHAT GOD INTENDS FOR OUR MARRIAGES, A DISPLAY OF THE GOSPLE, POINTING PEOPLE TO JESUS. WHEN PEOPLE SEE YOUR MARRIAGE HEALED AND RESTORED, AND YOU GIVING GOD THE GLORY FOR IT ALL, ALL THEY COULD EVER SAY IS “WOW, THAT IS GODS MASTERPIECE”.

I DO AND I STILL DO- I DO IS THE YES AND I STILL DO IS THE JOURNEY.

HEBREWS 13:4 SAYS TO GIVE HONOR TO MARRIAGE & REMAIN FAITHFUL TO ONE ANOTHER IN.

PRACTICALLY WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IN YOUR MARRIAGE?

MAKE GOD YOUR TRUE NORTH, ESTABLISH HIM AS YOUR NEVERCHANGING, IMMOVABLE, POINT OF DIRRTECTION.

PRAY TOGETHER. (WE TALK ABOUT THAT ALOT, ITS IMPORTANT)

THOSE ARE SOME PRACTICAL TOOLS YOU CAN USE TODAY. BUT IF YOU LACK ONE THING THEN ALL OF THAT WILL BE USELESS.

DESIRE

DESIRE-YOU CAN HAVE EVERY TOOL IN THE SHED, BUT IF WE DON’T HAVE THE DESIRE TO USE THESE TOOLS THEY ARE USELESS

YOU MAY NOT EVEN HAVE THE DESIRE TO ASK FOR THE DESIRE AT THIS MOMENT, BUT THE WORD SAYS THAT

IF YOU ARE HERE TODAY AND YOU DONT HAVE ANY DESIRE, IF MARRIAGE AND THE ISSUES OF LIFE HAVE YOU FEELING DEFEATED, THEN BOTH OF YOU SIMPLY NEED TO TURN TO GOD. HE IS THE ONE THAT GIVES THE POWER AND THE DESIRE, HIS DESIRE IS THAT YOU SEE YOUR MARRIAGE AS THE MASTERPIECE THAT IT REALLY IS.

WE HAVE OUR MAP, OUR TREASURE MAP IF WE HAVE JESUS AS OUR TRUE NORTH

JUST LIKE WE HAD A MAP THAT TOOK US FROM LICKING MO TO NIAGRA FALLS, CANADA AND IT DID WELL, AS LONG AS WE FOLLOWED ITS INSTRUCTIONS.

YOU MAY BE IN A SEASON OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE FACING AN OBSTACLE AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED ANOTHER LEG OF THE MAP.

BEGIN TO PRAY THIS

§ SEEK AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

· READ A MARRIAGE DEVOTION TOGETHER

o WAS THIS HARD FOR US-YES! FOR THE ENTIRETY OF OUR MARRIAGE AMANDA WANTED IT….GO AHEAD.

o LADIES, ENCOURAGE YOUR HUSBAND IN THIS, DON’T ASSUME HE KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT, SPECIAL AND HOW GOOD OF A JOB HE IS DOING-TELL HIM.

· SO WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT MARRIAGE IS: