“Be exhilarated always with her love.”  Proverbs 5:1

Moments with You by the Rainey’s has a daily connections for couples.  They suggested having Valentine’s Day all year-long.  What if we were thoughtful and deliberate every time we made plans to romance our spouse?

Parish and I signed up for a marriage workshop a month ago along with another couple who we love so much.  They are newlyweds and it’s so refreshing to be around them.  I was unsure how the workshop would go but was ready to learn!  I thought I would share some highlights of what we learned over the next couple of weeks in honor of lingering over Valentine’s Day and holding me accountable to what I’ve learned.

The workshop was called Intimate Interactions and the counselor of Cloverhill Assembly of God, Lisa Compton, was the speaker.

Intimacy:  What is intimacy?

Gen 2:24 “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Ephesians 5:31-32  marital intimacy is a “mystery” (not just physical act) and an earthly model of Christ and the church

PASSION:  In our marriages we are experiencing a concentrated effort towards our mate.  There is energy and sexual desire. The mystery that God puts between a married couple is unexplainable and beautiful!  We are zealous for each other more than anything else.  The opposite would be apathy.  Our marriage should be filled with passion and priority.  I want someone to notice that my second priority and passion goes to my husband.  My first priority is Jesus.  My passion for Him helps me to be passionate about my mate.

DESIRE:  Sexual desire is God’s plan.  Lust takes.  Love gives.  The enemy took the greatest gift of sexual intimacy and has perverted it and created lust.

Ephesians 13:4 “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous”

THE HEART:  (see Mt. 19:8)  Guard your heart that it does not become hard.  A hardness of heart and the walls we build will destroy our passion and desire for our mate and have long-lasting consequences.

Dear Jesus,

We pray that we will first seek you and be passionate about Your love for us.  In that perfect love you bestow on us, give us the wisdom and strength to love ourselves and to love our mates through the eyes of grace, mercy, and joy.  Jesus help us to see sexual desire within marriage as holy and pure.  Help us to want nothing less than this.  Keep our hearts and mind pure.  Keep our marriage bed holy and pure.  Lord when lust creeps up help us to acknowledge it and rebuke it.  Protect our hearts from the world’s ideals of love.  Jesus help us desire every day to have a better marriage and take away our pride.  Help us to acknowledge our shortcomings and give us strength and desire to change.  I’m asking you Jesus for a refreshing in our marriages that only you can give!

Amen