May 3rd

Recommitment

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because...He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.' Luke 4:18

Here is a list of the devil's greatest weapons against marriage: Broken hearts, imprisoned lives, and eyes that fail to see reality.

None of us plan to get divorced when we are standing at the altar to be wed. This tells me that, under normal circumstances, we would choose to stay married for the rest of our lives. Why is it, then, that so many people get divorced? The answer is that these weapons sneak into our hearts and pervert our will until we make choices we would never normally make. For example, broken hearts never completely mend with time. Instead, they become like infected wounds that, though they are not bleeding anymore, still painfully hurt every time they are touched. So when our spouse does something that remotely hits that sore spot, we react out of pain-not from what our spouse did, but from what someone else once did that broke our heart. This reaction often causes more pain and begins to divide our marriage, and soon we wonder how we are ever going to feel the love again when all we feel is hurt.

Or consider a life imprisoned by pornography, drugs, or alcohol. You can try with all your might to remain faithful to your spouse, but your addiction leads you to do things you hate. You know the destruction your habits are causing, but you don't know how to get free. These issues lead to our last one-eyes that fail to see reality. Broken hearts and captive lives communicate certain devastating lies-He doesn't love me. Our marriage is hopeless. These are not the truth, but they are things that people say out of pain and desperation. He does love you, but he's captive and needs help. She does love you, but her heart is broken and she needs you to be her hero right now and not deepen the wounds by abandoning her.

We try to reason away these lies by saying, If I had known she was that kind of person, I never would have married her. Well, guess what-Jesus knew you were that kind of person and that's why He came-to heal the brokenhearted, give sight to the blind, and set the cap-

tives free, and in so doing prepare for Himself a pure and spotless bride.

We have all been part of the problem, but He came to be the solution. Whatever difficulty you are facing in your marriage right now, there is hope. Turn to Jesus today and ask Him to do in your marriage what He has promised.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

You are God and You can do all things! I need a miracle in my marriage. Please heal our broken hearts, set us free, and help us to see true reality. Please make our marriage all You desire it to be!

Amen