Jesus, make it clear to me that no matter how bad my marriage issues have become, I can still help it turn around. Show me that as long as ONE of us is willing to accept the fact that we need help, they can get help from You. Your Biblical principles in this study are extremely powerful. Teach me that they are different from the principles I am used to; so, as long as I am willing to change my philosophies for life, you can start healing our marriage. Help me see that if I am willing to be the one, then You can make me an example for my marriage partner.

Jesus, I have ideas that I have believed all my life about marriage and life in general; but, like everyone else in this world, they are failing my partner and me. I have based my marriage philosophies on other marriages, I have thought it through and developed conclusions that won’t work in my particular marriage relationship. I have adopted certain techniques for addressing and solving the problems in my marriage; but, like so many marriages, I have found that those systems aren’t working.

Jesus, show me that it is at the point where I have exhausted all of my marriage developing and problem solving methods that I start losing confidence in the MARRIAGE. Often I’m not losing confidence in my system; I am losing confidence in the marriage. But, help me see that if I don’t know how to resolve issues, problems, and conflicts, nothing positive is going to happen to stop the struggles. With a bad set of marriage principles, the bad things that are happening in the relationship will continue to happen, get worse, and do more damage. This confuses and frustrates me; I feel like there is no hope for it EVER getting better.

Jesus, help me realize that I haven’t tried EVERYTHING. You have methods and philosophies that have worked on millions of other people. I haven’t run out of options; I have just run out of MY options. Show me that I can tap into Your options and start taking my marriage relationship to a whole new level. You don’t just help my marriage with PROBLEMS, You bring love, joy, happiness, unity, and friendship into the marriage relationship.

Jesus, help me understand that a lot of the time it doesn’t happen that both spouses are ready and willing to reach out for help. Usually one of them has to not only take the first step, they typically have to take a lot of steps first. Show me that it really doesn’t matter whether it is the husband or the wife. It doesn’t matter whether it is a dominate personality or a recessive one. It can be an outgoing partner or a shy one. It can be the one who is causing the most problems or the one not causing hardly any problems. As long as You can get me to give You my cooperation, You can work all kinds of miracles in the relationship.

Jesus, help me see that You won’t force anyone to start living better in their marriage. But, if You can enter into the marriage through one spouse, You can bring health and healing to a marriage. Show me that there have actually been many cases where neither individual in the marrage was being cooperative. However, You were able to use a cooperative friend or relative to bring the couple into the solutions to their issues. But eventually, help me understand that one of the spouses has to see the benefits and start cooperating with You.

Jesus, help me realize that when I try to help my spouse, I won’t be able to help them. Teach me that a lot of the time, a spouse who is seeing success in their life will start thinking THEY know how to help another person. But, help me remember; I am NOT bringing about the results in my own life, You are! My spouse’s personal problems are being caused by issues that need Your supernatural work. Teach me that the first step to getting my spouse help is to lead them to You. It isn’t until my spouse is a Christian that You will be able to help them.

Jesus, make it clear to me that the objective is to help my spouse see the benefits of Christianity. It isn’t my goal to try to get them to pray a sinner’s prayer BEFORE they understand why they need Jesus. It is vital that they understand what You are doing in my life that is changing me. Once they can see HOW MUCH they need the things You are doing for me, THEN they can pray a sincere prayer asking You to be a part of their life. Thank You for providing me with the steps for leading my spouse into Christianity. But, help me always keep in mind that this is NOT to be used until I feel they REALLY understand and desire to be born again.

Jesus, teach me that even though You have intense desires to bless and help everyone, You will never take away the God-give free will of a person. You watch people make all kinds of horrible mistakes that You could save them from, if they would only come to You for help. But, You still refuse to push them into doing things they don’t want to do. Help me constantly realize that my spouse has been given a God-given free will just like He has me. Help me always honor that free will by not trying to push, force, demand, create feelings of guilt, or use threats.

Jesus, teach me that through these studies and prayers You will be giving me some incredible solutions that will work in any relationship; but, they can’t be forced on me or my spouse. However, show me that I won’t need to try to force my spouse; You have a way of helping me and my spouse without using bad techniques to do it. Help me see a way to help with the situation by living a life that will be very enjoyable for me and for them. Help me understand that I have the right to help my spouse see the BENEFITS of Your methods.

Jesus, help me make it a major goal to learn a way of life that brings great happiness to ME. Then, as I start experiencing that life, I can start allowing it to BENEFIT my spouse. All I need to do is keep looking to You for better and better ways of living Your powerful and dynamic concepts around my spouse. As they experience the new me, it helps them want what I have.

Jesus, show me that the one thing that means the most to my spouse is what is working for me. If they experience changes in me that they like, they stand a much greater chance of freely accepting them for themselves. Teach me that the way Your plan works for me and blesses me will cause me to become a wonderful, fun, loving, and pleasant person to my partner.

Jesus, help me become much more excited about life and my marriage relationship. Show me how to have an exciting life and relationship with You that gives me real joy and happiness. Teach me principles that heal my heart and shape my life so I can deal with all the issues I face. Make my positive attitudes, emotions, and actions be a blessing to my partner.

Jesus, help me see that another thing that will help my spouse be willing to learn those things I am accepting, is the way I treat them. Help me change their mind by me doing things that let them see what You have to offer; help me see how powerful a message this is. Help me learn a wonderful way to react to every situation I and my spouse go through.

Jesus, teach me that while kindness is a very important part of Christianity, me not letting my spouse get by with certain things is also vital. If my marriage partner sees You making me a doormat or a pushover, they aren’t going to want what I have. Teach me that love in a marriage not only improves one person in that marriage, it actually helps both partners grow in their people skills. Help me learn how to give and how to lovingly resist; help me be able to yield to my marriage partner and also know how to respectfully say no.

Jesus, use the principle of: “do to others what you would have them do to you (Mat 7:12).” He also empowers you to apply the principle: “Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31).” Help me be able to love my spouse AS MYSELF. Since neither of us want to be taken advantage of, since both of us want fairness, honesty, loyalty, justice, and love for ourselves, help me bring that into our relationship. If my partner tries to abuse me or take advantage of me, help me LOVINGLY let them know that Christianity isn’t like that. Help me do my best to met their needs; but, also help me understand that they must demonstrate trustworthiness, respect, appreciation, fairness, and honesty in their relationship with me.