I want to encourage you about your marriage today, especially those of you who might be having some marriage issues.

Let me just be honest. Nobody has a perfect marriage. It takes work, and giving on both sides, if you are going to be successful.

Trudi and I have been married 47 years. You would think we would have this marriage thing down by now. We teach on it all the time. But we have challenges in communication sometimes. We don’t always see eye to eye. The key to 47 years of marriage? We talk things out. We deal with our issues. We don’t allow things to fester.

If you are going to make it, you have to be sensitive and open to learn what your spouse is thinking and feeling about certain things.

And there will also be attacks from the enemy. The devil is invisible, but he is real. He loves to divide couples and try to make us believe that our spouse is our problem. He wants to get us in the blame game.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden that day, they tried to hide from God. Of course, God knew where they were and approached Adam to say, “Did you eat from the tree?” Adam’s response was a classic excuse, “It was the woman that you gave me.” He blamed his wife for his trouble, and then in the height of arrogance, he blamed God!

My point is this: We all face challenges in this thing called life, but your spouse is not the real problem. And your problem is certainly not God. Don’t allow the devil to pit you against each other when the pressure comes. And it will come.

Be sincere and open about your feelings with each other. If something is bothering you about your spouse, tell them. If you mess up, tell your spouse that you’re sorry. Keep the communication lines open. Divorce happens because communication stopped somewhere – with each other and with God.

If you are at fault, ask God and your spouse to forgive you. Deal with issues when they come up, and don’t allow walls to be built between you. Keep talking – to each other and to God. Resist the lies of accusation the devil tries to sell you, and he will have to leave.