I’m going to just cut to the chase and say it. Marriage is tough. It’s great!.. but it’s a lot of work! Growing up I was completely oblivious to the amount of work and effort my parents put into their marriage. They talk openly with me now about their ups and down, but I never noticed it on my own. They made it look so simple.

The Marriage Mask

I think that’s typical of a lot of marriages. For obvious reasons, we masque our struggles so that nobody can see into them. On the outside things look great, and most times they are, but behind closed doors, a lot of marriages face struggles that are very real. If that’s your marriage, in a nutshell, keep reading. I want to share with you some of my FAVORITE marriage resources that I use to grow and strengthen my own marriage.

For the people who don’t know this struggle, I hope it stays that way. But if the day comes that you ever need some sort of inspiration or you want to find new ways to grow together, you’ll want to check out these marriage resources too.

But before we get there I want you to ask yourself this one question.

Where’s God In All Of This?

Have you ever asked yourself that? Where is God in your marriage? Does He consume it? Or is He absent from it? I’m going to go on the record and say that a marriage without God is a marriage that is less than it could be.

When we put a relationship with God at the forefront of our marriage we are learning to give and experience love in the same way that God loves us. We are His Bride after all, and He our Bridegroom.

So if you really want to see growth and positive change in your marriage I strongly suggest you start by inviting God to invade your marriage.

And next, I would suggest you check out some of these marriage resources.

5 Marriage Resources I Absolutely Love

 

I have personally used each and every one of these resources and I love them! There’s nothing better than biblical truth for you to back your marriage on and each of these resources does just that. They pull God from the sidelines and into your marriage.

So here we go! Let’s talk resources.

1. Fierce Marriage.

I typically follow them via Facebook but they have a blog, a periscope, and a YouTube channel too; so you have a few different options for following them. What I LOVE about Fierce Marriage is simply the fact that we have a passionate husband and a passionate wife partnering together, encouraging others, being 100% transparent in all that they have endured and enjoyed together as a married couple.

And this – I love that I found this statement in their “About Me.”

“We believe that building a Christ-centered marriage requires a fierce tenacity that never gives up and never gives in; there is no Plan B. When we vowed “Till death do us part”, we meant it!”

– Ryan and Selena Frederick

2. 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

This book forever changed how I interact with my husband! For the longest time, I was stuck in the habit of trying to show my husband I love him by doing things that, had he been doing them for me, would make me feel loved. We typically show the kind of love we want to receive.

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman helped me identify how my husband best receives love and it taught me how to speak that language. I haven’t perfected it, but I’m getting better.

3. I Didn’t Want To Be That Girl by Sue A. Allen

This is an 8-week study written by Sue A. Allen. I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with her some and following her blog and let me just say, she’s an incredible writer.

This study, “I Didn’t Want To Be That Girl,” brings a whole new light and significance to the term “Bride of Christ.” We talked about, earlier, how marriage is an expressive love that is symbolic of our relationship with Christ.

4. The Word of God.

You know I can’t leave this one out, right? The Bible is like.. God’s history book. His words are in there. They are our source of wisdom. God didn’t intend for us to go through any part of our lives ill-equipped and that includes marriage. In His Word we find direction.

Genesis teaches us God’s intent for marriage and family.

1 Peter 3 teaches us how to honor our spouses in marriage and the characteristics of an honorable husband and wife.

1 Corinthians 6 & 7 teaches us about the principles of the marriage covenant.

Proverbs 31 share the characteristics of a devout Christian wife.

And the guidance isn’t limited to those verses. Take a look for yourself.

5. 40 Day Prayer & Fasting Challenge. 

I’m no expert on fasting and to be honest the fasting aspect is not why I recommend this resource. Is it powerful? Yes. But what I appreciate most about this challenge is that it teaches wives how to pray the Word over their husbands.

This challenge is perfect for wives who want to pray over their husbands but struggle with knowing what to pray.

What are some of your favorite marriage resources? What are some tips you’d give to couples looking to strengthen their relationship?