When U Pray

In our third week of the Men’s feature series we have Husband(4 years married), Author, publisher and founder of Brandon Publishing Kellen Brandon. A lot of times we focus on the women’s perspective not realizing the man has a HUGE roll to play in the success of marriage. His relationship with God is so crucial. That’s where his Faith,strength and direction come from. If he not hearing from God he may be leading you in the wrong direction. So please read as Kellen give us the man perspective on having faith in your marriage.

I have been married for almost four years now, and to believe that I have “marriage” or “faith” figured out would be nothing short of arrogance on my part. Hopefully we are all aware that I could never cover God’s entire introspect and instruction into one post. As we all should be seeking further faith, I recommend digging deep into His word for more answers and examples. I believe wholeheartedly that God has a sense of humor and often reminds me where I need growth in my life. Marriage and faith are commonly areas that need to be spurred forward. My wife and I married just four days after we were baptized into Christ. I honestly never saw myself being married to anything. So marrying a woman was something I had no desire to accomplish within my lifetime. I remember back when she seemingly forced me to go ring shopping with her. After only looking at one or two ring options, I disrespectfully dashed out of the store. Why? Because I was literally shaking with fear and empty of faith.

Yet the day I said “I do,” I could not have felt any more secure in my choice to become one with this woman. Why? Because I was faithful and certain in my relationship with God. Throughout my three months studying the Bible to be baptized, I prayed constantly about my desire to marry her. God calls us to seek counsel in order to execute plans of success (Proverbs 15:22). On September 1, 2011 (our wedding day) I couldn’t have been more confident or faithful in my counterpart.

I mention these two examples for good reason. One moment was filled with faith, developed from the practices of prayer, patience, humility, courage, and love. While the other was fueled by selfishness, waywardness, and lack of research (study). Having faith in our marriages means having foundation in God. Simple right? Well, not so much. Whenever my marriage is “struggling” it’s because one of us, or both of us, are lacking faith in God. We showcase this by the sin we allow into our lives. That sin forces us to be wayward, running in a circle, seeking the selfish desires of our own heart. These actions simultaneously cause us to avoid what marriage is all about–growth and love.

Men, God has called us to “lead” and our wives to “follow” (Ephesians 5:22-23). Yet He does not call them to follow ANYONE into hell. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45). Our “leadership” is NOT dictatorship. It’s actually submissive. We submit totally to God and our wives are able to witness. Gods word calls us to serve, having faith in His word allows us to practice service.

A faithful marriage is sound with service and selflessness. So if you’re looking for a place to get started or some foundational functions that will grow the “faith” that is so vital in your marriage. Start serving God! Which will result in serving your spouse. Soon many other wonderful gifts and insight will follow.

In this opportunity to guest blog, I truthfully wanted to carve something poetic, positive, and prosperous for others to digest. But God is not concerned with theatrics, just faith! We should be concerned with same. Having supreme faith in God means constant study, fellowship with followers (of Christ) , and application of His word into our lives. Once we do this, we will notice many of life’s items becoming more peaceful and progressive. Including our marriages, and all other things under Him. Amen.

#MoreGodLessMe