Rewrite: A Marriage Devotional by Vance K. JacksonSample

Bitterness Is A Process. 

Let Love become the foundation and framework of your marriage. Let His Grace, Peace, Wisdom, and Patience flow through the ground of your family. Choose to handle the heart of your spouse with grace, peace, wisdom, love, and mercy. Let your words and actions be seasoned with His Grace and Understanding.

When you surrender your marriage to God, every aspect of your marriage belongs to Him. Let the fruit of your marriage reflect the Heart and Character of God, both in private and in public. Choose to surrender to the True and Living King, and let your marriage reflect Christ in every season of your life.

When you choose to meditate on the hurt, pain, and the offense of the past, bitterness will linger within the borders of your house and it will harden the soil of your heart. Choose to forgive. Choose to create an environment of peace. Choose to create an environment of forgiveness. Choose to create an environment of love. 

When bitterness and offense pollutes the ground of your marriage, it serves as a hindrance that blocks the flow of God’s Peace from thriving within its borders. When bitterness settles within the heart of your home, it blocks the flow of good, constant, and Godly communication between you and your spouse.

Bitterness will pervert your marital covenant. Bitterness will harden your heart and block effective communication. Bitterness blocks breakthrough and limits your relationship’s potential. Bitterness will keep you enslaved to the offense or transgression of the past. Choose to forgive and keep moving forward.

Forgive Freely. Choose to forgive frequently. When you forgive your spouse, it will release you from the bondage of the past. Forgiveness establishes the atmosphere for breakthrough. 

When the ground of your heart is cleansed from the bondage, pain, hurt, and offense of the past, your marriage is able to heal and function as God intended. Walk in love and let God rewrite your marriage.

“And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.”Ephesians 5:2 AMPC

Love sends up a sweet fragrance to God. Forgiveness has a fragrance. Selflessness has a fragrance. What’s the fragrance of your marriage? Marriage is selfless. A Godly marriage sends up a sweet fragrance to God that’s pleasing to Him. Choose to reflect His Love and Character in every aspect of your life. Choose to pattern the heart and character of your marriage after Christ.

Ephesians 5:2 NLT declares, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Let God rewrite every aspect of your marriage. Surrender your heart to God and let Him breathe into the very heart and foundation of your family.

Couple’s Prayer

Father God, in the Name of Jesus, we thank You for our marriage. Father, we surrender our hearts to You. Father, we surrender our lives to You.

Father God, in the Name of Jesus, we thank You for covering us and shielding us from the attacks of the enemy. Father, we stand in agreement and declare that through Your Son, Jesus Christ, we are made whole. Father, we declare that our family has a new generational bloodline through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Father, we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe that He died for our sin and rose from the grave. Father, forgive us for our sin. Father, we forgive each other. Father, we forgive others that have wronged us. Father, we surrender to You.

Father, we give our lives to You. Lord, we give our hearts to You. Father, we give our marriage to You. Rewrite our story. Lord, rewrite our marriage and let our lives give You glory. Father, lead us. Father, strengthen us. We surrender to You now and forever.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.