2 Powerful Weapons in the Fight for Your Marriage - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - December 3

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2 Powerful Weapons in the Fight for Your Marriage
By: Amanda Idleman

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. - James 5:13

Life is filled with highs and lows. Navigating the ups and downs of life as a couple can be a challenge. Thankfully, God’s Word gives us some insight on how to approach our hardships and our joy. God doesn’t leave us on our own in either season. In our marriage there is no struggle He isn’t present for or celebration He doesn’t know about.

I know the enemy wants to sell us the lie that when we are in conflict with our spouse, we are utterly alone. Hopelessness is the devil’s best way to keep you from pushing through the struggles you face in your marriage. He loves to whisper the lie that says your marriage will never change. This is precisely why the Bible instructs us to turn to God in prayer when we suffer.

1. Pray When the Days Are Hard

The reality is that you are never alone in your marriage, even when you and your spouse are at odds with one another. The fact is that no one can change without the help of Jesus in their lives. Prayer fights the lies of the enemy over your marriage! Crying out to God in hardship is one of the best ways to be reminded that you are never alone. Acknowledging that you need God’s help and power is a vital first step in seeing change begin to happen in your life.

When your marriage suffers, bring it to Jesus. Bring all the frustration, desperation, loneliness, or anger. He is not repelled by honesty. He already knows the state of our lives and hearts. You will not offend God with your sin, in fact, when we struggle, He pleads with us saying please come to me first. He died to take away your sin and pain!

2. Praise When the Days Are Light

Another weapon we can use to fight for our marriages is gratitude. Let’s not forget about the happy moments. God is good and He created marriage because through it we can experience many of the greatest joys of our lives. Our response should be one of praise when we get the privilege to walk through joyful times in our married life.

Remembering to praise God can be an easy detail to forget! Often times we take the good for granted and only turn to God in hardship. God invites us back to Him in both the ups and downs. Praise Him on your honeymoon, on your summer vacation, when you welcome children into your home, on sweet dates; whatever the joy give glory back to God!

It’s our ability to see God in the good that prepares us for the bad. If we don’t have the ability to notice God’s grace, provision, and kindness when it is right in front of our faces, how then will we recognize it when life is heavy? We need that ledger available in our minds of all the ways God has already come through for us to lean on when doubt, worry, or suffering enters our lives.

What kind of season do you face now in your marriage? Are you barely keeping it together or are you loving every minute of life? Either way, God is there and He wants you to look to Him in each and every season of life brings your way. Ultimately, He is our key for a godly marriage that lasts a lifetime.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd

Related Resource: The Five Languages of Apology, with Dr. Gary Chapman

In this insightful episode, Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn sit down with Dr. Gary Chapman, renowned author of The Five Love Languages and The Five Languages of Apology. Together, they explore how understanding both love and apology languages can radically improve relationships. Dr. Chapman unpacks the five core ways people express and receive love—and explains how offering sincere, well-matched apologies can be just as vital to healing and connection. The conversation highlights the power of empathy, emotional communication, and forgiveness in maintaining strong, healthy relationships. Whether you're married, dating, or simply want to love others well, this episode offers powerful tools to deepen your relational bonds. Like what you hear? Be sure to follow I Wish You Could Hear This on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

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Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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2 Powerful Weapons in the Fight for Your Marriage - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - December 3

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Updated Crosswalk Couples Devotional Header

2 Powerful Weapons in the Fight for Your Marriage
By: Amanda Idleman

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. - James 5:13

Life is filled with highs and lows. Navigating the ups and downs of life as a couple can be a challenge. Thankfully, God’s Word gives us some insight on how to approach our hardships and our joy. God doesn’t leave us on our own in either season. In our marriage there is no struggle He isn’t present for or celebration He doesn’t know about.

I know the enemy wants to sell us the lie that when we are in conflict with our spouse, we are utterly alone. Hopelessness is the devil’s best way to keep you from pushing through the struggles you face in your marriage. He loves to whisper the lie that says your marriage will never change. This is precisely why the Bible instructs us to turn to God in prayer when we suffer.

1. Pray When the Days Are Hard

The reality is that you are never alone in your marriage, even when you and your spouse are at odds with one another. The fact is that no one can change without the help of Jesus in their lives. Prayer fights the lies of the enemy over your marriage! Crying out to God in hardship is one of the best ways to be reminded that you are never alone. Acknowledging that you need God’s help and power is a vital first step in seeing change begin to happen in your life.

When your marriage suffers, bring it to Jesus. Bring all the frustration, desperation, loneliness, or anger. He is not repelled by honesty. He already knows the state of our lives and hearts. You will not offend God with your sin, in fact, when we struggle, He pleads with us saying please come to me first. He died to take away your sin and pain!

2. Praise When the Days Are Light

Another weapon we can use to fight for our marriages is gratitude. Let’s not forget about the happy moments. God is good and He created marriage because through it we can experience many of the greatest joys of our lives. Our response should be one of praise when we get the privilege to walk through joyful times in our married life.

Remembering to praise God can be an easy detail to forget! Often times we take the good for granted and only turn to God in hardship. God invites us back to Him in both the ups and downs. Praise Him on your honeymoon, on your summer vacation, when you welcome children into your home, on sweet dates; whatever the joy give glory back to God!

It’s our ability to see God in the good that prepares us for the bad. If we don’t have the ability to notice God’s grace, provision, and kindness when it is right in front of our faces, how then will we recognize it when life is heavy? We need that ledger available in our minds of all the ways God has already come through for us to lean on when doubt, worry, or suffering enters our lives.

What kind of season do you face now in your marriage? Are you barely keeping it together or are you loving every minute of life? Either way, God is there and He wants you to look to Him in each and every season of life brings your way. Ultimately, He is our key for a godly marriage that lasts a lifetime.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd

Related Resource: The Five Languages of Apology, with Dr. Gary Chapman

In this insightful episode, Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn sit down with Dr. Gary Chapman, renowned author of The Five Love Languages and The Five Languages of Apology. Together, they explore how understanding both love and apology languages can radically improve relationships. Dr. Chapman unpacks the five core ways people express and receive love—and explains how offering sincere, well-matched apologies can be just as vital to healing and connection. The conversation highlights the power of empathy, emotional communication, and forgiveness in maintaining strong, healthy relationships. Whether you're married, dating, or simply want to love others well, this episode offers powerful tools to deepen your relational bonds. Like what you hear? Be sure to follow I Wish You Could Hear This on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

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