Founder of Peace House, Bro. Gbile Akanni has given insight into how to have a lasting and enduring marriage, while also pointing out that many marriages are collapsing because couples go about their relationships the wrong way.
He gave the insight in one of his teachings monitored online by Church Times
He said, “What must regularly work within your heart is conviction. What is that conviction?
“It is that it is the Lord who makes. If it is the Lord who said “I will make” it means that the making of your home to become what God wants it to be should be from the Lord. Both couples must never take the making of their marriage from God’s table.
“Sometimes God has made your marriage work to a point and out of excitement, you pick it from His hand and say you can continue without him. That will be the beginning of trouble in your relationship.
“No matter how wonderful your husband is, you must continue to trust Lord to “make him”. Every time you take away your eyes from the Lord, your marriage sinks”
Emphasising the statement, “I will make”, Akanni said, “Our expectation should be first from God and not our spouse. Even when you think your husband has an obligation to you, it is important to know quietly in your heart that for him to fulfill that obligation the Lord has to make it happen.”
He said praying on issues in a relationship is not about being religious or settling a quarrel, “It is the way the manufacturer wanted it to be. When God has not worked nobody can work.
“When God has not convicted a person of something wrong he has done, if you are telling him, he will say why are you accusing me? What turns out to be a conviction when it is the Lord that says it becomes an accusation when it comes from your mouth. So the first principle in marriage is to let the maker make it by talking to Him about it.”
The Lord makes marriage work
Citing his own example, he said, “When we began, the first thing the Lord said to me is, you will not be able to achieve success in your marriage unless I do it. Talk to me to talk to her. I can imagine how cumbersome that is. But it is faster.”
Akanni said further that there are many things his wife can’t get him to stop “but she knows where to catch me and she has that remote control. And she has used it so powerfully because she connives with God to “finish me” on this side. Whatever she wants, she puts it in the hand of the person I can’t refuse.”
Both couples according to Akanni will have to recognise that they have to speak to God about their spouse before first talking to their spouse concerning any issue.
Akanni states. “God is the one that will make your wife, not your corrections. If God does not speak to her, no matter what you say, it may not make any difference. Though our relationship is horizontal with our spouse we must realise that our vertical relationship with God takes precedence.
God is closer to us than our spouse
“Though my wife and I are quite close, God is closer to my wife than I do. So it is better for my wife to talk to God on issues bothering her concerning me than for her to talk to me because I may not change until I hear from God.”
The Bible teacher said there were many instances that his wife has used her fellowship with God to make him have a change of mind even on ministry matters.
Also read: Why my marriage was delayed for four years-Gbile Akanni:https://churchtimesnigeria.net/marriage-delay-gbile-akanni/
Prayer not for intimidation
He explained however that couples don’t pray to intimidate themselves but it is “It is recognising where serious issues can take place. If is genuine it must be from there. Talking to God about your spouse is a continuous regular thing. It is a principle.
“There are things I want my wife to do that I tell God. And if God approves it, the Lord will tell her ahead of me. Issues that should have been long discussion of an argument are resolved because you have taken it to the head.”