EQUIPPING YOUR MARRIAGE FOR THE END TIMES

2 Timothy 3:1-9 tells us what we are seeing in this generation as a result of selfishness; "But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of selfcontrol [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them. 6 For among them are those who worm their way into homes and captivate morally weak and spiritually -dwarfed women weighed down by [the burden of their] sins, easily swayed by various impulses, 7 always learning and listening to anybody who will teach them, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres [the court magicians of Egypt] opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, unqualified and worthless [as teachers] in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their meaningless nonsense and ignorance will become obvious to everyone, as was that of Jannes and Jambres. - AMP"

We must understand that this is the spirit that is in the world, but God has put His spirit in us to overcome the tendency to give in to selfishness. Jannes and Jambres were Pharaohs magicians that counterfeited many of the miracles that Moses performed before Pharaoh, until they could no longer counterfeit the miracles and Pharaoh finally let Israel go. There are also many counterfeits in the world we are living in that will try to steal our attention and make it seem like living according to the word of God is not necessary. This is the same lie that the devil told Eve in the Garden of Eden, but just like then the consequences of sin/ selfishness are exactly the opposite of what they look like. It looks like life and a good time, but it leads to sin and death. The lie of selfishness is that you can do whatever you want to without consideration of others, whether it be your spouse, parents, children, etc… However, the consequences will ultimately leave you lonely, lost, unhappy, etc… The answer is to follow the way of love, God's unconditional love. In order to equip your marriage for the end times you will have to get the revelation of the unconditional love of God and walk in it and study it. 2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV says; " Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." So Charity and I began to study what the word of God says about a godly marriage. We knew that we had to equip ourselves in the word of God. We had to become doers of the word and not just hearers; James 1:22 NKJV, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." We prayed together because we had to build a hedge around our relationship just like our opening text says in Ephesians 6:10-20. We had to put on the whole armor of God so that we would be able to stand against the enemy's attacks. Remember you have to put it on. You know God gave you the armor, but you will have to put it on yourself. You will have to equip your relationship in the word of God. You will have to apply the word of God to every situation. For every problem in your relationship there is a solution in the word of God. You have to do the research, you have to pray and ask God to reveal it to you in His word, and then you have to submit to God and do it. That is one of the problems today, we don't study the word of God, but God is still the same today yesterday and forever, Hebrews 13:8 NKJV says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." You need to get into His presence and find the answer, and most of the time it is because we failed to yield to the spirit of God.

There will be road blocks in your relationship, but just because there is a road block that doesn't mean that you cannot pass, you just have to investi