Read this....Devotion in marriage

Is your marriage thriving, or just surviving
Do you feel that you and your husband are passing ships in the
night, hardly speaking, living as two instead of one

Unfortunately many marriages can be described in that way.
After the vows are spoken, Satan starts pulling tricks out of his bag.
Jobs, money, mortgages, cars, children, daycare, in-laws, and a myriad
of other life challenges and temptations can quickly take their toll
on a loving relationship.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their actions
not only brought the fall of man, but also introduced sin into the
marriage relationship.
Satan can be disguised in many ways, and it is sometimes
difficult to recognize his intervention in our marriages. Consider
this verse "When Adam and Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good
for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining
wisdom, they took some and ate it." they were deceived into thinking
that the fruit was good, healthy food for the body, pleasing,
desirable, and giving wisdom. These descriptions of the fruit all
sounded great, so the enemy was able to trick him into thinking sin
was good. In actuality, Adam and Eve purposely sinned by consuming the
fruit, thinking it was good, but did not purposely bring sin into the
world. The devil used something good to deceive them and ultimately
bring their demise.

Many times our marriages fall prey to this same trickery of
Satan. Dishonesty, infidelity, and pornography are usually the first
things that come to mind when we think of sin in a marriage. Satan,
however, has many less obvious tricks up his sleeve. Satan can
deceitfully and gradually introduce into our lives new things that
seem innocent and good at first, just like a little piece of fruit,
but they end up bringing us harm and despair instead.

One of Satan's most powerful tricks is busyness. Often people
get caught up in the captivity of activity, and feel they need to be
busy in order to be productive and successful. Sometimes this busyness
may cause us to lose focus on our marriages. Satan rejoices when we
push our needs aside to put our children's needs or life needs first.
He jumps for joy when we are too tired at night to be intimate with
our spouse, causing friction in the relationship. Children, careers,
families, in-laws, money, friends, and even ministry work are all
great things. However, if we aren't careful, Satan can use what is
meant for good to damage our marriage relationships by making husbands
or wife's feel like they have taken the back seat in their loved one's
live. God desires that we balance the good things with the right things.

Inadvertent neglect of a spouse is the key that opens the door
for Satan to pounce into our lives. Our spouse (husband or wife) need
love, respect, understanding, kindness , our time and devotion. Are
you willing to put aside your own agenda and give your spouse some
special time today?

Give her a word of thanks, speak words of kindness, show that
you appreciate her, a massage, fix her breakfast in bed, take the kids
a way so she can relax, buy her flowers, or send her a love note to
work. Random acts of kindness and love can have a magnificent impact
on your relationship with your spouse. And if your spouse feels like
number one in your life, your relationship will surely thrive!

Prayer: Dear Lord, Help me recognize when Satan is using his
tricks to affect my relationship with my spouse (husband or wife).
Forgive me for not making my spouse a priority in my marriage and
treasuring our sacred covenant together. Please bless my marriage and
wrap your arms around my family and I, and create in us a desire for a
godly marriage. Amen.

Power Verse:
"In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is
man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is
born of woman. But everything comes from God. "However, each one of
you also must love his wife as he loves himself