{"id":1603,"date":"2022-11-04T15:59:33","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T15:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=1603"},"modified":"2022-11-04T15:59:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T15:59:33","slug":"greg-laurie-offers-guidance-on-how-to-avoid-the-pitfalls-that-can-break-a-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2022\/11\/greg-laurie-offers-guidance-on-how-to-avoid-the-pitfalls-that-can-break-a-marriage.html","title":{"rendered":"Greg Laurie Offers Guidance On How To Avoid The Pitfalls That Can Break a Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pastor Greg Laurie \/ Youtube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship spoke to his congregation<\/a> last Sunday and spoke to the congregation about how to keep their marriages strong. Laurie has been married to his wife, Cathe, since 1974 and warned his congregation against things that can tear a marriage apart. He noted several key factors that can weaken a marriage: selfishness, \u201cdeficient communication,\u201d and adultery. When speaking about selfishness, he said, \u201cI go into the marriage thinking, \u2018marriage is going to make everything better\u2019 or \u2018this man or this woman is going to solve all of my problems, etc.\u2019 We literally think this mate of ours is going to meet all of our needs. … It\u2019s time to look in the mirror. Because in time, you might start blaming your mate for all of the problems in your marriage. But look in the mirror, and you might find that the problem is you.\u201d He referred the congregation to Ephesians 5:25, which states, \u201clove your wife as Christ loves the church, and the husband ought to love his wife as his own body, and He who loves his wife loves himself.\u201d \u201cNotice it\u2019s a given there,\u201d Laurie said. \u201cIt\u2019s not saying you need to love yourself more. It\u2019s assumed that you already love yourself. \u2026 So it\u2019s just saying love your wife as much as you love yourself. And how do you do that, men? By laying your life down for her, by putting her needs above your own.\u201d His words are very countercultural to \u201cbe the best you\u201d and \u201clive your best life\u201d self-help guides that dominate the market.<\/p>\n

In discussing what he called \u201cdeficient communication,\u201d Laurie referred to James 1:19<\/a> and said, \u201cSo, when your wife or your husband has a problem, instead of cutting them off [and] saying, \u2018I don\u2019t want to talk about it.\u2019 You need to say, \u2018alright, tell me what\u2019s troubling you.\u2019 And even if you think it\u2019s utterly ridiculous, hear them out, understand what they\u2019re saying.\u201d \u00a0He also stressed the importance of maintaining the proper tone. \u201cAvoid raising your voice. If you feel rage boiling up inside of you, you need to walk away. \u2026 You want to resolve this. Ephesians 4:31 says, \u2018get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander and all types of evil behavior. Be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God through Christ has forgiven you,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Finally, in addressing adultery, he urged his congregation against sexual temptation. \u201cIt\u2019a a mouse click away,\u201d he warned. He also acknowledged infidelity as being one area where divorce is allowed, the second being abandonment. The Institute for Family Studies found that the US divorce rate had actually hit a 50-year low<\/a> in 2019. However, the Pew Research Center<\/a> also found that a record number of American adults were unmarried. Their research showed that in 2002, 60% of adults between the ages of 18 to 44 had ever been married. From 2013-2017, that percentage dropped to 50%. Marriage is also less valued. Just 16% of men and 17% of women stated that being married was essential to live a fulfilling life. Laurie, however, has pushed for a focus on marriage for many years. In 2019, he wrote on his Twitter<\/a>, \u201cIn marriage, you have to keep your eye on the ball. That means constantly doing things to strengthen your marriage. Don\u2019t merely be reactive; be proactive. Be the best husband you can be. Be the best wife you can be. Stoke the flames of your romance. Don\u2019t neglect it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship spoke to his congregation last Sunday and spoke to the congregation about how to keep their marriages strong. Laurie has been married to his wife, Cathe, since 1974 and warned his congregation against things that can tear a marriage apart. He noted several key factors that can weaken…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":1612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGreg Laurie Offers Guidance On How To Avoid The Pitfalls That Can Break a Marriage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastor Greg Laurie offers guidance to his congregation about what can break a marriage and gives advice on how to keep your marriage strong.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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