Whether its your marriage, your team, your family, or your work environment – strength of connection determines the level of life in those relationships. In this episode Steve and Lorraine share a bit about re-calibrating your relationships for strength. We often look past indications that our relationship is at risk and find ways of managing what then becomes a dysfunction. Looking at the life of Nehemiah and sharing bits of their personal journey they give hope and encouragement for building or rebuilding strength in your relationship.
A few key thoughts from this podcast
1. Nehemiah was made aware of the seriousness of the situation in Jerusalem.
KEY – Don’t ignore or minimize what is not working or what you become aware of – don’t be afraid of the pain and loss that may surface, this is a gift to you to help move you to action. Avoiding pain is one of the primary reasons many couples (teams, churches, companies) stay in their dysfunction, until one spouse no longer has grace to stay in the dysfunction and the marriage.
2. Nehemiah responded by taking personal responsibility and asked God to intervene – He was honest with the King who then partnered with him.
He was granted Time
Sent with the King’s Authority
Access to Provision that would be needed
Provided with Protection
KEY – The enemy is going to push back…
– Stay in His grace – the empowering presence of God
– Stay in the Word – bath yourself with truth and life, declare the revealed Word of God – say the things God is saying about you and your marriage
– Focus on and celebrate what God is doing – this keeps you in a place of Hope as you are in process.
Take time to sit with the Father and ask Him these questions:
- Invite Holy Spirit to reveal to you if there are areas of your marriage/relationship that are at risk. (Where are you feeling the absence of peace and joy with your spouse/team, etc.?) Where is the strength of my relationships?
- In what ways is He asking you to take responsibility for what you may be contributing or not contributing that creates health and life in that relationship? What patterns in your life are creating dis-connects, sub-standard thinking, behaving, and living?
- Ask the Father to show you how He wants to partner with you in this.
Episode 33 will give further insight and tools for re-calibrating your relationships for health and life.