6 Ways to Refresh Spiritual Intimacy in Your Marriage
In the event that you are one of the numerous spouses and wives who want a deeper closeness with your mate, yet aren’t certain where to begin or what moves to make, let me recommend a few tips for you here:
1. Don’t Expect Immediate Change
It is exceptionally uncommon for a relationship to move from lacking spirituality to strong growth overnight. It takes sustaining and pruning over the long haul to have a beautiful garden; in the same way, it requires some serious energy and time to develop to profound closeness. Thus, a great spot to begin is by planting the seeds of spiritual growth.
2. Pray For Your Spouse
This is a simple suggestion and one that is easy to start, yet one that numerous couples neglect. Please note that I’m not discussing hours of prayer here, but simply a daily time to pray to God for your companion and your relationship. Paul’s recommendation to Timothy was to “teach yourself with the end goal of piety” (I Timothy 4:7). As you figure out how to give your relationship to God and begin praying to God for one another every day, you’ll be creating a powerful discipline and propensity in your home. Pray to God for your life partner’s necessities and look for God’s will for how you can serve your companion. Indeed this one basic demonstration of every day prayer to God for your mate will make a difference.
3. Pray Together
If your spouse is interested in it, pray together every day. If your spouse is not profoundly inspired, then keep praying to God and do it at a supper or an alternate time that appears to be less scary. I know one couple who began praying together consistently with the wife basically saying, “God, thank you for our sustenance. Thank you for the kids. Thank you for my husband, Jack. Help us to be a God-respecting couple. So be it.”
One day, following quite a while of that request to God, Jack said, “Let me pray, as well.” He said, “God, I’m really not much of a prayer, however I agree with Janet, and a debt of gratitude is in order regarding Janet’s heart for you. So be it, once more.” After a while the children got included as well. Following a year Jack and Janet were feeling better praying together.
I accept this is genuine: “Couples who pray together, stay together.”
4. Worship Together Regularly
A characteristic piece of becoming together profoundly is worshipping together. Shockingly, a few couples don’t have the benefit of worshipping together. Maybe one works or simply won’t go to church. This is an area to continue your quest to God; search for ways to discover significance together when you can.
I know of a spouse who consented to go to church with his wife once a month. As opposed to annoying or censuring about the other three weeks, she made a major ordeal out of that one morning a month by serving fun food and transforming it into a pleasurable occasion. Within a year he was going most Sundays.
5. Create Regular Spiritual Growth Time Together
It isn’t anything but difficult to teach yourselves as a couple to concentrate on your most spiritual sense of being. Despite the fact that couples talk about this subject, they may have struggled with this during their time of marriage. Perused books together as well as Bible study booklets. Listen to CDs and viewed features together on spiritual development. Attempt to have an every day time and a week after week time to concentrate on your spiritual development. It may take time and testing before you discover what suits you both. Don’t get disappointed. Continue attempting.
6. Develop a Plan
When a couple is living with the same set of blueprints, they do so much better. As you begin to grow stronger spiritually as a couple, you’ll want to create your own. The plan has to work for you and for your situation. I know couples who have taken a five-hour solo/Sabbath time regularly to rest, pray, read inspirational literature, hike, and the come back together to talk about their experience. Another couple I know plans two marriage-focused retreats together a year. Sometimes they go away and have read books together, listened to audio programs, or follow a Bible study booklet. At other times, they attend a marriage retreat or conference with other couples.
Part of your plan might include reading one spiritually-focused book a year, and then set aside time to discuss the book as a couple. Or, you might choose to read one book a year on a marriage topic. The choices are almost limitless. Although, I’ve said it before, let me say it again, your task is to find what works for you both as a couple.
Spiritual growth and intimacy is like anything else. It takes time and commitment. It is more about training than trying, and just like the Scripture says, you will reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7-8). Don’t shortchange yourself or your spouse by not focusing on spiritual intimacy. At the end of your life you won’t be focused on your IRA retirement plan, the kind of house you live in, or what your bank account looks like. You will be interested in a right relationship with God and a right relationship with your loved ones. Why not start focusing on the really important things sooner rather than later?
As seen on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Brenda Luther is a Professional Christian Life Coach with an Advanced Certificate in Christian Life Coaching and a Diploma in Christian Life Coaching. She is also a member of the Life Care Team at The Summit Church in Kernersville, NC and a member of AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors). 
