Free Making Marriage Work by Joyce Meyer

To do this we are to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the power that we need to build godly marriages and relationships.
    In earlier chapters, I pointed out that marriage is more than a legal institution that binds the property accumulated by two people to an equal right of ownership. Marriage is a promise of companionship and provision for the needs between two people. Marriage is symbolic of God’s promise and provision to us. Therefore, to keep the promise of marriage, we need to be full of God’s Spirit. We need to let God empower us with His faithfulness and selflessness so that we can attend to the needs of our spouses.
    God will fill us with His Own nature. John the Baptist taught that after we are baptized with water, Jesus would come and baptize us with the Holy Ghost and with fire. (Matthew 3:6,11.) As I began studying the Word, I read about this baptism of the Holy Ghost, and because of my ever-increasing desire to have more of God in my life, I asked God for this experience.
    Jesus said in Acts 1:5-8 that we would receive power, ability, efficiency, and might when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. This power would cause us to be a witness to Jesus. The book of Acts shows several occasions when the disciples had the power to do what seemed impossible when the Holy Spirit came upon them. When we believe in Christ, His Spirit comes to live in us, but the baptism of the Spirit comes upon us to empower us with the ability to live the Christian life and serve God according to His will.
    Many couples try to have a Christian marriage by following the laws of God’s Word to generate love, but they need a “Spirit-filled” marriage where love generates the laws that operate between them. When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we have the power and strength to love the way He does.
    When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we have the power and strength to love the way He does.
    As I share in my book entitled
The Most Important Decision You’ll Ever Make
, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in my car in February 1976, as a sovereign move of the Lord in my life. I had cried out to God asking for more of Him. I said, “God, there has to be more to Christianity than I am experiencing.” I wanted victory over my problems, and I did not have it. I had been a Christian for many years prior to this time, but my life was still full of frustration and unhappiness.
    That same evening, Jesus baptized me in the Holy Spirit. I did not speak in tongues right away as the accounts in the book of Acts mention, primarily because I knew nothing about such things at that time. It probably would have frightened me since I had never had teaching on it, but I did receive much power, ability, determination, and understanding from that point on. During the next several weeks, God led me to radio programs and books where I learned more about the baptism in the Spirit.
    Later, I learned that the gift of tongues is given to believers as a prayer language to communicate with God and to edify and improve oneself. If teaching about the baptism of the Holy Spirit is new to you, I encourage you to read the Scripture references that I added at the end of the book. You can read about the purpose of tongues in I Corinthians 14:1-4. If you are struggling with your life, your marriage, and you need power, ability, strength, and miracles in your life and have never asked God to baptize you with His Spirit, I encourage you to stop and pray now. I include information on how to do this in the appendix of this book.
    If you have received your prayer language, then praying in the Spirit is much more effective than counting to ten before you speak. But if you will at least ask the Holy Spirit to give you the right words when expressing your heart to your spouse, you will see His power begin to make positive changes in your marriage. He will give you wisdom on how to deal with the conflicts that threaten your unity, and show you ways to build up your love for