Summary:

God wants you to operate your relationships according to His system instead of the world's system. Marriage is a covenant relationship that, when established God's way, will be blessed
and help you accomplish God's will in the earth.

1. Relationships are bridges that can get you to the next level in your life.
   1. Don't operate your relationships according to the world's system.
      1. Seek God's way of doing things and a godly relationship will be added to your life (Matthew 6:31-33).
   2. Don't avoid new relationships because of bad relationships in the past.
      1. Don't live in fear.
      2. Learn from the bad relationships as well as the good ones.
      3. Learn how to have relationships God's way.
         
         
2. One of the most important relationships is the marital relationship.
   1. Do not feel condemned if your marriage has ended in divorce.
   2. Although God hates divorce, there are exceptions for it.
      1. Adultery and abuse are two good reasons to end a marriage.
         1. God does not want you to stay in an abusive or adulterous marriage.
         2. Abusive marriages do not honor God.
      2. If your spouse is an unbeliever, he or she is allowed to leave (1 Corinthians 7:15).
         
         
3. Husbands and wives should focus on fulfilling their roles according to the Word of God so that the marriage functions properly (Ephesians 5:21-33).
   1. Husbands and wives are to submit to one another because it is right in God's sight.
   2. Submission means getting under and supporting the mission of another person.
   3. The biggest change you can make in any relationship is within yourself.
   4. The husband is the head of the wife.
      1. To be the head does not mean controlling, abusing or dominating your wife.
      2. The controlling person actually has no control over his or her emotions.
      3. Headship is leadership.
         1. Maintain your headship while at the same time involving your wife in the decision-making process.
      4. Men must guard against an Ahab spirit that lets the wife take the role as the head.
      5. The husband's first responsibility in the home is to be the spiritual leader.
         1. A real man is developed in the love of God.
         2. Fathers should raise their sons to know how to walk in love and forgiveness.
         3. Fathers should take their daughters out regularly and spend time with them so that they know how they should be treated by a man.
   5. A woman's number one need is security.
      1. If a husband provides his wife with everything she needs, she will feel secure.
      2. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.
         1. A husband's unconditional love for his wife will change what needs to be changed in her.
         2. There is nothing your wife does that should make you stop loving her.

Scripture References:

• Matthew 6:31-33
• 1 Corinthians 7:15
• Ephesians 5:21-33