Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by Richard (Dick) Innes of ACTS International.

Monday, September 26, 2016

"Listen to wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord."¹

"My wife is leaving me," one man said to me, "what can I do?" My gut response (which I kept to myself) was, "Why didn't you come to me at least five years sooner?"

I tried to assure this man that if he and his wife both genuinely wanted to save their marriage, there were no guarantees, but with wise counsel, deep honesty, courage, hard work and God's help, they undoubtedly could. Both, however, need to be totally committed to saving their marriage, confront their own personal issues and stop playing the blame game, for in every conflict there are always two contributing to it in one way or another.

One way to keep a marriage healthy is to see and treat problem symptoms when they first appear. If these symptoms are the fruit of a deeper root, which they often are, they won't go away of themselves. The longer we leave symptoms untreated the deeper their roots go and the stronger they become.

If there are things in your marriage or in other areas of your life that bother you, it is wise to seek competent guidance from a qualified counselor right away. Don't put it off any longer. Make that appointment you know you need to make—today.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to recognize any negative symptoms in my life which, if left unattended and ignored, in time could harm or even destroy my closest relationships—including my relationship to You. And as I diligently seek the help I need, please lead me to the best help to meet my need. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 22:17-19 (TLB/NLT).

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