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SKILLS TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS IN MARRIAGE...
Part 7 - "Know When To Seek Counsel"

"Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but in abundance of
counselors there is victory." Proverbs 11:14 (NAS)


Welcome to our seventh and final episode of "Skills to Overcome
Problems in Marriage"! The last point I would like to touch on is the
issue of seeking counseling. Many couples wait until their
relationship is falling apart before even considering getting help.
And many more won't even consider it... Why is that??

From my own personal experience, it comes from stubborn pride and
embarrassment. We think that as Christians, we should "have it all
together" and not need help. And oftentimes police officers, having
been trained to "control the incident" for their own officer safety,
have a really hard time realizing that maybe they don't have
everything under control in their personal lives.

The bottom line is this: God did not call your husband into this line
of work for the purpose of destroying your marriage... Yet law
enforcement marriages are failing at staggering rates! When conflict
arises that you are not able to work out immediately between the two
of you, seek counsel early on before it becomes major!

Seeking counsel does not necessarily mean going to a professional
counselor. It can be as simple as talking to a good Christian female
friend about how to respond to your husband. Or the two of you
sitting down to ask advice from a Christian couple who are strong in
the Lord. It can be talking through the situation with a Chaplain or
pastor. It can be peer counseling from your church. If your marriage
has been suffering severe hardship, seek professional counseling from
someone who is pro-marriage. Don't wait!

A word of caution: Do NOT seek advice from bitter divorced people! I
have told the cops that that is like going down to the prison and
seeking legal advice from an inmate! You need to get your advice from
someone who is strong in the Lord and understands God's Word!

A second word of caution: Do NOT seek counsel from an opposite sex
friend unless your husband is with you! We'll touch on that in
another devotional, but it sets the stage for temptation, comparison,
and infidelity!

See your marriage as WORTH seeking counsel! God put people in your
lives to be a blessing and help to you. Seek them out without shame
or fear!

PRAYER: Father, your law enforcement officers and their wives have a
precious relationship that you want to see thrive! Help them to work
out their conflicts, and to seek the advice of others when they are
unable to come to a resolution quickly. Help them to see how much it
will benefit their marriage and strengthen the bond between husband
and wife! In Jesus' name, amen.
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