The Bible says in John 15:13, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Jesus was telling His disciples to give up the things they wanted to do and to give of themselves to others. He said that there is no greater love than this. We can give of ourselves with prayer. We can give of ourselves with time. We can give of ourselves with love and understanding.

First, ask God for wisdom on how to respond to the individual. Sometimes, control is based on insecurity and fear. Maybe this person had something happen to him or her in the past and believes the only way to have a successful relationship is to be controlling. Or, the person may not even realize he or she is coming across as controlling.

You may never know why this person acts the way he or she does, but you can control how you respond. The Lord was very specific about how you should love people.

Although it may be difficult, do your best not to engage with your spouse’s ex. Endeavor to keep past events in the past, and avoid being drawn into your spouse’s past issues. It is a good practice to pursue peace. Prayer is a very important foundation in the success of any marriage or remarriage.

It is also your responsibility to exhibit unconditional love. Don’t speak negatively about your spouse’s ex, especially in front of the children. And be a good listener when it comes to supporting your spouse.

No matter how long you’ve been viewing pornography or how strong the addiction—Jesus wants to help you get completely free. In fact, that is why He came— to set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18).  He has the power to bring complete deliverance if you’ll let Him. You don’t have to trust in your own ability, because the yoke-destroying blood of Jesus covers every sin, every weakness and every trouble. 

The first step to be free from viewing pornography is to go to Jesus, confess your sin and receive your cleansing from all unrighteousness according to 1 John 1:9.

You should let the Spirit guide you when you begin a friendship as well as when you end it.

The basis for a close friendship should always be common faith and beliefs. A friendship will thrive when both parties are on the same life path.

When the path begins to go in different directions regarding things of faith, it may be time to seek close friendship with others. Again, this is a matter between you and the Spirit inside you. Seek His guidance.

You can’t change unlovable people. You can’t even “deal with” them. But you can develop your love until you can love them just the way they are.

Loving people—no matter how badly they act, no matter how rotten their attitude—is something you can do. And you do it by faith. You do it in the same way that you grow anything that comes by faith: You plant the seeds, water them and let God give the increase of love.

When God created man He gave him authority on the earth, which included dominion over the fish, birds and animals (Genesis 1:26-28). Likewise, Jesus has given the believer authority in the spirit realm and the empowerment to do mighty works (Matthew 16:19; Mark 16:15-18). But at no time has God ever given us dominion over other people. God did not create us to rule or control one another, nor did He create us to be ruled or controlled by other people. Jesus set the captives free (Luke 4:18)!

Jealousy is a sense of uneasiness or anxiety stemming from fear of preference being given to another, or fear of loss of position or affection.

Actually, you can’t handle jealousy. You can, however, confirm your love by acts of attention and affection and by words of admiration and appreciation. But only God can resolve jealousy in a spouse.

You can participate with Him by consistently walking in love toward your spouse. Ask the Lord to help you walk in love according to 1 Corinthians 13:

Forgiveness is a powerful principle of God. God’s Word is clear that we are to forgive, but if you are struggling to forgive someone who has wronged you, begin reading and thinking about these six scriptures. Then make the quality decision to forgive that person. Your emotional and spiritual well-being depend on it.

Ephesians 4:32: Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Marriage and the intimacy that goes along with marriage is a blessing to husbands and wives, a gift from God Himself. Yes, God made sex for procreation, but He also created it as a physical pleasure to be enjoyed as part of His plan for the marriage covenant. Sex with your spouse is something you can not only enjoy today, but something that you can look forward to becoming better and better over time as you grow closer to each other.

Assuming your spouse realizes the detrimental results of pornography use to his/her own spiritual well-being and the harm it does in his/her relationships, your responsibility is to stay in faith for your spouse.

Pornography is one of Satan's tactics to trap men and women and fulfill his ultimate intent to kill, steal and destroy lives (John 10:10).

Friendship is a precious thing. When you venture into friendship you may want to set some boundaries that will keep the relationship healthy.

When you know a friendship is developing, sit down with the new friend and honestly and openly discuss what each of you should expect for the friendship to grow.

We are often asked if a Christian can seek a divorce and if a divorced Christian can remarry. The truth about these matters is that there are no generic answers to these questions. In other words, we cannot say it is always right or always wrong for a Christian to seek a divorce, or for a divorced Christian to remarry.

It’s been said that 90 percent of conflict is rooted in misunderstanding.

If that’s the case, and it probably is, then conflict resolution is a matter of all parties sitting down and getting a good understanding of what happened!

Proverbs 13:15 says, “Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is hard.”

Good understanding and faithfulness are connected. Most conflicts arise because someone’s trust (faithfulness) has seemingly been violated.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5). That’s the key to parenting your children—regardless of their stage in life!

In other words, all your parenting should be led by the Spirit.

You will do well to recognize and respect their differences. They are not you! They will do things differently than you did. Give them the opportunity to find their own way as you trust God to guide them.

Wouldn’t it be great if our faith always produced instantly visible results? Instead of heated arguments, cold silences, constant frustration and enduring anger, our marriages were loving, kind, peaceful, joyful and mutually fulfilling? But that’s not always the case. If you’re struggling in your marriage, begin putting these principles to work today.

Trust in the Lord

Relationships are important to God. In fact, one of the first things God did was create a relationship for Adam. He gave him Eve. But as Adam soon discovered, relationships aren’t always easy. Here are some steps for improving the relationships in your life:

Examine Your Relationships