Preparing

for

MARRIAGE

God’s Way

Preparing

for

MARRIAGE

God’s Way

Preparing

for

MARRIAGE

God’s Way

Lesson 5

The Most Important Relationship in Your Relationship

Good marriages are built on commitment — to God and His plan, to the priority and permanence of the marriage, and to helping each other grow. When you don’t feel like loving, serving, or working through a problem, the only real source of strength to keep going is a deep and vital relationship with Jesus Christ.

This session will help you evaluate and grow your own relationship with God, explore where you and your partner are alike and different spiritually, and start building a plan for spiritual growth together. Start with the Spiritual Convictions Questionnaire, then work through Your Prayer Life and Your Bible Reading or Bible Study Practice.

This page is only for the person filling it out — your partner will complete their own copy separately.

Full Name

Spiritual Convictions Questionnaire

Finish each sentence below in your own words — two or three thoughts is plenty.

1. God is:

2. Jesus Christ is (describe who you think He is, what He has done, what He is doing now, what place He has in your life, what He means to you, etc.)

3. My relationship to God and His Son Jesus Christ is (describe the kind of relationship you have with God and how important it is — be specific)

4. A Christian is:

5. I know that I am (or am not) a Christian because:

6. The Bible is (describe what you think it is, what it means to you, what place it has in your life, how you use it, etc.)

7. Sin is:

8. My chief sins are:

9. When I sin, I (describe how you handle sin, what you feel when you sin, what you do after you sin)

10. I feel guilty when:

11. I pray (when, how, why, what for, etc.)

12. My chief goals in life are:

13. I want (or do not want) to attend and be involved in church (answer “how” and “why”)

14. I believe fellowship with other Christians is (define what it is, what it involves, how important it is, and how it can be developed)

15. I am promoting my spiritual growth and the spiritual growth of my partner by:

16. My partner and I differ in spiritual matters (when, how, over what, etc.)

17. The changes I would like to make in my own spiritual life are:

18. The changes I would like my partner to make spiritually are:

Review your answers. Are there any you’d like to change, or any you don’t know the answer to? What did you learn about yourself and your partner? What changes do you need to make in light of this study?

Your Prayer Life

1. How would you characterize your prayer life?

2. Briefly state your reasons for answering question 1 as you did.

3. How important do you consider prayer in the Christian life?

Your Rating

4. How important is prayer in your actual practice?

Your Rating

5. If your prayer life should be improved, list ways you could improve it. What hinders your prayer life, and how could those hindrances be removed?

6. When and where do you pray? List the occasions (times) and locations (places).

7. Which of these do your prayers usually include? Adoration/worship, praise, petition for yourself, for family, for friends, for missionaries, for church leaders/members, for government, for the world, confession of sin, petition for non-physical or physical needs. List the ones that apply.

8. Of those, which five usually consume most of your prayer time? Are you emphasizing what you should be?

9. Study Matthew 6:9–13 and write down everything you see about effective prayer.

10. Study Ephesians 1:15–19; 3:14–21; 6:18–20; Philippians 1:3–6, 1:9–11; Colossians 1:3–13 and list everything you see about effective prayer.

11. What personal challenges have you reached, and what changes should you make in your practice of prayer as a result of this self-analysis?

12. What can you and will you do to make sure these changes actually become a reality?

Your Bible Reading or Bible Study Practice

1. How would you characterize your Bible reading or Bible study practice?

2. Briefly state your reasons for answering question 1 as you did.

3. How important do you consider Bible reading or study in the Christian life?

Your Rating

4. How important is Bible reading or study in your actual practice?

Your Rating

5. If your Bible reading or study should be improved, list ways you could improve it. What hinders it, and how could those hindrances be removed?

6. When and where do you read or study your Bible? List the occasions (times) and locations.

7. Which of these factors are part of your Bible reading or study practice? Regularity, memorization, meditation, prayer before study, personal application, cross-references, commentaries, writing down thoughts, finding a quiet place, sharing with others, using different translations, personalization, prayer to live it out, asking others for help. List the ones that apply.

8. Study Joshua 1:8–9; Ezra 7:10; Psalm 1:1–3; 19:7–11; 119:1–11,72,82,92,116,127; Proverbs 6:20–23; Isaiah 8:19–20; John 5:39–40; 17:17; Acts 17:11; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18–25. Write down everything you see about Bible reading or study.

9. What personal challenges have you received, and what changes should you make in your Bible reading and study practice as a result of this self-evaluation?

10. What can you and will you do to make sure these changes become a reality in your practice?

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