How To Start and Maintain A Godly Marital Relationship.

Tweet 1. Work on each others spiritual lives and agree on issues.

2. Lay a solid foundation for effective communication. Distance is no barrier to a sound communication. Infact, you may live together and experience a bad flow of communication.

3. Family size: this may sound too early in courtship but very important. Agree on the number of children you would want to have irrespective of their sex (God determines that).

4. Finance in the home: many couples do not agree on a joint/common purse. Both of you must choose the best way to run your finance in such a way that there will be no loop holes.

5. Unveil family backgrounds and your past lifestyles, this must be done prayerfully and with wisdom in case there is an unpleasant story about one of the party. Ensure there is no skeleton in your cupboard before you get married to each other. If you love each other, you would stay together- love covers multitude of sin (Prov. 10:12)

6. Constantly appreciate one another and voice it out. You will find it easy to correct one another when you constantly commend each other.

7. Start to take decisions together. For example where to live or settle down, ask for counsel from the other party and so on.

8. During courtship, identify the weaknesses or errors of the other party and lovingly correct them but bear in mind that you do not have the power to change anyone. Speak at the right time, be sensitive.

9. Do not worship your partner. It is not a do or die affair. You must be mindful that anything can happen as you go on. Let your mind be stayed on God. (Isaiah 26:3)

10. Do not expect too much from the other, realize that you are not in relationship with angel and even, angels fall into error and are judged by God.

11. Be yourself and do not be hypocritical let your man see you without your make-up atimes. Do not pretend to be what you are not.

12. Be a good listener, talk less and listen more.

13. Do not be over-spiritual, there are some issues that you need only the common senses to tackle.

14. Think on how to make the other person better.

15. Do not build your relationship based on valuables but on values.

16. Settle issues or misunderstandings immediately. Be sensitive about the timing and wisely present your case to the other.

17. Be responsible. You can delegate duties but you cannot delegate responsibilities. Be careful if he or she only showers you with gifts or money at detriment of his or her family members.

18. Avoid sin consciousness. If you are too conscious about sin, you are at risk (e.g. touch not, taste not etc.). Do not create any atmosphere for sin but know your limit and set your boundary.

19. Avoid assumptions. Be clear about every issues before you jump into conclusions.

20. Do not do things as if you are married already. Wait for your time. For example, avoid living together before marriage.

21. Do not compare him or her with either parents, sibling or past affairs. See him or her as a different entity.

22. Say NO in courtship to things you do not want in marriage. Do not try to patch up your relationship for the fear of loosing him or her.

23. Be ready to stand through hard times or challenges together. Realize that greater challenges will rise in marriage.