Episode 114: How to Help Your Spouse Grow in Their Faith
The great thing about birthdays is that they encourage us to pause and reflect on everything that has brought us to this point in life. Recently, Joanna celebrated her birthday, but coming soon is an even more important celebration—her spiritual birthday. This is the day that she accepted Christ as her Savior and committed to living for him.
As we remember our new birth in Jesus, we’re reminded of the many ways God uses the people around us to strengthen our faith. In marriage especially, a husband and wife can play a powerful role in nurturing one another’s walk with Christ.
However, we often hear from couples who find themselves in a difficult season—one spouse is growing in their faith while the other seems to be drifting further from God. In these situations, the spouse who is struggling may not feel comfortable praying together, may hesitate to get involved in church, or may simply prefer to keep their spiritual life private and unspoken.
We know this dynamic can be incredibly hard on both spouses in a marriage. That’s why, in this special episode, we want to take some time to encourage you and let you know how you can help your spouse move closer to God.
In this conversation, we share:
- The importance of listening first
- How we should respond to an unrepentant or resistant spouse
- Ways to encourage and strengthen our spouse’s walk with the Lord
- And more!
We hope this conversation brings you encouragement and gives you practical ways to help your spouse discover the love of God in their life.
Links:
- [BOOK] 101 Prayers for Mr. & Mrs.
- Episode 97: Building a Strong and Loving Christian Marriage—with Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn
Our Takeaways:
1) Normalize spouses being at different places in their faith. We know it can feel like red alarm bells are going off in your head if you and your spouse are not perfectly aligned in your spiritual lives. But we’re here to tell you this doesn’t have to be a sign that something is wrong. We need to normalize a husband and wife will be at different places in the growth of their faith. God will work in each of your lives in unique ways. For instance, one of you may have grown up in Sunday school while the other didn’t meet Christ until adulthood. It’s completely normal to feel different levels of comfort with how you practice your faith too. Embrace your spouse’s spiritual journey and support them in the place where God has them right now.
2) Look for opportunities to practice your faith together. Perhaps you and your spouse have fallen into a habit of practicing your faith individually, but this doesn’t mean you can’t start taking small steps to build a habit of worshiping together. This could look like asking your spouse how you can pray for them this week or if they would like to open up about some of the challenges they are facing. You might ask if you can start your mornings or end your evenings by reading a short devotional together.
3) Prayer is powerful. Whether you pray for your spouse individually or the two of you pray as a couple, God works in powerful ways in our lives when we ask Him for help. Seeking the Lord in prayer is a key part of a strong and unified marriage. Regardless of whether your spouse joins in, commit to building a habit of prayer for your marriage and your spouse. You’ll be amazed at how the Lord will show up!
