* A stable home situation
• Marriage was never intended to be a reform school! One who marries another with the hope of "correcting" problem behavior is courting a disastrous future. What could not be changed before marriage is not likely to change at all. This should especially be taken seriously in those instances where alcohol, drugs, or immorality are involved.
• Couples who marry "in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:39) have the potential for a much better relationship than those outside of Christ.
Billy Graham advises: "The home only fulfills its true purpose when it is Godcontrolled. Leave Jesus Christ out of your home and it loses its meaning. But take Christ into your heart and the life of your family, and He will transform your home."
Helping Strategy
1. Commend the inquirer for seeking advice about a forthcoming marriage. Share the following Scriptures: "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him'" (Genesis 2:18). "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22).
2. Advise that in order to have God's presence and guidance in life and marriage, one must commit one's life to Jesus Christ. Share "Steps to Peace with God," page 11.
3. Encourage the inquirer to take a firm stand for Jesus Christ, whether previously a Christian or having just received Christ. He or she should also begin to read and study God's Word, to pray about all matters, and to become involved in a Bible-teaching church. All these things will deeply enrich life, enabling the prospective bride or groom to offer much more to the marriage.
4. When the individual marries, be sure that it is "in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:39). "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).
5. Before the marriage, the inquirer can improve its chances of success by:
A. Seeking God's blessing and control over his or her own life and that
of the partner.