It's a shocking statistic that in this hour, more than 50 percent of the new marriages in our country are ending in divorce. This statistic appears to be about as accurate in Christian circles as in ungodly circles. I'm convinced that we can change this statistic.

God's plan for man was that He indwell the marriage, the home, and the family.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
(Gen. 1:26-28)

It is God's plan for the husband and wife to come together in agreement and take dominion and authority to stop the works of the devil and bring the earth under subjection to God's plan.

There's no stronger power of agreement on earth than in the marriage union, because in Christ, the husband and wife are one. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20).

God suggests the impact of "two in agreement" in preference to one in Deuteronomy 32:30. He says that one can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight!

It's a shocking statistic that in this hour, more than 50 percent of the new marriages in our country are ending in divorce. This statistic appears to be about as accurate in Christian circles as in ungodly circles. I'm convinced that we can change this statistic.

One of the most distressing things we're seeing in this hour is people who have been married 25 to 30 years (or more) suddenly calling it quits saying, "I don't want to live together with that person anymore."

These statistics, obviously, affect the godly seed that is produced in the marriage union.

God created the man and woman to be together to literally fill the earth with godly children. He made the man and the woman in such a way so they could reproduce after their own kind. In Genesis 1:28, God said to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it."

The godly seed, as we'll discuss in more depth later, is to play a major role today in taking dominion over the enemy and bringing the earth into subjection to God's plan.

The Sacredness of Marriage
There's a sacredness about marriage. It's called "holy matrimony" because God is to be the Third Party witness to the marriage union.

I'm sure you have attended marriage ceremonies in which the minister talked about the man and wife being "joined" together. Two people can become one flesh physically, but only God can put them together spiritually.

In the Old Testament, marriage was so holy that when a man and woman came together as husband and wife, if it was discovered that the wife had been unfaithful before marriage, she was publicly stoned to death by the people. Thank God we live in a day of grace!

In the Old Testament, God placed a sacredness over the marriage union, because He wanted it to be holy, honorable, and blessed. God hasn't changed. Marriage is still to be holy, honorable, and blessed.

Source: Building Stronger Marriagesr by Billy Joe Daugherty
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers