Weekly Devotional
Training vs Trying
Training vs Trying God Is Training You, Not Just Asking You to Try I know firsthand how difficult it can feel to stand by your marriage, and when it gets really hard, I often hear spouses say they are “trying” really hard to hold on to hope and “trying” to have faith and be strong. Many standers, unfortunately, think their stand will be successful by just trying harder. They try harder to pray. Try harder to believe. Try harder to manage their emotions. Try harder to push through discouragement. But eventually, trying leads to exhaustion, and exhaustion leads to giving up. And can I share with you a biblical reality that many Christians are not aware of? God never designed your stand to be sustained by emotional effort and for you to “try” harder. He designed you to be strengthened through spiritual “training.” Trying is driven by urgency, pressure, and emotion. Training is intentional, consistent, and transformational. Trying carries a built-in reason to stop. “I tried,” Training asks, “What is God forming in me through this process?” Allow me to give you a very clear example. How many of you, when you stood facing your spouse saying your wedding vows, responded with the words... “I’ll try” NO!!!! You all said, “I DO!” None of you said, “I’ll try!” How would you have felt if your spouse stood before you on that day and responded to those wedding vows... “I’ll try?” This difference is critical because God is not only restoring your marriage. He is molding the person who will walk in that restoration. 1 Timothy 4:8 reminds us that physical training has some value, but godliness has value for everything, both in this life and in the life to come. God is not interested in quick emotional breakthroughs that fade away when life becomes difficult again. He is building godliness, maturity, and stability that will sustain the restoration He brings. Spiritual training begins with repetition. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that maturity comes to those whose powers of discernment are trained through constant practice. This means the same prayers, the same scriptures, the same declarations, and the same obedience repeated over time. Many standers think they need something new, but often God is strengthening them through faithful repetition of what they already know. Training also includes weight. In the natural world, weight builds strength. Spiritually, weight builds faith. When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, He did not give them a formula. Often, God increases our faith by allowing us to carry something heavier than we did before. The responsibility of believing in restoration, praying for your spouse, forgiving wounds, and persevering through waiting is not punishment. It is strengthening your spiritual capacity. Resistance is another part of training. Athletes know that resistance builds muscle. Spiritually, opposition develops endurance. Whenever doubt presses against your faith, conviction grows stronger. When discouragement challenges your hope, perseverance develops. When things don’t go your way, and true resistance is appearing, how well are you responding and growing in faith? God is not trying to defeat you through resistance. He is strengthening you through it. Allow me to conclude with some verses on this topic: Then there is endurance training. 1 Corinthians 9:24–25 reminds us that athletes train rigorously to win a prize. They discipline themselves for a temporary crown. But believers are training for something eternal. Jesus also said in Luke 6:40 that a fully trained student will become like his teacher. This means God is shaping you to reflect Christ in how you love, forgive, endure, and trust. Your stand is not meaningless waiting. It is preparation. Through repetition, weight, resistance, and endurance, God is forming a heart capable of sustaining restoration. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Growth requires process. Growth requires time. Growth requires training. And Colossians 1:29 reminds us that even when we labor and persevere, it is God’s power working within us. So please STOP trying to stand, start TRAINING to stand for your marriage! I personally know of no better training on standing for marriage restoration than the upcoming “Standing for Marriage Restoration: 5-Day Challenge” that starts March 23rd! If you truly want to grow in how much peace you have during your stand and how much faith you carry, then I ask and strongly urge you to join me for this week-long training session on how to stand for your marriage! Sign up below, don’t miss this, we only do this training event twice a year! https://standingsupernaturally.com/5daychallenge
