Text: 1Peter 3:1-9
MEMORY:1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1Pet.3:7)

Today, we shall start looking at different types of intimacy which may be experienced in marriage. The first and probably the most important to you as a child of God is spiritual intimacy. Spiritual intimacy in marriage may be referred to as closeness between husband and wife in matters of faith. It is about being in the word together, praying for each other and worshipping together. When a couple believes that the word of God is the nourishment to their souls(Matt.4:4; Deut.8:3), and are on the same spiritual diet, their growth pattern will be in the same direction and bring about unity of purpose in other areas of life. Consequently, spiritual intimacy is the most foundational intimacy which goes a long way to determine the level of the other forms of intimacy. Once spiritual intimacy is high, it may be easy to work on the other types of intimacy.
Spiritual intimacy does not just happen in a marriage, it has to be consistently worked upon.
At the core of spiritual intimacy is the genuineness of the conversion of the partners in the union. It may be sometimes easy to pretend as if one is converted when actually you are just paying lip service to walking with God. When the partners are genuinely in the faith and are being fed with the same spiritual diet, then they are on the same page spiritually. It is very important for you to note that even as you are growing in the faith, you must be genuinely interested in, and encourage the spiritual growth of your spouse because whatever level you reach in the faith, a spouse that did not grow may bring you down from it.
If as a family you pray together, the tendency is high that when challenges of life come, you will demonstrate your reliance on your God that you so much believe in. When as a couple you worship that same God and you are committed to Him, when challenges come, you are likely to refer to what He will want you to do in the situation at hand. Also, when the level of spiritual intimacy is high, you and your spouse are very likely to run away from anything that may tamper with the standards of God for marriage. Consequently, if you are desirous of having intimacy in your marriage, it may be wise to ensure that your level of spiritual intimacy grows as it has the potential to affect others positively.

DISCUSSION POINTS WITH YOUR SPOUSE
• What steps can we take towards being more spiritually intimate?

PRAYER
Father, help us in our home that your word shall be our guide in all areas of life in Jesus’ name.


QUOTABLE QUOTE
ONCE THERE IS SPIRITUAL INTIMACY BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE, EVERY OTHER FORM OF INTIMACY WILL EASILY OPERATE. – Dr. Mike Oluniyi