We created this 40 Day Inspired Marriage Challenge to help you grow your marriage in mind, body & spirit. We know that once you have all 3 of those areas covered that you will be able to hear God more clearly and he can then take you where he wants you to go. We know this challenge can help you!
This 40 Day Inspired Marriage Challenge may or may not be for you. Only you, your spouse and God can decide that. We ask that you and your spouse pray over this challenge before going into it. There are many resources out there to help a marriage grow and God knows which one is for you.
Also, as you go through the next 40 days, just pray each day over the challenge and let him lead you where he wants you to go.
ALWAYS ask God for direction. Do we have all of the answers? Of course not, we feel that this will help you get on the right track then it is up to you what you do. We hope that this challenge will change the direction of your marriage and your life.
We ask that you do your best to go all in on this. Because we know if you do this will change your life. After the 40 days if you feel that this isn’t what you thought then just go back to how you lived BUT we know deep down that will not happen. Once you start living a pure life in your marriage, you will love how you feel and want to keep growing.
You may also find that you already do some of the things that we talk about and that is AWESOME! Just add to it.
You may want to add more than what we have here for your life and that is great because this is between you, your spouse and God. Let him guide you here.
One last thing, you will see some of the things are very generic, that is because we know we can’t tell you what to do or read 100% because that is where God will come in. He knows your heart and knows what you need, we don’t so we keep some of this challenge open so that you can get guidance from God. As we have said, be sure to pray over this each day.
Anyone can commit to anything for 40 days right?
1) If you don’t currently have a home church then that is first order. Find a church that is bible-based that both you and your spouse can agree on and feel led to.
2) Attend every week for the next 40 days so that you can get fed God’s word from the church.
3) Tithe your 10% to the church that feeds you.
4) Read the book of Proverbs each day for 40 days. Read the chapter that corresponds to the day you are on. So if the date is the 1st then read the first chapter of Proverbs etc.. This is for wisdom, do this either with your spouse or individually. Be sure to also spend some time in the Word on where God guides the two of you! That is important too.
5) Ask God to guide you on a marriage book and both of you read at least one marriage book within this 40-day challenge! Most anyone can read a book in 40 days.
6) Sometime in the 40 days, watch this powerful 6 part sermon series by Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church called Guardrails. This is one of the most powerful series that we believe anyone can watch and always recommend watching this! To go to it click here.
7) Start praying together every day. It can be just over small things but pray together every day.
8) Work on the swearing if you do that. Try and cut that out 100% for these 40 days. Work on stopping calling each other names or accusing. Focus on the love you two share and talk about this if you must say anything. Don’t put each other down even if its in a joking way. Sometimes joking can be taken out of context and then feelings get hurt.
9) Lets pull all of the bondage stuff from your life for 40 days so that you can stay pure for this challenge. If you drink, do drugs or anything that alters your mind then stop that for 40 days. You will see God work through you more if you do this. Also, if you watch “R” rated movies especially sexual ones then back off that for 40 days. This whole part is about the bondage that happens in your mind. This will help keep your mind free as you go through the process so that you can hear God better.
10) This goes along with number 8 but don’t flirt with anyone other than your spouse. You have to change this. This is spiritually & emotionally cheating in God’s eyes. It is dishonoring God and your spouse even if you don’t see it that way. Just cut this out too for 90 days. Watch how God can bring the two of you closer together.
11) Pull your TV from your bedroom for 40 days. The bedroom should be your sanctuary. By having the TV in there and watching it in the bed, it takes from your marriage. You just need you, your spouse and God there.
12) Each day give your spouse hugs and kisses and I mean real kisses like you did back when you were dating. Love each other and tell each other each day why you are with each other. Help each other remember why you got married in the first place. Sometimes depending on your situation this may be hard at first but over time you will rekindle that passion!
Also, try to find some fun things to do through the week that you can do as a family. I am keeping this with number 12 because this kind of goes with this. Let’s bring back the fun in your family and especially marriage! When a couple has fun in their marriage and can laugh, they will grow because it makes life easier.
13) Exercise for at least 3 times a week. This can be at the gym or even just a walk around your neighborhood. If you do or can do more then that is great too. This will also help you clear your mind and help with how you feel so you can be more active in your marriage.
14) Share in some of the household chores. This is between you and your spouse. One of the things we do is she cooks and I do the dishes. We share in this together. You have to find ways to share in all things. This will help bring you closer together.
15) Take 30 minutes a day and just talk to each other. Find out what’s going on with each other. Talk about concerns or even things that are exciting. Find out the direction of your marriage and what both of you want your future to look like. This should be more than 30 minutes but we also know that if you have kids and everything then time becomes a little more difficult BUT you still have to do something so 30 minutes should be a minimum.
16) Make time for a date night each week. It doesn’t have to be about spending money. Set a time and date for the week. Like ours is always Friday night usually. But you may want to make it other other nights as well. Whatever it is, do it at least once a week. Even if its only 1 or 2 hours.
17) At least once in this challenge, go on a day trip that is within 2 hours away so that you can go visit somewhere and come back all in the same day. Go there and just explore the area. Don’t plan this trip, it takes from the adventure. Go there and just say we will drive and find anything we need. There is so much magic in that. We love our day trips that we take.
18) Sometime in the 40 days of this challenge, go and do something together that the two of you have never done before. Again this can be great to bring out the fun in your marriage.
19) Do a 40 day fast of something you like. Each of you give up something that you enjoy for 40 days. This does NOT mean sex because that would be a bad thing for a fast. This means something that you crave because it needs to be something that is not easy. It could be sweets, it could be coffee, it could be social media, it could be sodas etc.. but whatever it is, both you and your spouse give it up for 40 days for God and each other. This is to help bring your connection even stronger with God. People do fasts of all kinds all the time.
20) Last but not least, get a journal and both of you should try and journal as much as you can for the next 40 days on this challenge. This will help you keep your thoughts and your progress within your marriage.
As you can see that really wasn’t a whole lot but this will change your marriage for the better. We truly believe that. This may not be for you but that’s OK so don’t worry. You may not agree with us on this and that is also fine. We know that those who take this challenge that at the end of their 40 days will be fulfilled and feel closer to God and each other. Your journey doesn’t stop at the 40 days, this is just the starting point! Just give this 100% and you will be amazed at the difference.
Chris & Sandy Benton