This took courage to write, and some may not like it or agree... But it's worth a shot! (warning, this post is a little lengthy so get your coffee ☕️ )

Growing up in my house I used to think that I would have to pray for many hours a day to be a good man of God. From years of watching my dad (Dr. Bill Winston, Living Word Christian Center) get up at some crazy hour of the night/morning, I thought that was normal. Now I loved God, but I had no desire to replicate that in my life. Any one who knows me knows that I like my sleep. So when God called me into full time ministry, I was nervous.. "God does this mean I have to get up at 4:00am every day???" ? I used to feel bad for months after entering into full time ministry because it was so hard for me to wake up so early for prayer and devotional time. I loved God and spending time with Him but I just felt like I was not wired to be up so early. But as I grew in God, He showed me that it's not about seeking Him the exact same way someone else does. Pursuing God in a way that speaks more to religious tradition than to authentic relationship is not God’s original plan. And that's where I get to the point of this blog post. Many Christians look at what they are not doing on a daily basis and feel bad about their walk with God. They find themselves asking is my Christianity good enough for God?..Or even good enough for others? Do I read enough of the Bible? Do I pray for long enough? Am I attending enough church services??

After years of growing up as a Christian young man in a pastoral household, to being in ministry now, God brought me to this conclusion: it's about relationship, not tradition or religion.

To have a good relationship with your spouse or significant other, one thing is absolutely necessary: the love of God! That love is unconditional and helps you love everyone else better. The key to any great marriage or relationship is to be selfless. Love gives, and that is what we should do to those who we love the most. Scroll down and you will see a prayer confession that me and my wife Niki say daily. We hope that as you pray it daily, it will help you to have an amazing relationship too!
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       We believe that we have been called together as one to fulfill God’s perfect purpose for our lives, choosing to set a new standard for Godly relationships. We let our actions be the fruit of the righteous and holy seeds we have sown, for we do not sow unto the flesh to reap corruption but we continuously sow unto the spirit (Gal 6:8).  We will walk by faith according to the fruits of the spirit, and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal 5:16).
 
         We live our relationship and marriage according to the Word of God and refuse to compromise in any area. It is our daily commitment to love, respect, trust, and cherish each other as well as continually cleanse our mind with the washing of the water with the Word (Eph 5:25-27). We make the Word of God our foundation for our commitment to each other. We choose to treat each other with kindness and gentleness, with a spirit of meekness; always respecting, admiring, and honoring one another in love. We only think on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Phil 4:8). In all we do we keep our minds and hearts fixed on God and His purpose for our lives, so he can bless our relationship.
 
         We continuously integrate the principles of care, honesty, time, and protection into our relationship daily. As we make Jesus our first love, He will help us love each other with a greater agape love than ever before. With this love we will cover each other daily, praying, bearing, and enduring ALL things (1Cor 13:4-8).  Furthermore, we will practice ALL aspects of this love described in 1 Corinthians 13. We communicate with each other out of an attitude of love and understanding. We approach each day together with an attitude of servitude toward one another, with no expectation of recompense.
 
         We constantly build each other up with prayer, exhortation, and the Word of God in order to press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God (Phil 3:14). We thank you Father God for unending unity in our commitment to each other. We remain mindful that the goal for our marriage, first and foremost, is to come together in Christ to be a more powerful force FOR the Kingdom of God. In Jesus name, Amen!