Preaching to your cheating spouse is dangerous. You can end up shutting the door of hope to reconciliation without realizing it. Although you may want to make them feel guilty or ‘see’ the error of their ways, it is important to realize that you are not their Holy Spirit. Bringing in the ‘spiritual’ dimension has to be approached with caution, since it is easy to abuse spiritual matters and Bible bash your spouse or its alternative, which is ‘avoid the bash with the Bible’.
I have seen spouses ream out their partner and then run into another room and pick up a Bible. When the enraged spouse comes into the room, they play innocent, claiming “I was just reading my Bible”, when the reality is that they initiated a fight and aggravated a situation prior to that.
Applying principles from Scripture is good, yet quoting Scripture can start fights and create resentments when not handled correctly. You spouse will first need to believe that you have their best interest at heart and the message will need to be delivered in love. When delivered out of anger, condemnation or with another attitude, it will backfire. Preaching and quoting verses are often powerful and can bring healing or destruction depending on the attitude it was delivered with. What you want to tell them may be spot on, yet if your attitude is anything less than loving, it is best avoided until your attitude changes.
You also need to consider if you are the one who should be the messenger. If you are not a person qualified to deliver the message, it will bring destruction.
I like to see marriages healed, yet know that when mishandled, preaching can destroy your marriage.
Best Regards,
Jeffrey Murrah
