1. Make certain that you are properly prepared.
2. Make certain that you are emotionally healthy and have no secrets.
3. Make certain that you have a clear mission and purpose in life.

It is painfully obvious, from the tragic failure rate among marriages, that most people who enter into marriage simply are not ready. This is a fixable problem ... for anyone who cares enough to do what needs to be done. It is largely a matter of understanding why marriages fail and then taking the appropriate precautions to avoid those pitfalls.

Before you begin to seek and pursue someone to be your one and only true love for the rest of your life, invest some serious time in self-examination. Consider the causes of failed marriages, some of which are listed below.

• Lack of adequate maturity.
• Lack of emotional stability.
• Lack of convictions (not having genuine faith).
• Lack of commitment.
• Lack of compatibility.
• Lack of a clear sense of mission and purpose in life.
• Self-centeredness, self-will, and a never-ending pursuit of self-interests, self-determination, and self-gratification.
• Failure to ask, answer, and get trustworthy answers to all the right questions before entering into a relationship.
• Failure to follow a sensible plan for conflict resolution.

You are not ready to ask all the probing questions that you need to ask of someone else until you have honestly answered all of those same questions about yourself.

Ask yourself: Are you mature, freely available, and ready to commit yourself to a permanent marriage relationship for the rest of your life?

If you have never been married before, are you mature enough and settled enough in your life that you are truly ready to make a permanent commitment? If you have any doubts or reservations at all ... then you are not ready. Marriage is not an experiment to be conducted by trial and error. It should never be a revolving door.

If you are a victim of a failed marriage, then you have very serious issues to resolve. If you have initiated a divorce, then you must make certain that your action was unarguably warranted and based on indisputable justification. There are only three justifiable reasons for initiating a divorce.

Ask yourself: Are you emotionally healthy ... and have no secrets? If you have any unresolved issues in your life, then you are not ready. Get yourself ready physically, emotionally, and spiritually before you pursue a mate.

Ask yourself: Do you have a clear sense of mission and purpose in your life? If you do not know very clearly where you are headed with your own life, then you are not ready to build a life together with someone else.

A Practical Problem Preventative

Answer all the Questions in the book   True Love Never Fails.

Then ask two or more people who have known you very well for several years for their candid appraisal of your answers: a parent, family member, pastor, or a wise and mature close friend.