As we look at Christ’s ministry, we see that His goal in every encounter was to effect change that would result in abundant life. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus declared: The Spirit of the Lord upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor.
You cannot provide adequate scriptural counsel if you have not been born-again as detailed in John chapter 3. As a believer, your mind is renewed so you can understand the things of God that unbelievers cannot comprehend. You are then empowered to counsel with the ability of the mind of Christ.
This establishes that the interchange is not just to be a discussion of various options or opinions on an issue. Express your reliance upon the power of God, and expect that power to be manifested as you counsel. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, because what you see or hear on the surface may not be the real problem.
Marriage is a relationship between man and woman intended by God to be a monogamous joining, intended to be a permanent bond in which many needs are satisfied - the need to love and be loved, the need for deep friendship, for sharing, for companionship, for sexual satisfaction, for children, the need to escape loneliness.