The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has advised Christian couples never to allow spiritual responsibilities to replace conjugal duties to each other.

Adeboye advised while speaking about the importance of maintaining romance in marriages.

In a lengthy post on his X handle, Adeboye shared that he and his wife, Foluke, still nurture their love with pet names whenever they are alone, emphasising that “anointing does not reduce romance.”

He said, “The fact that you are a Christian does not in any way take romance out of your marriage. Marriage is the only institution where romance and intimacy is allowed between a man and a woman.

“Some pastors hardly go on dates with their spouses because they consider such a romantic activity as a distraction from their focus on spiritual matters. Some of them don’t even play with their spouses anymore.

“Beloved, the anointing does not reduce the need for romance in marriage. Isaac was an anointed man of God and a successful businessman, yet in Genesis 26:8, the Bible says he was being romantic with his wife: And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

“Don’t become too rigid in your marriage; don’t have more fun elsewhere without your spouse. Make the times that you and your spouse spend together so much fun that you are always looking forward to seeing each other again.

“If you are married, remember how you used to talk for long hours with your spouse before you got married and had children; revive that relationship again.

“Your spouse is still the same fellow you were very fond of, and the things you loved in him or her are still there. Don’t let all the cares of this life distract you from the gems in your spouse. Once in a while, compose a poem for your spouse and read it to him or her in a romantic setting. “Spice things up with pleasant surprises every now and then. Write a note and put it in his or her bag so that when they get to the office and open their bag, they will see the note and smile. Have a pet name that you call each other behind closed doors.

“Up until today, there is a pet name my wife calls me when we are alone. I equally have a pet name that I call her, and every time I call her by that name, she cannot but smile at me lovingly. When we are alone, we are lovers, not Daddy G.O and Mummy G.O. Your marriage can be like heaven on earth if you and your spouse are deliberate about remaining the lovebirds that you were when you first got married.

“Don’t let the romance die. KEY POINT One of the ways to ensure that your marriage remains like heaven on earth is to keep the romance alive.”