From the very beginning, when God first instituted marriage, He did so with certain goals in mind for the man and woman He created.  These were positive goals which were intended to bestow upon them companionship and fulfillment.  Today many marriages have fallen woefully short of what God intended. A woman who refused to get married said the following,  "I never married because there was no need. I have 3 pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog which growls every morning, a parrot which swears all afternoon and a cat that comes home late at night".  This quote reminds us that there are many people who hold a very negative view of marriage. Today more and more people are seeking to obtain companionship, emotional and sexual fulfillment in ways outside of God's guidelines.  Thus the very institution of marriage itself is under attack.  Leading the charge is man's insatiable apatite for and pursuit of sexual involvement of every kind and description. Dr. David Allen tells us, " In order for a society which is quickly falling away from the most basic institution, the rightness of a committed marital bond, to justify it's fall, the institution of marriage must be dismantled.  This militant anti-Christian attack on marriage, as ordained by God,  has infiltrated every sphere and stratum of our society. It is attacked by comedians, soap operas, and by modern militant feminism which seeks to rid itself of every maternal and wifely instinct. Marriage is under attack by those who consider it to be an antiquated piece of Victoriana which can now be dispensed with by our more enlightened and liberated age. It doesn't seem very long ago that the world once considered that when a man and woman lived together outside of marriage, they were living in sin. But so successful has been the attack on marriage as a sacred and abiding institution that such is no longer the case. Martin Luther stated in 1521, "There is no estate to which Satan is more opposed than to marriage." If ever the Christian is to combat this humanistic, atheistic and sinful attack then it is essential that Christians themselves have sound and God-glorifying marriages which are built upon a solid biblical foundation."    As a pastor of over 30 years,  I have just about seen and heard it all. I've found that much of the counseling I did with couples, revealed problems, which could have been avoided, had certain issues been addressed prior to marriage.  If you, or someone you know is about to get married, I strongly suggest this book.   This is one of the best pre-marriage gifts you can give to yourself or to a friend.