WIFE

 “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Wisely

Interceding 

Fiercely 

Extravagant 

    The cultural significance of home and family cannot fully be addressed, understood, and applied without defining, exploring and putting into practice the god given roles of husbands and wives. We are in a critical situation because we redefine or ignore God’s design. Right now our minds are all swimming in the sea of possible directions this message could go. Some of us have checked out thinking, “Here we go again!” Others are sitting on the edge of our seats with expectation thinking, “Preach it!” Let’s all just take a moment, set those thoughts aside, and allow Scripture to speak.

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:16-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Marriage and family are a gift from the Lord. Women and men are opposite halves of the same coin. It requires both in submission to God and each other to make the relationship work. There is enough external pressure to crush the relationship. Unity from within is what is needed for the relationship to flourish and survive.

““Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:4-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Perception is a contributing factor to the breakdown of marriages. We do not see ourselves in the roles God has given us. Husbands neglect their roles and wives abandon theirs. Nothing works without prayer and intercession.

“Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭85:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Women and men have differing gifts. These gifts are complementary not combative, and have the potential to form a bond that cannot be broken. But, when these gifts are misused, forced out of balance or ignored they leave an undeniable wake of destruction. To harness the synergy of these gifts, we need to identify the real enemy. 

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Husbands, to discover the treasure within your wife, show her the love that Christ has shown you. Give her the freedom to wisely intercede and be fiercely extravagant in her role. The women of Proverbs 31 can be the wife God has allowed you to find.

“Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31:10-12, 25-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬