Today wewill be looking at the topic “Ten ways to show respect to yourselves in marriage”
Against contrary opinions, respect in marriage is mutual. People are of the opinion that respect for the husbands is a big deal. Yes, it is. Just as men do not want to be disrespected in private or public, so also women need a dose of respect.
Men can readily tell what a bruised ego is and in this part of the world. an average man will not tolerate to be disrespected in any form, method, shape or size. In other to have a relationship that is healthy and mutually beneficial, respect has to be mutual.
Some of us don’t even know when we are being disrespected. The gospel of men dominance has been preached for so long that women feel they are not worth much. that they are just worthless, less than good, helpless, weaker vessels.
Contrary wise, women have tremendous strength, ability, knowledge, wisdom and great dexterity. It takes great strength to be a mother and give birth to a child, to keep a home, multitask, submit to your husband and stay married. All these take great strength.
But if we are going to have a healthy marriage relationship we would know that submission to one another in the fear of God is essential. A man not submitted to Christ is a difficult man and hard to submit to.
This is not teaching or telling wives not to submit to their husbands. It is addressing that fact that marriage is meant to be mutually beneficial to both the husband and the wife.
Tomorrow, I will show us practical ways we can submit to one another in marriage.
God bless our marriages.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am submitted to my spouse.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, teach me how to submit to my own spouse.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Ephesians 5:21(KJV) Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
I will be concludingon this topic “When God is your husband” this morning.
It really takes a lot God being our husbands. When God, the Lord of host becomes our husbands and we truely have a revelation of what it means, it will affect every area of our lives.
God is the most important being on earth and in heaven. When He becomes our God, we have access to everything. Our needs are met emotionally, spiritually and physically. We are not in lack of anything.
When we put our trust in God as our husband and don’t put all our trust and hope in our husband to meet all our needs, we please God.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7 – 8 KJV
The Bible promises us that when we catch the revelation of God as our husband, He sees to it that we are like trees planted by the river, and our leaves will never fade or wither.
For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. Isaiah 54:5 – 6 KJV
When God is your husband, despite what your husband does or doesn’t do, God promises;
1. Never to leave you nor forsake you.
Heb 13:5b for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
We have God’s assuring presence 24/7. In thick and in thin. He is not like men whose promises are shakky.
2. Whatever you ask will be done.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7 KJV
God promises us that He as the Lord of host and the God of the whole earth, that nothing shall be impossible for him to do for us if we ask Him.
3. No condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1 KJV
As our husband, God will never condemn us even when we make mistakes or fall into temptation or fall short of His grace.
Whereas our earthly husband will abuse us, criticise us, judge us or speak harshly to us, He will not judge us. He will receive us in love.
4. My peace I give to you.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV
Being married to God, we have assurance of peace. In whatever troubles of life, whatever situation or circumstance, we have access to peace. Whatever trouble our husband may give us, God says we should not worry because He has overcome the world, we should be of good cheer.
5. God will not lie to us.
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2 KJV
God will always tell us the truth. He’s not the type of husband that lies. He is sincerely sincere. He has 100℅ integrity. He never deceives us but speaks the truth to us. And thankfully, His truth are gracious. He tells the truth of who He has made us.
It is good we meditate on all these about God being our husband. It will take the pressure off our husbands. It will remove stress and unnecessary hurt from our lives.
The devil wants to use some husbands to break their wives all in the attempt of them not to be able to fulfill their roles of their helper.
When God takes His responsibility as our husband, He fills us with joy unspeakable full of glory whatever the case maybe. He makes us joyful wives because our supply of strength comes from Him.
I hope you were blessed.
God bless your marriage.
CONFESSION FOR TODAY My God is my husband
PRAYER FOR TODAY Pray that you will experience the love of God
THOUGHT FOR TODAY Isa 54:5 (TLB) for your Creator will be your “husband.” The Lord Almighty is his name; he is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.
ACTION PLAN FOR TODAY Study the bible reading for the day
Every wife should get to a point where no matter how loving and romantic and cordial they are with their spouse, they still give God his place. God deserves the first place in our lives and He wants to have all of our heart, mind, energy, and best of our beings. God is a jealous God and He will not share His glory with any other man, not even our husbands.
Our husbands, no matter how they love, if they cannot love us like Jesus, they cannot die for us. That’s why Jesus is the lover of our souls. He alone can love deeply and extravagantly.
If our husbands are godly, God will reveal to them how to love and treat us. But that also depends on how well they can receive from the Lord. Our spouses at the very best are still ‘human’. They are not given to meet all our needs. They can only try. God wants our attention, focus, love and worship.
You cannot beg to be loved. Rather look to God to meet your deepest emotional needs.
Most spouses don’t even understand their wives. We are so wired differently. So sometimes, they are not being wicked, they don’t just have a clue on how to love us the right way. That’s when God steps in. He wants to meet all our emotional, spiritual, social, physical needs. He knows us because He created us.
There some of our needs that we don’t even understand or can articulate in the right way or with the right words, making it difficult for even our husbands to try and meet. So take the frustration off your husband and off your marriage. Let your spouse do what he can do and allow God do what He can and wants to do.
Don’t let your esteem or self-worth come solely from your spouse. Your self-worth should come from God. You are very special to God. You worth so much to Him. You are Royalty. You are the apple of His eyes. God will bat an eye lid to protect you.
For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou was refused, saith thy God. Isaiah 54:5 – 6 KJV
The scripture in Isa 54:5 is telling us that thy Maker is thy Husband. God is speaking to us what it is. God is not just trying to be our husband or writing an application to be our husbands. We have to receive these words, believe it and walk in the light of it. We have to mediate on it so much until it becomes real to our hearts.
God is saying we are Mrs God! What a privilege! We are not just His princesses, we are married to Him. He is our maker. He understands us. He knows our wiring because He put them there. He knows what words to speak to us par time.
We are married to the Almighty, all powerful, the wealthiest on the earth and in heaven. Hallelujah! It’s so comforting and refreshing to know. God finds you so lovely, flawless and gorgeous.
So other women are being treated harshly by their husbands. They are oppressed, bullied and abused. God wants you to shift your focus from the hurt you are experiencing. Give that hurt to God your husband. He knows how to fix it. God is introducing Himself as the Lord of hosts. He has hosts to deploy to rescue you. You are Royalty, her Royal Majesty.
Never forget that. Find a way to always remind yourself that. I wear a tiny chain around my neck to remind me I am royalty. I am loved by God.
I will get into what it means to have God as your husband tomorrow by God’s grace.
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR TODAY My God is my husband
PRAYER FOR TODAY Pray that you will experience the love of God
THOUGHT FOR TODAY Isa 54:5 (TLB)for your Creator will be your “husband.” The Lord Almighty is his name; he is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.
ACTION PLAN FOR TODAY Study the bible reading for the day
There are differenttypes, kinds, shades, and forms of trouble in life and of course, in marriage. Some of these troubles we face in marriage are due to our carelessness most of the time. While others are the devil wanting to stir up issues.
Whichever way, God has told us of how to handle troubles in His word.
I must admit that there are some troubles or challenges that are so bigger than us. There is no way we can come out of then successfully without God intervening.
King David even though he was God’s beloved Psalmist, faced different situations way bigger and stronger than he. The good news is that God brought him over them all.
At whatever season in our marriage, when trouble comes, not if they come, because they will surely come, if we are believers, we are assured victory.
Some challenges are spiritual and must be dealt with by engaging in spiritual warfare. Whether they are in-law issues, financial, child birth, barrenness, betrayal, infidelity issues, health issues or we just noticed some resistance on our way, or there are constant quarrels between us as couples that really has no basis, or any other attack on our marriage, it calls for spiritual warfare.
That is the time we should deal with and take charge of whatever trouble or strange oppressive spirit from the devil that wants to destroy our marriages.
We must know how to intercede for our marriage more than anything else. We fight on our knees.
The bible says
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:3 – 5 KJV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 KJV
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 KJV
Our major work is to bind the wrong spirit behind such issues and loose the power of God. We come against the different spirits causing troubles for us and not allow us to enjoy peace, love and joy in our marriage.
Some problems are not with the 3rd party but within spouses. You have to learn to take charge and exercise authority over such anti-peace, anti-unity spirit. All they are after is to cause division, disunity, distress and fight in the marriage.
Also, praying for the eyes of the understanding of the other party is important.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:17 – 18 KJV
By the time you have engaged in spiritual warfare, God promised us victory over every trouble. The victory may not come the way we want. But victory is sure and peace will be restored into our marriage
God bless our marriage
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am not a careless spouse. I engage in battle for my family.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Oh Lord, open the eyes of my understanding.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 KJV
Women geteasily hurt. And the husbands may not even be aware that they are hurt because their needs are miles apart.
Those are the times a husband asks his wife, “what is wrong?” She simply answers “Nothing!”She says nothing because she doesn’t feel good explaining that something so little gets her upset. Or she knows if she tries to explain, the husband might end up making her look like an idiot. So she keeps quiet.
What are examples of those little things that could upset your wife?
Here we go.
1. Don’t do things that make her uncomfortable sexually. Don’t embarrass her and don’t compare her with some past escapades.
2. Don’t ignore her when it comes to making important of financial decisions. Don’t leave her in the dark, keeping her guessing all the time.
3. Don’t compare her with others especially when it has to do with her appearance, weight or hairdo. Don’t go out of your way to appreciate and dote on other women while you completely ignore her.
4. Don’t do things that you have disallowed her from doing, making her feel like a little child who cannot think for herself.
5. Don’t ignore her when she is emotionally down or physically tired. Don’t say things like, “I am tired of you. When you get out of your nasty moods, let me know!”
6. Don’t hug and embrace other ladies endlessly while you don’t even hold her hands in public. Go out of your way and offer some PDA! Public Display of Affection!
7. Don’t leave her alone to do all the house chores while still expecting her to be an amazon in bed later in the night. That would be insensitive.
8. Don’t make her do all the pornographic antics and gymnastics you could have watched in the past, and then making her feel she is frigid if she couldn’t do such. Rather appreciate her for not having a dirty mind and understand that most things you watched were acted by professional prostitutes and men of depraved mind!
9. Don’t watch football all day and all night while refusing to let her watch her favorite programs. Don’t make her look like an idiot for her preference of programs. Join her to watch sometimes, and encourage her to join you as well.
10. Don’t forget or deliberately ignore her special days like birthdays and other anniversaries. That will hurt her. Rather go out of your way to set notifications so that you can surprise her on those special days.
May God grant more understanding
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am good spouse
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, bless our marriage
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 5:18 (KJV) Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
