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Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
I was recently telling my husband that as Christians who claim to have God as our father and are willing to obey his instructions, we should be able to enjoy our marriages and be the envy of many. Our marriages should attract unbelievers to God, but this rarely happens and, in most cases, our marriages, and our conduct towards our spouses, drive unbelievers far away from God.
I like the movie ‘Fireproof’, it is amazing how couples disregard the little things that makes a great marriage. Our pride and ego easily gets in the way and if we do not have spiritually matured people to counsel us, we will destroy good marriages.
Watch ‘Fireproof’ and ‘divorce proof’ your marriage today by taking small simple steps.
- Obedience To God’s Word Is Key To A Successful Marriage
Jesus said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
Luke 6:46
Like in other areas of life, most Christians fail or live below what God expects of us because we do not do the things Jesus, or the word of God says. We complicate life thinking complicating things is what makes a Christian spiritual. I disagree with that. I hate complicated things. I prefer things to be simple, fun and progressing not complicated, frustrating and unproductive.
Our Christian journey and specifically our marriage is a life-long journey, ‘till death do us part’ it is a marathon not a sprint. It is neither for the faint hearted nor for the immature in spirit because marriage is spiritual. It requires a lot of prayers, sacrifices and the leading of the Holy Spirit for it to work.
Treating marriage as a physical short sprint will bring unnecessary heartache, stress, pressure and many other negative consequences which will eventually dissolve the union. Marriage is greater than just the husband and wife because it involves God.
Let’s take a look at Ephesians 5:22-33, where the bible compares marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church. Isn’t it amazing that Paul (who never married) speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit urges wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives? Paul goes on to compare the marriage relationship with that of Christ and the Church and concludes that ‘this is a great mystery’.
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 5:22:33
Yes, this is a common scripture and so many times when we hear or read it we don’t take the time to really hear God, we assume we know and are already practicing it, and that is pride. If a husband and wife will obey these words in the bible and continue playing their role by the grace of God, I believe many marriages will be saved.
However, when we allow our human nature to rule instead of our spirit, we bring destruction not only to ourselves but also to our spouses, the marriage and our children. We have to continually fast and pray so that we will continue to walk in the spirit and not fulfil the desires of the flesh.
Marriage and the Christian life in general is a battle ground, we cannot sleep when they are bullets flying around. Let’s put on the whole armour of God and fight the good fight of faith, Jehovah Nissi is our banner and has already given us victory.
Just look at the volume of words in Ephesians 5 above and compare what is required of wives to that of husbands. Wives represent the church while husbands represent Christ. There is no way the church has done, will ever do more than what Christ will do or has done already for the church.
It is so immature for Christian wives to think they are the same as their Christian husbands and so disrespect them or try to take up their role to prove to them that they are equal. Yes both are born again and filled with God’s Spirit, yet each is required to play a unique role towards a specific goal in fulfilling their God-given purpose.
God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit are one, yet scripture let us understand that Jesus did not come to earth to do his own will but the will of God.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:38
Though equal to God, Jesus did not take the opportunity to display that equality on earth but yielded to God the father in all things including being a servant. We are encouraged to have this same attitude of Christ.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
As Christians, we have a far better covenant through the blood of Jesus. Jesus took away all the struggles and pain that we were meant to go through and nailed them to the cross. He did all that for us so that when we believe in him and accept him into our lives, we do not have any debt to pay because Jesus paid it all.
We do not have to struggle in our marriages or break our homes and our children’s future. If only men and women, husbands and wives will obey God’s word just as it is, we will see many good days in our marriages.
If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land.
Isaiah 1:19
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: Read the blessings of obedience here
Deuteronomy 28:1-2
There are many blessing in obeying God’s word, the opposite is also true for disobeying God. Are you not seeing God’s blessings in your life even though you have been ‘serving’ him faithfully?
Is your marriage at the point of breaking, or are you struggling with the marital bliss and freedom that God intended for you?
Take a moment to think about what God is saying in which ever area you are struggling with, and pray for the grace to have the mind of Christ and to obey God’s word so that you can also enjoy his blessings.
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22
God wants us to be rich in all we do, in our marriage, work, studies, parenting, finances, health etc. Obedience is the key to unlocking God’s blessings. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Unity among couples and with God is also key.
Stay in God’s love and stay married until Jesus returns. Yes it is possible.
Share your experiences and any advice you have with us all to keep learning.
Related products to go with the ‘fireproof’ movie
