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Wife, Is Your Marriage Hurting?
by Penny Raine
Let’s begin by meditating on these Scriptures: “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God”
(Romans 15:17).
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible,
but not with God; all things are possible with God’” (Mark
10:27).
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what
we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
“We live by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but
only what is helpful for building others up according to their
needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
Okay sisters, this is going to hurt—growing always does. Are you
ready? Let’s begin by praying, “Lord open our hearts, and let us
hear from You.” Let us do as the Word says and “examine
ourselves.”
Let me first tell you about our family. We have been married
since 1986, and have eight children. All of our children, who
are old enough to understand, are saved. Yet, even those too
little to make a choice are already serving the Lord, singing
praises to Him constantly.
My husband is a full time minister who spends hours daily in the
presence of Jesus. However it was not always so. In the past
there was much sin, many “good” reasons to give up for both of
us. Yet, Jesus carried us through, and He can for you also—and
He will if you will stand strong.
There is much divorce in my husband’s family—for some people it
is a way of life. At many times I am sure he also has considered
it but, for me, it was never an option. I knew the day we
married I was making a commitment to Jesus—it was like I was
marrying Him. He showed me plain and clear that to walk away
from my husband would also be walking away from Him.
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In Genesis 2 the Lord gave Eve to Adam to be his helper. It was
not the other way around. As wives, we are to support our
husbands in what God has called them to do. Yes the Lord gives
us a ministry also, but it begins as a part of what the Lord
gives him.
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I was also determined that I would have a husband and family
that served the Lord. Could I do such a thing? Could I make this
happen? No, but I believed Jesus could. I finally made a
serious, forever commitment to serving the Lord. Not long after,
my husband followed.
The real journey however was learning to be a Godly wife. The
Lord showed me clearly one day that He gave me a husband so
opposite of myself because my flesh is so opposite of Him, and
He said I needed to learn how to conform. As wives we must learn
how to submit. When we rebel, we are not only rebelling against
our husbands we are rebelling against God! How can we expect the
Lord to hear our prayers and change our situation if we are
openly sinning by rebelling?
I know what you’re saying—I have heard it all—but you are
denying the Lord if you think He isn’t big enough to change
things. Your husband is not the only thing that needs changing
either. Can you honestly look in the mirror and tell Jesus that
you have always been the perfect wife? So let’s begin by
repenting so that He can begin to heal and change things.
Now, let’s look at those excuses, and compare them with the
Word.
Excuse #1 He’s not saved. I don’t have to submit to him.” Look
at these Scriptures—Ephesians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:18-19, 1
Peter 3:1-2. Not one of these says “If he is following the Lord”
—try again.
Excuse #2 “I’m not happy.” Jesus knows better than you what
brings you happiness. See Romans 15:17.
Excuse #3 “He is abusive.” Check yourself first. Do you always
respond properly or do you add to the problem. See Proverbs
15:1.
Excuse #4 “He’s not the man I want him to be.” How much do you
pray for him? See Matthew 21:21-22.
Excuse #5 “Me and Jesus have it all worked out. It’s okay with
Him.” God says, “I hate divorce.” See Malachi 2:16 and also 1
John 4:1.
Excuse #6 “I can’t forgive him for what he’s done.” You have to.
See Matthew 6:14.
Excuse #7 “I’m hurting, I can’t do this anymore.” No, but Jesus
can! See 2 Corinthians 4:16.
Remember that your identity—your strength, your fulfillment,
your everything that is worthwhile—comes from your relationship
with Jesus.
Forget the me, me, me and look at Him, Him, Him (Jesus).
The enemy knew what he was doing when he brought on the woman’s
movement. He has succeeded in putting women in bondage all under
the name of freedom.
In bondage to what, you say? .... (This
article does not appear in it's entirety. To read the full
article, you can order the back issue of an An Encouraging Word
titled, "Sisters ~ Working Together, Walking Together", Issue
#46. Order from our back issue pages here
or write to An Encouraging Word, P.O. Box 374 Covert, MI 49043)
About the author: Penny Raine is honored to be a wife and homeschooling mother
of eight children. She is the author of a forthcoming book
titled Parenting By The Word and is the publisher of the monthly
email newsletter, “Handfuls On Purpose, Ruth 2.” For more
information, you may write: P.O. Box 671, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464.
This article was published in
An Encouraging Word issue #46, and may not be reprinted or
distributed in any form without express written consent from the
publisher. All Rights Reserved.
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