Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands…

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands” Eph 5:22, Col 3:18

“Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands;” 1 Peter 3:1

I want to talk to you about the chauvinistic deception of the devil.  I want to encourage you that the Word of God is true.  I want to make sure that we get it and that we don’t abuse it.

Wives are called to be submitted to their husbands.  It is the way God has set it up.  But because of abuses within the Body of Christ, because of people who were not true believers claiming to be, because of the work of the enemy through a feminist movement that sought to castrate Christ… and because of ignorance… (Ignoring the facts… rather than just not knowing them)… men are failing miserably at understanding, and so communicating to their wives exactly what this means.

This is an admonition to men to stand up and step out into the role the Lord has ordained you for.

For women, they are to read this with encouragement and relief that they are not alone… that they are protected… that they are loved.

Bear with me.  But please, hear this.  I had to digest this and I have to live it.  But I encourage all of my brothers in Christ to do the same.

Hypotassō: to arrange under, to subordinate, to put under, to be subject to

These verses are not ones of authority alone… that the women would be reigned over by their husbands… but rather of position, responsibility, and alignment. 

Insecure men will say, “Men are better, women are worse.”

Insecure women will say, “Women are better, men are worse.”

Both will say, “What makes them think they can…” or “I can do just as good a job as…”

But those who are secure in the Lord will say, “What will You have me do Lord?”

The Scriptures are clear.  And I will only focus on what they mean to men.

If your wife is to be subject unto you… if she is to be your subject… if you are to love her as Christ loved the church… what does that make you?...

…A King.  Absolutely! 

But what kind of a king will you be:  A king in the kingdom of darkness or one in the Kingdom of Light? 

In the Kingdom of God we do things differently.  

Kings are meant to lead (rule).  They are meant to serve and protect.  Their subjects are their reasons for being.  They have an obligation to them, not from them.  When the king fulfills his obligation, then the subjects love him and willingly fight in battles for him.

Our wives are our subjects.  We are to lead them, to go before them.  We are to serve them, to protect them.  

We are to love them.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” Eph 5:25

If we look at these verses and think, “She has to do as I say.”  Then we are trying to reign, not serve.

But why would God put this order?  Why would he place the man seemingly “above” the wife?  What is the point?...

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that [is] unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17

We are not only kings, but we are priests.  Priests for our households.  We watch for the souls of our wives.  We must give account before the Lord. 

Whatever we see our wives struggling with, or our children, or anyone who is under our spiritual responsibility and authority… it is our responsibility to confess it as our own and repent on behalf of them, because they are dealing with it because we didn’t!  The enemy bound us – the strongmen of our homes – and snuck it to get them.  Just as the devil snuck by Adam and got to Eve.  

We must give an account before God.  And when our wives are willingly beneath us, subject unto us… supporting us… we can do that with joy.  If not… we do it with grief and it is unprofitable.

To honor is to give what is due.  

“Likewise, ye husbands, …giving honour unto the wife, …; that your prayers be not hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7

We need to give our wives the love Jesus showed.  To protect them.  To provide for them.  To willingly lay our lives down for them.  They are our subjects.  They are the ones who make us kings.  If we don’t love them then our prayers are hindered.

Lord,

Please place it upon our hearts that we are to love, serve, protect, and pray for our wives.  Please helps us each day to take responsibility for the things we see happening in our homes.  Help us to not blame our wives or our children, but to go before the Lord and cry out for Him to help us to be the men of God we are called to be.

In Jesus’ Name!

Amen!

SDG