Desperate Wives Series

Let me talk to the men for moment. I want to reiterate what we said last week. For those who were here last week, I know this is a repeat, but guys, let’s just be honest. We need to hear things two or three times before it sinks in. And for those who were not here last week I just want to give you a chance to get caught up.

Husbands are commanded three times in this passage to “love your wives”?

The Greek verb used for love is “agapao” which is a God love,

• Agapao – to esteem, to love indicating a direction of the will and finding one’s joy in something or someone, to love someone in their best interest.

• Agapao love will do what is best for your wife and says you are to love your wife in spite of what she does.

Two ways to love your wife in her best interest:

1. Encourage and guide her in her walk with Christ

2. Love her through her love language

 The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

• Acts of Service

• Words of Affirmation

• Quality Time

• Physical Touch

• Receiving Gifts

Marriages grow together two ways. One way works and the other doesn’t.

Triangle Illustration

Triangle 1

Triangle 2

Triangle 3

Triangle 4

Now let’s talk to the ladies. I want Briana to talk to the ladies about this often misunderstood direction in this passage. The word “submit.”

Briana Teaches

So what happens when we start talking about the word submit?

Men sit back and start thinking “You go Briana, my wife needs to hear this!”

Married women sit up in theirs chairs clench their fist together and start thinking about what they will say to their husbands on the way home.

You see these reactions happen because we don’t really understand what will happen in our marriages when we as wives are ready to submit to our husbands the way God intended.

Let’s define submission:

1: “A Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader.”

2: “a voluntary attitude of giving in, or cooperating.”

As we can see by reading the definition, submission means what we all thought it means. We as wives are to put ourselves under the authority of our husbands. Just like we put ourselves under the authority of Christ. One way of submitting to Christ is through our husbands.

Submission may not seem very liberating, Satan has work for thousands of years hoping we are blind to this liberation, but in reality as a Christian wife our submission to our husbands enables us to grow in faith, strength and power.

Let’s talk about how Satan has tried to distort submission on earth.

1. He makes submission seems ridiculous – I mean really, how could God make such intelligent, stimulating and accomplished creatures (married women) subservient and inferior to their husbands?

2. He wants husbands to believe they are some kind of “macho” beings not in need of anyone’s advice but their own.

3. He wants all of us to believe that we are here to please no one but ourselves, that we are in charge of our own lives because everyone else in our past has messed it up too bad. We can’t trust anyone to look out for our best interest.