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 Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. (Eph. 5:22-24)

As a direct follow-on from the just completed series where we looked at the many faces of pride, Father God has placed an urgency in my spirit regarding the matter of the submission of wives to husbands. And here, I am giving specific focus to Christian wives, those who were wives and those who have the desire to become wives. Ladies, we have a problem with this matter of submission to our husbands. And any of you who are saying right now “But I don’t have this problem” need to repent right now. You may not realize you have a problem here because of the subtle ways in which it operates. Others of you may be saying “ouch, a why she gone dere so!?” I confess, I have struggled with this particular submission issue in my own life but what took me by surprise is how strongly and seriously Father God views this matter as evidenced by my own testimony that I will  be sharing throughout this series.

Much of our problem in this area comes from allowing the world’s perspective on this matter to take precedence over Father God’s instruction as laid out in the Ephesians capstone scripture above. The women’s liberation movement and the mistaken belief that submission means to be inferior is another one of Satan’s ploys to destroy the family and bring mayhem to the spiritual order and authority God ordained for the health of family life that can only be achieved when lived in accordance with His governance pattern.  And many, if not all of us, have fallen into the enemy’s trap.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom. 12:2)

It is very difficult not to allow the world to shape our thinking but this is the very reason Father God warns us against it in His Word. We are bombarded by the world’s thinking every day and if we do not counter this by allowing God’s transformative Word to change our thought patterns on a daily basis we are not going to be vessels of honour fit for the Father’s use.

You adulteresses [disloyal sinners-flirting with the world and breaking our vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy? But He gives more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].” So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom. Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]. (James 4:4-10, AMP)

I purposely chose not to just give James 4:4 regarding love of the world being enmity with God because I believe we need to recognize and place conformity with the world’s thinking into the context that God places it. It is without contradiction a matter of pride!! The world thinks it knows more than God and can do things better than God. The unfortunate thing is that many Christians upon surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ do not fully surrender their mindsets and continue to operate according to the world’s mandate. One of the reasons for this is that many Christians have either not received the baptism in the Holy Spirit that gives the dunamis power required to overcome the carnal nature that resides within us or have not partnered sufficiently with the Holy Spirit in allowing Him to bring revelation and transformation in their lives through the Word of God.

The most powerful teacher is the one who has experienced the lesson first hand and learned wisdom straight from God in the process. Father God has shown me His heart concerning this issue of submission of wives to husbands. He will allow us to get away with it for a season but when He is ready for you to come into a higher level of service for Him He will not allow you to get away with it any longer. He will bring it right up in your face and you either have to deal with it or miss out on maximizing the fulfillment of the purpose He has destined for you. Ultimately, the choice is yours! The Lord said to me, “We can go no further until this issue is dealt with. The spiritual authority that you are going to need in the next season of your walk with Me requires that you are fully submitted in every area of your life and I am bringing to your attention the need to submit to your own husband.” He first “brought my attention” to this sin (because that is what it is) on New Year’s Day 2016 and most recently again on Christmas Day 2018. That’s how long it has taken me to learn how important this matter is to Him and how adamant He is not to allow it to rear its ugly head in my life. He is intent that there should be ‘nothing lacking and nothing missing’ as I step into a higher level of ministry on His behalf. I know that as it is with me so it will be with any of you Christian wives and to-be wives who want to be fully used of God.

Christian sisters, I know that this topic has already raised up some fiery emotions within you and most likely I am not your most favourite person at this time. It matters not, I press through undaunted. Having laid the framework for this series, I invite you to travel with me the next few weeks as I share my own testimony, a most humbling experience for me but Father God directs and I submit in obedience. My prayer is that at the end of it all you, like me, will come to the recognition that we have no choice but to obey and fall in line with Father God’s heart to become women of virtue who will be vessels of honour fit for the Father’s use.

Shalom.