The 'S' Word is for Everyone
Session 6 (Audio Only)
Let me just clear up one thing... the "S" word is not "SEX."
The failure rate among Christian marriages is astounding; it's basically the same as non-believers. That doesn’t surprise us when we realize that surveys show most Christians operate their marriages the same way non-Christians do, leading to the same divorce statistics.
God intends marriage to be the greatest blessing on earth (next to our relationship with him), and he has a design to make that happen. All we have to do is get into alignment with his design, and we won’t become a divorce statistic in the church.
One critical way for us to get in alignment with God’s design is to embrace the truth about the ‘S’ word. There are two things we need to know about the "S" word;
1) The ‘S’ word is for EVERYONE
2) The ‘S’ word is the KEY to the correct FUNCTIONING of your marriage
Jon Courson says, “The ‘S’ word is the key to harmony in all relationships; Spouses (marriage), Houses (families), and Mouses (work).” It's the key to making every relationship function smoothly, especially marriage.
Session 6 M.I.P. (Most Important Point)
Relationships function correctly when they are aligned with God’s design. Relationships dysfunction when they are aligned with our self-will
The reason I haven't said the ‘S’ word yet, is because I first need to give you an opportunity to crucify your self-will so you can hear and receive what God has to say to you.
So let's pray; Heavenly Father, please reveal to us the importance of this word, please show us how you've designed all relationships to function on the foundation of this word. Show us something that we haven't seen before. Lord, re-align us, because we have been misaligned by our self-nature and our culture. I pray you would soften our hearts, that we would hear your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Are you ready for me to say the ‘S’ word without you feeling rebellion rising up in your heart? If you're ready, here it is...
The ‘S’ word is . . . SUBMISSION. There! I've said it! It's out!
Immediately, some of you have a battle going on inside of you. Please recognize, that battle you feel is not from God. It is your flesh battling with God on this critical subject. And we must crucify our flesh to win that battle and hear from God.
The reason this word causes such a battle between our flesh and God’s spirit is because we are consumed with the all-encompassing question: “What about ME?”
And our flesh is always crying out, "HEY, if I actually accept God's design in this area, how am I going to get what I want?" But that is us losing our battle with the flesh. What we need to hear and receive is this; the ‘S’ word is for everyone.
Ephesians 5:21 says we are to be (NKJV)
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
And 1 Peter 5:5 says (NKJV)
5 . . . Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility . . .
Submitting to one another... (Eph 5:21)
Be submissive to one another... (1Pet 5:5)
Some of us have never heard God say submit to one another in your marriage.
What does the word “Submission” actually mean?
The Greek word is hupotasso and it comes from two words:
hupo = by, under, with
tasso = to arrange, assign, appoint
The most common definition is: to arrange under. The word, submission, is most frequently used to denote order and functionality in relationships. It means to arrange under, assign by, or appoint with. Again, most often we hear the word used in regard to bringing order and functionality to a relationship, however that is only one use of this powerful word. Sometimes we get so bent about how it's used in that sense that we never get to see how it's used in its greater sense.
In the LESSER Sense - this word applies to order and functionality in a relationship.
In the GREATER Sense - this word applies to coming underneath to support, carry, or bear the burden.
And in this greater sense, this word applies to EVERY single one of us, in ALL of our relationships. (Male, female, husband, and wife - all other relationships.)
Ephesians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 submitting to one another in the fear (reverence) of God.
Submitting to one another means all relationships involve submission. In the fear of God means that we are to do it out of reverence and respect for God.
This implies it is regardless of whether a person deserves it. We are called to submit to one another out of our love and reverence for God! We arrange ourselves under one another, we assign ourselves by, we appoint ourselves with one another . . . out of our love and reverence for God! This is the greater sense (purpose) for the word hupotassō.
I am not saying God has given men and women the same roles. I am saying both of our roles include submission.
HUPOTASSŌ IS USED 47 TIMES IN 32 VERSES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus to His parents - Luke 2:51
Demons to the name of Jesus - Luke 2:51
Creation to God - Romans 8:20
Christians to government - Romans 13:1
Church members to leaders - 1 Corinthians 16:16
Christ to the Father - 1 Corinthians 15:28
Submitting to one another in the fear of God makes every relationship right. But our flesh rebels so much, that instead of just believing God by faith, we are always looking for loopholes.
The word submission is about how God designed relationships to work. In its lesser sense, submission is about order and functionality. In its greater sense, it is about setting your "self" aside and coming underneath another. And in your marriage, its purpose is to enable you to experience the blessing of becoming one flesh. You sacrificially put yourself underneath your spouse, to help bear their burden, at the expense of your self-will.
The word “submission” does not mean subservient, inferior or not having any rights. “Submitting to one another” means you set your self-will aside and serve the good of your spouse.
For example, if we apply our logic regarding this word to Jesus, here's what we get:
1 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
The head of Christ is God?? Now, wait just a minute. Jesus must be living in the dark ages. Jesus, don't You know you have equal rights with God? Poor Jesus, having to live under that archaic system.
That is us distorting the idea of submission. But wait, it gets worse.
John 6:38 (ESV)
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 5:30 (ESV)
30 “I can do nothing on my own . . . because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 4:34 (ESV)
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
Here's a question for you: if Jesus Christ had the same feeling toward submission that many of us in the church do... where do you think we all would be heading right now for eternity? Without Jesus Christ choosing a life of total submission, you and I would be headed straight to hell right now.
The greatest act of submission in the universe is the act that gets you into heaven. Do you really want to say to Jesus, "Well, I appreciate your submission for my salvation... but don't try to force that on me, because I’ve got my own ideas on that."
The ‘S’ word is for everyone, and Jesus is our supreme example. There is submission in the GREATER SENSE, which is us setting aside our self-will and coming underneath someone else. And there is submission in the LESSER SENSE, which is us having regard for order and functionality in a relationship.
Let's look closely at submission in the lesser sense.
John 14:28(b)
28 . . . If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
Here, Jesus is NOT talking about coming underneath the Father, in the greater sense of the word. He is talking about roles. He is talking about order and functionality in the Godhead.
For example, I could say Chuck Smith was greater than me because his role in the Calvary Chapel movement was above mine, even though he was a man just like me, and we have the same value to God.
So the Father is ‘greater than’ Jesus, not in essence, nature or value, but in order and function in their roles in the Godhead. The Son willingly submits to the Father, not because of superiority, but because of functionality and role in the relationship. In all relationships there must be a function of roles; Church, Work, Family and Marriage. And the "S" word is the key to making all of these relationships function correctly (especially marriage).
Let's go back to submission in the greater sense (to which we all are called.)
Submission (in the greater sense) is us sacrificing our self for the other's good. Submitting to one another in the greater sense is both husband and wife saying... I am willing to set my self aside (to crucify my self-will) in order to come under you, to help bear your burden. There is no greater demonstration of this greater sense of submission than Jesus.
Philippians 2:3–8 (NLT)
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Jesus Christ willingly set aside all of his divine rights. He emptied Himself completely (was ‘poured out). He submitted himself to death, for your good.
Then, Philippians 2:5 says; You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had!
That is the level of submission we are called to in our marriages. If your marriage is functioning smoothly today, I promise you this key ingredient is at work. Each spouse is sacrificially seeking the other spouse's good, at their own expense, just like Jesus did for us.
Now, let's look at how this truth gets twisted up so often. It gets twisted up by us just ‘dropping in’ to that infamous verse most commonly used to teach the ‘S’ word in marriage. Let's drop-in to that one single verse.
Ephesians 5:22 (ESV)
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Too often, women do all they can to avoid hearing this verse, and too often men do all they can to capitalize on this verse. But very often, what neither of them sees is this verse actually taught in context. Look at how well the NLT handles this verse in context.
Ephesians 5:21–22 (NLT)
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husband’s as to the Lord.
. . . and then verse 25 says for husbands, and then following that, for children and then for employees.
The point is; this subject of submission does not start in Ephesians 5:22. At the very least, the immediate context starts in Ephesians 5:1
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NLT)
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Then for the next fifteen verses, we are exhorted to walk in love, light, wisdom, and finally... to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18(b) (ESV)
18 . . . be filled with the Holy Spirit,
This is a ‘continual command.’ Then verses 19-21 are the result (the fruit) of being continually filled with the Spirit. There are four results (fruits) of being continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Mark them in your Bible.
Ephesians 5:19–21 (ESV)
19 (1) addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
(2) singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 (3) giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 (4) submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
These are the ‘fruits’ of being filled with the Spirit, and they are all commands in the CONTINUAL tense - meaning always be living this way. Then, verse 21 is a transitional statement. It's actually a kick-off verse for the next twenty verses.
So, the roles of the husband and wife that start in verse 22 are actually a continuation of the thought from verse 18, being filled with the Holy Spirit. The next twenty verses tell us how we are to do this, or, what it looks like to be being filled with the Holy Spirit.
5:22 - Wives to Husbands
5:25 - Husbands to Wives
6:1 - Children to Parents
6:4 - Parents to Children
6:5 - Employees to Employers
6:9 - Employers to Employees
Six different relationships, all relating to the transitional verse 21 “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” which is one of the results of being filled with the Spirit in verse 18.
Ephesians 5:22 causes such an adverse reaction because we so often make the mistake of just dive-bombing into the text right there. Biblical submission is not a one-sided rule, and it is definitely not for an authoritative husband to use to control his wife or children.
Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ makes you:
Humble not controlling.
Gentle not abusive.
Others-centered not self-centered
Submitting to one another (in the greater sense) is about:
Esteeming the other higher than ourselves
Sacrificing our self-will for our spouse
Regarding roles in the marriage, submission is about aligning ourselves with God's design. But the secret ingredient in God's design to make every relationship work - is us submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord.
Ephesians 5:21, Submitting to one another in the fear of God means to:
Empty ourselves for one another
Crucify our self-will for one another
Esteem the other person higher than ourselves
This does not mean the LESSER SENSE is negated, such as in the roles of husband and wife. These roles are still critical for God's design to work. But, in the GREATER SENSE, when we are both functioning in our God-designed roles, we are BOTH placing ourselves underneath one another to strengthen and bear up one another - to become one flesh.
In the GREATER SENSE submission means not demanding our own way (either one of us.) It's not fighting for our own opinions, desires, or needs, but instead it is placing our own needs underneath what is best for our spouse and what is best for our marriage.
As soon as we begin to really obey God in this area, then we'll really start to experience the blessings that come from choosing GOD'S will over our self-will.
If we will OBEY God, by FAITH, he will faithfully bring blessings into our marriage.
Submitting to one another in the greater sense of sacrificing our self-will for the other person’s good is the secret to all godly relationships - especially the marriage relationship.
Response Time…
1) Are you willing to sacrifice your self-will for your spouse?
2) Are you willing to put on the mind of Christ in your marriage (who emptied Himself of His privileges for our good, even to death)
3) Are you willing to esteem (think of) your spouse higher than yourself?
4) In what specific areas can you begin doing this right away?
Let's pray: “Heavenly Father thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit living in me. I surrender my self-will to your design for my marriage. Please give me the power to esteem my spouse higher than myself, to empty my "self" for the good of my spouse, and to come underneath my spouse for their good. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HOMEWORK
The failure rate among Christian marriages is astounding; it's basically the same as non-believers. That doesn’t surprise us when we realize that surveys show most Christians operate their marriages the same way non-Christians do, leading to the same divorce statistics.
God intends marriage to be the greatest blessing on earth (next to our relationship with him), and he has a design to make that happen. All we have to do is get into alignment with his design, and we won’t become a divorce statistic in the church.
One critical way for us to get in alignment with God’s design is to embrace the truth about the ‘S’ word. There are two things we need to know about the "S" word;
1) The ‘S’ word is for EVERYONE
2) The ‘S’ word is the KEY to the correct FUNCTIONING of your marriage
Jon Courson says, “The ‘S’ word is the key to harmony in all relationships; Spouses (marriage), Houses (families), and Mouses (work).” It's the key to making every relationship function smoothly, especially marriage.
Session 6 M.I.P. (Most Important Point)
Relationships function correctly when they are aligned with God’s design. Relationships dysfunction when they are aligned with our self-will
The reason I haven't said the ‘S’ word yet, is because I first need to give you an opportunity to crucify your self-will so you can hear and receive what God has to say to you.
So let's pray; Heavenly Father, please reveal to us the importance of this word, please show us how you've designed all relationships to function on the foundation of this word. Show us something that we haven't seen before. Lord, re-align us, because we have been misaligned by our self-nature and our culture. I pray you would soften our hearts, that we would hear your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Are you ready for me to say the ‘S’ word without you feeling rebellion rising up in your heart? If you're ready, here it is...
The ‘S’ word is . . . SUBMISSION. There! I've said it! It's out!
Immediately, some of you have a battle going on inside of you. Please recognize, that battle you feel is not from God. It is your flesh battling with God on this critical subject. And we must crucify our flesh to win that battle and hear from God.
The reason this word causes such a battle between our flesh and God’s spirit is because we are consumed with the all-encompassing question: “What about ME?”
And our flesh is always crying out, "HEY, if I actually accept God's design in this area, how am I going to get what I want?" But that is us losing our battle with the flesh. What we need to hear and receive is this; the ‘S’ word is for everyone.
Ephesians 5:21 says we are to be (NKJV)
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
And 1 Peter 5:5 says (NKJV)
5 . . . Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility . . .
Submitting to one another... (Eph 5:21)
Be submissive to one another... (1Pet 5:5)
Some of us have never heard God say submit to one another in your marriage.
What does the word “Submission” actually mean?
The Greek word is hupotasso and it comes from two words:
hupo = by, under, with
tasso = to arrange, assign, appoint
The most common definition is: to arrange under. The word, submission, is most frequently used to denote order and functionality in relationships. It means to arrange under, assign by, or appoint with. Again, most often we hear the word used in regard to bringing order and functionality to a relationship, however that is only one use of this powerful word. Sometimes we get so bent about how it's used in that sense that we never get to see how it's used in its greater sense.
In the LESSER Sense - this word applies to order and functionality in a relationship.
In the GREATER Sense - this word applies to coming underneath to support, carry, or bear the burden.
And in this greater sense, this word applies to EVERY single one of us, in ALL of our relationships. (Male, female, husband, and wife - all other relationships.)
Ephesians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 submitting to one another in the fear (reverence) of God.
Submitting to one another means all relationships involve submission. In the fear of God means that we are to do it out of reverence and respect for God.
This implies it is regardless of whether a person deserves it. We are called to submit to one another out of our love and reverence for God! We arrange ourselves under one another, we assign ourselves by, we appoint ourselves with one another . . . out of our love and reverence for God! This is the greater sense (purpose) for the word hupotassō.
I am not saying God has given men and women the same roles. I am saying both of our roles include submission.
HUPOTASSŌ IS USED 47 TIMES IN 32 VERSES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus to His parents - Luke 2:51
Demons to the name of Jesus - Luke 2:51
Creation to God - Romans 8:20
Christians to government - Romans 13:1
Church members to leaders - 1 Corinthians 16:16
Christ to the Father - 1 Corinthians 15:28
Submitting to one another in the fear of God makes every relationship right. But our flesh rebels so much, that instead of just believing God by faith, we are always looking for loopholes.
The word submission is about how God designed relationships to work. In its lesser sense, submission is about order and functionality. In its greater sense, it is about setting your "self" aside and coming underneath another. And in your marriage, its purpose is to enable you to experience the blessing of becoming one flesh. You sacrificially put yourself underneath your spouse, to help bear their burden, at the expense of your self-will.
The word “submission” does not mean subservient, inferior or not having any rights. “Submitting to one another” means you set your self-will aside and serve the good of your spouse.
For example, if we apply our logic regarding this word to Jesus, here's what we get:
1 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
The head of Christ is God?? Now, wait just a minute. Jesus must be living in the dark ages. Jesus, don't You know you have equal rights with God? Poor Jesus, having to live under that archaic system.
That is us distorting the idea of submission. But wait, it gets worse.
John 6:38 (ESV)
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 5:30 (ESV)
30 “I can do nothing on my own . . . because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 4:34 (ESV)
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
Here's a question for you: if Jesus Christ had the same feeling toward submission that many of us in the church do... where do you think we all would be heading right now for eternity? Without Jesus Christ choosing a life of total submission, you and I would be headed straight to hell right now.
The greatest act of submission in the universe is the act that gets you into heaven. Do you really want to say to Jesus, "Well, I appreciate your submission for my salvation... but don't try to force that on me, because I’ve got my own ideas on that."
The ‘S’ word is for everyone, and Jesus is our supreme example. There is submission in the GREATER SENSE, which is us setting aside our self-will and coming underneath someone else. And there is submission in the LESSER SENSE, which is us having regard for order and functionality in a relationship.
Let's look closely at submission in the lesser sense.
John 14:28(b)
28 . . . If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
Here, Jesus is NOT talking about coming underneath the Father, in the greater sense of the word. He is talking about roles. He is talking about order and functionality in the Godhead.
For example, I could say Chuck Smith was greater than me because his role in the Calvary Chapel movement was above mine, even though he was a man just like me, and we have the same value to God.
So the Father is ‘greater than’ Jesus, not in essence, nature or value, but in order and function in their roles in the Godhead. The Son willingly submits to the Father, not because of superiority, but because of functionality and role in the relationship. In all relationships there must be a function of roles; Church, Work, Family and Marriage. And the "S" word is the key to making all of these relationships function correctly (especially marriage).
Let's go back to submission in the greater sense (to which we all are called.)
Submission (in the greater sense) is us sacrificing our self for the other's good. Submitting to one another in the greater sense is both husband and wife saying... I am willing to set my self aside (to crucify my self-will) in order to come under you, to help bear your burden. There is no greater demonstration of this greater sense of submission than Jesus.
Philippians 2:3–8 (NLT)
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Jesus Christ willingly set aside all of his divine rights. He emptied Himself completely (was ‘poured out). He submitted himself to death, for your good.
Then, Philippians 2:5 says; You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had!
That is the level of submission we are called to in our marriages. If your marriage is functioning smoothly today, I promise you this key ingredient is at work. Each spouse is sacrificially seeking the other spouse's good, at their own expense, just like Jesus did for us.
Now, let's look at how this truth gets twisted up so often. It gets twisted up by us just ‘dropping in’ to that infamous verse most commonly used to teach the ‘S’ word in marriage. Let's drop-in to that one single verse.
Ephesians 5:22 (ESV)
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Too often, women do all they can to avoid hearing this verse, and too often men do all they can to capitalize on this verse. But very often, what neither of them sees is this verse actually taught in context. Look at how well the NLT handles this verse in context.
Ephesians 5:21–22 (NLT)
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husband’s as to the Lord.
. . . and then verse 25 says for husbands, and then following that, for children and then for employees.
The point is; this subject of submission does not start in Ephesians 5:22. At the very least, the immediate context starts in Ephesians 5:1
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NLT)
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Then for the next fifteen verses, we are exhorted to walk in love, light, wisdom, and finally... to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18(b) (ESV)
18 . . . be filled with the Holy Spirit,
This is a ‘continual command.’ Then verses 19-21 are the result (the fruit) of being continually filled with the Spirit. There are four results (fruits) of being continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Mark them in your Bible.
Ephesians 5:19–21 (ESV)
19 (1) addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
(2) singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 (3) giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 (4) submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
These are the ‘fruits’ of being filled with the Spirit, and they are all commands in the CONTINUAL tense - meaning always be living this way. Then, verse 21 is a transitional statement. It's actually a kick-off verse for the next twenty verses.
So, the roles of the husband and wife that start in verse 22 are actually a continuation of the thought from verse 18, being filled with the Holy Spirit. The next twenty verses tell us how we are to do this, or, what it looks like to be being filled with the Holy Spirit.
5:22 - Wives to Husbands
5:25 - Husbands to Wives
6:1 - Children to Parents
6:4 - Parents to Children
6:5 - Employees to Employers
6:9 - Employers to Employees
Six different relationships, all relating to the transitional verse 21 “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” which is one of the results of being filled with the Spirit in verse 18.
Ephesians 5:22 causes such an adverse reaction because we so often make the mistake of just dive-bombing into the text right there. Biblical submission is not a one-sided rule, and it is definitely not for an authoritative husband to use to control his wife or children.
Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ makes you:
Humble not controlling.
Gentle not abusive.
Others-centered not self-centered
Submitting to one another (in the greater sense) is about:
Esteeming the other higher than ourselves
Sacrificing our self-will for our spouse
Regarding roles in the marriage, submission is about aligning ourselves with God's design. But the secret ingredient in God's design to make every relationship work - is us submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord.
Ephesians 5:21, Submitting to one another in the fear of God means to:
Empty ourselves for one another
Crucify our self-will for one another
Esteem the other person higher than ourselves
This does not mean the LESSER SENSE is negated, such as in the roles of husband and wife. These roles are still critical for God's design to work. But, in the GREATER SENSE, when we are both functioning in our God-designed roles, we are BOTH placing ourselves underneath one another to strengthen and bear up one another - to become one flesh.
In the GREATER SENSE submission means not demanding our own way (either one of us.) It's not fighting for our own opinions, desires, or needs, but instead it is placing our own needs underneath what is best for our spouse and what is best for our marriage.
As soon as we begin to really obey God in this area, then we'll really start to experience the blessings that come from choosing GOD'S will over our self-will.
If we will OBEY God, by FAITH, he will faithfully bring blessings into our marriage.
Submitting to one another in the greater sense of sacrificing our self-will for the other person’s good is the secret to all godly relationships - especially the marriage relationship.
Response Time…
1) Are you willing to sacrifice your self-will for your spouse?
2) Are you willing to put on the mind of Christ in your marriage (who emptied Himself of His privileges for our good, even to death)
3) Are you willing to esteem (think of) your spouse higher than yourself?
4) In what specific areas can you begin doing this right away?
Let's pray: “Heavenly Father thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit living in me. I surrender my self-will to your design for my marriage. Please give me the power to esteem my spouse higher than myself, to empty my "self" for the good of my spouse, and to come underneath my spouse for their good. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HOMEWORK