Jimmy Evans writes: The number-one need of a man is respect. When Paul writes in Ephesians 5:22, Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord, it has a very similar meaning to what he writes in verse 33: …let the wife see that she respects her husband. What Paul is saying is that a wife should respect her husband like she does the Lord. Not the way your mother respected your father or the way your friends respect their own husbands, but the way you would respond to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the standard. Men gravitate toward any place where they receive honor and respect and run from any place they may be disrespected. Ive identified four primary ways women honor their husbands. The first is to allow him to fail. While this doesnt apply to self-destructive behavior, it does relate to your husbands overall imperfections. A lot of women damage their marriage by trying to keep their husband from making mistakes. Thats the wrong approach. Dont correct him. Dont tell him what to do. Just support him and, when necessary, let him make a mistake. Some lessons he needs to learn through failure. The second thing is to confront your husband, but let God be the enforcer. When your husband does something you disagree with, you need to be able to speak up. Its perfectly acceptable to say, Honey, I dont agree with that. I think thats wrong. But then you begin praying for your husband and let God change his heart or mind. Its not your job to change him. Thats Gods job. Thats faith. Otherwise, you can become a nag and can let fear make you aggressive. The third way is to honor your husband where you want him to be, not where he is. Men will do anything for honor. We go crazy for it. Men become their fullest, healthiest selves in an atmosphere of respect. So when a wife honors her husband beyond where he actually is or beyond what he deserves, she is speaking destiny into him. What do you see in your husband? What did you see in him when you were dating? Honor him at that level, and he will rise to it. The fourth way is to cover his faults and focus on his strengths. One name the Bible gives for the devil is Accuser. He is always accusing. What the devil wants us to do is think constantly about the worst qualities in our spouse. But what God wants us to do is think about our spouses best qualities. This applies to men and women both. When the devil has his way, our minds turn negative. We become fault-finders. All we do is see the wrong thing. I believe, in any given day, the good things about our lives far outweigh the bad things. Dont take the good things for granted. Dont focus on the negative things. Devote yourself to praise in your marriage—praise is a critical discipline to a healthy relationship. Wives, are you honoring your husband? Are you showing him respect? This is a mans most important need, and that is why its the Bibles call to you as a spouse. Blessings, Jimmy Evans
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 18:04:02 +0000