A few years into our marriage, my wife made a statement that has remained stuck with me. She said; “One of my prayers as a single lady was to marry someone who can lead me. Someone who can tell me to sit and I would listen.” As I thought about that statement, I realised that not many ladies have that kind of mindset.
Friend, do you want to be led (John 10:27)? One of the signs of spiritual and mental health is the desire to be led. Run away from anyone who does not want to be led. As a married woman, don’t keep company with any woman who’s not submitted to the authority of her husband. She would corrupt you (Isaiah 55:1-2).
Apostle Paul encouraged church members not to keep company with rebels in church (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Some rebels are vocal and gifted. But you need to check if they submit that gift or ability to the leadership that God has ordained in the local church. If not, they are simply gifted rebels. Gifted rebels are some of the biggest problems of the body of Christ today (3 John 1:9-11).
God’s arrangement for marriage must be honoured no matter the sociological, technological, or eomcomic changes in our world (Ephesians 5:22). We cannot rewrite our own Bible. No matter what you become as a woman, submission to your husband is non-negotiable. The higher you rise or want to rise, the more submissive you should be (1 Peter 3:5-6).
Submission is real power (Proverbs 31:10-12). Those who are submitted to God and His ordained authority structures are the ones who wield the biggest influence you can ever think of, though, subtly. A member who submits to his pastor will wield a healthy influence. A wife who submits to her husband will influence him without struggle (1 Samuel 25:23-35).
If women understand that submission is real power, they would enjoy ease and peace in their lives and marriages (Proverbs 31:30-31). Like my wife, single ladies should make up their mind to submit to their husbands before they marry. Unlike rebels, submitted people don’t see leadership as control. They see it as godly influence (John 10:17-18).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria