 Okay, welcome back to our next class. So we've been looking at certain foundations of marriage. We've covered a couple of chapters. We're going to be going back one chapter, and this is one of the last foundational truth that we're going to be looking at at this section. From next week to next lecture on, we're going to be looking at more practical elements of a good marriage. So this is one of the last foundational chapter that we're going to look at. And one way to progress to oneness is by fulfilling roles in marriage. So one of the ways we've been looking at how do we, what does it mean to be one? What does it mean to build oneness? In the last chapter we did look at a personal preparation of transforming our attitudes, our temperament as well as our behavior to enhance this oneness. And now today we're going to be looking at fulfilling the roles that God has instructed for us in scripture. So it's wonderful to know that God just did not leave us in the lurch and help us try, I mean, you know, make us figure out what we need to be, what are the roles we need to be assuming when we are in this important institution of marriage. So when we look at scripture, we see that there are specific guidelines, specific instruction on the roles of a husband and a wife on the way that we relate to one another, the way that we are in the marriage as well as in the family. So there are specific instruction. And what we're going to be doing in this chapter is to understand what does God expect of us as a husband and as a wife and learn to walk in these roles as well as find contentment in these roles because they have been instructed and given to us by God. So this could mean a lot of changing in the way that we have thought about our own personal roles or the roles of our spouse. So be willing to unlearn unschooled first so that you can be schooled in the instruction of God's word, specifically on roles. So before we establish these roles, let's establish one main important truth about marriage. And that's what we find in 1 Peter 3-7, the verse that Charles was referring to. So 1 Peter 3-7, and I want to read it from another version. And I will read that. Okay, so 1 Peter 3-7, it says, in the same way you husbands must give honor to your wives, treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard. Okay, so what are we establishing right here? The first and foremost thing we are establishing here is that in marriage, God sees us as equals. Okay, the husband and the wife are equals and they are also joint as in all what God gives. In the grace of God, in the spiritual gifts, every grace that he releases, we are equal. We are joint as we receive it together. Okay, so what does this mean in practical terms is that none, either the husband or the wife, does not consider themselves superior or inferior or in a better standing with who, before God. Okay, and they are treated equally because in their status, spiritual status, we are equal and none of it is earned. You and I do not earn our status. It has been given, it has been a grace that's been given to us. So we do not look at each other as unequals, but we look at each other at the same part in whatever God has graced us with and we treat also each other as equal. So we are equals, we are joint as in every gift and grace, spiritual gift and grace that he has released on to us. We are also interdependent. So we picked this up from two verses from a passage in 1 Corinthians 11, although it may not be completely discussing about marriage, but we are taking the principles of it here. Okay, so it is in 1 Corinthians 11, 11 to 12. In our life in the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman, for as woman was made from man, in the same way, man is born a woman and it is God who brings everything into existence. So these verses emphasize that God designed both a man and a woman to be interdependent. That is, we cannot claim that we can do things without the other. So a good thing about marriage is the opportunity to take from what my spouse may be strong in and receive support in what I may be weak in. So it is interdependence. I'm sure each of you who may be married can find limitless examples and the way that God has placed the two of you all together, so much so that there is interdependence, right? Like if there is one person who is a more organized one, there may be the other who's a little scatterbrained, right? Or there must be one who is probably talkative, the other one may be a bit more reserved. It could be. I mean, you could find so many combinations in this thing, you know, within marriage, but you are interdependent and that's the truth that scripture brings about, that when God sees us, it is not one person is one notch higher than the other and he didn't design marriage so that there could be, you know, beating down. It is interdependence. So the truth that we establish as we get into this chapter on understanding roles is both husband and wife is an equal and they are joint heirs of God's grace and God's gifts and they are interdependent. They are designed to be interdependent so that, you know, you can do the work of God. Now this often can, this truth can sometimes be a challenge for probably men who come from social cultural backgrounds who have been, who have seen their, you know, their fathers or their grandfathers and the way that women are considered. So from the culture I come from, now in India you have, you know, multiple states and each culture is very dynamic, very different, right? So in the culture that I come from, usually the, so I remember my mother saying this that when she first got married, she got married and, you know, my father's family was a big family. He's got six siblings. So when they would sit together for maybe food and, you know, for a meal, all the men would sit first, okay? After the men finish, all the children would sit and only then the women sit, right? And by the time it comes to the women, probably the only things left is maybe rice and probably some kind of, you know, maybe a curry or something like that. But all the good things would have finished by the time it comes to the women. So my mom used to say that my granddad, so when I'm talking about joint families, these are also times when there are uncles and, you know, granduncles and like huge families. So sometimes, you know, a godly, a very respectful man, what he'd do is he'd take rice and, you know, if there was egg or if there was fish, which is, you know, not very common at that point of time for the whole family to eat, so it must be something that you eat once in a while. So he would put a fish in the leaf and cover it with rice and say that, you know, I've had enough and my wife will eat from my plate. So that's how they would do that. So I do understand that there can be, in different cultures, it's the way that women are treated could be very different. But we need to change our thinking and understanding, like I said, unlearn, unschool ourselves to what scripture teaches us, that they are equal joint is alongside with us. So as we move into, so I'll take up questions maybe at the end. So if you do have a question, either you could put it up on the chat or, you know, keep your question written and we'll handle that. So we're going to be looking at specific roles of a husband and a wife. Now, when we look at this role, the roles, we do see that, you know, the places where it brings this up is in Ephesians 5, 21 to 23. And, you know, you have similar emphasis made in 1 Peter 3, 1 to 9 as well. And it reflects a lot of what God instructs for a marriage. And when we look at the roles in marriage, there is a parallel that we are given of Christ to the church. And it compares its relationship, the marriage relationship to the relationship to the standard that is between Christ and the church. So if that's the standard God has set for us as husbands and wives, we need to know that, like Charles was saying, it's difficult, yes. But when he has set a standard, you can be sure that he will empower you to do it if you're willing to walk in step with what he wants us to be. Because scripture says, you know, it is God who does and will according to his good purposes. So if he births this desire in us, he will equip us to be the husband and the wife that God wants us to grow into. Okay? So what we're going to be doing is we will read the scripture and we will pick out the roles that both the husband and the wife needs to be instructed in. So I will move into Ephesians 5 21 to 23. Okay? And I'm on page 42. Yeah, I'm on page 42. And I'm just, I wouldn't probably go through everything but I'm just going to highlight what is written in these, you know, the roles that are written in the verses. I'm not going to go through the entire scripture. You can take time to read it after class. But to help us see what have been specific instructions that have been given to us. Okay? So I'm at Ephesians 5 21 to 23. So verse 21, it says, be reverent to one another in some other verses. It talks of, I think the word that is used instead of reverence is just a minute, I'm just looking at, it is submission. Okay? You will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. So that's the, that's what is written there. So out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent or be submissive to one another. Okay? Verse 22, wives understand and support your husbands verse 23, husbands provide leadership to his wife. Verse 24, wives should likewise submit to their husbands just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises his leadership. Okay? Verse 25, husbands go out, all out in your love for your wives and it describes what does that love mean, which we will look into. Verse 31, it says, and this is why a man leaves his father and mother and cherishes his wife. So there's cherishing. And verse 31, and this provides a good picture of how each husband to treat his wife, loving himself and loving her, which means that is more of a love that is unconditional and how each wife is to honor her husband. Okay? Moving on, I'm going to be going through the, through the other verses also. That's the end. Colossians 3, 18 to 19, it says wives submit, verse 18 says wives submit to your husbands. And verse 19 says, love husbands, love your wives. Verse Peter 3, verse 1 says, be good to your wife, be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. Okay? And verse 7 says, verse 7 says, the same goes for your husbands, be good husbands to your wives, honor them, delight in them and treat your wives as equals. So your prayers don't run, run a ground. And if you look at the summing up in verse 8, it talks about be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. Verse 9, no retaliation, no sharp tongue, this is for everybody. Okay? Yeah. And you'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. So if you look at these verses, it describes how husbands and wives ought to relate to one another. And it definitely sets a significant high standard when this is being compared to what Christ, how Christ is to his church and the church should be to Christ. Okay? So if the Lord is the one who has set us the standard, we must be following it. So let us, maybe we'll summarize this and look at the key roles and the responsibilities that the husband has. So the first one, looking back into this, we see as love as Christ loves. So if you're looking at the way Christ loved the church, he loved the church with an unconditional love. It is the God kind of love. Okay? The love that goes without expecting anything back, a love that continues to go on, committed and faithful and being, and something that does not change. That's the love that husbands, you are called to have for your wives. Now this is specified in the unconditional love we're talking about is specified in the characteristics of 1 Corinthians 13, 4 to 8, what it talks about, love is, okay? Love being kind, love being patient, you know, that entire range of love words that are there, okay? Being patient, being kind, not being jealous or boastful or proud, not wanting your own way, not being selfless, love is not being selfish, love is not being irritable, it does not bring back the wrongs. It's always something that rejoices in the truth, it doesn't give up, it doesn't fail, it does not lose faith, it's hopeful, endures and something that will last forever. So you have a picture of what kind of love do we love our wives? Now when you see this, it's almost like a gasp. But like I said, if God has called us to do this, you can be sure that he will empower you the more that you yield to his word, okay? Now the kind of love that Christ has loved us with is also a sacrificial love, giving up all of himself, giving up whatever he had, stooped himself down for us, his church, gave up his life, that again showing sacrificial, sacrificial nature, and denying whatever he had been, denying of his, denying his majesty and coming down to us as a baby, right? Now this kind of love is also about building and enriching. So this is the love that Christ has loved the church with, an example for the husbands. The second is being able to nourish. Nourish is to encourage, to empower them to grow in all the graces God has intended for them, okay? To nourish them, to nurture them also, not just in encouraging them in their gifts, but also taking care of the needs that they may have, be it physical needs, their emotional needs or their spiritual needs. So husbands, you will need to learn how to nourish your wife's emotional needs. So when she cries, she comes crying to you, nourishing it. So that would be not fixing it and giving her a solution, but maybe hearing her out and empathizing with her on how she's feeling would be a great way of nourishing your wives, okay? Next is to cherish. Cherish means it's like how you get a gift and you treat it special, you know? And that would be taking time to spend with your wife, being able to communicate and talk and discuss and openly share things with your wife and allowing her to communicate as well. Cherishing her by knowing that she is beautiful, she is lovely, that you know, you're madly in love with her. And again, this is not just about, you know, the physical aspect of sex, but also in non-sexual ways, how is it that you can cherish her to show that she's special, okay? How do you trust her? You know, when you do trust her to make right choices or do the right things, that is also a way of cherishing. Cherishing can also be when the husband supports her in daily practices of life, when you make things easier and lighter for your wife. And it is also when you cherish your wife when you are the example that God has called you to be, being in pursuit of the example or the calling that God has won. So that's how you cherish your wife. The fourth one is leading, okay? Now when we're looking at leading, this is not based on any kind of inability, okay? Not because of your physical prowess or intellectual or anything, but it is because God has designed it that way. He has placed you as the leader of the home, okay? And when we look at that, when we look at the way God designed marriage, he placed the husband as the head and the authority over the wife so that the leadership that he provides can be one of love and one of service. So the leadership should be the leadership that Christ showed being a servant, yet also being able to lead. You know, just like the shepherd leads the sheep, right? So leadership is all based not on what we understand from the world around, but from the example of Christ. So looking back at how Christ has been and has taken on that leadership, that servant leadership, that's what the husband assumes, okay? Leadership also means taking on the responsibility for the family in giving into whatever needs or provisions that the family would require, making the right decisions and guiding the children, guiding the wife. That's again another aspect of leadership that comes about, okay? The husband is also called to be that loving leader, not be authoritative, not being someone who is a dictator, okay? And that happens when you earn the trust and the submission of your wife also. That does not mean the wife does not submit if the husband is not a leader. That's not what that means. You earn the wives following by being that strong example of who Christ is, of being one who is compassionate, who is responsible, who has things, you know, dealt with competently, okay? So the husband being the head may not always mean that the husband may be right. As we saw in Ephesians 521, scripture teaches to be submissive to one another, but the husband also walks in that kind of a humility knowing that there may be certain points of decisions that the wife takes which needs to be taken into consideration and maybe that idea may be, you know, collectively understood as probably better could go with that decision. So it's not always having to be right or having to follow your own heart, but also to be taking the understanding and the decision, the opinions of the wife. The fifth one is to know your wife and what pleases her, what displeases her, the strengths, the weaknesses, what are her likes, her dislikes, what she would like to follow through, what are her pursuits, all of that comes in knowing your wife. The sixth one is honouring her, respecting her helping encourage all the gifts and graces that she's been given. So these are, you know, kind of key aspects of the role of what a husband plays in. Looking quickly at the role of a wife, similarly it is love, loving your husbands. Now this kind of a love comes from, of course from that unconditional love and acceptance. This acceptance or this love does not come because of the performance of the husband. It is not based on the performance, but on the understanding on knowing that he is God's gift to you. So yes, there may be a lot of imperfections, a lot of flaws in the way that he could be, but he is loved and accepted because you know that it is a gift that God has given you. The love that we talk about here and we see this in Genesis where Eve was bought to Adam as a helper and the kind of love that we're looking at is the love of the helper, meaning that you are the husband's best friend or someone who walks alongside with him, best suited to help him in all of life's calling. Now this kind of a love is also sacrificial where you demonstrate that out of your love for him you have considered him as your priority or your focus or things that you would like to see growing in him. So this kind of love just as much as it is a helper kind of a love it is just as much unconditional and sacrificial as well. This love that you need to have is being physically responsive to his needs his physical, his emotional his spiritual needs as well. The second one is of course submit often seen as a big you know as a debate in many homes what we're looking at submission is yielding to the husband. So when you yield to your husband you are actually permitting him to take on his role of a leadership his God appointed role as a leader. So in your submission you're demonstrating your trust, you're demonstrating your togetherness, your support as well as what God has instructed in that role. So when you submit you are submitting to God and what he has appointed for your husband. The support that you give is done with in order to complete the role of your husband and not in the sense of a competition. Submission to the husband first of all means you are in alignment with what God has asked of you so that comes from an obedience. Submission also helps your husband to take on that role or take on that place as a leader. When the woman submits, when the wife submits you're also encouraging him through your submission. So what does submission not mean? Submission does not mean that you are inferior. Neither does it mean that you have lost who you are or what your individuality what you like, what your your identity is and neither does it mean it is a blind obedience to whatever and however he may treat you especially if you are being abused. So the right understanding of submission is knowing that that is a God appointed role for you and when you assume that role, when you live in that role, you are freeing your husband to live his God appointed role. Submission means that you are completing the support that you're giving your husband with the leadership that he's giving you and also you're encouraging him through that submission and you the more that as you submit he takes on his role of a leadership. So that is when it comes to submission. The third one is respect. Respect is to so I read somewhere very beautiful and I can't remember where I read it, but it talks about how wives when you respect your husband you have a head of respect, you have hands of respect and you have a heart of respect. So a head of respect is what you think about your husband because what you think is what you will say so often as women when you get together there may be times that you are talking about your husband's what you actually say reflects your head of respect, whether it's of respect or of disrespect then there's a heart of respect what you feel towards your husband is he seen as God's gift to you as somebody who love and you cherish and you respect so a heart of respect and hands of respect what do you do to show him that you respect him maybe it is spending time it's maybe even cooking a good meal or it can be you know doing things that he likes or whatever it may be you know whatever it means for you to have those hands of respect so it's just not having a heart but a head as well as a hand of respect so it involves a lot of appreciation it involves considering things that he does seeing it as important encouraging him at times that are difficult showing that sense of affirmation that admiration to the husband so that all comes under respecting and even thinking about him in ways that are respectful the fourth one of course is help as he has been called the helper it is by showing your support your assistance your encouragement for what he does and what he wants to do to bring about the family so even as we looked at these different roles we do know that you know I think all of us who are married knows that we have not been you know when we look at this as a check box it can be quite difficult to see it because we are not perfect in the way that we have assumed these roles but he has described it for us on how we need to conduct ourselves and like I said if it is our desire to grow in this he will empower us so if he has called us into something he will empower us if he has called you into marriage to fulfill the roles that he wants you to then empower you because as each of us fulfill these roles the marriage definitely is going to be a blessing and it leads to oneness and it leads to something that is that really exhibits God's design for marriage alright we have around 20 minutes and that's good and I want to I think first before we get questions I'd probably like to hear some ways either you know we don't want to hear only perfect stories even imperfect stories really help us to know that we are not alone so any way that you feel you have fulfilled but you know or you're finding something hard to fulfill and you're really asking God for the grace to do welcome some discussions and some testimonies or some sharing yes ok maybe I'll start I'll get the ball rolling so one of the things that has been that makes my husband and me different is so by nature you know I have I feel I need to be very organized with things I need to do so when I get up in the morning or even the previous night I already have some kind of a schedule for the next day saying ok this is all that is going to come about these are my responsibilities these are things I need to do so you know maybe in a minute I think I can scan through a day and say ok these are the things that I have to get done I may not necessarily need a paper every you know for daily things so that of course you know puts a sense of a very strong expectation of how things should follow so there's almost like it's like a flow chart one goes in from it's one into the other and in my head it actually you know works like like a machine and I'm sure there are some of you who actually identify with this principle or with the way of working and it's not just helped probably in the way that I do work but even how I maybe maintain a home whereas you know my husband you know needs a lot more of he's more at the moment ok this is something I have to do now that's what I will do now that's something that I'll have to do then I will think about it then right so what happened was you know when we had kids I had significant things planned for the way that maybe my kids they go and so there were times that you know he would fumble with it and I would get upset and so much so that I would begin to assume a lot more of those roles that he could as a father do but in a very very different way very unlike mine and it was a big struggle I actually you know often had to sit back almost tie my hands and say ok it's ok let it be done the way he does it and you know it's good in that in the way that he does it so often I wanted to take on some of the probable roles that he had as a father because it wasn't done in the frame that I thought was perfect but it took me I think it took us two kids to really understand it better and I had to do a lot of unlearning and he had to be doing a lot of bucking up through that but it was it wasn't easy there have been times when you know there were arguments there were situations that we've there have been different situations that we've we've struggled through that but it was there were certain choices that we made at certain points of time to fulfill that specific role of you know letting go and allowing the other person to take on so yeah so that's been just a very broad example for me I would love to hear from others as well since I got the ball rolling gave you a very poor example of how I managed initially have I put all of you to sleep with my bedtime story I don't hear anybody yes go ahead you have you have a story Sam I've had so many I've probably just particularly got fun but I think a little similar but also a little different is I am I think me and my wife I'm the one who plans things and needs things to go according to the plan and also in a way that this thing that no one I mean if it has to be done right I have to do it kind of thing I can do it the best way the way I want it that I think would often so in an attempt to do everything and see yeah in an attempt to do a lot I think one is I would enjoy it but over time with kids I have two kids now I think it created a lot of frustration in me where I was not able to do a lot and also we both realized it's a very hard way that I had actually not by not letting my wife actively be my helper but more like a dependent where you know I mean that's kind of not exactly but spoiled her in a lot of ways where you know I would end up doing more some things then she would just wait on me but with the kids that it became too much and I started getting too frustrated and then but you know we learned a lot of lessons that way and then I realized that I have to depend on her more and let go of the control and this need to do everything and having done initially it was difficult but over I think it's been two years now I think two to three years where she like we I think earlier if what was 90-10 is now more like a 50-50 and for me it's very liberating that I don't have to worry so much but at the same time I have come to appreciate and admire my wife's strength, courage to take on so much of all the responsibilities and I realize now that you know from early on if I had realized this and we would have avoided so many so many I think heartaches and fights and issues and all of those things so that's my overview without getting into specifics just on broad I appreciate that, I appreciate your honesty anybody else or if you like questions we have another 10 minutes you can throw up a question if I can share my yes honey go ahead yeah I am from Arrange marriage and the thing is that I am from Mumbai and he is from Bangalore like I am born and brought up there so our lifestyle our talking style everything is different and in south like it is maybe like more point and more to the point that they would talk but in Mumbai it is very like friendly manner and all that so many times it would happen that he would not understand my manner of speaking he would feel that he is disrespected and it was like we had different time shift he used to work in night shift as to work in day shift so there was no time even to communicate so well and like very difficult to breach that gap over the period of time then we have had a child and when she wish to fall fall sick he had his type of treatment now we should like you know babies fall sick and that thing what mother wants to do is different what father wants to do is different and everything is clashing then we are thinking that what is going to happen with the child like that I went through all that but in all of this like there were times it was very difficult to put everything together we thought like he used to speak and I also used to think that no it is not going anywhere like that but I used to pray God like it is your will that we should not set apart we have to be together till death makes us apart so and I just keep focusing on God and do my part because this is not the thing that I can talk and sort out which has to be something like maybe a behavioural changes behaviour each other's attitudes to understand it needs more of a time to spend with each other to actually understand each other's perspective so we had to give that time I just submitted everything into God's hand and now I can say that yes I am enjoying it thank you Anika, thank you for sharing thank you Nisha for sharing too yeah I can you know these situations can be hard when you do not get support from a spouse and the burden falls heavily on one spouse and so much more when nothing works right I say you know bring it to the Lord because change of heart comes from the Lord a lot of times when we may not know like we said there are so many cultural expectations cultural ways that things are done that to know that you know it is okay to support your spouse at even household chores it can be a revelation in itself so to bring it to the Lord do not be discouraged I know maybe a lot of us feel the way that Nisha feels but do not be discouraged God sees God will you be faithful in what you need to do and attempt talking sharing bringing it up because there can be a change that can come by yes Harrison I think you've raised your hand either for a question or for sharing okay thank you very much for the privilege I want to share little thing about my marriage and it's a very good it's a very good cause for me and I'm paying so much attention to it because there's so much and I really want to learn from it and in my own case I have an African and my wife is a European and it's a very huge difference in the cultural background is so different and when I reflect back when we started it was very tough there was no agreement and the controlling was more from her and as an African you have this cultural cultural feeling of taking position taking responsibility and so on and so forth but coming up from a Christian background there's so many things I've learned you know and from my father he would say that if I can give it time everything will blend and one thing I applied in my marriage you know was patience yeah it was patience because in those moments you know where you feel like going crazy you just need a grace of God you know to be able to like you know deeper into that situation and ask yourself what is this situation trying to tell me or what is this problem trying to teach me and it has been a process for us to come to this level of understanding because looking at her cultural background and my own cultural background we came to an agreement it's okay instead of us trying to like you know live up you know with your own beliefs or maybe you live up to my own beliefs why don't we come up you know with with a belief that you know that is recognized by just you and I so that we have a common ground you know to operate in this marriage and the only thing that comes into my mind is to have a belief in the Bible let's come up with a cultural belief that comes from the Bible that binds us together that keeps us together that makes us you know no matter where we find ourselves this is who we are and this is what we stand for so it's not like you know we are bound you know to the cultural background you know that we are coming from and this you know has really helped us you know to be able to be able to manage things you know as they come and I could say that okay you know cooking or wife you know cannot cook you know the African food but I do the cooking and I've been doing the cooking and there are so many things you know I may want to like you know you know portray you know to like you know make her feel bad you know that she cannot cook the African food but this is something I'm saying okay there is nothing in it as far as how we understand who we are and we know where we're going to because it's also good you know that we guide ourselves you know with the focus you know what is the common goal for the for the home and as much as we have our individual goals what is the common goal for the home so I think this you know has really helped us you know to really shape our minds towards the course in that we find ourselves so I just want to like you know chip in this in that patience is really really important in marriage because if we cannot be patient you may not really get what God you know has for us thank you Thank you Harrison thank you so true that even through the challenges that we may have in marriage especially when we're looking at roles I so agree with Harrison that often when we're going through difficulties we may want to see change in the other person but to ask ourselves the question God what are you teaching me through this what do you want me to learn what do you want me to change our bold questions and when we willingly submit to that you know and leave the change of our spouse to God he can do wonders with them so yeah I want to encourage I think you have a lot of encouraging messages Nisha your way and maybe those of us who haven't spoken those of us who may be going through significant struggles in our marriages I think we'll just take maybe the next couple of minutes to just pray and maybe just I'd I'd like one person to pray and then I will also close and pray if we can just pray in the spirit for some time and release words or release what God has in his heart for maybe some of us who may be struggling here to hold on with hope okay so we'll just take a few minutes to pray one of you can pray first and then I will close as well yeah okay I will pray Heavenly Father we thank you and we bless your name because you're a great God thank you for what you have opened our eyes to see and what you've opened our mind to understand thank you because the words that were here will help also go to view it a better whole thank you God because the words that we've heard today were God we're not just avoiding above Father we'll be a good fruit in our homes because we know that your marriage represents your kingdom and we pray Father that you give us the grace to go to see beyond our human imaginations and see what you have for us in our marriages we thank you Father because that these words that we hear will not just bring a change you go but will make us stronger in our homes make us stronger in our marriage we thank you God for your servant our lecture and everyone that is in this classroom we pray Holy Spirit that you will guide us and you will guide us we pray Lord that you will help us to go to fulfill all opposites you got in our marriages that your church may be glorified we ask so God that as we continue our God in this lectures we continue in this course we pray that you give us deeper understanding to what you have designed for marriage thank you Heavenly Father because we know that we hear great testimonies in our home and not problems for these I pray to Christ our Lord Jesus Amen Amen Heavenly Father we just come to you to your throne of grace Lord I thank you for every one of us who's logged in today Lord some of this Lord that we hear today are your truths your instructions for us but Lord we see how far we are away from what you want for us Lord and God right now by the power of the Holy Spirit Lord I pray that you will reach out to each one of us into our homes into our relationships into our own hearts that you will bring us in alignment to your word as hard as it can be Lord we bring before you each one of us who may feel unloved in our marriages who feel we aren't respected Lord I speak the love of God to fill these hearts in such a manner that they experience for their partners for their spouses Lord I pray you take away the pain of difficult moments over years that have gone by a heart of unforgiveness that many of us may be carrying a heart of resentment towards some things that has been said or done you teach us to be respectful but we may have not been Lord in our lives together we come to you ask you for forgiveness Lord that we do not want to walk those ways again Lord we pray that you will meet each person at their point of need Lord I speak for the husbands on this call Lord that they will take on their placement Lord their divine placement of being leaders of the home of being servant leaders of being leaders who know the best for their for their kit and for their kin those leaders who will be willing to draw the line Lord those leaders will be willing Lord to sacrifice themselves for that of their family Father Lord I pray that you will give them the boldness to stand Lord to take those responsibilities be it financial be it be it emotional be it whatever that they need to take Father that they will be those leaders that you have called them to be that they will step out in faith Master God Lord I pray God that they will be willing to love their wives to give of themselves Master Lord I pray for every husband that is being represented here Lord and and the husbands who aren't here Lord the wives who represent their husbands Father I speak God that that you will teach them from your word instruct them from your word on how to conduct themselves in their homes Lord Lord we pray God that you will bring them Lord to a greater revelation of what is expected of them as husbands Lord we pray for us as wives Lord for those of us who are wives Lord representing the wives who aren't here Lord Lord we pray God that you will teach us submission the way you demanded you wanted us to Lord allowing Lord our husbands to take on their leadership Lord Lord to know God that it is instituted for us Lord to be those helpers to be kind and respectful to be willing to take on the authority that you have placed over us Father Lord even in situations that may be hard maybe submit to you at times where we cannot bring sense into our spouse Lord or or speak understanding Father we submit to you Lord Lord I pray for each person here on this call God who are going through difficult times today who've had an altercation in the past week because of these roles that have not been fulfilled Father we pray for the supernatural work of your spirit to iron things out bring understanding Lord bring wisdom bring knowledge Lord Lord bring practical guidance Lord for each one of our life situations Lord we look to you we desire so much Lord to be in tune with your word and your instruction for us and we pray God that you will help us God help us in those daily moments that we struggle with Lord those times of tears that we have Lord that you will you will give us that hope and that encouragement we look to you God for the freedom that we would like in our marriage Lord as couples Father thank you because your blessing is there Lord when your spirit comes freely to renew us and to strengthen us thank you God thank you for everyone who's on this call minister to each one Lord as they have cried out to you today Father Lord answer them answer them may their marriage be what you have called them to be and may they find joy may they find peace and may Lord may each one of us fulfill your purposes for our homes and families thank you good God in Jesus precious name I pray amen all right God bless thank you so much we will meet again next week thank you so much thank you pastor thank you bye bye thank you ma'am