THE WIFE AS THE BREAD WINNER IN THE HOME?

The Word of God tells us in 1 Timothy 5:8, "If anyone fails to provide for his relatives, and especially for those of his own family, he has disowned the faith [by failing to accompany it with fruits] and is worse than an unbeliever [who performs his obligation in these matters]."

God has made the man the head of the home (1 Corinthians 11:3). It is therefore the duty of the man to provide for spiritual and material needs of his household as God's Word has clearly stated.

Now, what happens if the man loses his source of livelihood and the woman runs the home from her resources? What should be her reaction towards the man?

Before you respond, dear friend, I encourage you to take a second and even third look at the Bible verse in 1 Timothy 5:8.

What you will observe is that that Bible verse is addressing Christians specifically and not just any one.

I was told today of a woman whose husband used to do very well financially and provide for the family including his wife's relatives who are now doing well.

It so happened that this man lost his source of livelihood and things went from bad to worse for him. During this period, he kept telling his relatives that all was well with his nuclear family, whereas his wife's relatives are the ones supporting them financially.

Now, it has gotten to a stage where they can no longer pay their house rent and the landlord has gotten a court order to throw them out of the house. When this happened, they moved some of their belongings to the Church while they moved in with the wife's niece!

The woman is angered by the fact that her husband man has refused to make moves to get a source of livelihood while she continues to struggle to fend for the family.

She has even contemplated leaving the home and not having anything to do with the man again but she was advised against doing that by Church members.

Now, dear friend, if you were the woman's friend or relative, what advice would you give her in the light of what today's lead Bible text has stated?

I probed a little into the couple's relationship with God and I was made to understand that the woman attends Church regularly but the husband attends once in a while and at times frustrates her from attending church.

It was then I understood what exactly was going on.

Now, any home where relationship with Jesus Christ and fervent prayers is taking for granted will DEFINITELY come under attack from satan and demons.

There are two institutions satan and demons primarily attack to prevent people from entering heaven - Christianity and Marriage.

All other institutions are under satan's influence and control so he does not bother about them.

Many married women usually make the mistake of abandoning their marriages when things take a turn for the worse financially, whereas they forget that when they got married, they took a vow in Church before God and humans to stay for better for worse.

This is the very objective satan wants to achieve by breaking up the family and making the husband and wife divorce (a sin) commit adultery (a sin), offend God and go to HELL FOREVER when they die in sin.

One thing we must all realise is that tough times never last but tough people do.

The ONLY way to resolve any challenge in marriage and in life is to take it in prayer to Jesus Christ.

The reason I say this because people must realise every affliction a human being suffers in life has satan and demons as the source.

The problem is already initiated in the SPIRIT realm by satan and demons casting spells and curses over the earth and these spells will now manifest PHYSICALLY in all manner of afflictions - sickness, quarrels, fights, backsliding, loss of income source, bad dreams, attacks by armed robbers, rebellious children, etc.

So the solution also must be done in the SPIRITUAL REALM to manifest in the PHYSICAL REALM.

Thank God in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who has given us all authority over the power of satan the enemy - Luke 10:19; Psalm 91.

Therefore, what Christians MUST do is to wake up at the same hour satan and demons operate - between 12am - 3am and exercise the authority God has given them in prayer to cancel and destroy every manner of bondage, affliction, spells and troubles in their lives and satan and his demons will flee instantly.

How do I know this? God tells us in James 4:7 "So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you."

You resist the devil by CONSISTENTLY standing firm against him in prayer and declarations from your mouth. But before you can successfully resist the devil, you must be subject to God, which is the first part of the Bible text.

Being subject to God means you have totally and genuinely repented of sin and evil, you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and you are living a life in strict declared total obedience to Jesus' commands in the Holy Bible and forsaking living a life of double standards still sinning whilst claiming to have Jesus as your Lord.

Simply put, you cannot claim to have Jesus as your Lord whilst still telling lies, cheating people, committing adultery and fornication, and all manner of unrighteous atrocities that God's Word has clearly condemned.

This is the ONLY condition under which you can successfully resist the devil and he would flee from you.

Then use your mouth to CONSISTENTLY declare what you want to see in your life as God’s Word admonishes us in Job 22:28; Mark 11:23.

Now, you will begin to notice things change for good all round in your situation, spiritual and material.

The woman who understands these things will stay in her home with a difficult husband and practise them without wavering or murmuring, submitting to her husband in humility as God has commanded and with time she will win her husband over by God's grace, favour and with her good conduct (1 Peter 3:1).

Not only will her husband give his life totally to Jesus Christ, the same Jesus Christ will restore the husband to his position as the spiritual and material head of the home.

As we are told in Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail)."

Remember, dear friend, the word of focus is CONSISTENCY in subjecting yourself, family and situation to Jesus Christ.

May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus' Most Powerful Name, Amen.

Gabriel Ama.