LISTENING HUSBANDS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE

MEMORY VERSE: but God said to Abraham, ‘do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called, Genesis 21:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 12, Ps 97-98, Isa 40, Rev 10

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 21:8-13

The role of the leader is to serve the people not to boss them or lord over them. The role of the head is to serve the body. While every other part of the body is sleeping, the brain is busy working just to ensure that all is well with the body. The greatest leader the world ever knows was Jesus; He spent his entire life serving the poor and washing the feet of his disciples. The difference between a dictator and a leader is that leaders serve while dictators don’t. Mark 9:35 says and he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, if any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

As a husband you are the head of the family. Ephesians 5:23 says for the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the savior of the church. The role of the husband is to serve not boss over his wife. The role of the wife is to submit to her husband, Ephesians 5:22. Good leaders listen to their subordinates, but tyrants or dictators don’t. There is nothing wrong in a husband listening to his wife’s wise and godly counsels. Whether you believe it or not women are more intuitive than man, listening to their wise and godly counsels has its advantages.

Pontius Pilate could have been guilty of crucifying Jesus if not for the wise and godly counsel of his wife. She said to him ‘have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him (Matthew 27:19).’ Immediately Pilate heard that he washed his hands off the case of Jesus. The husband of the great woman of Shunem would have died without a child if not for the wise and godly counsel of his wife. She told the husband that they needed to build a house for the man of God and that one agreed (2 Kings 4:8-13). A year later he became a father. In Genesis 21:8-13, Sarah had an insight on a personal family matter and Abram felt that she was wrong. God told Abraham listen to the voice of his wife. Arrogant husbands who refuse to listen to their wives because they think they know it all will fall flat on their face.

ACTION POINT: Listen to wise and godly counsel of your wife.

Counsel

Proverbs 11:14 where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14 highlights the importance of counsel. It is a deciding factor in success. A synonym for counsel is information. A wise man once said "if you are not informed, you will soon be deformed". Proverbs 4:7 says wisdom is a principal thing. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the application of information or better still the application of counsel. From every way we look at it the value of counsel is immeasurable. One the reasons why people make mistakes in choosing the right partner in marriages or business or profession is largely due to lack of counsel. Many have started businesses without getting counsel, they say ‘brother A is selling bag so I must sell bag’. Many sisters have fallen into the wrong marriages because of lack of counsel. All because a brother can speak in tongue or wears suit every Sunday does not mean he is a bor

n again. There are a lot of problems that could be averted if only people ask questions or get counsel. The bible even says Ask and it shall be given to you, Matthew 7:7. Without counsel failure is almost inevitable.

Asides from getting counsel, the quality of counsel we receive determines the pace at which we attain success and the quality of our success. Not all successes are good. There are good and bad successes. The source of our counsel is also important. Taking a marriage counselling from someone who has never been married before will lead to a disaster or business counselling from someone who has never done business. That is why most married women who take marriage counsel from their spinster friends’ end up regretting so also married men who to take advice on how to treat their wives from their bachelor friends. There are various ways to get counsel; they are through the Holy Spirit, people, bible, books, seminars, lectures, conferenences and other Christian literatures. It is very important that we check the source of our counsel or who or where we take counsels from. A counsel from a fellow who does not fear God is bound to lead to problems because his counsel will lack the fear of God. That is why need to be very careful of the success books we read. What does a man devoid of the Holy Spirit know about good success? Any success devoid of living a righteous life is not good success according to Joshua 1:8. Seminars that emphasizes on ten ways to do this and that and not been spiritually filled or the Holy Spirit offers little or no benefit.
ACTION POINT: Check the source of your counsel !