The Prophetic Messenger
A Newsletter From Mysteries From The Word Of God Ministries
May/June 2006 - Volume 8/Issue 3
Marriage God's Way - Part II
"4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Matthew 19:4-6
In this issue of The Prophetic Messenger we will discuss "marriage God's way" to help those who will possibly marry in the future and to help those who are already married.
In this issue of The Prophetic Messenger we will discuss "marriage God's way" to help those who will possibly marry in the future and to help those who are already married.
1. What It Means To Be One
In this section we will look at how the husband and wife can be one physically and spiritually. In Genesis 2:24 it says "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
a) Physically
The apostle Paul shows us the true meaning of being one physically. In I Corinthians 7:3-4 it says "3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." In verse 3 we see the word benevolence describing how a husband and his wife should treat one another. The word benevolence from Webster's means "a wanting to do good; kindliness; generosity." The word generosity from Webster's means "a generous or unselfish act." We live in a society that is very selfish, but in the Lord Jesus Christ we are to be the opposite of the world. As Paul said in verse 4 "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife."
b) Spiritually
In Psalm 133:1 it says "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" We see from this passage that David was talking about brotherly unity, but God also wants that unity or oneness in Christian marriages. In Ephesians 5:21-23,25,28-31, Paul shows us how our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will affect our marriage. In Ephesians 5:21-23,25,28-31 it says "21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.....25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;....28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."
Notice what Paul says in verse 21-23. We must submit ourselves "one to another in the fear of God", then he says how the wife must submit herself to her husband as unto the Lord. We see if a woman does not have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ then she will have problems submitting to her mate. Also, for the husband we see in verse 25 that it says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" we see clearly that Jesus Christ wants the Christian husband to love his wife as Christ does the church, and not as a dictator in the home.
a) Physically
The apostle Paul shows us the true meaning of being one physically. In I Corinthians 7:3-4 it says "3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." In verse 3 we see the word benevolence describing how a husband and his wife should treat one another. The word benevolence from Webster's means "a wanting to do good; kindliness; generosity." The word generosity from Webster's means "a generous or unselfish act." We live in a society that is very selfish, but in the Lord Jesus Christ we are to be the opposite of the world. As Paul said in verse 4 "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife."
b) Spiritually
In Psalm 133:1 it says "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" We see from this passage that David was talking about brotherly unity, but God also wants that unity or oneness in Christian marriages. In Ephesians 5:21-23,25,28-31, Paul shows us how our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will affect our marriage. In Ephesians 5:21-23,25,28-31 it says "21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.....25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;....28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."
Notice what Paul says in verse 21-23. We must submit ourselves "one to another in the fear of God", then he says how the wife must submit herself to her husband as unto the Lord. We see if a woman does not have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ then she will have problems submitting to her mate. Also, for the husband we see in verse 25 that it says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" we see clearly that Jesus Christ wants the Christian husband to love his wife as Christ does the church, and not as a dictator in the home.
2. Prayer
In Philippians 4:6 it says "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Prayer is a very important part of your relationship with Jesus Christ and your marriage. We are going to look at four areas of prayer.
a) In The House (monthly)
It is important to pray over your house monthly with your wife and children (if you are parents), and it is important to anoint your hands with oil before you pray. You must bind the devil that would try to come against your marriage. In Matthew 18:18 Jesus said "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." We must remove things from our homes that have evil influences (such as children toys and clothing that have evil spirits on them).
b) Praying Together For Your Marriage
It is very important to pray together daily for your marriage. This will help to bring and keep unity in your relationship.
c) Praying For Confirmation With Each Other
We see an example of confirmation with Gideon in Judges 6. In Judges 6:7-24 it says "7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, 8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; 10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. 11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. 18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. 19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. 20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. 22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. 23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites." We see Gideon called by the Lord through an angel to save Israel from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord consumed Gideon's offering to show that it was the Lord God who send him the message. Then Gideon ask God for two more confirmations.
In Judges 6:36-40 it says "36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground."
As you pray for different situations it is important to ask for confirmation with your spouse.
d) Hinderances To Prayer
We will look at three areas of hindering prayers in a marriage. The first is the husband respecting his wife. In I Peter 3:7 it says "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." Secondly, in I Corinthians 7:1-5 it says "1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Notice that in this passage, Paul showed the importance of prayer and fasting for both the husband and wife. Thirdly, unforgiveness will hinder both the husband and the wife's prayers. In Mark 11:25-26 it says "25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
a) In The House (monthly)
It is important to pray over your house monthly with your wife and children (if you are parents), and it is important to anoint your hands with oil before you pray. You must bind the devil that would try to come against your marriage. In Matthew 18:18 Jesus said "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." We must remove things from our homes that have evil influences (such as children toys and clothing that have evil spirits on them).
b) Praying Together For Your Marriage
It is very important to pray together daily for your marriage. This will help to bring and keep unity in your relationship.
c) Praying For Confirmation With Each Other
We see an example of confirmation with Gideon in Judges 6. In Judges 6:7-24 it says "7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, 8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; 10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. 11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. 18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. 19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. 20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. 22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. 23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites." We see Gideon called by the Lord through an angel to save Israel from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord consumed Gideon's offering to show that it was the Lord God who send him the message. Then Gideon ask God for two more confirmations.
In Judges 6:36-40 it says "36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground."
As you pray for different situations it is important to ask for confirmation with your spouse.
d) Hinderances To Prayer
We will look at three areas of hindering prayers in a marriage. The first is the husband respecting his wife. In I Peter 3:7 it says "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." Secondly, in I Corinthians 7:1-5 it says "1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Notice that in this passage, Paul showed the importance of prayer and fasting for both the husband and wife. Thirdly, unforgiveness will hinder both the husband and the wife's prayers. In Mark 11:25-26 it says "25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Coming Up In The Next Issue
Marriage God's Way - Part III. Read this article in the next issue of The Prophetic Messenger.
Memory Verses
As Christians if we want to live in victory and if we want to be able to share the Word Of God with others we must know the Word of God ourselves. Let's see what the Bible says about this. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." John 15:7. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." John 8:31. We encourage you to put the following scriptures in your heart:Deuteronomy 11:18, Revelation 21:22-23, Luke 16:30-31, Genesis 3:22-23, Ezekiel 33:33, Ezekiel 36:24, Psalm 91:1-16, II Timothy 4:8, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Isaiah 51:1-2. Use only the Old King James version of the Holy Bible. (If you have any questions about this please see the book New Age Bible Versions, by G.A. Riplinger ©1993, ISBN 0-9635845-0-2.)
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