Lesson 41
Chapter Thirteen: "Biblical Submission-Basis Of The Wife's Protection"
Principle #2: A Submissive Wife Is Not Afraid To Do What Is Right

The following is a summary adaptation of material from "The Excellent Wife"
by Martha Peace. Taken from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace, pp.
143-146. Copyright, 1999, Focus, Publishing, Bemidji, Minnesota. Used with
permission for the purposes of this devotional series only. May not be
reproduced or forwarded without the express consent of the publisher.


In last weeks lesson we discussed Biblical submission and how the wife is to
respect and honor this command from God. It is the wife's responsibility to
change her perspective and view submission through God's and her husband's
eyes. We also talked about the wife being submissive in even the small and
unseemingly unimportant requests of her husband, since they are important to
Him.

It is important again, that we look to the Lord for guidance in this area.
We have to humbly go before the Lord and ask for His leading in how he wants
us to proceed.

In this lesson we will look at more principle that will cover even more
ground in the context of submission.


Principle #2:
A SUBMISSIVE WIFE IS NOT AFRAID TO DO THE "RIGHT THING"

Thus Sara obeyed Abraham calling him lord, and you have become her children
if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. I Peter 3:6

There undoubtedly may be times where the wife has to face some very
frightening circumstances because of the sin her husband may be involved in.
These may include physical/verbal abuse, immorality, irresponsibility,
threats of leaving, or the use of alcohol/drugs. Anyone living in either
type of these situations would be frightened if their husband was behaving in
such a way.

However, God does not want you to be living in fear. The key to overcoming
fear is to find biblical ways to deal with that fear. The Lord wants to
control you and He does not want your fear to determine how you live. The
situation may be frightening no doubt, but as God's child, we don't have to
let the situation control our emotions and our actions. We must saturate our
hearts and minds with the Word of God and be built up in the inner man so
that we can live and walk in the Spirit. I do believe that God can give you a
peace that will come to you even in your times of distress.

In distressful times, I am reminded of Moses and how the Word of God tells us
that Noah "walked with God." He did not run frantically when the storms
raged and rain came upon the face of the earth like never before. He had a
"relationship" with God so that even in the destruction of the world in which
he knew, he trusted God and was at peace with Him.

I am so thankful to God for being able to share with you on the lesson of
fear. I know from experience what it means to be overtaken by your fear.
God has since healed me and renewed His power within me. He is in control of
me and I give praise to Him! You too can be set free from the bondage of
fear. When I opened to heart to God in this area, He began to do His work in
me. It does not happen overnight, but it begins by surrendering your will to
Him. I had to gird up the loins of my mind, with the mighty, powerful,
active Word of God. I want to share with you some scriptures that the Lord
used to free me from the power of fear.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7

Look carefully at the definition that I came up with as I was studying the
subject of fear:

"Fear" has to do with "timidity," Lacking in courage or self-confidence. It
shares the same implications as a person who is "dreadful." When you are
dreadful, you carry a great fear or anxiety. You tend to think that some
harm will result in the decision you are going to make. Fear is the same as
being "frightened." A person who lives in this type of fear lacks faith in
God and self and is afraid to move on.

"Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by expectation, or an awareness of
danger. It may even carry with it the emotion of panic, terror, fright, and
alarm. This person is apprehensive and views the future with painful and
uneasiness of mind.

As I looked over my notes, I could see clearly that in no way has God given
His children a "spirit of fear." This type of fear robs God of His control in
our lives. To live like this is contrary to God's Spirit. This spirit is of
Satan, not of God. Satan wants to keep you in a state of fear so that you
will not move into the realm of God's blessings. To live in fear takes your
eyes off of Almighty God and places it solely on your situation. "Does that
mean that we will not ever be afraid?" Not at all. I'm reminded of King
David's fear and how he handled those fears. Psalm 56:3 says:
What times I am afraid, I will trust in God." Don't let your fear overtake
you. Take it to God right then and claim His promises. He is a "very
present help" in the time of trouble.

"Now, according to II Timothy 1:7 what has God given His children?" He has
given us a Spirit of power, and of love and of a sound mind. Of power, which
indicates that you have God's miraculous power dwelling inside of you to give
you the ability, strength, and might to carry on. The Holy Spirits job is to
enable you as God's child to live as He has commanded. He gives you the
necessary power to do what God wants you to do! He empowers us Spiritually
through prayer & God's Word so that we can stand physically strong in the
power of His might!

Love conquers fear. God loves you with an everlasting love and because of
His affection for you, you can trust that He knows what's best for you. God's
love is pure, it's eternal, and He has plenty of it. Once you open your
heart/life to the Love of God, His love begins to flow through you to others.
You will begin to show God's love in the relationships that you have. That's
how your fear begins to reside or disappear. We are to focus on God--His
love for us and how we are to share His love with others. We are to love as
Christ did. We love other's in spite of their attitudes and our sole hope
and trust is in our Almighty God. We must trust Him to do the work in our
loved one's heart. We are commanded to love God and other's, as He has loved
us.

God wants you to have a sound mind. He wants His children to live free from
anxiety, and to be capable of making good judgments. A fearful mind is not
focused on the Lord. It is crowded with so many different things. A sound
mind comes from building a relationship with God. It comes from entering
into His Word of truth and studying, meditating, and desiring His teaching.
To be free from an over anxious mind, you must allow the Lord to lead, guide,
and direct your train of thoughts. It comes by acknowledging your fear, and
then placing in the Master's care. You have to exercise your faith in God's
ability to deliver you. It will take practice of you casting down every
false thought and begin thinking only on those things that are true. (See
Philippians 4:8) Begin to pray to God when fear creeps in and thank God for
His deliverance and His unfailing love toward you. "How can we as wives
actually carry out God's command to love Him and others?"


PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF PERFECT LOVE.

We show love to God by obeying Him whether we feel like it or not. It may
mean that we will suffer to some degree but we obey and trust God anyhow. We
can start thinking godly thoughts and only on those things that pertain to
godliness. We can show love to our husbands by not going over and over in our
heads and to him, about his sins or how he has wronged us. We show love by
giving him a "blessing" instead of doing him evil. We can show love by
enduring through a difficult time and responding to what he has done in an
objective, hopeful way. We can watch our tone of voice and the words we
choose to speak can be words of truth covered in kindness, respect, and
gentleness. One of the most ways I have found to show love to my husband has
been in the arena of PRAYER! It is the best thing that we can do for our
husbands. I have committed myself to praying for my husband rather than
ridiculing him and God has truly blessed me in this area. My view of my
husband has changed. I see in a different light--the love of God which was
shown to me through His Son Christ Jesus.

Even if your husband repeatedly sins and disappoints you, you must learn to
place your trust solely in God and not in your husband. Trust God to work
through your husband. You can and should forgive him when he asks for our
forgiveness but the trust issue will have to be regained over time. Our hope
must be in God. Another way to overcome your fear and not be afraid is by
learning to think thoughts that are right, true, honorable, excellent, and
worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 encourages us to "Let our minds 'dwell' on such things."
On page 145, Mrs. Peace gives us a chart of examples of thoughts that produce
fear and those that produce love:

FEAR PRODUCING THOUGHTS:

1. "If he gets angry and leaves me, I won't be able to take it."
(This thought is wrong because it is self-focused.)


LOVE PRODUCING THOUGHTS:

1. "If he gets angry and leaves me, he'll just have to get angry. I'm going
to show love to God and my husband whether he leaves or not. God will give
me the grace to get through my husband's anger at that time."
(This thought is right because it points to God and gives Him the credit.)


FEAR PRODUCING THOUGHTS:

2. "He's drinking again. What will happen if he loses his job?" (This
thought is wrong because it is worry and is focused on the wrong issue.)


LOVE PRODUCING THOUGHTS:

2. "It's more important for him to repent than for him to keep his job.
Getting fired may be the extra pressure that it takes for God to get his
attention. If he loses his job, it will be difficult, however, God will at
that time give me the grace to get through it."



FEAR PRODUCING THOUGHTS:

1. "What will others think if they find out what he has done?" (This thought
is wrong because it is focused more on what others might think rather than on
what God says.)


LOVE PRODUCING THOUGHTS:

2. "It is the responsibility of others to see this as a sin that is 'common
to man.' Hope lies in the fact that it is sin and he can repent of it and be
forgiven."


On page 146, Mrs. Peace makes this statement:
"A submissive wife is not afraid of doing the right thing. She entrusts
herself to God, knowing that in difficulty, God will give her the grace she
needs to get through it at the very time she needs it. Not always, but most
of the time, when a wife responds by standing up to her husband in the right
way, it turns out better than she had anticipated. In the event that it does
not turn out well, the wife can have the comfort of knowing that she was
pleasing to her Lord and whatever suffering she undergoes will be "for doing
what is right." (See I Peter 3:17.)


In closing, I want to ask that you prayerfully consider this lesson in light
of God's Word. I do believe that most of our problems in our marriage stem
from having an unbiblical or worldly view of God's plan for submission. We
must begin by seeking the Lord. Repenting of those practices that we have
been accustomed to for so long, that are in direct opposition to God's plan.
Satan seeks to destroy our families, the very institution that God ordained.
We begin to fight against Satan with the truth that is in God's Word. We
begin by asking God's forgiveness of our sinful ways and surrendering our
marriages and lives to Him. We continue by daily feeding our hearts with His
Word and meditating upon the sweetness of His truth. We continue by daily
casting down all falsehood and those thoughts that seek to undermine the
family and God's plan for it. It is a daily battle that is won by changing
our practices and placing our trust in the Lord.

It is truly my prayer and desire, that you begin to live in the freedom of
biblical submission, and embrace the plan that God has designed for you and
the good of your family.


In the love of Christ Jesus,
Pamm

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