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Likewise Ye Wives

Doyle ministered these verses in church recently and I believe God would have me share how God lead me to walk out those verses in my life.

I found you cannot call yourself a Christian women and not acknowledge the verses in the Bible that pertain to women in the New Testament. When I set my heart to walk in them I found they were against everything I was brought up in; my education and my religion. But Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17) I knew if I set my heart to obey those verses, God would reveal them to me, and that they were his will.

One of the first verses that troubled me was 1Timothy 2:14:

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

This was not easy to swallow, in a society that portrays the women as smarter than the man. It took humility to see that women can be deceived, that I could be deceived. But I had to agree with the Word of God. And that brings me to these verses:

(1 Peter 2)

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

(1 Peter 3)

1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Several years ago I got highly upset with the way my husband was treating me. I thought he wasn’t treating me “like a lady”, that he was being “abusive”. He was not, but my perception saw it differently. I went to God in prayer and brought this up to my Heavenly Father. He, in turn sent me to these verses in 1 Peter. At first I was dumbfounded, “What? Put up with this and not say anything?!” I was not a happy woman. But I kept praying and had to admit this is what God was leading me to do. I did not like the situation, but there is nowhere in the word of God that I could find that says I get to “like” anything! I humbled myself and kept my mouth as quiet as I could.

It took a while, but I saw I was deceived by the Jezebel spirit in believing that I was being mistreated. In Isaiah it talks about a “lady”;

Isaiah 47:7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

This lady God refers to in Isaiah did not have a happy ending. I had to make a choice, did I want to be considered a “lady” or a woman of God. I chose the woman of God.

The situation didn’t change, but my heart did. I don’t get offended near as much when my husband doesn’t say “please” or “ask me nicely”. I don’t expect him to walk in all the chivalry we were taught growing up. I pray he obeys God.

You may email Kathie Small at Kathie3@jacksmall.com

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