MY HUSBAND’S HELPER

Part 3 (The Strengths I Bring to my Marriage and Family)

“The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl”
(Proverbs 25:11 NCV).

3. STRONG IN TRUTH AND DISCERNTMENT

We live in a liberal and deceived society. We live in a time when much of the church would rather be tolerant toward sin than reprove the “works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11). To raise godly children in this atmosphere we must be wives and mothers who know the truth. I’m talking about God’s truth, not the intellectual wisdom of the world. The only way we can know truth is to saturate our minds and hearts in God’s Word. We must soak our children in God’s Word.

We must cry out for truth. Ask God to expose every deceptive thought in our minds. Even more, cry out for discernment to distinguish between God’s truth and the devil’s lies. That’s not as easy as you think.

Because you are someone who loves God and wants to do His will, Satan does not even think of tempting you with that which looks evil. He knows you would resist immediately. Instead, he tempts you with things that look good. That’s how He tempted Eve in the very beginning. Remember? He tempted her with that which was “good . . . delightful to look at . . . and desirable for obtaining wisdom.” (Genesis 3:6 HCSB). The Fenton translation says: “good . . . beautiful to the eyes . . . and stimulating to the intellect.” Oh, how we must guard our minds and hearts.

As women, we must specifically seek discernment. 1 Timothy 2:14 reminds us that that it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman. Satan came to the woman first as he knew it would be easier to get through to her. And yet Adam and Eve walked with God every evening in the garden. How could she be deceived? Only by something that looked good. Therefore, we must be on our guard. There are so many things and so much teaching that looks so right, but you must seek God for discernment. It’s interesting that the next verse, (v.15) tells us that women will be saved (especially from deception, for this is the context of the passage) as they embrace the role of childbearing and motherhood.

The Lord gave me these words: “Everything from God is good, but not everything that looks good is from God.” Beware (1 Peter 5:8). Seek for truth and discernment. Not only for yourself, but for your children. If we are not strong in God’s truth, how will our children be strong in the truth? How will they know how to discern what is God’s truth in this deceived world?

4. STRONG TO SPEAK

It’s not news to us that women are usually more verbal than men. We are gifted with an ability to communicate. One of the root words of the Eve, Chavvah is a word that looks similar, chavah meaning “to declare.” Every gift can be used negatively or positively, and therefore we must learn to use this gift in the right manner. Instead of speaking derogative and negative words, we seek to speak encouraging and uplifting words.

An Encouraging Word

Proverbs 12:25 says: “Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” The New Living Translation says: “Worry weights a person down; an ENCOURAGING word CHEERS a person up.” I also love The Living Bible: “Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT DOES WONDERS!” Don’t you love that too?

You have the power to work wonders and miracles in your husband’s life by the words you speak. You have the privilege and power to change his world.
Did you know that husbands are desperate for encouragement? They can’t survive without it. You may think your husband is full of confidence and doesn’t need any affirmation from you. Or perhaps you don’t think he is worthy of appreciation because of the way he acts. The opposite is true. He needs fresh affirmation, encouragement, and kind and loving words from you each new day.

Maybe your husband was not encouraged growing up in his family. You now have the power to fill up his empty tank. Keep up the good work even when you don’t notice much difference. Gradually your encouraging words will fill him and change his life. He will begin to do things you never dreamed possible

At the Right Time

Proverbs 25:11 says: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Most translations say: “a word spoken at the right time.” How important it is to know the right time to speak. Don’t pour out on your husband all the problems of your day as soon as he walks in the door. If you have certain things weighing on your heart, wait for the “right time” to share them. Or if there is something you would love him to do in the home or with the children, wait for the right time to speak to him. And don’t ever tell him what to do. He’ll do the opposite. Ask him gently? He will always respond to your question at the right time. He will love to have an answer for you.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, please help me to know the right time and have the right words to speak to my husband. You have created me to bless him, succor him, and help him. Please teach me how to do this in the right way. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am saturating my mind with God’s Word for I refused to be deluded and deceived by seductions and trickeries of Satan.