I received my February 2016 “Legal Alert”
from the Christian Law Association (CLA) recently. I pray for the CLA
regularly, as requested by Attorney David Gibbs Sr. in a sermon that I heard
him preach. I was surprised at some of the information provided concerning
how churches should legally protect themselves against liability from
pastoral counseling. For example: Churches are supposed to REFUSE to provide
marriage counseling, family therapy or mental health counseling. This is
because pastors aren't considered properly trained nor legally licensed to
do so. Isn't that sad? I'm not criticizing the CLA, they're simply telling
churches the way it is. I mean, sad that our country has become so ungodly
that the man of God is viewed as some sort of third-rate religious salesman.
Let me tell you something, there's not a more professional counsellor in
this world than the fundamental Bible-believing preacher!!! Albeit,
preachers are looked down upon these days, just as the holy Word of God is
looked down upon as outdated, hateful, bigoted, sexist and a fairy's tale!
I wrote this article to help struggling married couples... “Biblically” (I don't want to get sued for offering “professional” counselling). Oh boy! What an insane world that we live in today! And by the way, it would appear that all the so-called “professional” marriage counsellors aren't doing a very good job, as their batting-average is HORRIBLE! The divorce rate is higher than ever, except in places where fornicators aren't even getting married anymore. Why should God bless America, when we spit upon His commandments? The Devil is doing everything in his power to destroy traditional marriages, Christian families, Bible-preachers, and fundamental soul-winning churches.
Please notice in our text Bible verse above that husbands and wives are commanded to submit “ONE TO ANOTHER.” Perhaps you have never seen this Bible verse before. Yes, husbands are commanded to submit to their wives too! But please notice the very next verse below:
Ephesians 5:21-25, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 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. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
So you see, the wife is commanded to submit FIRST. In a conflict of opinion between a husband and a wife, the wife is supposed to submit to her husband's wishes. I know that harelips every feminist dog in the county, but it is God's Word. Anything with two heads is a monster! To “submit” means “to put before, to yield to the control of another, to obey.” If both husbands and wives would seek to meet each other needs and please one another, instead of taking more than they receive, there wouldn't be so many divorces.
Ladies, you are commanded to obey your husband, as unto Jesus Christ Himself. But keep reading, the Apostle Paul in verse 25 commands the husband to LOVE HIS WIFE, even as Jesus loved the Church and gave Himself for it on the cross. So we see a balance here of submission between a husband and a wife. Paul goes back and forth, trying to be fair toward both sexes. The feminist idea of an overbearing husband ordering around his subservient wife as a slave is unbiblical and sinful. In a happy Biblical marriage, both the husband and wife submit to each other, trying to make a life for one another, in the fear of God.
Don't miss that little phrase in Ephesians 5:21b, “in the fear of God.” The reason and motivation to submit to one another is that God is always watching, and we must all give account to Him on Judgment Day. A husband must give account to God for how he treats (or mistreats) his wife. The problem oftentimes is that a husband wants a Biblical marriage, but without the fear of the Lord. The reason why the divorce rate of Christians equals that of the unsaved world is because of sinful pride and backsliding from serving God. Proverbs 14:14, “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.” When a wife becomes filled with her own ways, she no longer submits to her husband as God commanded. When a husband becomes backslidden and filled “WITH HIS OWN WAYS” (not God's ways), he stops loving his wife as God commanded him. The big problem with Americans today is that we are all FILLED WITH OUR OWN WAYS!!!
If you are having marriage troubles, and everybody does at some point, you need Godly advice. I'll say this though, a lot of people become so unhappy with their marriage that they just want out, and at that point they don't even want counseling. I hope that's not you friend. Trust me, the grass only seems greener on the other side of the fence. The world is a cruel place, and will selfishly take everything you have, and leave you homeless on the streets. If you are interested at all in saving your marriage, then I plead with you to listen to the following 22-part Wednesday night MP3 bible study series by Pastor Jack Hyles, preached at the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. This is some of the greatest truth and advice you'll ever hear concerning having a happy marriage:
Marriage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
