SO THAT YOUR PRAYERS MAY NOT BE HINDERED OR CUT OFF
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Sodat julle gebede nie verhinder word nie”
As I thought about how to word my answer to the question below, the Holy Spirit placed something else heavy on my heart which I will include in this writing.
About the question that was asked of me:
Someone wrote to me and asked how I understand the word “fitting” from the Word, where it applies to the woman in marriage.
The passage, so I believe, that the person had in mind is the following:
COL 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
The Amplified Bible read as follows:
COL 3:18 Wives, be subject to your husbands (subordinate and adapt yourselves to them), as is right and fitting and your proper duty in the Lord.
Let's first look at what the Collins dictionary says about the word “fitting”:
“Fitting” Adjective: Right or suitable. A fitting reward for his efforts.
For example:
“Fitting”: “Right, Appropriate, suitable, proper, polite.”
If we look at the word ‘polite’ we find synonyms such as: respectful, courteous, gracious, well-mannered, refined.
Thus, one can read Colossians 3:18 as follows:
COL 3:18 Wives submit to your husbands, as it is (right, proper, suitable, appropriate) in the Lord.
A man may never but never expect in his marriage something from his wife that is inappropriate, or then, inappropriate, improper, or indecent before our Lord.
I refer to one example from outside the bedroom that is "inappropriate, or then," inappropriate, not proper, or not decent,” of a man to expect from his wife. However, this is just an example of many I could have mentioned of course.
I may never, for example, expect my wife to lie, for my sake.
I said that I use an example outside the bedroom. Because when I think of some of the things that ladies write to me and call me about in connection what some men expect from their wives in the bedroom – the softest description I can give of it is that it's very sick and “indecent, or then, not appropriate, not proper” before the Lord.
I said at the beginning, that I want to write about something else here as well and that is the following:
It is so unfortunate, but in my ministry it comes to the fore in my mail a lot.
Many men, it seems to me, cannot see in marriage the difference between being boss, dictator and tyrant or being the head in the marriage.
Well, in my opinion, "being boss" in marriage is just evil and therefore of satan.
But "being head" is of our Lord and therefore a holy principle.
I'm not even going to say anything about the evil view of 'being boss' in marriage, but for the men who, like me, strive to live more and more in marriage according to the Word of our Lord, just the following from the Word:
EPH 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her:
EPH 5:28 In the same way husbands should love their wives (and not other wives as well) as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself;
EPH 5:29 For no one ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, (So I have to follow Jesus' example, as He is towards His church, or then His bride.)
1PET 3:7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Did you see?
If a Christian man does not live with his wife according to the above principles, his prayers are not answered.
In other words, our Lord does nothing about what that man is talking to Him about. You could even say that our Lord does not even listen to a bossy man in marriage.
Then some men wonder why our Lord never hear their prayers.
The Amplified Bible read as follows:
1PET 3:
7 In the same way you married men should live considerately with your wives, with an intelligent recognition of the marriage relation, honoring the woman as physically the weaker, but realizing that you are joint heirs of the grace (God’s unmerited favor) of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off. (Otherwise you cannot pray effectively.)
Greetings,
Sakkie