Seven Secrets for Wives – Day 8 – Secret #7

STRENGTHEN YOUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR MARRIAGE.

Marriage is not a contract. It is a covenant, made before God and witnesses. Marriage is not a fuzzy feeling of love. It is a commitment. It is a commitment to build a godly marriage that is a picture to the world of Christ and His bride. It is a commitment to build a family and raise a godly seed. It won’t always be easy. It’s hard work. But we are committed to the task. We take no notice of difficulties. We are not daunted by problems. We keep on with the task, because we are committed to a vision of building a godly generation. We are not concerned only with the present, but with the future, and the generations to come. We have no thought of quitting because we know that it would affect not only our children now, but also the generations to follow. We keep pressing on toward the goal, pushing through the mountains of difficulties, as we trust in our God.

Got any rivers you think are uncrossible?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible!
He can do what no other can do!

God is for your marriage. He will be with you to make it strong and precious. There may be times when the tide goes out on your marriage. When the tide goes out, you see all the ugly things on the beach. When the tide goes out on your marriage, the ugly things loom large. But don’t despair. Don’t look at the rubbish. Look to the Lord. There is a divine law I want to remind you about. The tide ALWAYS COMES IN AGAIN! If you are going through a tough time, hang on to God. The tide will come in again with love and blessing and reconciliation.

~Nancy Campbell~

Seven Secrets for Wives – Day 7 – Secret #6

SEPARATE EVIL FROM YOUR MARRIAGE.

Keep your marriage and your home a pure place for the habitation of the Lord. Don’t allow the filth of the world to creep in. It can happen so easily. Don’t watch immoral movies together. You’ll have a limited selection, but be strong about this. When you sit and watch immorality and filth, you condone it, you deaden your conscience, you negatively affect your marriage and you defile your home. Oh, one of the saddest things I hear from wives as I speak to them all over the country is the grief and lament that their husbands are glued to the TV and many of them are involved in pornography. Oh how I grieve. Pornography is destroying thousands of marriages.

Keep your marriage bed holy. Just because you are married does not give you license to do kinky things. True intimacy in the sexual act can be gloriously satisfying without trying other things. I like this statement from Matthew Henry. “Those who keep themselves pure in times of common impurity, God will keep safe in times of common calamity.”

Don’t bring death to your bed. Most contraceptives either kill newly formed life, or kill the sperm that holds the potential of future life. The Pill, IUD, Depo-Provera, and Norplant are all abortifacients. They cause the death of a newly formed human being. Keep your bed holy.

Ezekiel 44:23 says, “And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

~Nancy Campbell~

Seven Secrets for Wives – Day 6 – Secret #5

SANCTIFY YOUR MARRIAGE WITH PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING.

None of us are exempt from trials. We all face hard times in our marriages. What do you do? Grumble and groan? Complain and criticize? Talk negatively and nastily. Oh it is so easy to do this, because this is how we feel. But here’s the secret. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Thank Him. Trust Him. All your groaning and blaming one another will not solve the problem. God is your Deliverer! You can trust Him. Learn to hang on to God and look to Him as your source. Don’t trust in your husband’s ability alone, but in the Lord.

Make it your habit to pray and praise the Lord together daily. If you pray daily together, you’ll keep free from “the little foxes that spoil the vines” that eat away at your marriage. Make your home a house of prayer and thanksgiving. Matthew 18:19 is a wonderful promise for married couples. “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Notice these words – “If two of you…” The two of you together can claim great power and miracles in your relationship and in your home as you faithfully pray together.

And never forget the exhortation in Ephesians 4:26, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” If you have an argument or get upset with one another, don’t act like a baby and put on the silent treatment. Sort it out. Say “I’m sorry.” Forgive one another. Never go to sleep until you have restored the relationship. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

~Nancy Campbell~

Seven Secrets for Wives – Day 5 – Secret #4

SWEETEN YOUR MARRIAGE.

Ouch! This is a challenge to me. If I start to get a little harsh, Colin will say, “Come on, Darling, be sweet to me.” And I do have to be reminded! But he never lets me get away with sharp words. He always pulls me up to be gentle and sweet.

How do you sweeten your marriage? With words – sweet words, soft words, encouraging words, cheerful words, positive words, helpful words, supportive words, kind words, wise words, forgiving words, loving words, pleasant words and life-giving words. You can’t miss having a successful marriage if you put this secret into practice!

I am always challenged by Song of Solomon 4:11 where the Bridegroom speaks to the bride and says, “Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue.” What drips from the honeycomb? Sweetness! What kind of words drip from your tongue?

A dear friend called in this morning and shared this quote with me: “People turn their best side out: they are delightful in company, but snarly at home. There they give vent to their dissatisfaction, their temper, their grouch. They are scent-bottles abroad, vinegar-bottles at home… To be a Christian at home one must learn to ‘keep sweet’.”

Your words will gradually kill your marriage or they can keep it alive with love. It’s your choice. Proverbs 18:21.

~Nancy Campbell~

Seven Secrets for Wives – Day 4 – Secret #3

SERVE YOUR HUSBAND.

This is meant to be a time of sharing my secrets. Can I share with you what I believe is one of the most destructive forces in a marriage? It is the sin of selfishness! The secret of a successful marriage is selflessness and serving. If you are trying to get something out of your marriage for yourself, you will never be satisfied. It doesn’t work that way. Forget about yourself and think of all the ways you can serve and satisfy your husband. This will bring you joy and freedom. This will release your husband to love you. Even Jesus, the Son of God, did not come to be served but to serve. He was our example. Read Philippians 2:6-8.

Stamp on all the works of the flesh that poke their way up in your life – your self-pitying, self-centered, self-gratifying, self-serving, self-pleasing, self-opinionated self! They destroy the marriage.

Marriage seminars are good. Marriage counseling is good. But they are not the total answer. I know couples that have been to loads of marriage seminars and still have problems in their marriage. All you need to do is forget about self, start serving and your problems will disappear!

Make your home a refuge where your husband can find peace and harmony from the strife of the workplace. Daily prepare a nutritious and appetizing meal for him. There is nothing more soothing than coming home to find the table set nicely, the meal ready with delicious smells floating from the kitchen, a peaceful atmosphere, and everyone ready to sit down to the evening meal.

~Nancy Campbell~

Seven Secrets for Wives – Day 3 – Secret #2

SUPPORT YOUR HUSBAND.

We are to complete our husband, not compete with him. Genesis 2:18 says, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help meet for him.” The word “help meet” is “neged”. It means, “part opposite, counterpart, over against or before, other side.” God made us opposite to our husband. We have a different task. It would have been unnecessary for God to make another creation like Adam to do the same thing as him.

I believe that one of the most fundamental understandings of a successful marriage is to know our role in the marriage. God ordained the husband to be the Provider, the Protector and the Priest of the home. He created the woman to be the Nurturer, the Nourisher and the Nest builder. The husband is the Breadwinner; the wife is the Bread baker! The husband is the King; the wife is the Queen.

We support our husband, not by competing for his role, but by encouraging him to be what God ordained him to be – the leader and the provider. When we take away his God-given task and try to do it ourselves, we undermine him as a man, and we come out from under God’s divine order. Oh you may think you can do a much better job than he can! But that’s not the point. The more you attack his position, the weaker he will become in it. However, as you relinquish it to him, he will gradually learn to take his responsibility. He may make many mistakes at the beginning, but he will grow stronger and wiser as you affirm his role.

In many homes today there are two Adams, both trying to fulfill the role of Adam the provider, rather than an Adam and an Eve. Many women have rejected the role of embracing and nurturing children to take on the husband’s responsibility. The greatest calling that God has given to women is being cut off because they would rather have Adam’s job! As we have adopted this humanistic stance, we see more and more divorce and broken marriages. As we have rejected children and God’s plan for marriage, He has taken away His hand of blessing and we see destruction on every side.

I hate to sound like a broken record but I must reiterate it again. The basic ingredient of a successful marriage is to release your husband to be the provider and leader, and embrace your calling to be a mother and to make your home a peaceful haven for your husband.

~Nancy Campbell~