The only way I know to deal with the lies of the enemy is to shine biblical truth onto the darkness of the words/lies of Satan. Just as English is my native tongue, scripture tells us that the Devil’s native tongue is lies. Satan is fluent in the language of lying. It is for this reason that followers of Christ need to become expert translators of this seemingly unfamiliar language. I use the word “seemingly” because I know it is within each of us to speak Satan’s native language (lies) from time to time due to our depravity which has a unique way of granting us unwanted abilities that paint us more in the image of our adversary than our creator…Christ.

Unfortunately for us, our enemy feeds off the cravings our souls thirst for.

Take respect for instance, respect is the soul craving of every man that walks the earth. When a man feels respected, he will walk to the gates of hell with a damp washcloth for you. On the other hand, when a man feels disrespected, he will try to earn respect or sometimes even go to wherever he doesn’t have to work so hard to earn what his soul craves so intensely. This is the reason so many men become workaholics or cheat on their wives. I’m not making excuses, it’s sin. But the truth must come out of an understanding of scripture.

Likewise, love is the soul craving of a woman. Women naturally gravitate to the place where they feel most loved. Scripture paints this picture so vividly in Ephesians 5 where it says:

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

I’m just going to be honest here. Ephesians 5 has been used and abused by so many theological nutcases trying to advance their philosophical agendas that it makes me sick. God created male and female. Created DIFFERENT and DISTINCT but both in the image of God. Perhaps this doesn’t ring well with modern thought but then again, when did Jesus go with popular opinion? Ephesians 5 has been used to try and green light beating women. It has been used to excuse men from taking responsibility for all kinds of things. The truth is, this passage doesn’t excuse men from anything…rather it demands that men follow the example of Christ so that just as Christ gave up his life for his bride so a husband would give up his life for his wife. This passage speaks of sacrifice and death. This passage doesn’t request or imply anything. This passage says that if the marriage will work, if restoration will take place between the bride and bridegroom, it will be done under these certain conditions. If Christ were not crucified, the church would have no hope of ever being redeemed. Likewise, if a husband will not give up his life for his bride she will never be redeemed unto him.

Nowhere in scripture are wives told to love their husbands.

Here’s my conclusion based upon Ephesians 5…

Men have a role to live out and women have a response to live in. Men are called to lead sacrificially just as Christ gave up his life for his bride, the church; husbands are to lead by giving of themselves sacrificially in love to their wives. In response to the husband’s sacrificial servant leadership, the wife is to submit to his authority. I realize the word “submit” carries with it this huge stigma but let me ask the question that always comes to mind when I’m asked about this passage…

If a husband is serving his wife and loving her with the love of Christ…putting her needs above his own, placing her desires above his own, and sacrificing his will and his ways for her will and her ways…don’t you think that submitting to that kind of leadership would be a good place to live and do life?

Here’s the truth, submitting to a husband’s servant leadership is the sweetest blessing in the life of a bride. Likewise, the sweetest blessing in the life of a bridegroom is giving up his life for the sake of his bride.