By Joshua Winslett

Are your family or individual prayers hindered? If so, why? There is one answer that we often overlook.

Family prayers may be hindered by the disrespectful attitude and actions of spouses. To avoid this problem, husbands and wives should show each other no less respect then they would show other Christians. Never forget, though they are your spouse in this life, they will be your brother or sister in Christ for all eternity. It is in the best interest of husbands to always treat their wives as sisters in Christ, and it is equally in the best interest of wives to submit unto their husbands as unto Jesus Christ himself. How can we expect our marriage to be blessed of God, let alone healthy in anyway, if we are not mirroring Christ’s marriage.

Furthermore, a lasting marriage is not built on the foundation of physical lust or emotional love. Physical intimacy and emotional attachment are good qualities to have in a marriage, but beauty fades and emotions change. Spiritual/Godly love is the only basis for a biblical and fulfilling marriage. This spiritual love is a moral quality of devotion and commitment. It mirrors the commitment and dedication of our chief husband, Jesus Christ. With that said, it is even our duty, especially as husbands, to not be bitter against our spouses even when a disrespectful attitude occurs. Christ’s love is unconditional and is committed towards the spiritual welfare of his bride. Lastly, this commitment’s primary motivation is not one of ego-centric narcissism, the motivation of real love is a desire to glorify God by mirroring his divine goodness and selfless sacrifice.

If we really care about the spiritual welfare of our churches, then we should first begin to show greater care and respect for the spiritual welfare of our families, because the local churches are just a group of families. Think about it. If every couple applied the same principles to their family as Christ applied to his marriage, how different would our churches feel during worship? How much closer would we be as families and churches? This answer may be so simple that you can’t believe that simply applying Godly principles to your marriage would actually serve as an ingredient for individual and collective spirit revival, but again I ask, are your prayers hindered? Be honest.

Verses to read: Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:18-19, 1 Peter 3:17

Originally published January 2014