Sara Daigle - Dare to Love Your Husband Well: A 90-Day Devotional for Christ-Centered Wives

Copyright 2018 by Sara Daigle

Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Good Books books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Good Books is an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.goodbooks.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Mona Lin

Cover photo image courtesy of istockphoto.com

Print ISBN: 978-1-68099-339-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68099-340-0

Printed in the United States of America

Introduction

I stood in the old red barn with 400 others, worshiping my heart out on that chilly fall night. The crowd was large, and the rafters glowed with lights strung across the length of the barn. Since a multichurch worship gathering calls for someone to do security, my husband was outside while I stood near the front, staring up at open windows.

I was worshiping with many others, but it struck me that I was alone and responsible for my own experience. The worship of those around me was not enough to make my own heart worshipI had to choose to worship, choose to give God glory. And as I prayed over this book, I realized that we, as wives, have daily heart decisions to make, too.

No one can choose for you. No one will hold your hand at the end of life and say, Honey, Ill be right next to you when you stand before God, and Ill explain why you were so angry. Ill tell God what kind of man your husband was and Hell understand why you became the kind of woman you are. God already understands, already knows. And He still wants your heart, now, fully. He still wants you to choose Him, every time, even amidst the heartache, the hurts, the misunderstandings in your marriage. And choosing God means daring to love your husband well.

The biblical principals youll discover in these devotions have little to do with your husband. They have everything to do with you, because only you are responsible for your answer to your heavenly Father. When you follow His way, He leads you to wellness, not weaknessand you begin to see that freedom is available regardless of how your husband leads (or doesnt lead) your home!

You will also see that God means to cultivate your voice, not silence it. He wants to bring you to wholeness, not cause you to feel wholly lacking. Though He asks you to honor your man, He never asks you to be content without your own heart being honored, as well.

He wants you to give honor because thats who you arean honorable woman who is loathe to disrespect herself or anyone around her, especially her man.

He wants to show you the beauty of cultivating personal goodness so you can share a life of goodness with your husband, rather than expect him to be your only life.

Ive always thought that Id rather love my husband well and do fewer other things, than do many great things while my husband remains lacking or unhappy in his relationship with me. That desire has led me on a journey of discovering his heart even as I discover my own. God has shown me that He, more than my husband, is my source of life. In letting go of my dependence on imperfect people, including my husband, I am able to hang on to a perfect Godand the result is an ever-increasing freedom that allows me to love better.

Through the scriptures explored in Dare to Love Your Husband Well , you will begin to formulate a biblical understanding of leadership and submission that allows you to thrive, because God never intended for leadership to deprive you of your gifts, silence your voice, or render you helpless in the face of abuse.

Hes come to bring strength, joy, vitality, and a beautiful expression of all you are, so that, together with your man, you can celebrate all He is in both of you.

You are brave for embarking on this journey. Loving well requires honesty with yourself and your spouse, vulnerability, and trust that God wants what is best for you and your relationships. Ask God to move in your heart as you work through this book and to continue giving you the courage to pursue Him with all your heart. Because as you seek God, you may just find that your relationships begin to shift, too.

Day 1

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. 1 Peter 3:7

Dare to embrace true thoughts on Godly womanhood while shedding false ideas you may have gleaned through life.

Honoring your husband well must spring from a bedrock of honoring yourself in the same way God does. He places high value on you, His daughter. You are a doorway, not a doormat. Though you serve, you are more than his servant. Though you meet his sexual needs, you are not a sex slave. Though you honor his leadership, you are not an employee or an oldest child. Though you defer to his leadership when the need arises, you remember that Godly leadership does not imply controlling lordship.

Honoring another never means throwing away your own honor. Loving your husband well means learning to honor him from a place of rest and joy, alive with purpose, and assured of your worth before a heavenly Father Who says you are a joint heir with your husband of the grace of life.

Placing yourself in a doormat position increases the emotional distance between you and your man (even if he does not know what causes the distance) and robs you both of romance and friendship. Living in the truth of who you are will free you up to honor your husband even more.

Father, help me know that I cannot experience the blessings of honoring another until I receive honor from You for my own self. I cannot give what I do not have. Assure me fully of Your heart toward me.

Today, dare believe that, though your roles are different, they are equal in importance. How are you going to strive for a lifestyle of mutual honor and respect with your man?

Day 2

As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 1 Peter 3:6

Sarah is held as an example of Godly submission to many young wives, yet her example is often misinterpreted to women who truly desire to do well by their men.

Sarah called Abraham lord, but she was strong enough to have opinions, as well. When the angels told Abraham that he and Sarah were going to have a son in their old age, she laughed and said, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? (Genesis 18:12).