Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast. We're so glad that you've tuned in, as Reverend Paul Cannings continues with the series titled Relationships, Marriage, and Family. In experiences with others, it’s not the words that are remembered so much as the way one is treated. That’s so important today within families, and the effects of how one is treated can be far-reaching.

Today Pastor Cannings brings us part two of the message The Role of a Husband, addressing how the man is the head of the home and can steer that home to be Christ-centered. Let’s go there now.

Dr. Paul Cannings: The woman was made in the image of God just like the man is. This is why women turn around and say, "I want to drive a race car," and they can. That's why women can have the same capabilities of doing anything because they were not made less. Matter of fact, if a man treats his woman less, in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 7, I will not hear his prayers. And the person who is putting a stumbling block to that is Jesus. It wasn't Satan.

Same thing He would say in Malachi chapter 3: I would not accept your worship because you treat your wife bad at the house. So please understand, God is not the abuser in this. It is our sinful minds that is. So let's take a look at this and work our way through this text. You have to come to this with blind faith. You can't come to this with preconceived ideas, bad experiences from past relationships, or bad thoughts of men because you may have grown up in a home where men were talked about bad.

Or you've grown up in a home where women were talked about bad, and because you grew up seeing that, you approach marriage with that mindset. So sometimes we have to dethrone bad experiences, bad memories, and bad thoughts to have a fresh start at what God is calling marriage. I grew up watching the traditional approach, and I grew up seeing the frustration with it. When my mom got sick of it, she let the world know that she was saved. She let it be known.

I also saw the frustration of it when it was "I’m the head, I’m the head, I’m the head of the house. You just basically do what I say." So it's not like I come to this text ignorant of that. Here's the first thing we find in verse 22. We've got to back into verse 21. In verse 22, it says, "wives." It doesn't say "woman," it doesn't say "female." It says "wives." So fundamentally, this is a person that's already a wife.

What do I mean by that? If a man finds a wife, not a woman—I watch my boys on that—let me check her out to see if she's a wife. "Dad, I’m like 24." I don't care, you're still under my covering, I’m going to check her out. I said, "Son, you've got a choice. You want to marry a female, a woman, or a wife?" So please understand, it starts off with "wives." So a person cannot come to this function if they're not a wife.

Today, if what God is describing—and I’m going to look at it in the Greek, the background, everything else—frustrates you, you're not a wife. He says "wives" to your own husband. Not to your boyfriend, not to some side dude. It's like I would tell my kids, until you get married, you are listening to me because you are still single. So if a woman is still single, she is not supposed to—that's why God's got a backup system in the church of elders, deacons, and ministers.

The reason why God has that is because some women don't have this at the house. But the Bible is saying the person that you are looking to is your husband, your own husband. Not somebody else, not some single man on the side. Watch the word "own." Your own husband. Are you with me? When a woman with all the ability God says she has—there's no difference between male, female, bond or free in Galatians chapter 3—decides to come to her own husband this way, guess who in chapter 6 has to lead the kids? The man.

Guess what happens to the children when she comes to her own husband? Look at chapter 6. In chapter 6 he says—watch the word—"children, obey your parents in the Lord." This "in the Lord" is constantly repeating itself over and over again so nobody could abuse anybody. In the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"—watch it carefully—"for the first commandment with a promise: that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."

Fathers—where's the mother? Where's the parents? Fathers, just like he starts off with "wives," "fathers." Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Who has to bring up the kids? Not the wife. He's distinctively saying the father. That's why if a man manages his home well, he could be a leader in the church. He says "father." So he's saying if the woman, wives, come to their own husband where they've got these kids and they are willing to function within this structure, it affects a legacy.

The minute a woman chooses not to be a wife in this structure, it could affect a legacy because the kids aren't going to listen to no discipline, no instruction from the father. You're talking about a legacy. Why did Satan come to Adam and Eve, not just Adam? He was after mankind. The same structure God is saying, Satan knew that structure. That's why he came to Adam and Eve. Because he knew the minute I get Adam and Eve, I affect legacy.

What is God trying to do? I made them male and female to be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth. He heard the verse. God didn't just make them male and female to have a good time in the bedroom. He wants to affect the world. So if I could touch Adam and Eve and reverse this thing to where Eve is submitting to me, not her husband—that's why Paul is saying "your own husband." Not to a preacher who you think is right, but your own husband.

You had a preacher who was Satan in the garden. He was a preacher. And instead of checking out the doctrine with her husband, she came to her own preacher and messed it up. And guess what? Kids were affected. That's why I have the men baptize their children. I put a minister in there and I put the dad in there. I’m trying to instill in the kid that's your first pastor. This is how it's structured.

I could actually take you to the verse where it says, "women, if you have a question, go to your husband and ask." So that's why the husband has to become a teacher of God in the house. Not because he's the husband. No, the Bible is saying you're trying to raise the kids to be in the image of God. That's what your job is. So if the husband is not there, God provided the church, but the wife still has to go check the Bible out like the Berean Christians.

So he said, "wives." He didn't use the word "submit" in verse 22 yet because he says, "your own husbands as unto the Lord." Now why is he saying "as unto the Lord?" Why is he saying that? There's several reasons why. Number one, let me show you why. The woman actually had God to be her husband first. Not the man first. So before he brings up husband, he is saying, "let's talk about me. I’m your husband first, I made you."

I could take you to verses where he says, "I own your body." That's why when it comes to a man coming to a woman, he has to make a vow, and when he has this vow, that's when he could say his body belongs to her and her body belongs to him in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. But until then, each person's body belongs to the Lord. It's right there in 1 Corinthians 6. I bought you with a price. I own your body. So therefore, since I own it because I paid a price to gain it, I now come live in you and I dwell there.

So your body belongs to me. So since your body belongs to me, I’m your first husband. You all drop God and run to the man. That's why when you find the man, he may not be a man because you didn't go through the eyes of your first husband to look for the husband that he allows you to have. And therefore then you blame God and say, "God, I thought he was this." God says, "You've got to walk in the light to see the light."

So if you don't walk in the Word of God, you can't see who he's supposed to be. You're looking at Denzel and all that stuff, and that's why you end up with Kibbles 'n Bits. The Bible is saying, no, focus on me first. Now he's going to help you do that, ladies. You work out your salvation in fear and trembling because He who's within you—how does God help you find a good husband? Some of you all are into the body type too much.

How cute he is because you all think about them children how they're going to look. Some of you all are like that. "I want some dark-skinned kid." Come on now, tell the truth. "I want my kids to have this kind of hair stuff, and I want my kids to look this way." So you all are trying to find a man, thinking of the kids, trying to get the kid to look like what you think kids ought to look like.

You know that's very much like how kings and queens got married, right? They weren't saying if they were in love, they just took a king and put a queen with a king so that the kids can come this way and have this dynasty developed. So you all are actually following a king routine, queen routine, not a God routine. Now here is what we got in this: "as unto the Lord." How did we come to this? Look at chapter 2.

He says when a woman is even considering being a wife, the first husband is God. So since she's been following God, she can then come to verse 23 and talk about a husband. And when she comes to verse 23, she's still not talking about coming under his leadership, she's still following God's leadership as he does it.

Guest (Male): Amen. Thank you, Pastor Cannings. The father in the home is the first pastor, and while churches and education do play a major role, it’s the father who is to have the responsibility of giving the children a sound foundation of faith, common sense, and biblical principles. Please visit us online at PowerWalkMinistries.org and connect with us. That’s PowerWalkMinistries.org.

And if you’d like to find out more about what it is to lead your family in a Christ-like manner, then reach out and give us a call at 281-260-7402. Again, that number is 281-260-7402. Our mailing address is Power Walk Ministries, P.O. Box 920517, Houston, Texas, 77092. We’d love to hear from you.

And if you live in the Houston area or you’re planning a visit, please join Reverend Cannings at Living Word Fellowship Church this Sunday. For church location and service times, visit LWFellowshipChurch.org. And as we leave you, keep in mind that the enemy will attack the family. So let the church rise up and bring unity and order so that the family can have maximum impact for the glory of God.