What Christian Husbands Need to Believe About God and Their Lives

1. God is powerfully, purposefully and perfectly working in your life.
   How can focusing on the sovereignty of God “in all things” encourage us in our sanctification? God ordained a unique path for us to come to Christ by drawing us to faith through unique events in our lives. God also ordains a unique path for our sanctification and spiritual growth through the “unique spouse” that He provides. How can this help us appreciate our spouse or “potential spouse” even more?


2. God perfectly understands your life (past, present and future). He understands every detail, all you are going through and everything you truly need (Matthew 6:25-7:12).
   But He knows the way I take...--Job 23:10
   God perfectly understands our lives (past, present and future). He understands every detail, all you are going through and everything you truly need. When pride and discontentment come into the picture they will only be fueled by looking at what others have instead of focusing on what God is trying to teach us in the details that He ordained specifically for us.
   How have you seen this proven true in your own life? Why do you think that discontentment has us look horizontally when true contentment can only be found looking vertically to the Lord?


3. God will compassionately and graciously walk with you through life.
   I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," so that we can confidently say, "the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me? --Hebrews 13:5b-6
   When we fall…He picks us up. When we repent…He quickly forgives. When we doubt…He offers us hope. When we hurt…He comforts us. When we need guidance…He instructs. When we can’t see clearly…He illuminates our path and He is willing to do without end!
   Take literally one minute for each person in the group to share a testimony on how God encouraged you when you were at a very low point. Ask everyone to be sensitive to the time so that everyone gets the opportunity to share.


4. God has a ministry planned for you.
   Many of the good works that God has prepared in advance for us as Christians flow directly out of the roles that He has prescribed for us at home and in the church. All of us have roles to fulfill in the family, whether we are a husband, wife or child.
   HUSBAND’S ROLES: Leader (Ephesians 5:24), Lover (Ephesians 5:25), Learner (1 Peter 3:7), Provider (1 Timothy 5:8), Protector (Ephesians 5:24), Discipler (Ephesians 5:25-28)
   If you had to fulfill the role of the husband which role do you think would be most difficult and why? In what way(s) do you believe that women can encourage men in their roles?
   What impact do you hope that this study of The Exemplary Husband has on you?


5. God must be preeminently sought, reverenced and worshipped in your life.
   We need to know why we exist. It certainly is not for our own personal fulfillment or happiness. We are here to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Life is for God and about God, not about us. We must realize that God created us and saved us to be God-centered. J. C. Ryle says in his book, Walking with God, "True Christianity is not simply believing a set of abstract truths. It involves living in daily personal communion with a Person."
   So that he himself will come to have first place in everything.--Colossians 1:18b
   If someone asked you for your help on how she could make God first in her life…where would you start? How would you define “daily personal communion with God?”


6. God is your authority.
   Every husband must continually see himself in submission to God and His authoritative Word. In doing so he will desire to conform his life to the word of God and seek to walk as Christ walk. The exemplary husband will also see to do nothing of his own initiative (John 8 28-29), but rather place God's will over and about of his own (Luke 22:41-42).
   Read 1 Corinthians 11:3 together.
   But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, in the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.—1 Corinthians 11:3
   Submission is something that even takes place within the God-head. The Son submits to the Father and the Holy Spirit submits to both the Father and the Son. How can God’s example encourage us in our submission? How can you encourage your own heart to remember God’s example?