If dogs are a man's best friend, passivity is man's greatest enemy. It takes courage and strength for a man to step up and lead his wife and be the master of his home. It is not as easy as it seems, as any married man can attest. Today, we are going to look at three key traits every husband should exhibit as he looks to lead in his marriage.

1. Authority: The man is supposed to be the authority in the home, as indicated by Ephesians 5:23. This means that when hard decisions must be made, the man must be ready to make the final call. This can be intimidating, but this is God's call on your life. Your wife will appreciate it more than you know. Even if the choice you make doesn't work out in the end, as long as you are listening to God and His Word, she will respect you for making it.

2. Submission: Submission to God and His Word ensures that the authority you have been given remains a blessing and not a curse. You will be a leader, not a dictator; a brave, caring spouse, not a tyrant. As the wife submits to you, you must submit to God's Word. You are also responsible for submitting to your wife when she notices the blind spots in your leadership and points them out.

3. Sacrifice: Jesus modeled perfect sacrifice for us, so there is no mistaking how high the bar is set for husbands. In every situation, we must be prepared to lay down our lives, our wills, and our ambitions to pursue the best for our wives and families. Time, attention, money, energy--all these you must be willing to sacrifice for your family.

After reading all of this, you may feel like this is too much responsibility for one person. To the man who is weighed down under doubt, the one who thinks he will never be able to lead his family, I point you to this verse.

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Thank you for listening to the Strengthened Hands Podcast!

Don't forget to send comments to strengthenmyhands@gmail.com for comments, questions or future podcast ideas!

Visit our YouTube channel to see video versions of the Strengthened Hands Podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2HzPSrQ2RzhCdhqBqsTwWg

Support us by checking out our Etsy Shop!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/StrengthenedHands

Share the episode with your friends and make sure to follow the podcast so you don't miss any new episodes!