The Countdown: 7-Day Devotional for the Soon-to-Be HusbandSample

LEAN

I am so proud of you for staying committed to this devotional thus far!

As you might have guessed, today we are still talking about leadership.

So what other area besides purity do you need to lead in? Well, I would definitely say your spiritual life and growth. Yes, you want your future wife to have a strong spiritual life but it starts with you as the head of the household. There are many statistics out there that talk about the benefits of the man in the home being the spiritual leader. We are going to keep improving that statistic on our end.

Now, I must say that this is an area that I was adamant about even during the very first week of marriage. I wanted to set the pace, spiritual tone, and the example of what it looks like to have a serious relationship with God at home.

Growing in your spiritual life is more than just going to church weekly. It is also having daily devotional time with God such as reading and studying the bible, prayer, and even worship. In order to have your future wife trust you as the spiritual leader, you will have to be dedicated and consistent with your relationship with God by being intentional and making it a daily priority.

Jesus teaches about how to do this in Mark 1:35 which says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (NIV)

After three years into marriage, I can personally see the benefits of getting up in the morning and having my devotional time with the Lord. My wife and I have a weekend bible study as well (which I highly recommend you having) where she is teaching me and I am teaching her during our collective devotional time. She mentioned a similar passage to Mark 1:35 which convicted me to start leading more in this area, especially early in the morning. Now, I don’t think we need to be legalistic here, but I do encourage you to carve out some time daily, whether in the morning, noon or night, to devote precious time to the Lord. He is our first love. This will definitely help you lead your wife, especially in making major decisions because you have already sought the Lord during your devotional time.

Question: do you currently have a devotional life? Can you honestly say you can lead your future family in this area today? What I know is when you lead spiritually, you will be more sensitive emotionally which will end up being beneficial for your physical needs. And that’s all I'm going to say about that!

Prayer

Father, thank You for the gift of time. We get to spend time with You each and every day on this Earth. Help me put You first in every area in my life. Help me become a leader in my devotional time. Help my future wife in this area as well as we prepare to become one. Father, I love You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.