Devotionals, Bible Studies, Articles, and Tips to help Christian wives grow in the Lord

What Is Love Series – Part 15 – Love Never Fails

What Is Love Series Part 15 Love Never Fails encouragements for wives what is love series what is love marriage love Inspiration fails Encouragement Christian Wife Christian Community Unveiled Wife

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13 : 4-8

Love Never Fails

The only love I have ever encountered that has never failed me is the love of God. His love is pure, His love is truth, His love redeems, His love is transforming, His love is perfect! 1 John 4 tells us that God is love. Read Full Article

May 12, 2013
In Encouragements For Wives , , , , , , , ,
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To My Husband – For Better Or For Worse – I Love You

Rob,

These last few years of our life have been the most trying, insightful, and challenging years ever.  We married for better or for worse, and you kept me at my worse.  It’s been a long road of discovery for me to realize that you are not one that I should take advantage of.  I remember the first time we looked at each other at your moms house, I just knew you were my soul mate and I could never let you go.  You were a familiar love to me, and I risked everything for you.  20 years later (Anniversary May 23, 1992) I cannot show or say how much more in love I am with you.  God has kept us on this journey, he has led the way, even at times when we have turned our heads to him, he never left us.  I do not believe for a minute he ever will leave us, which is why we need to keep drudging fwd with our love and our marriage.  Satan doesn’t deserve the upper hand EVER in our marriage.  We have an empty nest now, which was an adjustment, so we are getting reacquainted again, and I believe the next 20 yrs will be even better if we allow God to lead the way.  I would never give up on us, and I’m asking you to do the same.  It’s true love through Christ when I can look at you in such a deep love after all these years, and I hope you can do the same.  I needed to tell you all this because it’s not said nearly enough in our life.  I love you Robert Wolford……I loved you 23 yrs ago when we got together,….I’ve loved you through the wilderness years, I love you now, and will love you till Death Do Us Part.  I pray that I am the wife that Christ wants me to be in your life, and I will strive to do that everyday we are together.

Love you, Me.

April 19, 2012
In Letter To My Husband ,
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Any Marriage Can Be Saved

When I received this article, I knew immediately that it was going to be published.  This article is a very candid testimony of a wife and her husband finding freedom and hope in their marriage.  Chris opens up about some very intimate issues with her husband, explaining how honesty kept them together!

I wanted to take this opportunity to share my testimony. Marriage is a subject that has become very dear to my heart because of some of the things my husband and I have walked through together. I truly believe that any marriage, no matter what the issues, can be saved if both parties will make an effort and let God guide their path.

My husband and I dated for four years before getting married. We were high school sweethearts and had never really dated anyone else. My senior year I felt the pressure of never “experiencing anything else” so we broke up for about three months. During that time I ended up dating a friend and being intimate with someone else for the first time. That relationship ended and soon after I discovered I was pregnant. I was devastated and felt like my whole life had gone down the drain. My husband and I ended up getting back together when I was four months pregnant. I couldn’t believe that he would want me and want to raise another man’s child, but he loved me and honestly didn’t care. We were married three weeks after graduation.

A couple of years into our marriage I knew we were in trouble. I felt trapped and like I had never had a chance to have a “real life.” I was barely 20, married, and had a child. I wasn’t getting what I needed emotionally or physically from my husband. Little did I know he was struggling with his own demons. He had become addicted to pornography. I was lonely and depressed. I ended up spending a lot of time with old friends and before I knew it I was in an adulterous relationship with my son’s biological father. I justified it because I told myself that my marriage was over and I was planning to leave. It was a horrible time in my life. I had always considered myself a very moral person. I was raised in church and I knew better. I couldn’t believe where I had ended up. I planned to move away and my husband and I discussed divorce. We both agreed that it was the best thing in our situation. He didn’t know about the affair and I was still unaware of his addiction. We just knew that our marriage was so broken that it would take a miracle to work it out.

My husband got before God and asked what he should do. I was running from God out of shame and didn’t want anything to do with God at this time. God spoke to him to follow me and move with me. He did and things slowly got better. I ended the affair and attempted to make my marriage work. We ended up moving home and getting back into church. For the first time in my life I really understood what the forgiveness Jesus gave us on the cross really meant. I had so much condemnation and guilt over what I had done I knew it would take a miracle to heal my heart. My husband and I found the strength to be honest one day on a drive alone in the mountains. We confessed our sins to each other and finally let down the walls we had built. It was one of the scariest things I have ever had to do but we both forgave each other and moved on fresh and new with Jesus Christ at the head of our marriage. I knew I had to finally let him in and not hold anything back from him for our marriage to work. It wasn’t easy for me, I had been hurt so much growing up, but I knew complete honestly and transparency would be our only hope!

This summer we will celebrate our 10 year anniversary. We have three beautiful children and are in leadership at our church. God has blessed us so much for our obedience. It wasn’t easy and I learned its harder to forgive yourself that it is to even forgive others that had hurt you. We have an amazing marriage and I now know that my husband is a gift from God in my life and I honor and respect him. With Jesus Christ as the head of your home and life, any marriage can be saved!
- Chris

 

If you are interested in submitting an article to guest blog for Unveiled Wife please check out the details HERE!

April 5, 2012
In Encouragements For Wives, Guest Articles , , , ,
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He’s Everything I Could Ask For Except….

This is a guest article written by Sheela.  Her transparency is amazing and her motivation to have hope in her marriage is grounded in God’s Holy Word!  There are many of you who can probably relate to this testimony, and if so please leave a comment on how this article encouraged your faith!

Christian.  I have been married to a wonderful man for almost 16 years.  Like many couples in North America, we started sleeping together soon after we started dating and several years later we moved in together and then married.   Neither of us were involved in a church and a relationship with Jesus was nowhere on our radar screens.

After 7 years of marriage, and one miscarriage, we had our son.  He has been a joy and wonder.  So much so, that I hardly remember life before him.  In God’s faithfulness, he prompted my son to ask about Sunday school.  I hadn’t really thought about it, but at the age of 3, I thought maybe he would enjoy it…like an activity such as soccer or swimming.

The Holy Spirit revealed Himself to me after attending that church for about a year.  In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I would receive such nourishment from those church services.

I have been growing in Christ for the past 5 years and what an amazing journey it has been!  However, I’m alone on this journey in my marriage….

My husband is a good man by measurable standards.  He loves and encourages me, he is kind, tender, and affectionate, he is a wonderful father and male role model to our son.  He works hard to support us and puts us first time and time again.  But he doesn’t know Jesus.

Part of growing with Jesus is attending church, reading my bible and joining a small home group.  However, the more time I spend with Christ and His followers, the less time I am spending with my spouse.  How can I grow as a Christian and yet love and support my husband?

I don’t have the answers, but I will say that my marriage now is so much better than I ever thought possible.

Better communication

Better intimacy

Better friendship

How can that be when my husband won’t even set foot in the door of my church?

God is changing me!  I pray for my husband often, and having a heart of prayer changes my thoughts and my actions.  I am involved in my church and a small group, but God is so faithful, He reminds me when I have to spend time with my husband and ask the ladies for a rain-check.  My husband hasn’t felt jealous of my church or my Christian friends because he knows he isn’t competing with them.  I can pray and worship Jesus anywhere!

I have read and re-read this piece of scripture so many times- I know our God doesn’t make mistakes.  He wanted me to marry THIS man.  I will wait for His perfect timing.

1 Peter 3:1-2 (The Message)

“Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty.”

1 Peter 3:1-2 (NIV)

“Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,  when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

- Sheela

If you are interested in submitting an article to guest blog for Unveiled Wife please check out the details HERE!

March 22, 2012
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An Invitation To Write For Unveiled Wife

This blog has been an amazing encouragement to many wives.  God has blessed each one of us in different ways through this community and I am excited to see where God takes it next!  In the process of producing the articles up to now, I have had the opportunity to share my heart and share what I am learning being a Christian wife.  However, there are so many other wives who face different challenges, experience different growths, and encounter different revelations.  With this truth, I feel like the Lord desires there to be different voices heard on the Unveiled Wife blog, so I invite you to submit articles that you feel would encourage and affirm wives based on your life experiences.  Below are a few things to consider for submissions. Also, since this is a Christian blog, your article should have a biblical foundation. My hope, and I believe God’s desire, is that Unveiled Wife reaches even more women and wives than ever before.

Ideas for Content

Here are some topics to consider for your article:

  • Anything related to marriage and being a wife, things you encounter or have learned.
  • Revelations God has given you that would be an encouragement or devotional.
  • Inspirations that have helped you in your roles of being a woman and a wife.

Guidelines

  • Your article must be original, it cannot have been previously published either on the Web or in print.
  • You must agree not to publish it anywhere else, including your own blog or website.  However, you may post a brief summary on your site that links to the article.
  • Optional: You may provide two links back to your website if you have one, and you may also include your Twitter username if you desire.
  • Your article should be at least 500 words long and no more than 1000 words.
  • If you choose to include personal photos they must be sized to 900 x 600 pixels.
  • I will likely edit your article for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. If I feel that the article would be stronger with a few changes, I will email the article back to you and require the changes to be reconsidered for publication.
  • I may or may not provide a short introduction or conclusion to your article to explain why I feel this article is important.
  • You must provide a suggestive title for your article, as well as suggestive tags.  (Tags are key words that relate to your article)

Submissions

If your article meets the above guidelines:

  • Please consider submitting your article via the e-mail provided at the bottom of this page.
  • In the subject write your suggestive title.
  • In the body of the e-mail add your name, title, article, and then add suggestive tags at the end.
  • You will then receive a “yes” or “no” within two weeks.
  • If your article is rejected, you are obviously free to do whatever you want with it, including publishing it elsewhere.
  • Below is an example of what your e-mail submission should look like:

An Invitation To Write For Unveiled Wife guest articles Christian Wife article submissions Unveiled Wife

Disclaimer

I understand the work that is exerted to write a blog article. However, the fact that you have written an article and submitted it, does not guarantee publication.  Due to the volume of submissions, if your article does not get approved, you will not receive any explanation as to why it was not chosen.  Also, please be aware that there will be no monetary compensation for articles approved and published.

Please submit your article to this e-mail:

blogsubmission[at]unveiledwife.com

February 24, 2012
In Guest Articles ,
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Why Do Spouses Fight?

There is no such thing as a “perfect marriage!”  Why?  Because there is sin in the world, and marriage involves two sinners.  Although marriage may never be perfect, our goal should always be  1 Peter 1:15

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

We are called to be holy as God Himself is holy.  However, as we persevere to be holy, we may run into a few residual affects of our sin, one of those being selfishness.

How many of you fight with your spouse?

I know I do!

James 4:1 asks,

“What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something, but you don’t get it.”

Selfishness!

There is no other way to describe what James is talking about.
Our selfish desires stir within us and cause us to fight with our spouse.  There may be something tangible, or maybe a specific word spoken, or an act to be done, that WE WANT… and when our spouse does not comply… we fight.

James continues in verse 2:

“You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your own pleasures.”

God desires that we go to Him and ask for things, however, He is also aware of our motives.  Make sure that you evaluate your motives the next time you find yourself arguing with your spouse.

James further explains how we need to keep ourselves from fighting in verses 7:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

And verse 10,

“Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Our motives are the motivations behind our actions.  God is watching to see if our motives are pure or for selfish gain.  To be sure we do not harbor selfish motives, we must go to the Lord in prayer and evaluate ourselves.  The more we draw near to God and understand His ways, God will bring us through the process of sanctification, resulting in holiness.  We also need to make sure that we are resisting the devil.

If your desire is to not fight in marriage… stop being selfish!  If your spouse is trying to fight because of selfishness, bring your requests to the Lord in faith that He will help your spouse to understand!

February 23, 2012
In Devotionals For Wives & Marriage , , , ,
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Prayer Of The Day – Cheerfulness In Marriage

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your awesome provision.  Thank you for my husband who fears you and follows you.  Thank you for the growth we have encountered together, and thank you for giving us such good gifts.  You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords and you are worthy of my praise!  May your Holy Spirit anoint my husband and me.  May you use us to reach out and share your love with each other and others!  I pray that we would experience an unfathomable joy and genuine cheerfulness in our marriage.  I pray that our relationship is a beautiful depiction of you!  Thank you Lord for the grace you have extended to me, and teaching me how to extend that same grace to my husband!  I pray that we can continue to grow together in you! AMEN!

February 22, 2012
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Prayer Of The Day – Reconciliation Between A Husband & Wife

Dear Heavenly Father,

My heart is in anguish knowing that some husbands and wives are ending their marriage in divorce.  The separation of two things you have brought together is a devastating experience.  May your Holy Spirit consume the hearts of those who are facing divorce and fill them with peace and wisdom.  Lead them to make decisions according to your will.  Help them to put aside selfish ways, hurts, and pains.  May their love for each other be restored and renewed.  May they experience the awesome power of reconciliation and true forgiveness.  May this just be a piece of their testimony, which retelling glorifies you!  May you give hope to husbands and wives who are crushed in spirit, may your power be exercised in their marriage, and may your will be done in Jesus Name AMEN!

February 16, 2012
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The Dangers Of Loving On Autopilot

The other day while I was driving home, it occurred to me that I was in a sort of trance.  As thoughts swirled inside my head, stirring stress about what would be for dinner and if I had enough time to do laundry, my memory led my body home without me really paying any attention.

The Dangers Of Loving On Autopilot encouragements for wives wednesday rant spouse relationships marriage Christian Wife Unveiled Wife

The phenomenon is known as “autopilot” and I am positive you know the feeling.  You end up at places like work or the grocery store with no recollection of how you really got there.

Sometimes autopilot does not serve me so well; a few weeks ago I ended up going down the wrong freeway!  I took a 10 minute detour for my lack of attention, and not just with driving!  There are other things I catch myself doing on autopilot… How else did my phone end up in the pantry or the milk end up in the cupboard? However, more so than inconvenience, autopilot can be dangerous!

“I don’t remember checking to see if that light was green… oops… oh well…”

Now, I have never been in in an accident or anything due to autopilot, but I am sure it happens quite often.

Have you suffered because of being on autopilot?

What about marriage? How can autopilot be dangerous in marriage?

We can get so use to routine that we allow autopilot to take control as we zone out, meanwhile, our spouse is suffering either from our negligence, negative responses that we are not aware of, or misleading.  Instead of handing over our hearts to autopilot, we need to be able to love our spouse intentionally!  We need to have the self-control and awareness to be a good friend, helper, and lover.

Please be aware of the dangers of autopilot and be intentional in your marriage!

This can also apply to our Christian walk of faith.  If autopilot gets you to church on time, that is great!  However, we would live so much more purposefully if we went to church intentionally, asking God “Where can I serve in ministry today?” or “Show me who I can bless at church today?”  The outcome of the church experience would be quite different!

Or even take reading the Bible, autopilot can have you scanning scriptures in no time at all… but by the third paragraph you may be wondering what you just read.  Those fine print red words become a blur that lack impact when we read on autopilot.  Intentional Bible reading will encourage your spirit, give you wisdom, and stir up faithfulness!

Let us pray against this phenomenon called autopilot and let us live intentionally!

The Dangers Of Loving On Autopilot encouragements for wives wednesday rant spouse relationships marriage Christian Wife Unveiled Wife

This was taken in Dec of 2010 when my husband surprised me for my birthday by taking me in a small little plane out to Catalina!  I was a real pilot for a day The Dangers Of Loving On Autopilot encouragements for wives wednesday rant spouse relationships marriage Christian Wife Unveiled Wife

February 15, 2012
In Encouragements For Wives , , , ,
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Free Gift Ideas For V-Day Or Any Day

Valentines Day is just around the corner!  Do not be stressed out mentally or financially when thinking of a gift for your husband.  Most often when we think of gifts, we think of tangible objects with a price tag.  But if you are like me… you are interested in FREE gifts:)  Below is a list of free gifts you could give to your husband.  They only requirement they take is your time and energy!

- Put on some music and turn the lights down and give your man a relaxing back massage.

- Offer your husband a foot massage using lotion or coconut oil.

- Initiate intimacy, maybe even spicing things up by wearing something flattering or trying something new.

- Write a love letter straight from your heart or gift a love journal where you share your most favorite memories with your husband.

- Ditch the general Hallmark cards and make one hand-made!

- Wake up early and serve breakfast in bed, including his favorite breakfast foods.

- Do things around the house your husband is usually expected to do.

- Light a few candles and put on his favorite song and slow dance to it.

- Take a bubble bath together and share desires you have for the future.

- Decoratively list 100 things you love about him.

- Give your husband a free pass – Don’t ask him for help for week, give him space, he will surely enjoy it!

Free Gift Ideas For V Day Or Any Day sex intimacy in marriage gift ideas for my husband spouse sex love Inspiration Encouragement Christian Wife Christian Husband Christian Community Unveiled Wife

 

Here are just a few ideas, but I know there are many more!  Please share any you may have in the comments for others to see Free Gift Ideas For V Day Or Any Day sex intimacy in marriage gift ideas for my husband spouse sex love Inspiration Encouragement Christian Wife Christian Husband Christian Community Unveiled Wife

Also, here is a link to a few more romantic gift ideas and date night ideas ~> Lovingyou.com

February 12, 2012
In Gift Ideas For My Husband, Sex & Intimacy In Marriage , , , , , , ,
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