WE HAD HOLIDAYED IN THE VILLAGE ONCE AGAIN after so long. This time, I and my younger brother got to know the secrets about Masquerades and “the spirits of the Ancestors”. The bigger village boys had allowed us to join them
where they hid to make all the
eerie sounds that made women, girls and children cringe with fear and flee into their thatched huts.
There in the bush, I and my brother got to know for the first time that “the spirits of the ancestors” were no other than our bigger village brothers! And the eerie sounds of the “voices of the dead” that we used to hear from the village were made as boys held crafted devices in their mouths and spoke aloud with completely altered voices. And the sounds that seemed as if a great whirlwind heralded “the spirits as they ascended from the Earth” were also made by the boys as they swung wind instruments designed to create those sounds.
We also discovered that Masquerades were all human beings after all! But women, girls and children were strictly kept from knowing these things. Why?
Because in Africa, women, girls and children are traditionally grouped as lower than MEN. Sadly, very many husbands come into marriage with this awkward and backward mentality that women are not to be trusted with important secrets because “they’re petty minded”. But this is absolutely false! Men who say such things are ignorant of the fact that women have ruled nations. The first King of the Igala Kingdom was a woman named Ebulējē Onu. In the last century, Margaret Thatcher successfully and illustriously ruled Great Britain as Prime minister. Golda Meir was Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister from 1956 to 1966 and was Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was the elected President of Iceland and served for 16 years!
Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister of India. Before our very eyes and in recent history, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was President of Liberia.
From the pages of Scripture we read how Deborah led the Army of Israel to battle and won gallantly.
Today, several women own multi billion dollar corporations, are CEO of Banks, run Universities as VCs, etc.
In marriage, there should be openness, truthfulness and transparency between husband and wife because they’re ONE FLESH. None is higher than the other and none is inferior to the other.
Let’s read what Jesus said:
“4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: AND THEY TWAIN SHALL BE ONE FLESH?
6 WHEREFORE THEY ARE NO MORE TWAIN, BUT ONE FLESH. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19: 4-6)
From these three verses, it is authoritatively set forth by Christ that husband and wife, once married, are no longer two separate individuals but ONE FLESH. In other words, the marriage covenant has made them ONE PERSON! What Jesus said here is in full harmony with the act of God as recorded in Genesis 5.
“Male and female created he them; and blessed them, AND CALLED THEIR NAME ADAM, in the day when they were created.”(Genesis 5:2)
God saw the first couple as ONE PERSON and so gave them ONE NAME. This means they had one divine identity in the sight of God.
For a better understanding, consider the following:
(A) GOD NEVER BLESSED ADAM UNTIL EVE WAS PRESENT, BECAUSE THE BLESSINGS BELONGED TO THEM EQUALLY.
(2) GOD NEVER COMMISSIONED ADAM TO POPULATE THE EARTH UNTIL EVE WAS PRESENT BECAUSE THAT ASSIGNMENT WAS EQUALLY FOR BOTH OF THEM.
(3) DOMINION OVER THE EARTH WAS GIVEN EQUALLY TO BOTH ADAM AND EVE. ADAM DIDN’T HAVE IT MORE BECAUSE HE WAS MALE!
If God the Creator didn’t treat the woman as a lower Partner to Adam, why should a husband do it?
As your Spouse, your wife is your God-given HELPER AND COMPANION (Genesis 2:18). So, how do you think that she’s going to function effectively in those roles when you are not transparent and open to her but rather believe and practice the heathenistic, paganistic and ungodly “village masquerade” doctrine that says: “NEVER, NEVER TELL WOMEN YOUR SECRETS” ? Your wife isn’t just a woman she’s your HELPER! That word HELPER is EZER in the original Hebrew scripture and means: AN AGENT OF RESCUE, A STRONG HELPER; A STRONG POWER! But how would she fully help you when you are so secretive and keep vital information about your important transactions hidden from your wife, who is the first person that ought to know?
It should interest you to know that many of those who practiced that paganistic doctrine of “NEVER, NEVER TELL YOUR WIFE YOUR SECRETS” have regretted it in the after life. Why? Because their huge bank savings, investments and landed properties that were unknown to their wife were taken over by those who have no rights to them and in many cases by people who are not related to them; while their widowed wife and orphaned children are forced to struggle to survive by selling Pure Water, Moi moi, or for the woman to compromise and trade her body for money! If you don’t want your wife and children to become victims after your demise, you better be open to your wife now and vice versa.
GOD has given every couple a model to follow in their practice of marriage and that model is the relationship between Christ Jesus and His Church. In their union, Christ is the Head of the Church while the Church is His Body. In marriage, similarly, the Husband is the HEAD while the wife is his BODY.
Every head and body move together, stand together, sit together, enjoy together AND PARTAKE OF THE SAME INFORMATION. There never comes a time when a man is going to a meeting and tells his neck, arms, hands, legs, feet and torso to stay back at home while the HEAD ALONE will attend the meeting and come back. It’s never done anywhere. Hear what Jesus said to the Disciples on the eve of his crucifixion:
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; FOR ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE HEARD OF MY FATHER I HAVE MADE KNOWN UNTO YOU.”(John 15:15)
Did you hear that? Jesus told the Disciples EVERYTHING that His Father told Him because they were one with Him. Similarly, a husband should be truthful and transparent with his wife and the wife also should do the same thing with her husband.
If you and your wife profess to be born again children of God, then it’s important that you speak the truth to each other.
“Wherefore putting away lying, SPEAK EVERY MAN TRUTH WITH HIS NEIGHBOUR: FOR WE ARE MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER.” (Ephesians 4: 25)
When you get a gift let your Spouse know where it came from and how it came. That helps to keep suspicion away.
When you’re being asked out by your boss or by some other highly placed man in your office who knows that you’re a married woman but is still persistent, let your husband know! Similarly, when a seductive Jezebel is after you, tell your wife. Such a step kills that temptation by half. You’ll be able to pray over it together. You’ll be able to sit down together to strategize on what physical steps to take; and you’ll both watch over each other. Your Spouse will be able to ask you about any further development and gradually it will be over.
But when you keep quiet and don’t tell your Mate, it will grow and the pressure will be stronger on you. So do the right thing: tell your Spouse.
Never keep each other in the dark about your respective affairs.
As Amos 3: 3 tells us, two cannot walk together except they’re in agreement. An important component of that agreement is common understanding that is based on shared information: which resultantly creates equal knowledge.
And in a warring world such as we’re in, information wins wars but how can you win as a couple-team when you keep information from each other? You’re divided and your enemies can more easily defeat you.
Sharing information equips both of you.
Therefore, make yours a marriage where both Spouses are open and transparent to each other.
🔥🔥🔥 FAITH DECREE:
🔥LET TRANSPARENCY AND OPENNESS TO EACH OTHER BECOME A MUTUALLY CHERISHED VALUE IN YOUR MARRIAGE!
🍷🍗 TAKE-HOME LESSON: BE OPEN TO EACH OTHER!
💕❤️ TONIGHT’S ONE FLESH ASSIGNMENT IN THE BEDROOM
💶💷💵To support MAXIMUM MARRIAGE MINISTRIES,
kindly send your financial gifts to the account below:
ANSELM AHMAN
2031779689
UBA
🎼🎶🎻🪗🎶🎼
ANOINTED MUSIC SECTION