Two reasons for failure!

It is with growing trepidation that I find that we may have started our spiritual journey well and then find ourselves hindered either due to a lack of understanding of the true tenets of our faith or due to giving more importance to the workings of the natural man. We can so easily find ourselves depending on religious acts to get a hold of true spirituality and that is a vain endeavor. The sanctification process has to be carefully understood and there should be no stress or weight given to what we can achieve if we try hard enough. We cannot afford to give a picture that our natural strengths can be coupled with His to gain that kind of growth which we all wish to have. We cannot work from both ends. We need to give up to gain. We need to yield in order to achieve. Our strength has to be exchanged for us. That is the secret of the kingdom manifesting in us. 

Be the lioness that you are!

I have come across many ladies who say that they want to marry someone spiritually more mature. Now that is a good desire to have but to insist that it has to be so, is troublesome. The verse that we usually find quoted in this regard - Eph 5:26 is misunderstood. Husbands need not wash their wives with the water of the Word.  It is talking about Christ doing that and giving us an example in this respect. The husband need not lead the bible study at home! No husband sanctifies the wife. God sanctifies them both. 
I would say that women in some cultures feel inferior in every respect and therefore they find it good to follow their husbands in everything. I would rather point out that women, even though equal in the Lord, have learned/decided to submit in every other area. Maybe they are more financially astute but they still want to submit.Why not learn to submit to a husband who may not be as spiritually astute as they are? In fact, that may be the more necessary thing in their life, rather than submitting just because they feel they are inferior which is easy to do. Come on, ladies, be the lionesses that you are!