A husband should be a spiritual strong man protecting his family from enemies (the world, the devil, and the flesh) that seek to destroy them. Read or listen to this chapter from Your Marriage God’s Way to learn how to lovingly lead your wife. Table of ContentsSpiritually Strong HusbandsStrong Husbands Spiritually Protect Their HomeWhat Does It Take for a Husband to Be Spiritually Strong?A Spiritual Strongman Prevents His Family from Being PlunderedStrong Husbands Are Not Bound, Blind, or MuteWhat Does This Look Like Practically?Christ Provides the Victory over SatanStrong Husbands Put Christ FirstHusband, May I Speak to You Directly?Footnotes https://youtu.be/xS-XKOLYGuM A husband should be a spiritual strong man protecting his family from enemies (the world, the devil, and the flesh) that seek to destroy them. Spiritually Strong Husbands I started lifting weights in college, and for years, I worked out four or five days per week, month after month, year after year. Sadly, looking back, I think I cared more about my physical strength than my spiritual strength. The constant goal was growing more muscle and lifting more weight. I wish I would have had an even stronger desire to grow in my sanctification and become more like Christ, because little did I know that only a few years later, physical strength would take a backseat to the mental, emotional, and—most importantly—spiritual strength needed to be a Christian husband and father. When your family is experiencing a trial and they look to you for strength, the number of pounds you can lift in the gym could not be more irrelevant. At that moment, what is needed is mental, emotional, and spiritual strength the family can draw on—especially a spiritual strength that can help lift the family the way physical strength can lift a barbell. Likewise, when a wife is discouraged, defeated, or depressed, she doesn’t need a man with big muscles. She needs a husband who says, “Would you like me to read a few psalms to you? This is a difficult time, but with the Lord’s help, I know we can make it through this. Can I tell you about these verses I read that I think will be very encouraging?” By way of example, at the time of this writing, our youngest, Lydia, who is less than a year old, has been sick the last few days. She hasn’t been sleeping well, which means we—and especially Katie, who’s been getting up trying to nurse her—haven’t been sleeping well. When we were up in the middle of the night recently and Katie was in tears because she didn’t know what to do, physical strength couldn’t have meant less to her. What did matter to her was when I asked, “Can I pray?” When a young man asks me whether I think he is ready to get married, I ask him, “When things are difficult and your family suffers, can you hold them up in prayer and point them to Christ as the answer to their needs? Are you ready to gather your wife and children regularly around the Word of God? As the head of the home, will you take responsibility when things don’t go well? If your answer is no, then you don’t yet have the spiritual strength necessary to get married.” In the previous chapter, we looked at what it means for a husband to care for his wife physically, mentally, and emotionally. A man doing so may appear to be a loving husband. Similarly, many husbands work hard to care for their wives financially—and they should. There are physical, mental, emotional, and financial aspects of loving well, but if a husband doesn’t care for his wife spiritually, his love is incomplete. He’s not fulfilling the most important responsibility God has given him. Sadly, during my years as a pastor, I have seen more husbands fail concerning the spiritual leadership and protection of their homes than any other provision. Strong Husbands Spiritually Protect Their Home Imagine asking a godly woman, “Would you rather have a man who’s physically strong or spiritually strong?