1. As a Christian wife married to an unbeliever, am I under the same set of principles as a couple who are both believers? When a person accepts Jesus Christ to be his or her personal Saviour, following His example is what He expects of us. There are many scriptures to verify this. One passage is found in Romans 6:22:. . .being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end [is]everlasting life. Another one, I Cor. 7:1:. . .let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Again in I Thessalonians 4 we are told that we are "called into holiness". But in Hebrews 12:14, we truly see what is expected: Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, for without it no one shall see the Lord. As individuals, we are first responsible to God. An illustration might further answer this question: A sports team’s playbook contains formations (football), plays and vocabulary. Coaches rely on their playbook to help them win games. The playbook shows successful plays. A very important element for deciding which plays to use is, “who is the competition?” The competitor’s strong points and weak points will be taken into consideration. This is not an admonition to treat your spouse as a “competitor”. We understand from Ephesians 6:12, that . . . we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. This shows us our competitor! Not every “play” is used in a game. The play must be the correct one for the situation. For example, it might not be wise to try and kick a field goal when you’re on the one-yard line of your goal! Should you shoot for the basket if you’re in position? Always – Satan is our enemy – not our husbands! But as women who are alone in faith in our household, we have to check our playbook. Same game, different plays. 2. Should I submit to my husband's decisions? The word submit distracts from the real question. The question is really about whose decisions do we follow. Let's look at the very first couple that ever lived: Yes, Adam and Eve. Who made the decision to eat the forbidden fruit? Eve. Then what happened? Eve offered the fruit to her husband. What did he do? He ate too. This is a very important lesson for any spouse and it's right here in Genesis 3! Eve made a decision on her own. Then she made another decision. She wanted Adam to partake with her! She made a bad decision and so did Adam. They both had choices and they both made bad ones. As a result, they were both punished. If you have a question, please Email jecoliah@dividedheartministry.com and we will pray over it and post it here, with your permission. Thanks.