Gender roles in the home

Mark Virkler's picture

Question sent with a request I blog out an answer: I would love to know more about content along the lines of gender (husband, wife) - I am specifically referring to the roles, freedoms, limitations and relationship structures that exist for males and females in the home.  The Western Church culture seems to have a view on gender set in stone that seems to be more along the lines of unredeemed humanity, past cultural context and hierarchical structure above Spirit-led relationships. I would love to know about a kingdom view rather than a church or religious view. Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to learning more about the topic.


How our home operates

I would like to answer this by sharing how gender roles work in my home and perhaps generalize a few principles we operate from.

  1. Patti and I are both Spirit-filled and seeking to be led by the same Holy Spirit, so His wisdom and anointing flow through each of us. Based on this, we don’t make any major decisions if both our hearts are not in full agreement. Decisions made this way are extremely fruitful. We don’t pressure one another’s hearts.
  2. We each have unique gifts and personalities, which greatly complement one another. We have identified each other's strengths and limitations and honor both. We use our strengths to serve one another, and we honor our spouse’s strengths and limitations as they serve us. I push out the limits; Patti ensures we stay safe. I can be abrasive, but Patti reminds me to be kind and loving.
  3. We don’t demand that our spouse be like us. We honor and celebrate our differences. Each personality is fine. Each is a gift. Patti's mind is extremely sharp. Her heart is extremely intuitive. These are both unparalleled gifts I draw upon and she freely provides her wisdom and insights to me. This truly helps me spring forward and stay on the right path.
  4. We speak only words that edify in the need of the moment. If either of us gets upset, we hold our peace until we have retreated into the presence of God and listened to His kind and healing words. Then we speak these healing words to one another Makes for a harmonious home.
  5. Patti and I both know how to hear God’s voice, and we lean on His wisdom continually. We take any negative judgments or ungodly beliefs to Him, and allow Him to speak truth to our hearts, and grant divine pictures to our minds. Thus, we don’t live in past hurts. We look for and see and call out the best in one another.
  6. We never try to dominate or punish one another, as that is all viewed as demonic. We never take the accusative or adversarial stance against one another as that too is demonic.
  7. Our marriage is governed by the Golden Rule. We treat each other like we want to be treated in every situation. We speak the words we would like to hear spoken to us. We rejoice in the success of the other as though it were our own. We respond to the other’s failings as we want to be responded to when we fail. We treat each other as though we were the most important people in our lives, because we are.

Two-way Journaling Application

Hearing God's voice is as simple as: 1) quieting myself down (Ps. 62:5), 2) beholding Jesus at my right hand (Acts 2:25), 3) asking for His input and tuning in to flowing thoughts and flowing pictures (Jn. 7:37-39), and 4) journaling out His words and visions (Rev. 1:9-11). These are then tested and they must line up with Scripture (Ps. 1:2) and be affirmed in the hearts of my spiritual advisors (2 Cor. 13:1).

  • Lord, what would you speak to me about the way I treat and respond to the people in my home.
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Healthier Today than Yesterday - Book Cover

Healthier Today Than Yesterday eBook

Mark and Patti Virkler | 103 Pages

I am healthier at age 60 than I was at age 40! That excites me. I want to share with you what I have learned in the last 18 years since I wrote the book Go Natural. I researched and wrote that first book on health when I was 40 years old because my body was beginning to break down. The truths I learned then improved my health and many others have written to tell me that it improved the quality of their health, as well.

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Hearing God Through Biblical Meditation ebook

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For many years I studied the Bible incorrectly, and it produced death rather than life. Even though I had a knowledge of the Scriptures, I did not personally experience the life and the realities they revealed. The Bible calls this the ministry of death, rather than the ministry of righteousness (2 Cor. 3:6–9). Upon coming out of Bible college, I found myself just like the apostle Paul, attacking those who disagreed with my theology. 

Price: $15.95

Hearing God's Voice for Healing e-book

Mark and Patti Virkler | 281 Pages | Retail: $23.99

Explore the many methods Jesus used to heal. Recognize the significance of the fact that more than half the time, the word used for these healings was the Greek word for "therapeutic," which means "cure". Become aware of 28 therapeutic cures which are either mentioned in the Bible or, if not specifically mentioned, are compatible with biblical principles.

Price: $19.95

How Could I Have Been So Wrong? eBook

Mark Virkler | 80 Pages

This book is my story of how my cardiac event was resolved by combining the best in medical care, Christian spirituality, and nutrition. 

I was NOT supposed to have a cardiac event. I ate a healthy diet, exercised several times a week, consumed lots of great nutrition and sought to live destressed by abiding in Christ. This story contains the lessons I learned in the months of healing after having emergency surgery which involved five heart bypasses.

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How Do You Know? eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 180 Pages

How do you know? What is the process you use to discover truth? I did not ask that question during the first 25 years of my life. I used various methods for discovering truth such as: if my parents said so, then it was so. If my teacher said it was so, then it was so. If my pastor said it was so, then it was so. If my theology said it was so, then it was so.

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How to Build a Winning Team eBook

How to Build a Winning Team eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 105 Pages

Can I succeed like others have? What do I need to do? How do I go about it? What if I don't have the gifts necessary to do something great?  The wonderful truth revealed in Scripture is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats, especially when they say, "Yes, Lord" to the destiny He has prepared for them!

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How to Deal Effectively with Your Sexuality eBook

by Six Contributing Authors | 80 Pages

Question: How do I handle my sexuality? It is such an intense, persistent and driving force. I battle with pornography. How do I tame this monster within me? I see so many people and even Christian leaders fall, and I don't want to fall. I want this to work! I feel trapped and no-one is preaching a sermon on how to handle this. So I grit my teeth, try my hardest, and fail over and over again, and then get consumed with shame. Can you help me? Have you found any answers that work?

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How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit eBook

How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 44 Pages | Published 2002

This brief booklet walks a person through the main obstacles to speaking in tongues, and shows how each one can be successfully overcome. It is down-to-earth, practical and biblical, and in it Mark Virkler shares the struggles he went through before he was able to speak in tongues. Some were theological issues and some simply practical issues, like the fact that if I am going to speak in tongues, I will need to speak. Otherwise, nothing happens.

Price: $2.66
How to Walk by the Spirit eBook

How to Walk by the Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 136 Pages

Are you like many western Christians who have been taught little about how to sense their spirits? Do you have trouble even defining what spirit sensations feel like within you, much less recognizing them? This training was birthed from Mark’s passion to live out of his spirit, and thus release the anointing of God. The problem he faced was lack of clear biblical definition as to what his spirit felt like. So Mark looked up every verse in the Bible on heart and spirit.

Price: $13.95
Imagine That eBook

Imagine That eBook

by Rev. Jimmy D. Smith | 85 Pages

Beginning sometime around my 72nd year, my imagination really started to wake up again.  I was reading Dialogue with God, by Mark and Patti Virkler, when wheels began to turn.  In the weeks that followed I decided that this was a “do” book, not just a “read to learn” book. I began to do what the book suggested. Somewhere along the line I felt that the Lord gave me permission to experience the freedom of using my imagination to worship Him, to talk to Him, and more importantly to hear from Him.

Price: $7.95

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