As God's people, every married Christian man should keep in mind that there's a battle for everything that God has in store for them.
That includes happy, fulfilling, and satisfying marriages.
Guys, the enemy is out doing all that he can to destroy our marriages. One of the ways he does this is by sending flirtatious women our way -- in our communities, workplaces, even in our places of worship.
Yes, there are flirtatious women all around us.
This article is written to help all my fellow husbands (and their wives) deal with such women. God loves these women alright, but we can't allow them to destroy our marriages no matter what happens.
Nothing is as important as our wives
Guys, it's important to know that as married men, there should be no one as important and precious as our wives. No matter what happens, our wives deserve utmost love, care, and respect from us their husbands.
The Bible commands us to love our wives very dearly. Our role model in doing that would be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." (Ephesians 5:25)
We ought to think about our wives' needs, feelings, and opinions regarding the people around us and how we respond to them. It's very important for our wives to see that they're the only woman we desire, love, and cherish.
It's very important for them to see that we don't have any place for other women in our lives, especially those that flirt with us and try to get us to like them more than our wives -- who are in reality one with us in marriage.
"So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself." (Ephesians 5:28)
And so, here are a few ways how we should deal with flirtatious women.
1) Shut them down
The best way to shut a flirtatious woman's attempts to flirt with us? Ignoring them.
This may be hard for people-pleasers, but it has to be done. Women who crave attention stop chasing after it whenever their attempts are ignored.
Guys, don't smile back at any woman who smiles at you or tries to be cute with you. Just ignore them. Don't even try to say "hi" because anything you do or say to a girl who flirts with you can fuel them to pursue you more.
If your wife is with you, give her a hug and a kiss on her forehead. That will speak volumes about how you love your wife alone.
2) Set your boundaries
This is the answer to the question, "how far is too far?"
How far? Don't even go near.
Guys, we've got to set personal boundaries up. I know it's tempting to think case-to-case basis, as in "I don't intend to flirt with her," but seriously, don't try putting your hand in the shark's mouth if you don't want to lose your arm (or your life).
Setting boundaries will be difficult for those who are used to doing things carelessly, but it has to be done. When done right, it will allow us to live our lives in freedom and safety, away from danger.
Consider just how Proverbs 5:3-4 describes flirtatious women:
"For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword."
How do we avoid such trouble? Boundaries.
"Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house." (Proverbs 5:8)
Avoid them at all costs.
3) Be open to your wife about the matter
Guys, our wives are a great help when it comes to dealing with this kind of thing. They know how women think, and so they actually possess the wisdom that we need in dealing with flirtatious women.
Speaking the truth in love (see Ephesians 4:15), we should tell our wives what other women are doing to us. Not only will they be happy with us letting them in on the matter, it will also give them the opportunity to help us respond the right way.
Opening up to our wives about such issues will also lighten the load we carry. Ephesians 5:11 tells us that this is the right thing to do:
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
When any woman attempts to flirt with us, it will do us well to tell our wives about it. Only then can our wives pray for us, give us advice about what flirtatious women think, and help us formulate strategies on how we can deal with them.
It will also help our wives trust us more.
