So once you know your business, once you know your responsibility, it stops you manipulating and controlling someone else. That's their job, let them do it. If you pick it up, it'll burden you, and you'll have all kinds of problems; so this is what God calls you to do. First of all you position yourself. How do you position yourself? See, remember what we said? You submit to what God has ordered, so this is what you do. Where's God positioned me? Well if I'm the wife I'm here, if I'm the husband I'm over here. This is good, I'm up higher. I'm higher than you, no doubt I'm better than you. You'll do what I tell you! That's not positioning yourself. That's arrogance, and pride, and all kinds of horrible attitudes. You know what will happen? She'll just rise up against you, and rightly so; because when a man shows pride, the woman will counterbalance it. She'll expose it. You'll look an idiot, just in a moment; grandstanding, and then his wife gives him 'the look' [laughter], and he's gone, just in a moment - poof! Like popping a balloon, poof! Gone like that. It's all over for him.
So if I'm up here in the scheme of things, that means: all that's down there, I'm responsible for. Now you understand this, that if a man fails to take responsibility, he goes down the end of the line. [Laughter] Becomes an overgrown flippin' kid, has to be fed, looked after - but where does that leave his wife? She's carrying the responsibility. She's in a position God never intended her to be in. She's exposed, carries pressure, has assaults on her, and all because of that man. [Laughter] Think about this. The Bible says this: by one woman, sin entered the world, and death through sin. Does it say that? [No.] What does it say? Who got to listen to the devil first? The woman. Who ate the fruit first? [Woman.] Who did God hold accountable for this whole deal? [Man.] Why? [Laughter] It's not fair! She did it! [Laughter] In case you got it real clear, the Bible says: by one MAN, sin entered the world. God would not let him off the hook; I put you in charge, this is where you're supposed to be, up here. So what's he got to do? He's got to position himself. How do you position yourself? You understand where God has placed you, and you accept and embrace full responsibility; this is my job, my business, and I've got to mind my business.
The second thing you do, is you fill up the area of responsibility. This is how God said it to Adam, in Genesis 3:15. He brought Adam out. Now there was no Eve around, no woman around. He brought him out, and He showed him a big garden, representative of the possibility of inheriting the whole world, if he handled it right. In other words, Adam didn't start out in charge of everything. Adam started out with a piece of the pie, and if he could handle that well, God had in mind to give him a heap more, like He always does. If you can handle your bit well, God's going to give you a lot more. Now so here it is, He said: Adam, this is what you do. I want you to dress it, and keep it. Dress it means, I want you to cultivate it, so it becomes incredibly productive, and I look at it and say: oh wow! The second thing He says: I want you to keep it. I want you to be a watchman over it, to guard that garden. Don't let any enemies get in, don't let anything get in that'll mess it up - and Adam was busy doing that before He even arrived. That's why Adam's the head, because God set it up that way. He's at the beginning, He started it.
So Adam's a bit lonely, tired of doing all his work, so God said: I'll bring someone to him, brings Eve out, oh! Eve - so Adam even named her. I'll call her 'woman' - just a little bit of ego in there already I think [laughter], because she came out of man you know. [Laughter] God said: I brought her here to be a helper for you, so you're still in charge. You've still got responsibility. You've got to make this thing work. You've got to dress the garden and keep it, and now its not just the garden, you've got to look after your wife as well; so you've got to cultivate her, and you have to protect her. So that means when I come back and have a look, oh wow! What have you done with Eve? She's looking beautiful! So that's the role God's given to man. You have to cultivate your wife, so she becomes a beautiful woman. If she's looking an old hag... [laughter] I've got to really ask: it's your fault! Take her out, and buy her something nice, and look after her; speak words to her, and get her some make up, and take her down and get her hair all done nice. Take away special and look after her. You've let the garden go mate! [Laughter]