A man doesn’t wait until he marries before taking on the role of spiritual headship of his love relationship.
It is easier to lead the woman you plan on marrying in the right spiritual direction and get her to respect your spiritual headship when she sees that in you or see you exercising that role way before the marriage covenant is entered into. And it may be more easier to sustain it way into marriage when you’ve cultivated it early in the relationship.
Yes, be romantic towards her; but be all the more spiritual towards her.
Women need leading; if you fail to lead her, she will lead you. Just don’t resent it when she eventually takes over your roles and you begin to feel (spiritually) irrelevant.
Many men are in serious love relationships but don’t command prayer times together for the relationship, they don’t command fastings, they don’t command Bible study and devotions; they don’t even pray themselves for the relationship! Yet, they want the best out of the relationship, they want everything to just go smoothly, they want spiritual and character compatibility or synchronization?
Well…maybe things do fall in place effortlessly for some people.
Mark Gadogbe (McApple)
Everything Marriage 