Family Life

The following is a compilation of messages and thoughts I have on my computer!

“Have we not all one father: hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?” (Malachi 2:10)

Families are suffering. All around the world, the failure of the family is causing serious problems.

Why are families falling apart? The world has forgotten the Creator of the family and left His design out of their plans. There are cultures where:

• The mother is the leader.
• Men legally have more than one wife, or Women legally have more than one husband.
• Two men are allowed to “marry” each other – Two women are allowed to “marry” each other.
• Men (and women) are allowed to have as many living partners as they want, as long as they have them one at a time. (This is called serial monogamy.)

The attack on the family is actually a direct attack on God, since He designed the family as the basic unit of all society. Thus, any other family plan that is not ordered and ordained by God is due to fail.

God created the first man and woman, and He began the family institution. Male and female were created in the image of God and were designed to reflect His nature (Genesis 1:27-31). God used the love relationship between a man and his wife as a parallel to His love relationship between Himself and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). When men and women fail to follow God’s plan for the family and marriage, they aid Satan in His war against God.

God made a difference in the male and female body, but both were given the same characteristics—physical, social, intellectual, and emotional.

• God meant for all of these to reflect His image (Romans 1:18-28).
• Since the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, man has been trying to plan his life using His own ideas.
• This was the original temptation of the serpent (Genesis 3:4-5), and it is still working.

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

It is time for God’s people to recognize this battle for what it is and take a stand against the enemy. We can win the war for our families. We can defeat the enemy. But we must return to God’s original plan and fight the real enemy—not each other.

Here’s a unique thought: Our relationship with God is shown by our relationship with our spouse. Someone who cannot trust their spouse, or speaks bad of them, or belittles them, cannot raise Holy Hands in the House of God and Worship.

The Family Needs to Fight The Real Enemy

We must always remember that the real enemy of our souls is not any religion, people group, or philosophy. Our enemy is the devil and his cohorts, and we have strategic weapons that we need to bring out and use against him.

“For 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” (Ephesians 6:12).

This verse of Scripture lists our enemies:  Principalities;  Powers;  The rulers of the darkness of this world;  Spiritual wickedness in high places.

We get our arsenal of weapons from the following verses:

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:14-17).

This “whole armour of God” is necessary for winning the battle against the devil. Notice that it first speaks of the armour that is worn for protection:

• Loins girt about with truth;
• Breastplate of righteousness;
• Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
• Shield of faith—to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;
• Helmet of salvation.

The offensive weapon of “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” is vital. Without it, we spend all of our time fighting a defensive war. Without strong dependence on the authority of God’s Word to correct the problem with families, people will continue to use their own ideas, and the family will eventually die completely.

God’s Original Design

When you check God’s example of the first family, you find some interesting things:

1. From the beginning, He made them male and female (Matthew 19:4).
2. Because of the desire and need of humans for companionship, God designed marriage (Genesis 2:18)
3. The man shall leave father and mother (Matthew 19:5).
4. The man shall cleave (stick like glue) to his wife (Matthew 19:5).
5. The man and woman shall be so closely joined; they will become “one flesh” (Matthew 19:5). As Charles Swindoll said, “The whole idea of mutual acceptance, giving, listening, forgiving and direction was implied. It is two individuals willingly blending into each other’s lives, desiring to share with and thereby complete the other.”
6. When God joins a man and woman in the true process of marriage, no man should allow that union to be torn apart (Matthew 19:6).
7. The intimate (physical) act of marriage was designed by God to be enjoyed by both men and women (Genesis 2:25).
8. God intended His family plan to bring forth fruit—children (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 127:3). The failure of the family will stop the natural growth process and damage this “fruit” beyond repair.

Understanding God’s Word clearly and knowing His design is a weapon that we can use to counter the attack against families everywhere. Matthew is not the only writer to share God’s family plan (Matthew 19: 4-6). Mark 10: 6-9 says the same thing, and God’s family plan is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 1: 26-30; 2: 18, 21-25). When we use these and many other supporting Scriptures as a foundation, the enemy does not stand a chance. God’s Word will win.

We Must Save Our Children

We need to fight for God’s family plan, and quickly. The death of families is destroying our children at an alarming rate. With the family structure falling apart, the enemy is attacking the minds, bodies, morals, and beliefs of children all over the world.

Following a man-made plan (not God’s) causes children to be open to the attack of the enemy, because they are not properly protected by God’s original design. It also increases the probability that they will not know how to use God’s Word as an offensive weapon.

• Children are supposed to listen to the instruction of their father and mother (Proverbs 4:1-4).
• Children are commanded to honour their father and mother (Ephesians 6:1-3).
• Children are a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127: 3-5). If the family does not follow a godly pattern, the parents may regard their children as burdens.

Conclusion

The family is more important than we may have imagined. It has been neglected for so long and allowed to follow any design (other than God’s). It has been sacrificed on the altar of careers and selfish pleasures.

With God’s help, a determination on our part to follow His plan, and some hard work (making sure everyone understands who the enemy is and what weapons we must use), we can build wonderful families.

• God is more powerful than the enemy (I John 4:4).
• His Word will last forever (I Peter 1:25).
• We can defeat the devil (I John 2:14).
• We must be victorious (I Corinthians 15:57-58).

When we choose God’s family plan, we not only save the family, but also our children. Howard Hendricks wrote in, Color Outside of the Lines:

• The church has one percent (1%) of the child’s time;
• The school has eighteen percent (18%) of the child’s time;
• The family has eighty-one percent (81%) of the child’s time.

A family that is following God’s plan will train their children in the ways of the Lord (Proverbs 22: 6). This will be passed on to their children’s children and generations to come (Acts 2: 39). If families use the time they have with their children for this purpose, God’s plan will flourish.

“Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel” (Psalm 128:1-6).