Peace in the Home
Proverbs
21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a
quarrelsome wife. (NIV)
The family is under demonic attack all across the
world. Things that were once considered as immoral and ungodly are now being
embraced, celebrated, and endorsed. To raise a family with Christian values, as
outlined in the Word of God, is now being looked upon as bigotry and
discriminatory. To have traditional male and female roles, the embracement of
your God-given gender, and to celebrate masculinity for men and femininity for
women is looked upon as sexist, in an effort to have gender neutrality and
erase what God established. The world has decided that it knows what’s best for
its own survival and therefore, the selfish ambition of personal satisfaction
outweighs obedience to God. Instead of God’s original design for a man and
woman to marry and raise a family, the United States, as well as other nations,
have decided to undo what God himself ordained. Genesis 2:21-25 (21)
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was
sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. (22)Then
the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he
brought her to the man. (23)The man said, “This is now bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out
of man.” (24)For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (25)The
man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV)
June 26, 2015 marked the date of the United States
Supreme Court’s landmark decision to allow same-sex marriage in all fifty
states. What God ordained between one man and one woman, on that day, was
officially perverted through our legal system in an attempt to be politically
correct. That was a day of sorrow for those who believe and obey the true God.
To watch a nation, follow the same evil ways of Sodom and Gomorrah was
heartbreaking to say the least. Most important, to know that instead of peace,
God’s judgment is coming down upon the land of America, as a result of its sins,
is remarkably disturbing.
Not only is there sin, which disrupts the peace of
Jehovah Shalom, with regards to homosexuality in the nation, but fornication,
pornography, x-rated books and magazines, as well as adultery is on the rise.
Many couples have decided that it is better to have what they consider as an
“open” relationship rather than to remain faithful to each other. Nevertheless,
the Bible lets us know that this type of behavior is wrong. Exodus
20:14 You shall not commit adultery. (NIV) Their need for
excitement outweighs God’s ordinances. As a result, child and adult porn, premarital
sex, erotic toys, swinging, and other sinful perversions are being entertained
by many married couples and singles. The lack of peace in the family is an end
result and Jehovah Shalom cannot bless what has become a mess unless there is a
return to Him. Zechariah 1:3-4 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord
Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return
to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the
earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from
your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay
attention to me, declares the Lord. (NIV)
Hollywood by way of movies, books and music has often
been used to define what is right and wrong for families, but God has outlined
in His word the guidelines for us to follow. The family was to consist of one
man and women through which the earth would be populated. Genesis 1:28 God blessed
them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and
subdue it. (NIV) When we do what is opposite of the will of God, we
cause the breakdown of the unit. As a result, we miss out on the peace of
Jehovah Shalom.
The devil originally messed up the family unit, in the
Garden of Eden, by deceiving the woman into thinking that she did not have to
obey God, and he is still using the same tricks today to cause disruption in the
family today. Genesis 3:2-5 (2)The woman said to the serpent, “We
may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, (3)but God did say, ‘You
must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you
must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” (4)’You will not surely die,”
the serpent said to the woman. (5)”For God knows that when you eat
of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil.” (NIV) The devil has
decided to make man go against everything that God has ordained and for those
who dare to stand boldly for Godly principles, they are considered as bigots
and accused of being involved in the practice of discrimination. Nevertheless,
we as disciples of Christ must not bow to ungodly practices. This is not only
for the married, but for singles too.
The world says to test the waters and that it is okay
to live together prior to saying, “I do,” but God has called fornication sin.
We cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven with sin in our lives. 1
Corinthians 6:18-20 (18)Flee from sexual immorality. All other
sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against
his own body. (19)Do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your
own; (20)you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body. (NIV) We as God-fearing believers are not to live in accordance
to the world’s standards, but we are to abide by the laws of the Lord. Romans
12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)
It was always Jehovah Shalom’s will that we have peace
in our world, but when sin entered in, it disrupted that plan for peace. As a
result, we have a world full of wickedness. Nevertheless, Jehovah Shalom give
us as believers guidelines to follow in accordance to His will, so that we may
have order in our lives. If we follow these guidelines, we will experience
peace despite the challenges that are present in the world today. Deuteronomy
11:1 Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his
laws and his commands always. (NIV)
Many singles have failed to ask God’s wisdom prior to
walking down the aisle. They have found themselves to be in love with the “idea”
of being in love. As a result, many marriages end in divorce and the family
unit is then forever torn apart. Peace is replaced by bickering and fighting
and children are often the victims by being caught in the middle. The Bible,
however, lets us know that we are to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 2
Corinthians 6:14-15 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have
with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer
have in common with an unbeliever? (NIV) This does not just mean
religion, but it also means those who profess to follow Christ, and yet, their
walk is nothing more than mere lip service. Peace can never exist in a home
that is divided and Jehovah Shalom’s peace cannot reside in a home of chaos. Mark
3:24-25 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (NIV)
Singles should always consult God prior to entering
into any relationship in order to seek His guidance and wisdom to avoid
heartaches in the future. Many couples have found themselves asking for God’s
help after the fact, but if they had
sought it prior to making a decision,
He would have given them the answers that they needed. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in
the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)
Jehovah Shalom, being the God of peace, desires for us to have every aspect of
Him encircled in our lives. He is the lover of our souls and in following Him,
we can receive the peace that only can be given by Him. Psalm 85:8 I will listen
to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints –
but let them not return to folly. (NIV)
As part of having peace in the family unit, Jehovah
Shalom has given instructions in His word to raise children upright in the ways
of Him. Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he
is old he will not turn from it. (NIV) Children must be taught what is
right and wrong, but they can only learn if the parents are doing what is right
themselves. Parents have to be a role model for their children. They should see
a Godly life being displayed before them, so that they can pattern themselves
accordingly. The first example of God that most children will see is what is
shown to them from their own parents. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (18)Fix
these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands
and bind them on your foreheads. (19)Teach them to your children,
talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when
you lie down and when you get up. (20)Write them on the doorframes
of your houses and on your gates, (21)so that your days and the days
of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers,
as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. (NIV) The
nation has gotten away from the family unit and much of the disturbances that
we see in society such as murder, thefts, assault, and other crimes leading to
an increase in the prison population is a result of the lack of Jehovah Shalom
being in the home. Nevertheless, peace can be restored.
The Bible lets us know that if we will humble
ourselves before Jehovah Shalom, He will restore peace to our homes and as a
result, restore our land because a peaceful nation is only as strong as its
foundation, which is the family. That restoration is a promise that is
conditional based upon obedience to Him. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who
are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their
sin and will heal their land. (NIV) If there is a lack of peace in your
home, pray to Jehovah Shalom who is the author of peace and allow Him to
restore what is now broken.
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