It Is Finished Audio

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Who is God? Jehovah Shalom -- Lord Our Peace (Part 3)


Peace in the Home

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife” (Proverbs 21:9).

Image result for interracial family fighting in the home


               The family is under demonic attack all across the world. Things that were once considered 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. The Bible says, “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. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 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.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:21-25).

               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 importantly, 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. The Bible says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). 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. The Bible says, “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” (Zechariah 1:3-4).

               Hollywood, by way of movies, books and music have 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. The Bible says, “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). 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 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. The Bible says, “The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 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.’ ‘You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:2-5) The devil has deceived man into going against everything that God ordained. Those Christians who dare to stand boldly for Godly principles are increasingly being considered as bigots and accused of being involved in discriminatory practices. Nevertheless, we as the disciples of Christ must not bow to ungodly works of iniquity. This is not only for the married but for singles too.

               The world tells singles 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. The Bible says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 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; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 16:18-20). We as God-fearing believers are not to live in accordance with the world’s standards, but we are to abide by the laws of the Lord. The Bible says, “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” (Romans 12:2).

               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 gives guidelines to follow in accordance with His will, so that we may have order in our lives. If we follow these guidelines, we will experience inner peace despite the challenges that are present in the world today. The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws, and his commands always” (Deuteronomy 11:1).

               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, while 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. The Bible says, “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?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). 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. The Bible says, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:24-25).

               Singles should always consult God prior to entering 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. The Bible says, “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” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 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. The Bible says, “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” (Psalm 85:8).

               As part of having peace in the family unit, Jehovah Shalom has given instructions in His word to raise children upright. The Bible says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). 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 role models 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. The Bible says, Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 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. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 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” (Deuteronomy 11:18-21). 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. The Bible says, “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” (2 Chronicles 7:14). 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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