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