Scriptures: Nehemiah 4:14
The family structure is changing in this hour we live in: we are seeing many different types of family units. We must remember that revival of a nation begins in the family and revival in the church begins in homes. We find the word stronghold mentioned eight times in the Bible. A stronghold is something that is hard to penetrate; as families we have strongholds that need to be broken down so growth can occur. The first stronghold we face is selfishness. God designed the family to meet the needs of each other. In the beginning, Eve was created to be Adam's helpmeet, which is turn made Adam her helpmeet. Relationship was created so we could work together! A sign of selfishness is believing that "if I am happy then everything is alright." When we are so focused on self, we become passive to the needs of others. The second stronghold that faces families is rebellion. The Bible offers us the principle: "obedience is better than sacrifice." Rebellion to authority is a learned action, which shows us that respect is taught. We need to not just be models of obedience, but also teachers of it. If we allow rebellion to grow it will cause chaos in a family. A final stronghold that effects the family structure is unresolved anger. We need to confront and take care of our anger, because anger has a way of residing in our emotions and memories. Anger creates words which would not otherwise be said. Angry feelings lead us to feeling self pity and anger becomes our identity. So how do we deal with and breakdown these strongholds? We must recognize that part of our battle is spiritual. Who is really behind the chaos and division? What voices are we listening to? Ensure your foundation in Christ, for He must be the foundation! Define who the ultimate authority in your life is and make sure it's Jesus! Build strong relationships, not strongholds. The keys to strong relationships are found in positive communication, respect replacing fear and seeing the value of others in our lives. Practice and obey the Biblical guidelines for family unit: families need to operate as a partnership. Don't become an entrepreneur of your family, leaving everyone else behind: be a team! It's time to breakdown strongholds and let your family be built up in Christ! Comments are closed.
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