Faithful

Good Morning,



In the Garden of Eden, God gave a direct command to Adam to “keep the garden.”  From the beginning, the job to protect and provide was given to the man. Satan entered the Garden and turned to Eve to introduce sin; the result obviously showed that Adam had failed in the hour of need.  Later in the book of Titus, the woman is told to keep the house:


Titus 2:5 “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”



We see that both the husband and the wife carry the responsibility of guarding the home and controlling what influences enter their domain. 



I cannot say that I understand all that goes on in the spiritual realm around us.  Risking being labeled a crazy person, I would like to say that there are demons seeking to get a foothold in our homes all of the time.  Music, television, friends, and countless other things, in my opinion, are doorways to satanic influence if not blatant entrances.  We are given the admonition to be sober and vigilant:


1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”



Too many Christian parents live as if they do not believe in the devil.  If the dad, the earthly picture of the Heavenly Father, practices shameful deeds on the computer or in daily living or a Christian mom has a semi-secret drug or alcohol problem, their children are in imminent danger.  Satan is a real person; he is living, prowling, and planning — and has 6,000 years of experience at ruining homes, we need to be careful.  



David tried to cover his adultery with Bathsheba; devastation followed.  Amnon, Tamar, Absolom, and many other tragic stories followed the cover-up of David’s sin.  In our lifetime, story after story follows the same pattern.  



Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”



Cleansing and forgiveness come to those who confess and forsake.


1 John 1:8 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”



In forty years of ministry, I have rarely seen a child go on for God whose parent secretly embraced shameful habits.  Sin shows up here and there, and only the sinner thinks he is getting away with the wrong.  Satan will be sure that your sin will be exposed.  As a result, our children develop casual attitudes toward obedience, complacency towards the things of God, and a warped and defiled image of holiness.   The very term Father is corrupted when children see dad hiding shameful behavior.  If the child cannot trust his earthly father, he is most likely not going to trust his Heavenly Father.



The home and the pulpit are perhaps the two most important places in which to validate the truth of the Scriptures.  The pastor is also looked upon with unusual expectation; and in failing, he can easily shatter the image of the things of God.



Likewise, the attitude of a wife toward her husband is vital if the Bible is to be trusted and loved by children:


Titus 2:5 “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”



A great responsibility lies with dad and mom to guard their relationship and their actions; for the validity of the Scriptures is resting on their lives and what the children see.  Double standards, secret sins, and a “do as I say and not as I do” lifestyle will corrupt the children’s perspective of all that is good and spiritual.  



As the walls of protection are torn down by parents’ sins, satanic powers will enjoy the freedom of influence in the hearts of children. To acknowledge and confess, to repent and to walk humbly and holy will give hope to the children already facing the onslaught of the devil’s armies.  



My pastor often quoted, “Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”  I have seen this statement prove to be true over the decades of my ministry.  You do not need to be perfect, but you do need to be honest and humble enough to confess wrong so that your life is consistent with the teaching under which you place your family.  



Pastor