Counterfeit has to do with imitating something in order to deceive. For example, if you don't know what a real dollar bill looks like, someone could trick you into thinking it's real. Same thing goes with our walk with Christ. If we don't study what the Bible says, we could be deceived by the world thinking that something is ok to do when God states it's wrong. The world sometimes views family a little different that what God tells us in the Bible.
FAMILY MATTERS
As pastor marc shared in his recent sermon, anything God created and loves, Satan wants to destroy. Marriage was set up by God. Satan wants to destroy it. Family was ordained by God. Satan wants to destroy it. God loves you. satan wants to destroy you. Any super hero movie you watch, the "bad guy" is always lurking and scheming to bring down the hero. The villain never wins. Or if he is still around at the end of the movie, you know there will be a sequel BECAUSE THAT WOULD MAKE FOR A DISAPPOINTING ENDING.
Recapping Sunday's sermon, a strong marriage leads to a strong family. God created men to be leaders and disciplinaries. Women were created to nurture and help her man by standing alongside HIm. Some women are great leaders, but God's original design was for them to be a helper. In this day and age, the roles are often switched. More women are leading the family than men BECAUSE THE MEN ARN'T STEPPING UP.
Families start getting complicated and confusion enters the picture when we try to be or do something God didn't create us to be and do. take a knife set as an example. Each knife was designed to cut certain things. If you use the bread knife to cut a steak, it works, but it leads to uneven cuts, tearing, and the juices will spill out more, making it lose flavor. The bread knife will also become more dull when used to cut meat. It wasn't designed for that task. When we perform tasks we weren't designed to do, we start to become burnt out. The good news is that when we start following God's design for our lives, even though it might be harder, it leads to fulfillment.
what makes a healthy family?
The man/father in the family should be the leader and final decision maker, after consulting and listening to his wife. That is a big responsibility that shouldn't BE TAKEN lightly. He should also be following God and His plan for the family. Women, as long as their husbands are following God, should be their helper. BOTH SHOULD BE Loving and supporting each other as they walk with God first in their marriage. Continue dating each other long after marriage TO MAINTAIN YOUR BOND AS WELL!
Once children come along, Father's should be the prime disciplinarIAN, along with loving their kids, of course. Father isn't a title, it's a responsibility. Mother's are to love and care for the kids with the instilled nurture characteristic God has given them. Both parents are to teach and live out biblical values for their kids, along with demonstrating a healthy marriage centered around God. THe goal is to raise up kids to follow Jesus for THEIR FUTURE TIME ON EARTH AND THEIR ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN. THE MAIN GOAL ISN'T TO DEVELOP YOUR KID INTO THE NEXT NFL PLAYER OR BE THE BACKUP DANCER FOR TAYLOR SWIFT BECAUSE THINGS IN THIS WORLD WILL PASS AWAY. FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY AND THEIR SPIRITUAL HEALTH, NO MATTER WHAT. SATAN ATTACKS DAILY SO BE ON YOUR GUARD.
LET YOUR KIDS SEE YOU READING YOUR BIBLE. SHOW THEM YOUR COMMITMENT TO CHRIST BY MAKING CHURCH A PRIORITY. ENCOURAGE THEM TO PRAY WITH YOU WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH.
It all boils down to keeping God at the center. The center of your schedules. the center of your marriage. the center of your decisions. the center of your lives. THE CENTER OF THE FAMILY.
WHAT WILL YOU DO TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY?
1 peter 3:7
"Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat the with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."
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