Do You Want To Live Long?

Obedience is the response of love, not out of fear but out of trust. Relationship is built on trust, so believing that the person you love has at their heart your best interest brings forth faithfulness. If I am faithful to God then I honor Him by following His ways.

God brought us into this world through our parents and despite their shortcomings they are to be honored. Whoever is responsible to raise us whether they be our biological parents or not is ordained by God. So as God's children if we love Him, we love the parents He has given us, and trust that they know what is best, and therefore obey them as unto God. If our parents do not honor God then we pray for them and believe God will change their hearts. Only when forced to break the law do we have the right to disobey them.

Do we obey our parents even when we know they are making a wrong decision?

Yes, trust God to correct them and work in their hearts. No one is perfect but God, let us not have false expectations, much of what is learned comes through failure. We are all a work in progress, so we will have to suffer along with our parents when they do wrong, as well as they suffer with us when we do wrong. What it comes down to, is do we trust God, who is Lord over all, or not?

Do you have kids that make life real difficult for you? What we sow is what we reap! What we did to our parents is what our kids will do to us. Some negative characteristics I no longer struggle with I see developing in them. Thank God for discernment we can catch things before it is too late, confess His Word, and break generational curses. In Christ we no longer have to live under the guilt of our past, though the enemy will not just bow out of the fight, all we have to do is know His word, confess His word and through the power of the Holy Spirit Satan has to flee.

Why do so many die young? Ephesians 6:3 says if we honor our parents, things will go well for you, and long life will be given. Does this mean that when one dies young, it is because they are in rebellion, not always, all I know is I would encourage youth to not test God's mercy on this. I did not always honor my Grandma who raised me, but since I was saved at 20 and given a new heart I have tried. My Grandmother had a stroke April 2010, and since that time I have moved her into my home and made sure she has a peaceful, loving environment to spend the rest of her days on earth. I can say that my life is going real well! I have an amazing family, a satisfying job, my dreams are being fulfilled, one by one. God is so good!!!!

I look at my kids in awe, they get to grow up from the moment of conception in a home saturated with the presence of God. They are doing so well, in academics, at church, with their attitude and character. They are not perfect, but they are sure off to a good start. The sky is the limit with them, they don't have near the shortcomings that I had to deal with. There was a season though that I was very impatient with my sons, which caused them to be very rude with me. Ephesians 6:4 says not to provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Any quality that I share with my kids that is ungodly will bring an ungodly response. Being impatient will not produce anything in return that is good. If I want godly children I must treat them godly. The rest of 6:4 says says to raise them with the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Even if I am right the manner that I speak to my kids means everything, I could be quoting scripture but if I am full of rage, it will do no good. The Word must be taught through the Holy Spirit for it to transform.

I use to be so spiritual at church and so natural at home. My focus was off kilter!  There is no separation of church and state.  God is in us and therefore should be taken with us everywhere we go, especially in our homes, which are a reflection of the kingdom of Heaven here on earth.  God doesn't just want to save individuals for He is all about community, which is made up of families.  The enemies goal therefore is to divide families so therefore we must understand we don't take our spiritual armor off either at home or at work, it must daily be put on, for us to walk in victory and have healthy God honoring families.