The Armor of God and the Godly Family

At a conference I attended recently I was really challenged by one message on putting on the armor of God. What struck me the most was the fact that the context of Ephesians 6:10-18 was really every day life. Derek Prime, a minister from Scotland noted that the context of this passage goes all the way back to Ephesians 5:21 and discusses such relationships as the family and your work situation. It seems as if Paul was saying, "The biggest spiritual battles you will face will be in your home and at work." And if my counseling situations reflect reality at all, the biggest area of spiritual conflict is in the home.

Even in the "best" of Christian homes, there is pain and disappointment over unreconciled relationships. The fruit of the Spirit is not intentionally practicedl. The most basic spiritual principles such as loving God and one's neighbor (beginning with those you live with it) are overlooked. The most basic questions are often not considered. How do you love your wife? How does the wife love and submit to her husband? How are we to raise our children? How are children to honor and obey their parents?

Perhaps my biggest discouragement comes from our inabilities as humans to reconcile. It is inevitable for problems and conflict to arise. Yet, we know very little and we work very little to resolve the issues at hand. How do you protect your children from a sinful world? How do you raise them to be prepared and responsible to do spiritual battle on their own and not just adopt an isolationist mentality? How do you train them to be in the world, but not of it?

The Scriptures give much hope and help. In Ephesians 5:22-6:4, the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveals roles and responsibilities for family members. They are the following:

1. Wives must submit to their husbands.
2. Wives must submit to the Lord.
3. Husbands are the heads of the wives.
4. Wives must submit to their husbands in everything just as the church submits to Christ.
5. Husbands must love their wives just as Christ loved the church.
6. Husbands must love their wives as their own bodies.
7. Husbands must love their wives as they love themselves.
8. Wives must respect their husbands.
9. Children must obey their parents in the Lord.
10. Children must honor their fathers.
11. Children must honor their mothers.
12. Fathers must not exasperate their children.
13. Fathers must bring their children up in the training of the Lord.
14. Fathers must bring their children up in the instruction of the Lord.

Imagine if every family in the world did this! How amazing families would be!

This all can begin to happen if we first see and savor Jesus Christ for who He really is! Jesus Christ is the very Son of God who came into this world as a man to die for sinner--sinners who deserve nothing less than eternal punishment in hell. But God in His mercy sent Christ to bear the penalty for all sinners who would repent of their sin and believe in the Son's finished work. Only as we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ can we be reconciled to each other. Surrending to Christ brings reconciliation with God and empowers us to have reconciliation with others.

Do you follow Jesus? Does your family treasure Jesus? If not, consider Him. He wants to help your family. He wants to bring about better relationships. Yet, that can only happen when people start surrendering their lives to Him.

So, put on the Lord Jesus Christ today and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Put on the armor of God today as you live with your family. Surrender your life to Him. Delight in the Lord! Let's do this in the home, a key battlefield for real spiritual warfare.