We are living in a time where man has been under attack by the enemy like never before. This has caused him to feel uncertain and confused about his identity and purpose as a man created in God’s image. Man was mandated to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth with Godly people who were destined to become God’s Children.
However, we have an enemy who is trying his best to prevent man from living out God’s plan for his life.
John 10: 10 (a) clearly states that the thief (another name for satan) has come to steal kill and destroy (us)
In the beginning man was given a free will but he used it to sin against God losing his destiny and purpose given to him by his Creator. Like leaven which leavens the whole lump (Gal. 5:9) the enemy found ways to get man off course away from fulfilling his God given purpose and destiny. Ever since the fall when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the enemy has used every trick in the book so to speak to get man to follow him rather than God. This process didn’t happen overnight as it continues during a man’s entire lifetime as the enemy is relentless in his pursuit of man.
Zume is the Greek word for Leaven which describes the process of which happens to man over a period of time. Zume refers to a substance used as an agent for fermenting dough, with the associated meaning of a change agent that is subtle and gradual yet thorough.
This leavening process has affected the way that man relates to God, his wife, and children. He has vacated his position as God’s appointed Head and Leader of his wife and family to follow the lure of the world’s ungodly system. As a result, there are many casualties from this on-going war waged by satan on both men and women and their families.
Genesis 3:vs 16 (ref: ESV Commentary Study notes)
God said to the woman that her desire would be for her husband, and that he would rule over her. God originally intended that there would be a complementary relationship between husband and wife, with the husband in a leadership role (Gen.2vs 15–16). However, God’s original plan for man has been distorted and damaged because of sin. This comes in the form of “desire” on the part of the wife and heavy-handed “rule” on the part of the husband. The Hebrew term here for “desire” appears again in Gen. 4:7, where the Lord says to Cain, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.
Eve will have the sinful “desire” to oppose Adam and to assert leadership over him, but Adam will also abandon his God-given role of leading, guarding, and caring for Eve. Instead, he will have a sinful, distorted desire to “rule” over her. Thus, one of the most tragic results of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God is ongoing conflict between husbands and wives, as they both rebel against their God-given roles and responsibilities in marriage.
Genesis 2 vs 15–16
The overall picture of Eden suggests that the park-like garden is part of a divine sanctuary. The man was put in the garden to work it and keep it. Since God commanded Adam to work before Adam had committed any sin, work did not come because of sin. Productive work is part of God’s good purpose for humans. The fact that God commanded the man implies that God gave the man a leadership role, including the responsibility to guard and care for all of His creation.
Gen 2: vs.15 tells us that God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. This leadership role is related to Adam’s relationship with Eve as his wife, who was given as “a helper fit for him” In (vs.18). God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.
What the New Testament says about marriage!
Eph. 5 vs 21-26,33
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the Savior of his body, the Church. As the Church submits to Christ, so wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
God’s word. (Eph. 5 vs: 33)
Each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
A woman will feel safe in a marriage and be able to fulfill her role as a wife and mother if she feels loved by her husband. On the other hand, a man needs to know that he is respected by his wife to fulfill his role as a husband and a leader of his family. God created men and women to be uniquely different but able to compliment one another in unity for the purpose of raising offspring. God fearing parents will raise God fearing and responsible children.
How Children are affected by the relationship of parents to one another.
Godly parents create a good atmosphere for raising children as they learn very quickly from watching their parents relate to one other. A strong marriage will go along way to helping children of the marriage become well adjusted responsible adults who know their identity in God.
Over the years there has been a steady decline and erosion of the traditional family unit. The man (male) and his wife (female) were given the responsibility of raising and nurturing their children to grow up to be responsible adults. They were to be taught Biblical principles and learn who God destined for them to be. Now there are more single parent homes, gay parents raising children where the male father is no longer even present. This has created a lot of hopelessness resulting in high suicide rates for teenager and young adults.
God designed the family so that children would have both one male parent and one female parent working together to raise them. Bringing up children requires both a man and his wife who are willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit to help children through their various growth stages to becoming mature, responsible adults.
However due to sin, a worldly view of who a man and woman has developed replacing the Biblical definitions set out in Scripture. This has brought utter chaos to man and his family. Children are not safe even in their mother’s womb with millions of children being aborted worldwide. Women are raped, divorces are at an all time high, human trafficking is big business and suicides are up along with many deaths from illegal drugs. Children even in primary are even being sexually exploited in schools with perverted ideology causing them to question their sexual identities.
Man have adopted the world’s standards moving away from God’s perfect plan for families and this is the sad result.
The resulting decline of the Christian family lies squarely on the shoulders of man. If the head is sick, then the rest will follow.
1st Cor.11:3 tells us that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man. God is a God of order, and He created the family unit to be a safe place where children could grow up and fulfill their God given destiny. Planet earth is a harsh, dark, and demonic place to live and not an easy place to raise a family. There have been many causalities which take place in our society. God often gets unfairly blamed for these tragedies which are not of His making but rather the work of the enemy. Earth is a war zone where the spiritual battle is played out continuously with no let up. One can never let his guard down even for a moment.
Man was meant to live in harmony with His Creator God and to multiply on the earth. A husband and his wife need to be totally reliant on the Holy Spirit to help them raise their children in the dark world controlled by satan. In fact, it is vital that children are prepared for life beyond our existence on earth to become part of the eternal family of God. By receiving the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ one can have a relationship with Jesus that will not only help us during our time on earth but also give us the promise of an eternal home in Heaven with Jesus for eternity. There are no evil demonic forces present in our Heavenly home to contend with because the enemy has been defeated.
The good news for those of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord Savior is that we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit who is available to help us 24-7. Having a relationship with the Holy Spirit provides us with wisdom and guidance, as we navigate ourselves and our families through the storms of life.
We all must be anchored to Jesus Christ our Rock. Without Him there is no hope here on earth or after we are finished our time here.
For those who haven’t decided to receive Christ into their heart the Bible tells us this that is the day of salvation. (2nd Corinthians 6:2). If you say yes to Jesus, you will have a level of protection for yourself and your families that you can’t get without Him.
I finish with a warning. Don’t try to live this life without Jesus because the risk of failure for your family is too great, the odds are stacked against you. Chose Jesus Christ now and you will come out on top.