TOPIC: FAMILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE
TEXT: Deuteronomy:6:6-8.
In the game of football, a player is expected to be in top form to enlist in the team for competition. Same for the team. If a coach expects a win in a competition, he will make every effort to parade a formidable team that has gone through the required exercise and training.
Many families are out of winning form in the face of many complexities confronting the home. The reason is a lack of spiritual exercise.
For a family to be spiritually prepared to overcome the combat that the enemy is begging families for today, the family must of necessity constantly engage in the spiritual exercise of Worship, Bible reading,and Prayers.
These are the spiritual exercises that every family that hopes to be victorious in the onslaught the Devil is presenting the family with must be engaged with. The Word of God encourages us to resist the devil and he shall flee.(James 4:7).
Is your home built on the solid rock that sustains the family against the vile of the enemy?
WORSHIP.:
The family should wake up in the morning with appreciation in their heart for the privilege of seeing a new day. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of His children and Jesus gave us the pattern for prayers, He said when you pray you say “….Hallow be thy name.”
BIBLE READING:
Get instruction from Him for the day's activities and how to order your day not to sin against Him. To be filled with the Word of God produces joy, thanksgiving, and submission. When you are controlled by the Word of God, you are filled with the Spirit of God. Then the Spirit of God can work in one's life to make us joyful, thankful, and submissive.This is heaven in the family.
PRAYERS:
Communicating with God early in the family in prayers has a way of uniting the family purposefully and preparing them to live in victory all day.
When a family exercise and train daily together, it keeps them in form spiritually and united to withstand the floods of sorrow, waves of temptation, and wind of adversity.
Acts 5:42 tells us that the apostles, daily, cease not to teach and preach in every house. Such should be our homes for God to take glory in.
Internalising the Word of God in our lives does two things:
It reshapes our values, it reshapes our attitudes, and it redirects.
It helps us to share that which has taken root in our lives with our children.
In Duet.6, Moses admonished parents to discuss Gods Word in the home,among children, and allow the Word of God to guide their minds and hands.
God's people ought to make their homes places where God dwells,where the scriptures are honoured,and we are not ashamed of our faith.
God's Word must be laid up in our hearts so that our thoughts may be daily conversant with them (Col.3:16).
The family's daily exercise of worship, Bible reading, and prayers involve teaching the children diligently in the morning and night.
The work of parenting is as challenging as any other occupation but more emotionally intense. We are therefore required to give parental training with terms of character from a tender age and reduce privileges.
SPIRITUAL PARENTING
A) Make your faith visible to the family to believe in.
B) Feed your soul regularly and encourage others to do so.
C) Share your learning by teaching in-home bible study.
Constant prayers and teaching of God's Word,as well as living an exemplary life are very important from an early stage before they can think of a choice.
When discipline and love are kept in balance,the children will absorb that.
Discipline cannot be used as an excuse for child abuse. Divinely ordered marriage is a commitment to live.
If love dominates,submission and obedience become easy.
CONCLUSION
The scriptures in our text advise that we should tie the word of God in our hands to control the instrument of activities in doing the right things always.
Paste the Word of God on our forehead for two purposes:
(a) to guide the chamber of our thoughts to meditate on the things that are heavenly and of honour to God,
(b) the Word between our eyes to lead the organ of our direction to walk right and in the light of the Word. The essence of these exercises is to ensure that every member of the family is constantly mindful of the Word of God to obey it. If these instructions are taken to heart and observed, there will be no place for the devil to introduce hate and disunity in our homes, (Eph. 4:27). May God help us.
Please enjoy the next topic tomorrow being Wednesday.
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