Satan knows that to corrupt a society he must begin with the foundation of that society.  The foundation of any given society is not the government, schools, etc.  The foundation of a society is the home (family).  Just as a building that has a faulty foundation, a society whose foundation is cracked is likely to crumble.  Our society has become more and more corrupt because of the attack that has been waged on the home.

     Our society says that for a family to financially “make it”, mom and dad must work.  Society says if mom and dad are going to give their children a good education they must have money to send them to college.  This means overtime or a second job for many moms and dads.  Thus, we are left to find alternative care for the children.  Therefore, we often have children spending 75-85 % of their waking hours under the influence of someone other than mom and dad.  For the family where mom and dad are Christians, this usually means that the majority of their child’s time is spent being influenced by someone who has far less moral values.  How does that permit a godly father to bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)?

     Giving our children the best of clothes, good food, and a nice home pale in comparison to giving our children a godly environment wherein they can grow and become spiritually minded young men and women.  Godliness is too often put aside in the upbringing of our children.  Godliness is sacrificed upon the altar of higher education and material things.  Moms and dads need to begin asking, what about my child’s soul?

     “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).  The debate often had today is not over the words of Solomon’s inspired message about training up a child in the way he should go.  The debate is over the way a child should go.  Society says that a child should go on to be the head of a fortune 500 company, make millions of dollars per year, and retire young to a beach resort in the Bahamas.  This means training that child is about educating them in business and law.  If not the head of the fortune 500 company, your child can be a doctor, lawyer, or some other high paying worker.  This requires you, mom and dad, to fund their education and that means you have to work twice as hard to give your children what you never had.  This of course is the “American dream”.  Money, success, comfort, popularity, etc. is what everyone wants, right?

     Sadly, the fortune 500 company, the doctors office, that island resort in the Bahamas, and all other things people dream about in this world, are going to be burned up in the coming day of our Lord (II Peter 3:10; 12).  All that will leave this world to go on will be our souls (Hebrews 9:27).  Now ask yourself, what does two jobs do to help prepare you for that day?  What does giving your child name brand clothes, a college degree, and a big house to sleep in (no one’s home enough to enjoy that big house) do to prepare yourself and your child for the Judgment Day?

     Mothers are to be around their children.  Mothers are given a responsibility to love their husbands, keep, and guide the home (I Timothy 5:14 and Titus 2:4-5).  Husbands are the spiritual leaders of the home as Christ is over the church (Ephesians 5:22ff.).  Being the provider does not end with signing the back of a pay check.  Being a provider is about leading the home.  Moms and dads, how can you be examples to your children if you are not around them to do so?  How can you teach your children the Scriptures if your time around them is so limited?  The truth is, we excuse ourselves of these responsibilities because our society has implanted the excuses within our minds from our youth up.  Society has reversed the roles of moms and dads.  Society has also outsourced the roles of parenting while redefining how parenting is to be done.

     As we have already noted, God has given the parents the work of raising their own children.  Society however, tells us to hand over our responsibilities to them.  In fact, society does all she can to make giving our children over easy on us.  This mentality affects the thinking of many families even within the body of Christ.  For example, instead of mom and dad taking on the task of teaching their children the Scriptures, they believe that is the responsibility of the local church.  WRONG!  While the church has the work of teaching the Scriptures, parents are to take this responsibility seriously (II Timothy 1:5; 3:15).

     Society says that they can do a better job correcting our children than we can.  Society says they know better.  Never allow someone who lives according to society’s standards observe you spanking your child, they will cry abuse.  Even some spineless so-called Christians are changing their tune saying that spanking is too archaic.  The Lord says that if we love our children we will discipline them promptly (Proverbs 13:24).  Society says that you will hurt your child’s feelings by spanking them.  God says: “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying” (Proverbs 19:18).  As parents we want our children to end this life and find their eternal destiny in Heaven.  This training starts now, contrary to societies opinion, with physical discipline: “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:13-14).

     Instead of mothers and fathers making the roles in families of our day, the children often run the house.  Children have learned to scream and cry to get what they want.  Guess what, that often works.  When a child throws a fit and a parent gives in, that reverses the roles of the child and the parent.  I’ve even heard parents say they would do something if “little Johnny” will let us.  WHAT’S THAT SAYING?  God tells children to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2); we must enforce this with our children.

     Just as the roles of moms and dads change and society aids that in occurring, the roles of husbands and wives are being changed as well.  Society says that it is barbaric to think that the man is the head of the wife.  Regardless of society’s thoughts on the roles within a marriage, God has been clear on the roles of husbands and wives.  Paul wrote: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing” (Ephesians 5:22-24).  Just as Christians within the body of Christ recognize that Jesus is the head of the church, wives are to recognize their husbands as the head of the family.  Then, wives are to submit to the godly leadership the husband should be providing.  This is clear throughout the Scriptures (Colossians 3:18, Titus 2:4-5, I Peter 3:1, etc.).

     Our modern day liberal society is attacking the roles that God has set forth within the home.  We, as Christians, must not allow that to happen in our homes.  As God-fearing parents we ought to train our children to know and love the Lord.   We ought to teach them right from wrong according to God’s standards.  We ought to correct our children.  As godly men and women we ought to realize our roles as husbands and wives.  Tell the world to stay out of your home.

     We must decide who we serve.  If we serve the God of Heaven we will realize that our homes are the target of Satan.  In fact, we are in the bull’s-eye.  We must have the faith and courage to deny societies take over of our homes.  We must allow the relationships between husband – wife and parent – child remain as God defined them.  If we live by the principle that our lives are to be pleasing to God (Ecclesiastes 12:14), we must live according to the rules that God has set forth.  Tell that old serpent the Devil that society will not be an effective tool in bringing down your family.  By doing so, you will contribute to the salvation of your family and you will be one stone at the foundation of this nation that will not break.