Introduction: Why does the individual; husband, wife, or child fail in the family environment? “Man In The Mirror”

Failing is a choice and therefore a matter of one’s “Heart Condition”

• They lack obedience to God
• They lack trust & faith in God
  • They trust what they can see
  • They waste time trying to control what they cannot
  • They only believe what is before their eyes, or tangible
• They are prideful
  • Nobody is more important to me than me!
  • They refuse to yield to God’s direction/Word
  • They refuse to wait upon the Lord
    • How long did the Children of Israel’s release from Egypt take?
    • How long did Job suffer?
    • Everything must occur in God’s Time (Not ours)

Today pride consumes the husband, wife, and children and their roles in the home.

God gave Adam/Man:

• Authority (Dominion over the Earth)
• Provision (The ground produced without work)
• Protection (Placed in Garden of Eden & Dominion)

So how did God fail Man? He didn’t! Man failed God with pride, just like Satan!

Point to yourself and say, “The Buck Stops Here!” Its my own fault, not God’s!

People aren’t being obedient to God’s Will, nor to his Word because they simply don’t trust in him or believe.

So where does this lack of trust stem from?

• Lack of examples who truly trust God
• Lack of works witnessed
  • God only works through them that believe
• Lack of Godly standards being exemplified
• Lack of Clergy/Leaders standing up for God
• Prideful desires to control things/people
• Failure to dedicate one’s focus to God (Fasting, prayer, study)

Proposition: How did we get to this place in our society?

Salvation, much like life, is all about choice. Choice is all about relationship. Relationship is all about love and sacrifice, which occurs naturally where real love is present.

John 3:16 shows that God’s love for humanity moved him to choose to dwell in a human body in order save humanity from itself, even while we were living in sin!

If you found a human being who attempted to sacrifice their own life so that you could live, what would be your response to them? How would that make you feel?

I believe that mankind has the “out of sight, out of mind” feeling about our relationship with God.

Most of us don’t seek God at all! Then there are those who don’t seek him enough to hear from him, or to be able to distinguish his voice. Yet we complain about him. Relationship requires time spent together! We learn more about others by talking with them, and spending time together.

Society has chosen to serve self! We seek our own self-interests in all aspects of life, right down to our children!

• No sacrificing
• No patience
• No self-examination
• No accountability
• No apology, and no repentance

It’s me time!!!

Body: How does a Godly life change our relationships with others?

God’s expectations for an individuals’ salvation directly impacts all relationships, father, mother, siblings.

The primary focus of the Gospels, as well the Epistles was to introduce a new way of living as an individual. While the concept of “Church” has a much broader scope, at its core is the salvation of everyone who will choose life!

Pauline teachings, for instance, approaches salvation on the microscopic level, and then explodes to the Macroscopic view.

See Rom, Philip, Cor, etc.

If we understand that God has higher expectations for our conduct, and we agree (See Isa 55:7-9, Rom 12:1-2, Philip 2:5, Gal 2:20-21, 5:16-23) then we know that we must conform to God’s Word and change who we are. Through this process we:

• Become humble, Holy, Easier to deal with, compassionate, selfless

As we become this person others find it easier to be in a relationship with us. We learn to support others, encourage, and exercise patience.

Salvation is all about rejecting the world’s view and clinging to Christ’s View.

What is Christ’s view?

• Love thy neighbor as thyself
• Turn the other cheek
• Pray for and help your enemies
• Live in peace with all people
• Die of thyself
• Humble thyself before God
• Love God more than anything, or anyone

Conclusion:  The choice is yours!

For those of us who have the courage to take a good hard, long, honest look at ourselves, God will reveal the changes necessary within us.

We then will either choose to humble ourselves and serve God, or we will selfishly, and pridefully reject God’s Wisdom and direction.

Rest assured that one can look at their family life, as well as all of their relationships with others to see what the decision was!

Do you add wealth of spirit, encouragement, wisdom, and or peace to the lives of those around you, or do you take away from their lives?

No one who is following God will bring shame to God, nor his name. They will be a blessing in our lives, and not a curse.

Anyone can start to be a blessing right now!

Which one are you?

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