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Psalms 68:6 God sets the solitary in families

Household of Faith

by Steve Green
Thanks to Chris Scalzo, Scorch's Praise and Worship Midi Page.

Stick Family

How we view ourselves greatly affects how we manage our roles as spouses, parents, children, grandparents, and siblings. As a matter of fact, all of our relationships here on earth depend on our relationship with God. We must learn how Hesees us and what He desires for us as individuals. In his books Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker Neil T. Anderson emphasizes this point. He has collected a list of verses that illustrates the Christians Scriptural identity and position. I've selected a few to list here. Do you know who you are to God?

You are a child of God

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name JON 1:12

You are a joint heir with Christ. You share His inheritance from the father.

and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ

ROM 8:17

You are a new creation.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation 2CO 5:17

You are a citizen of Heaven.

For our citizenship is in heaven PHIL 3:20

You are chosen by God.

as the elect of God, holy and beloved COL 3:12

The Bible is just full of Scriptures like these. Keep your eyes open as you read the Bible and ask God to point them out to you, or get Anderson's books (visit my bookstore). They are well worth the price. If these verses are difficult for you to believe then memorize them, meditate on them, speak them, until they get into your heart and flow out of your spirit. Above all, we must remember that we are complete in Christ. If we go looking to another human being to meet our needs, we will be sorely disappointed. Sometimes God uses the people in our lives to fill a specific need, but He, ultimately, is the Jehovah Jireh--The God who provides. This truth frees us to do His will.

At the same time we must be careful to guard against pride or false humility. In Romans, 12:3 Paul warns:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Yes, we are precious to God. Yes, we have gifts and talents, but we should not allow ourselves to get puffed up about them. On the other hand, we should acknowledge them, not deny them and pretend we are no good. These are not honest assessments of who we are, and without that honest assessment we cannot be who we are supposed to be. In the first instance we risk offending others with our haughtiness and drawing attention to ourselves instead of our Lord. In the second we risk missing opportuninites to serve the God who gave us our gifts and talents in the first place. In either case, we fail to glorify Him.

Once we understand who we are in Christ, we need to figure out our roles. Women and men, though equal, are different in the eyes of God and we have different roles to fill. When Adam was created, he was both male and female. The male and female were separated when God removed the rib from Adam and created Eve. In our bodies, the ribs are a covering for our hearts. So it is with woman--being created from man's rib, she ministers to the heart.

When a man and woman marry, they take certain functional positions. Men are called to be the head of the household while women are to submit to them. The husband has the final authority, and responsibility, for what goes on in the home. He listens to his wife, then makes the decisions based on Biblical wisdom. He is the head. The wife has a ministry of nurture and care. She sets the atmosphere in the home, creating a peaceful sanctuary for her family. She is the heart. These roles carry over into parenting, also.

Secularism has blurred the lines God established between the sexes. Society gives us choices that God does not. It appeals to our base nature, the flesh, and promises fulfillment outside of God. We must realize that all we are and all we have are because of Him and dedicate ourselves to following His will for our lives. If we allow ourselves to be selfish and focus on our rights and our desires we will miss the mark.

One area I've seen the selfishness creep in is in our roles as spouses. So let's take a closer look at the Biblical role of men and women. If you're not married, go ahead and read these anyway. There's lots of good stuff that will apply to the single Christian, as well as the married.

	A Biblical View Of Men and Husbands by Rich Bingham
	A Biblical View Of Women and Wives by Heidi Bingham

Another area that concerns me greatly is parenting. Our selfishness shows in many of our parenting techniques and practices. From letting baby cry it out to day care to bottle feeding our churches have let us down in teaching us to parent our children in a loving way. They are affirming secular choices and contributing to the breakdown of the American family. Look below for links to articles and resources.

	A Review and Commentary of Preparation for Parenting ~an infant management program by the Ezzos
	How Many Children Do You Want? by Rich and Heidi Bingham
	Choosing a Parenting Style that Reflects Christ by Heidi Bingham
	Breastfeeding By Design by Heidi Bingham
	Where Does Baby Sleep? Advantages of Shared Sleep by H.B.
	Unity of the Family in the Christian Church by Heidi Bingham
	Education at Home by Rich and Heidi Bingham

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