An unexpected blessing!

John 1:45-50

King James Version

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

Today, my family and I were going through our daily activities when the mail arrived. There was a card in the mail from a dear loved one. What a blessing! I definitely was not expecting this. An unexpected blessing is always a welcome change. It's like a cool drink of water in a desert place!

It made me think of another unexpected blessing.

Nathanael was a good man. A respected man. One who apparently was well versed in the law and the scriptures. He also was a man of keen insight and quick wit.  

How do we know this? 

When his dear friend Philip came to him (you always go to your closest friends and loved ones first when you have good news, right?) claiming to have found the Messiah, Philip told him the Messiah's name: Jesus of Nazareth. 

Immediately, Philip searches his memory of the scriptures and thinks, "Messiah? From Nazareth?" His scriptural quip is basically saying, "Please show me any scripture for the Messiah coming out of Nazareth. I'd love to see this!" 

You can almost hear the wry tone of voice!

Rather than engage in a scriptural debate, Philip simply says, "Come and See!"

How many more people could be won to the Lord if, rather than engaging them in trying to win the debate with them, we'd simply say, "come and see this Jesus I'm talking about!" 

Look at what he's done in my life! Look at how he works in our church! Look at his healings! See his deliverance! Feel his love! Yes, people can argue scripture, but they cannot argue your testimony, 

If we can get them into the presence of Jesus, and they can "Taste and see" how good he is, then they'll be open to hearing more about the scriptures. 

So, Nathanael follows Philip to where Jesus was. Truly, Nathanael was skeptical, but he couldn't help but feel some of the hopeful excitement and optimism that Philip most definitely had. You can almost see Philip, much like a young boy, dragging Nathanael behind him to meet Jesus! 

Then, Jesus does the most amazing thing. He didn't introduce himself to Nathanael. There was no formal, "Hello, I'm Jesus. And who are you?" 

Rather, Jesus speaks to Nathanael and says, "Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!" It's as if Nathanael were an honored guest and Jesus was announcing him to the world. In fact, what Jesus actually said about him was, "INSIDE of Nathanael, there is NO subtlety, NO Deceit, and NO trickery of any kind!"

WOW!

How many men and women do you know that could have that statement said about them? 

May we all strive for that! No manipulation and no decoys. In other words, as it says in Matthew 5:37, "Let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

Nathanael is so taken back he asks Jesus, "how do you know me?" He's shocked. Jesus has talked to him as if he's a lifelong friend. He's confused.

But Jesus doesn't let him remain confused. Just as with us, he only allows our confusion to last for so long before he speaks his word into our confusion and rolls back the fog with his light. 

"Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee."

We're not told how far Philip and Nathanael had to go to see Jesus, but evidently, it was not from a nearby place that they traveled. Nathanael searched his mind and tried to remember seeing Jesus and his men pass by him while he relaxed under the fig tree. He knew that, even though he knew no one else, he did know Philip. He would've remembered seeing Philip and this small band passing by him. 

The implications of Jesus's words hit Nathanael like a ton of bricks. Jesus had not physically been there! YET, he had seen Nathanael there. He had known Nathanaels's character without knowing him physically! ONLY GOD COULD DO THIS!

He fell to his knees and cried out to Jesus, "Rabbi, thou art the son of God. Thou art the King of Israel!"

By calling Jesus Rabbi, he was offering to submit himself totally to Jesus. By calling Jesus the son of God and the King of Israel, he was recognizing Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 

How many people today are willing to do that? 

Notice Jesus's response though: 

"Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these."

I didn't have to even do a miracle. All I had to do was reveal that I foreknew you and you believe? Hold on, baby! You ain't seen nothing yet!

Remember, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:" (John 6:44a)?

Here is a perfect example. Nathanael had no idea who Jesus was. This was before Jesus was famous. Yet, before Jesus was even a thought in Nathanael's mind and before Nathanael could submit himself to Jesus, Jesus was already watching and calling Nathanael. 

Just like Israel of old, we don't choose God. God chooses us. We don't just arbitrarily decide one day to look into the things of God and find him. God begins little by little, day by day, to call out to our souls. 

And if we respond to his calling, what a wonderfully unexpected blessing we receive! 

Let the watchman do his job- and respond the right way!

Ezekial 33: 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

We have seven dogs in our home. This means that we have seven watchdogs. None of them are small. They range from about 70 pounds to 110 pounds. So anyone who's foolish enough to break into our home will most definitely be in trouble!

However, the dogs will usually bark and growl and carry on to let us know something is up and to warn the person or people outside that there will be consequences if they don't leave. Unfortunately, we sometimes don't want to be bothered to check out the commotion. Sometimes, we yell at the dogs to "shut-up!" 

In ancient Israel, the cities were walled. They kept watchmen on the walls to scan the landscape- checking for any danger. God ordered that they be there. It was to warn the people and spur them to action. God told them that if the watchman sounded the alarm and the people did not respond, they would die- and their blood would be on their own hands.

Just as with our dogs, many people would ignore the sound of the warning trumpets. Some would be irritated. Some would even yell at the watchman to shut-up! 

But, what of the watchman themselves. 

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

If a city came under attack, and the watchman didn't warn the people, then people would die. Because he didn't warn the people, God held the watchman accountable for every death he allowed. 

In the military, if you're on guard duty, you can get in serious trouble if you slack off or go to sleep while you're on guard. The guard is required to be diligent. If he is not, people could die- including himself. In a time of war, the guard can be executed if he doesn't do his job and people are hurt and killed because of it. 

God is just as serious about watchman as the military is about its guards. 

God told Ezekial: 

 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

God told Ezekial "I'm going to give my people warnings through you. If you tell them and they don't hear, you and I are okay, but they're in trouble. But, If you don't tell them, you have a problem with me!" 

Ezekial was arrested, jailed, and hung up (not with a noose) in one of the castle dungeons. People were telling their Watchman to "Shut-up!" Ezekiel went through a lot to obey his calling and his Lord. 

Today, God still has watchmen. They're called preachers. Preachers, be they Pastors or evangelists, are to listen to God. When God gives them warnings, they are to tell the people to "Repent!" Whatever sin(s) the Lord leads them to call out, we the people should listen in the fear of the Lord. Why, because the warnings are coming from God almighty, not the preacher. If we refuse the warning, our blood will be on our hands. We could go to hell. God is not playing! NO sin will enter into heaven. 

Too many times, we want to tell the preacher to shut up! Too many times, we want to ignore the preacher. We don't want to be bothered with having to change. If he irritates us bad enough, we may want to persecute him or try and get him fired. But, the preacher doesn't work for us. He works for God. The preacher is God's watchman to us. 

But, if the preacher chooses to scratch our ears and tell us what we want to hear, rather than what God is telling us, then we will still go to hell! We won't be able to tell God, "He didn't warn me." God gave us a conscience and most of our homes have a Bible in it. We can pray and seek God and read His word ourselves. In fact, scripture tells us to do just that. 

But, the preacher who refused to warn us will go to hell as well. He doesn't get off the hook because he refused to warn us. 

Beware, people, God is not mocked! God will one day call all of us to judgment. He is not playing with sin. If our preacher is warning us, don't fight him. Repent! And thank God you have a preacher that will stand in the gap for folks. If our preacher is not warning us, we need to find another preacher. The one we have is in it for personal gain of some sort and has no love for God or people. 

So let our watchmen do their jobs. Pray for God to warn them and for them to hear and deliver the warning. When the warning is given, let us seek God in true love and repentance! 

Pray for the watchmen and the state of the world. Jesus is soon returning and we all need to be ready when he returns.   

hedge trimmers

Job 1:9-10 King James Version (KJV)

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

The term "build up a hedge" about (x)" is used a lot in Christian circles. It is usually couched as a prayer of protection. Asking God to put a fence around us or someone so as to protect them (us) from the attack of the devil and his demons. 

Here in Job 1, we find that God will do just that. The devil wanted Job, but he could not get through the hedge of protection that God had placed around him. And we should all rejoice, that are born again of the water and the spirit, that the Lord does protect us. The enemy cannot just attack us without the Lord's permission.  

However, this leads to some questions, doesn't it? 

If God has a hedge around us, why do we go through hard times? 

We know that Job was very wealthy before the Lord lowered his hedge in limited fashions. Because the Lord agreed to lower the hedge, Job lost his kids, his wealth, and his health. 

We also know that it was for a limited time. After Job learned what he needed to learn, the Lord restored unto Job 7 times what he had lost. Great ending! But a horrible struggle until the Lord replaced the hedges he had around Job. 

But, are there things we can do to lose our hedge of protection? 

Job was a righteous man in the eyes of God. Why did God allow this to happen?

First, to test Job and prove his relationship with God was solid. God already knew the answer, but Job needed to know the answer for himself. It's easy to trust God when things are going well, but it's not until we find the "gold tried in the fire" within ourselves that we truly know we are on solid ground with God. 

However, a careful study of Job 1 reveals one disturbing thing in Job's life:

Job 1:4-5 King James Version (KJV)

4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Apparently, Job was in the habit of trying to live for God FOR his kids. His kids got together for a party. It's telling that Job wasn't invited and wasn't there. What kind of goings-on were involved in his children's little gathering? Job's prayer reveals that he prayed for them in case they had sinned! Apparently, there were things they did at these parties that God would not be pleased with! 

I believe that it was because of this tendency to try and act as a go-between for his kids to God that actually opened the door for God to allow Satan's attack. 

Ecclesiastes 10:8

He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

When we engage in actions (or dwell on sinful things in our minds and hearts) that are contrary to God and his word, we are actually removing some of our hedge of protection- and things will get through and hurt us. God allows this in order that we can learn from it, repent of our sins, and he can then rebuild the areas that we've torn down. 

Remember Moses warning to the children of Israel: 

Deuteronomy 28 King James Version (KJV)

28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

We, like Israel of old, are given a choice: Obey God and be blessed and protected. Disobey God and be cursed and lose our protection. If we keep disobeying:

Isaiah 5:5

And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

If we do not repent, however, after however many attacks we've endured due to our sinful tearing down of our hedges, then God truly brings out the big guns: He will absolutely tear the rest of our hedges down. This opens us up to even more traumatic and even deadly attacks. 

It's not that he's totally given upon us. Rather, he's taking a spiritual switch to our spiritual backsides. He's giving us a good blistering! Why? So that we might come to the end of ourselves and repent. That way, he can cleanse us, restore us to right relationship, and rebuild the hedge around us. 

But, if we do not repent, God tries one more thing. He looks for someone else that will pray on our behalf that God would intervene in our lives before it's too late. 

This is why intercessory prayer is so important. We pray for the sick and the lost. But, we also pray for the saved that are on the verge of being lost. 

But, in this case, we are the ones in need of prayer. When noone responds in prayer for us, though:

Ezekiel 22:30-31 King James Version (KJV)

30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God

Then, God has no choice but to bring full-scale judgment against us. And this judgment can destroy us, leaving us forever lost. 

But, they cannot gloat when we are judged. The next one in need of intercessory prayer just might be them!.

When Jesus tells us, "I'll be there in a minute, just..." More lessens from our dogs

This afternoon I heard my daughter talking to her dogs.

They were in her room. She was in the kitchen doing something.

They wanted her attention and her presence. She was busy doing something.

They started whining. She was busy doing something.

They started yapping, she yelled out to them from the kitchen, "I'll be there in a minute."

They started whining and yapping. She responded, "I'll be there in a minute."

Finally, they started barking and whining and yapping. She marched up to the doorway and said, "I'll be there in a minute. Let me finish what I'm doing."

It sounds like a familiar conversation to me.

When we are stuck in a situation in our lives that we have no control over. And we realize we cannot do anything about it. So, from the area we are stuck in, we cry out, "Lord, I need a little help here!"

The Lord responds, "I'll be there soon."

That's not the answer we want to hear, So we start crying out louder, "Lord, I really need you to move in the situation now!"

The Lord responds, "I said, I'll be there soon. I'm working on something."

Again, in our lack of patience, we really start bawling and squalling, "Lord, you said you'd never leave me nor forsake me. I'm really stuck in this problem and I can't get out. Can you please move now!"

So, the Lord, in His mercy moves into the doorway of our situation and speaks across the trouble that makes us feel like we're divided from him: "I will be there in a minute. Let me finish what I'm doing. When I finish what I'm working on, you won't be stuck, you won't be separated anymore."

The first time we cry out, Jesus is essentially telling us:

Revelation 22:7

"Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

In other words, "Trust in me and my promises. I'll do what I said I would do. Just hold on."

The second time we cry out, Jesus is telling us: 

Revelation 3:11

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

In other words, "I'm still working. Don't lose faith. Your deliverance is closer than it was before."

The third time, in his mercy, he moves closer to us. His presence is in our vicinity. We can hear his voice clearly:

Revelation 22:12

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

In other words, "You've remained faithful to me. Just a little longer and I will fulfill the desires of your heart. My purpose will be accomplished even though you think it may never happen. Just hold on." 

All of this put another way: 

Matthew 7:7-8 King James Version (KJV)

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

So, brethren and sisters. Whatever you may be facing. Whatever you may be going through. Hold on. Keep crying out. God will finish the work and accomplish his purpose for our good and his glory. 

The word "quickly" actually means "suddenly" in the Greek. It may take some time for God to work situations and people into the order and places they need to be. It may seem to us like our dilemma is going to last forever, our trial will never end. All the while, the situation, and the enemy whispers, "All will be lost."

But, Jesus says, 

"I'm working on it to accomplish what I mean this situation to accomplish in your life. I'm taking some bad stuff out of you and putting good stuff into you. And when it is time, I will suddenly move in and set you free!"

All will not be lost. As long as we stick with Jesus, HE will win in the end- and us with him. 

The last eye drop

Revelation 21:3-5 King James Version (KJV)

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

My daughter has an eye condition right now. She takes medicine and has 2 different eye drops that she must take several times a day. This morning, she had already had one of them and asked if someone would put in "the last eye drop" for her. 

That triggered something in my heart and mind. In this life, there are many hard times. In this life, there are many "eye drops" (tears) that we shed. Whether it be over sickness, financial hardship, unfaithful friends, and many other difficulties, there are times of tears. 

Of course, the best tears are shed in prayer with our Lord and savior! Whatever is going on, we can "cast (our) cares upon him" and allow him to take control. He can handle the problems we cannot. He can defeat the enemies we cannot. He will love us when so many people will not. He will lift us up when so many want to push us down. 

And when we have given him our cares, he gives us the opportunity to share the burdens of others through intercessory prayer. The most powerful of those times usually involves tears. Not tears for ourselves, but tears for others. What a privilege to be able to share the burdens of others in prayers. 

But there is coming a day when we will stand before Jesus and be judged. Those who are not right with him will go to hell for eternal punishment. But, for those who have been born again, and endured until the end (right with him when they die), judgment is a great day! 

All our burdens will be gone. All our worries no more. And our tear ducts will become a useless thing for there will be no more tears! Jesus himself will wipe them away and welcome us into eternal life! 

When we're going through life's struggles, let us remember that- if we hold onto him- one day there will be no more tears! May we find strength from knowing that day is coming. 

The prince and the princess: How to effect the culture war through your home.

Esther 1:19-22King James Version (KJV)

19 If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

20 And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.

21 And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:

22 For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.

1 Timothy 5:17King James Version (KJV)

17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

OK, you ask? What do these scriptures have to do with the title of this post? 

Bear with me and you will see, dear reader. 

The key phrases we will look at in the Esther passage are, "every man," and "should bear rule." 

In the Hebrew, the word translated as "man" here, means literally, "man, male, (in contrast to woman, female)." The phrase "in his own house" tells us we are referring to a married man. Indeed, the context of the passage lets us know we are referring to a married man. 

Why is this important? 

Simple: our modern culture (even some in the church) has bought into the idea that there are many types of families to choose from. There are "co-habiting" families (a nice way of saying shacked up without marriage)," homosexual families", and "straight families." 

Of course, we know that sin is sin- regardless of what spin we, as a culture, wish to put on it. The only biblical model for a family is one man and one woman, with kids (as God allows). 

But, even in "straight families," there is this popular myth that God places no distinction between male and female. Here's the scripture they like to use to justify a modern family: 

Galatians 3:27-29 King James Version (KJV)

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

They swoop in and say, "See! There's no more male or female in God! We're all equal now! So the roles in a family are what we decide they need to be. The roles in the church are what we decide they are to be. You can have gay families because there's no more male or female in God. You can have women lead and men are house-husbands because there's no more male or female in God!" 

First of all, this passage is not referring to the God-given roles of our genders. It's referring to salvation. ANYBODY can be born again! You don't have to be a specific gender, race, economic level, etc. Even a homosexual can be born again- if they repent of their homosexuality and obey God's plan of salvation. 

Secondly, if this passage were talking about how we run our homes and churches, then there are a lot of verses that this verse would contradict. In fact, if there is a contradiction between this verse, and what other sections of scripture teach about the home and the church, then the Bible is wrong and we should not listen to it. 

But, we know the Bible is not wrong. The problem is that people will swoop in, take a verse out of context, and throw it around to try and prove their pet false doctrine- in this case, that there are no specific roles (or job descriptions) that men and women and children must follow. It's all up to us! 

No, it is not.

There are many examples. In fact, I have a very long Bible study on this very subject. If you would like to see it, leave me your email in the comments of this post or message me on Facebook. I'll be glad to send it to you.

For the sake of brevity, we're going to focus on Titus 2:

  2 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

Verse 3-5 says:

 that godly older women should teach younger women to be sober (serious) to love (agape- unconditionally) their husbands and children, to be discreet (self-controlled), chaste (pure and clean), Keepers AT home (not keepers OF the home. Caring for the house. Working AT home, A housewife, in other words), good, obedient to their own husbands (to obey, be under subjection to).

So the wife's job, contrary to popular opinion is to be a housewife and mother. She can work out of the home, as the wife in proverbs 31 shows, but her main job is to be a good wife and mother. Her job is not to lead a corporation, make the money for the family, etc. A woman's job is in the home. This is God's design in BOTH Testaments.

By inference (because it says "likewise"), the older men are to teach the younger men that:

The man's job is to be sober-minded (self-controlled), showing a pattern of good works (which means "die" of good vocation. In other words, he's supposed to have a pattern of the hard work of being the breadwinner for the family), his doctrine is to be uncorrupt, grave, and sincere (incorruptible and sound, honor and purity, and sincerity). His speech is to be godly and filled with truth. 

And all this completely flies in the face of the modern family. A gay family is wrong and ungodly. A woman-led family is wrong and ungodly. A shacked up family is wrong and ungodly. A "50-50" family is wrong and ungodly.

And what about children?

Ephesians 6 King James Version (KJV)

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

So, the husband is to follow and obey God and lead his family. The wife is to obey God first, her husband second and lead the children. The children are to obey God first and their parents second. 

This is God's plan for the home. 

Scripture calls God's people King's and priests (Revelations 1:6). Therefore our children are little princes and princesses. 

If we order our homes the correct way, our children will think the right way. If they think the right way, they will act the right way. (As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7). Their right actions and thoughts will bleed over into their homes when they marry. As they run their homes godly, their kids will copy the same pattern. And so on, and so on, till the Lord returns. 

Yes, we are to teach and preach the word. Yes, we are to try and affect our culture in other ways. But, the home is over half the battle. We can win the war. Quietly. One home at a time.