Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband (Ephesians 5:22–33).
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-4).
“The best defense is an offense.” This is a statement that we may hear in sports situations. But nowhere is this statement more true than in the kingdom of God.
It is also true in the Christian family.
An important question one may ask is “How can a believer get on offense in spiritual warfare?”
Very simply, faithful obedience to God and His Word puts you on offense spiritually. We are each called to read and study the Word of God diligently, then faithfully obey what we learn.
When Abraham packed up his family and moved to the place God had told him to move to, he got on offense. And as long as He obeyed God, he stayed on offense.
When Moses, in obedience to God, walked into Egypt and confronted Pharoah and told him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go… ” he stepped into offense. Moses went on offense when he obeyed God and spoke these bold words to Pharoah.
So, when we in our families and in our homes are wise enough to passionately obey God in the way we guide, mold, and shape our children and families, we are going on offense.
When husbands and wives start to pray together daily, they are on offense. When parents begin to pray daily with their children in their home, these parents are going on offense.
When husbands and wives seek to diligently love each other sacrificially as we are called to do, they are on offense in their marriage and in their home.
When families and individuals ignore the Word of God, disobey the Word of God, or just neglect the Word of God, it leaves us to function on defense.
Disobedience to the Word of God opens the door to the Devil and allows him to have access to our home and relationships. It gives the Devil the opportunity to attack our marriages, families, and homes. It can quickly put the family on defense.
One may ask, “Why is obedience so important in the kingdom of God?”
The Word of God is the wisdom of God, the strategy of God, and the counsel of God. And God’s Word always works when you live it out. God’s Word is a sure strategy.
Also, the kingdom of darkness has no adequate defense against obedience to the Word of God.
May we as a family strive to live fully obedient lives seeking to live for Christ.
The following are some suggested weapons, tools, and/or tasks you and your family can seek to use or do on a daily basis to stay on offense.
- Read the Word of God daily individually and as a family together.
- Discuss as a family how we can live out the Word of God.
- Make it goal to be kind and thoughtful to your spouse every day.
- Pray daily individually and together as husbands and wives and together as a family.
- Attend Sunday morning worship and Bible study together as a family.
- Worship together as a family both at church and at home.
- Make it a goal to walk in love, patience, and forgiveness as a lifestyle.
- Get involved in mission projects and go on mission trips as a family.
- Come up with projects to raise money for missions and ministries.
- Go out as a family and distribute gospel tracts in strategic places.
Finally, be mindful that individually and as a family, we are called to always be on offense in the kingdom of God. In other words, we are called to live a life full of faithful obedience.
