Dear Reader,
Welcome to this exciting month of April. I pray God perfects all that concerns you and your family, in Jesus’ name! This month, we will be exploring Enemies of Family Success.
What is Success? Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Recording success in your family will be determined by the amount of input you put into making it work. Success is not by chance; I am yet to see someone who woke up after 50 years and just discovered they have made it! It never happens because success is not a gift. It does not just happen; it takes conscious, deliberate and calculated steps to realise success in any venture, including the family. So, to enjoy a successful family, there are things to avoid.
The enemies of family success are the things that cause family stress, pain, arguments, quarrels, lack of peace, separation and sometimes, divorce. Most of them are caused by either the man or the woman or even both of them. But a good knowledge of some of them will help keep your family free from such things.
Enemies of Family Success are as follows:
Wrong Company.A man does not have to be foolish in himself to be destroyed. All he needs to do is walk with the foolish, and soon, the folly in his friend will become part of him. The Word says: He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20). Walking with a foolish person is as bad as being foolish. The company you keep either makes or mars you; it doesn’t leave you the same. The major cause of problems in some homes today is the wrong company, caused by family members who keep receiving counsel and moving with people who always cause trouble in their homes.
Therefore, a wrong association will affect you negatively. You must be careful about your choice of company and friends. A wise man once said, ‘Show me your friends, and I will tell you who you are’. So, who is your friend? A liar, a cheat, a thief, one that beats his wife or one that is covetous, and you think you are not anything like him or her? You are wrong; very soon, the nature of your friend will begin to rub off on you, and the end result will be destruction. Anyone who constantly provokes your spirit and gives you wrong counsel against your wife, husband or family’s well-being will destroy your home. The Word says: Be not deceived: evil communication corrupts good manner(1 Corinthians 15:33). A wrong company or association corrupts good manners. The basis for any association should be agreement (Amos 3:3). When the company or association you keep does not agree with the things you believe in, you must end your relationship with that company. Friendship is by choice and not by force! Be selective in your association. Select your friends in wisdom. Do not allow the wrong company put your family and home asunder.
Slothfulness. Slothfulness means laziness. Successful families don’t just happen; they are consciously made to happen. If God had to work for six days when He created the world in Genesis 1, you must also be ready to do what it takes to enjoy a successful family. Get rid of laziness or slothfulness because the fruit of laziness is a shame, and it destroys families.
Knowing what to do to improve the state of your family and not doing it or doing it for a while and giving up will not bring you the success you desire; instead, this attitude can cause problems in your family. Therefore, you must cooperate with God by playing your own part in getting rid of spiritual and physical laziness to enjoy a successful family.
When there is a challenge in your home, divorce should not be the first option that comes to mind. First, identify and analyse the challenge, then make proposals and choose a possible solution. This way, most problems are solved.
If you are reading this article and have been considering divorce because you think there is no way out, hold it! Who knows, this might be why God gave you the opportunity to read this article. If only you can accept and follow God’s master plan, your story will change for the better.
However, having a successful family starts with having God at the center of your home. So, if you are not born again, please say this prayer of faith: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner, and I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. From today, Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I am Born Again.
Congratulations! You are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave or forsake you. With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace, in Jesus’ name! Please write or call to share your testimonies with me through oyedepofaitha@gmail.com OR 08141320204 and 07026385437.
For more insight, these books, authored by me, are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian Bookstores: Building a Successful Family,Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Success in Marriage (Co-Authored with Bishop David Oyedepo), Success Strategies (Bishop David Oyedepo), and The Wisdom that Works (Bishop David Oyedepo).
