Billy Joe Daugherty - Seven Keys to Family Power

Contents

Peter Admonishes the Family To Love

In this hour, we need power to overcome the attacks of the devil against marriages, the home, the family and relationships as never before.

During the last 25 years, we have seen perhaps the greatest social upheaval America has ever witnessed, leaving the most severe damage upon marriages and families. You would have to go back to Civil War days to compare what has happened to our generationthe magnitude of disrupted, torn apart, destroyed families and the people trapped in drugs, alcohol, immorality, crime and violence.

The needs and problems, in a sense, have always been the same, yet we are seeing an acceleration of marriage and family problems in our nation. The good news is, there is an answer, and that answer is found in Gods Word. That answer is a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In Peter 3, Peter wrote a circulatory letter to Christians who were facing tough times. He gave great encouragement about how to stand against persecution and not give up or lose their testimony.

Peter wrote to families who were in crisis, encouraging them on how to love one another and how to live.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

He must turn from evil and do good ; he must seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Peter 3:7-12

Husbands must value their wives as a gift from God and love them in the same spirit that Christ loves each of us.

In response to the husband's esteem and love for his wife, she should respect and reverence him "...She notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly" (Ephesians 5:33, AMP.).

Seven Keys To Family Power

I realize, as never before, that we are in a race the final countdown of the raceand we are in it to win. We are in it to bring lost souls into the Kingdom of God, to win in marriage, home and family relationships.

Paul had something to say about a race, which is applicable to the home and family:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?

Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others,

I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

To win over the enemy's attacks against marriages, homes and families in this hour, we must run in such a way as to achieve the prize of the divine purpose and destiny for the marriage, home and family: the peace, harmony, love, acceptance, forgiveness and open communication and respect among family members.

Here are seven specific keys that will enable you to have more of God's power in your family to stand against the onslaughts of the devil and to move into a stance of victory in every realm of life.

1. Pray for one another.

When you pray for one another, you release the power of God.

James 3:16 (KJV) says, "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." This verse in the New International Version says, "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

Prayer will stop anger, strife, envy and even selfish ambition. It is hard to criticize and fight with someone you are praying for at the same time.

You will either stop one or the other. When you determine to pray, somehow your own attitude changes, even if you start out praying sincerely that God would change the other person, because you know they need it the most !!

As you pray, the spirit of prayer gets into you and you begin to realize you have some faults, too. You are changed on the inside as you pray.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (KJV) says, "...A threefold cord is not quickly broken." When farmers bale hay, they used to bind the bales with a threefold cord of rope. You could snap it if you really tried, but it was very difficult to break. It's much easier to break a twofold cord.

What is the threefold cord he is talking about ? Two people together are a twofold cord, but when you bring God into it, it becomes a threefold cord.

Many families are only held together by the mutual love of two people. When one or both of them begin to waver, they are in trouble, but when they bring God on the scene, it adds power to the situation.

Praying for your family members will cause you to love them even more. It will bring your heart back to the home. Sharon and I pray together with our children each night. We have a time of sharing and praying. It is one of the most precious times we have together. Our children pray for the members of Victory Christian Center, and they pray for each otherfor bumps, scratches and everything else!

When you pray, you defend one another. Sometimes people find fault with each other, but when you pray, there is a wall of defense built around the family. The principle works in all areas the home and family, the office, the church.

It is important that we pray for one another in the church. We are bound together through prayer. The family that prays together stays together. The family that doesn't pray in this day and time really doesn't have hope. At best, there will be a cold war existence.

Prayer brings the power of God. It brings the grace, joy, peace, love and victory that are needed . It brings the right attitudes. You can have a lot of things, but if people's attitudes are wrong, then the home can be a living hell and a place of great torment. But when you turn it around, the home can become a place of heaven on earth, where we literally take the glory, peace and joy that are in heaven and bring them to earth through prayer. When Sharon served on jury duty, she was explaining to our son Paul, who was seven years old at the time, what jury duty is. He couldn't quite understand as she explained, "It's a court where you decide whether people are guilty or not." Paul said, "I'm going to pray for you, Mamma, that you won't be guilty!" I quickly said, "Paul, I am agreeing with you!"

2. Accept one another.

Romans 5:8 (KJV) says , "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Aren't you glad He didn't wait until we got right? He would still be waiting. He loved us in the condition that we were in !

The world is filled with rejection and judgmentalism . It is filled with critical words and putdowns. In fact, it seems the national pastime in America is cutting down other people. Who can come up with the sharpest remark to put another person down? It is important to be accepted in the family just the way you are.

It is also important that you are received in a church family where, regardless of what you look like or what you wear, whether you are dressed up or dressed down, you are accepted.

In the family, it shouldn't matter if a family member is different. Often, people try to make every family member into a cookie-cutter mold, comparing one with another. Comparison in the home will destroy the esteem of the family members, and it will create inferiority, but when we value each person for who they are, then we will enjoy the differences.