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Take Back Your Family - Part 2

Follow these six steps to take back your family from the world.

Step 1: As an individual and family pray and ask God for forgiveness: forgiveness for letting evil replace good. Remember this, only Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit can restore your family. If you do not believe there is a God, there is no hope for you or your family. Yes, many live without Jesus Christ, but no one has the peace that surpasses all understanding without Jesus Christ. Why settle for less when you can have the best?

For those who are willing to take a chance on Jesus, find a Bible teaching church and seek to find Him. If you truly seek, God will point you to Jesus, and He will save your soul.

Step 2: Take time to have a family meal together at least once a day. It does not have to be an evening meal. It could be breakfast. Please begin today. Do not procrastinate. Just do it! At the family meal pray to God, discuss and read the Ten Commandments (they may be found in Deuteronomy, chapter five), and read one chapter of Proverbs from the Bible.

The Ten Commandments and the book of Proverbs are practical standards of right and wrong (morality issues). No one should complain. After all, what is wrong with “Do not steal” or “Do not lie?” Dads should lead this family discussion, but in dad’s absence or unwillingness, the mom can. You can do this in less than ten minutes.

Step 3: Take back your family from the world. If you have young children, this will not be an unpleasant event. If you have teenagers who have been allowed to participate in worldly activities, this will be hard but not impossible. But, you will eventually have a harder and a more difficult emotional time if you don’t take charge now.

Your teenager does not have to have a car, cell phone, designer clothes, unlimited freedom if they are not paying any of the bills or helping with work around the house. Keeping up their studies is expected, and they should not be rewarded for doing what they should be doing. But, the training process starts when your children are first born, not when they become teenagers.

There should be no threats, no violence but only a pleading to bring love back into the family. Ask for forgiveness of your family members for any problems you have created, and forgive your family members for any problems they have caused. Become a support group. Seek Christian counseling if required.

Step 4: Establish communications with your children that as a minimum will include the following:

· Discuss alcohol and drug use in a non-judgmental tone. Point out the inherent dangers and consequences that can result in just a one-time use. Watch for drug and alcohol abuse problems; don’t bury your head in the sand and assume that you child will not participate just to fit in with their friends. Take an interest in your child and be their parent. If you drink or take drugs, STOP!

· Discuss sexual promiscuity and pornography. Talk about abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, cancer occurrences with oral sex and multiple sexual partners. Who knows who will see those nude pictures on the Internet?

· Talk with your child about their school, teachers, other students and any conflicts such as bullying. Go to PTA meetings and meet your child’s teachers. A school should be a place of safety. If not, join with other parents to weed out the bad.

Step 5: Teach your children to be respectful: to individuals, to other people’s property, to people in authority and to their country and institutions.

Step 6: Teach your children about responsibilities: responsibilities of each family member for obeying family rules, performing family chores, and respect for each family member. You must show respect to your children if you want them to respect you.

Other steps could be listed, but if you will start with these steps America’s road to recovery will begin. For those of you who are willing to do this simple act I encourage you to tell others. We can take America back from the hands of the ungodly, but it must start in your home and with “You.”

Your thoughts are welcomed: email us at bt@northloopcottage.com

or visit us on the web at www.northloopcottage.com.