Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Protector (05/16/24)
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TITLE: Protective Custody | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
05/22/24 -
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As his divinely-appointed helper (2), one of her primary functions is sharing the function of protecting the family members.
Note that under the divinely-designed family structure, the function is shared, but the responsibility is that of the appointed head.
As he has done throughout the course of human history, Satan continues to have success re-defining the roles, responsibilities, and functions of family members.
The stability of a nation goes hand in hand with the stability of the family structure within it.
Each one of us has areas of individual strength and weaknesses that we bring into parenthood.
Being over-protective can be just as obstructive as negligent guidance in a child’s development.
God did not create the protector or his helper with eyes on the back of their heads, enabling them to see everything taking place behind their backs.
Many tragic incidents happen every day, for which there is no cause to hold oneself or others accountable.
Accidental death and injuries are a part of the human experience.
False guilt is a very destructive tool in the hands of the devil. So is actual guilt, when it is retained after the failure has been addressed (3).
When true guilt is in view, the need to forgive and to be forgiven is an essential part of any ongoing relationship, be it with God or with other human beings.
Sometimes, the hardest one to forgive is the one we face in the mirror.
Some of the consequences of our negligence or poor decisions may be here to stay, but it is not God’s will that His child live with a guilty conscience once his or her failure has been addressed (4).
The responsibility of providing protection rests squarely on the shoulders of the one that God designated as being the head of the house.
This designated appointment is found in Old Testament Scripture (5), and is reiterated in New (Church Age) Testament Scripture (6).
A positive Proverbs 22: 6 outcome, in response to godly parenting, is dependent on the cooperating free will of the child, over which a parent has no control.
When a child has been shown good parental example, has been taught the Word of God, and has been disciplined for poor decisions, the primary responsibility of the parent has been fulfilled.
The final outcome is then the responsibility of the children.
Parents of adult offspring, either living at home or out on their own, must not become their enablers or facilitators, should they choose to embrace ungodly activities or lifestyles (7).
The father of the prodigal son welcomed his son back home, but he did not open his door to any of the evil that his returning son had embraced.
The Bible may be too old-fashioned for many today, but no one is more old-fashioned than God, to Whom we will all give an account, based on what the Word of God (The Bible) has to say.
The head of the house, with the help of his wife, is to defend his family members from the Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil, led by the devil, that, “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pet.5: 8 NASB2020).”
This protection is to guard against any and all threats that can impact the well-being of the physicality, mentality, and most important, spirituality of family members.
To provide this protection, the protector must be aware of what the devil’s objectives are, and how he will attempt to achieve them.
Objective #1 is to promote false gods (8) and or false means (9) to secure an eternal relationship with the one true God of the Bible.
Especially in times of apostasy (10), these false means can be found within the Christian Community, as well as out in the devil’s world.
Should objective #1 fail (11), the devil switches to objective #2 which is to obstruct the development and or forward progress of the born-again believer’s post salvation spiritual life of discipleship.
Ben Franklin stated that an ounce of (protective) prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Imposing protective restrictions will not make a godly protector popular. He will become the perceived enemy of an insubordinate or rebellious family member (12), raining on their parade.
Knowing where they are headed, wayward children weigh heavily on the heart of God and godly parents.
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(1) 1Thess. 5: 23 (2) Gen. 2: 18 (3) 1John 1: 9 (4) 1John 1: 9 (5) Gen. 3: 16 (6) Eph. 5: 22, 23 (7) Luke 14: 26 (8) Psalms 96: 5 (9) Matt. 15: 9 (10) 1Tim. 4: 1 (11) Rom. 8: 1 (12) Gal. 4: 16/Luke 14: 26
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