Read Online One Word From God Can Change Your Family by Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland - Free Book Online
Book: One Word From God Can Change Your Family by Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland
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Authors: Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland
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Abraham, gave him the choice of where he wanted to live. Rather than choose a godly place, he chose to settle near Sodom, a city known for its wickedness. The Scripture says it was “where the men were wicked and sinned against the Lord” (see Genesis 13:5-13).
Then, he developed a tolerance for sin and hesitated to obey God, a behavior that did not impress on his family the importance of God’s Word.
The Bible says that when the angels told Lot that the city of Sodom would be destroyed, “Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, ‘Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.’ But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting” (Genesis 19:14, New American Standard).
Lot’s family did not respond to his direction—direction he had received from God. Why would they do such a thing?
Part of the answer is in verses 15-16: “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand...and put him outside the city” (New American Standard).
The failure of Lot’s family to respond to his instruction should have come as no surprise. Lot himself was not quick to obey God’s Word. His choices demonstrated to his children neither a hunger for God nor a respect for God’s direction.
Because of these choices, his own family didn’t take him seriously. Lot was more of a joke to his family than a man of integrity to be followed. Later, as Lot and his wife left the city, Lot’s wife disobeyed the command to “look not behind thee” and was destroyed. Though spared because of Abraham’s stand in covenant with God, Lot lost his wife and other family members. And he received the greatest dishonor a parent could—his family mocked his instructions and did not respect his authority.
As a parent, Lot had failed in the responsibility God made so clear to Abraham, “For I have chosen him, in order that he may command his children...to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice...” (Genesis 18:19, New American Standard).
The Secret of Noah’s Success
Generations before Lot, however, another parent, Noah, faced similar challenges and succeeded:
Noah was another who trusted God. When he heard God’s warning about the future, Noah believed him even though there was then no sign of a flood, and wasting no time, he built the ark and saved his family. Noah’s belief in God was in direct contrast to the sin and disbelief of the rest of the world—which refused to obey—and because of his faith he became one of those whom God has accepted (Hebrews 11:7 , The Living Bible).
The example Noah set before his family was that he “trusted God,” even though there was no physical evidence to verify what he had heard. His stand of faith—trusting God for deliverance from the coming destruction—gave his children the opportunity to have his example as a pattern for their faith, and to learn to trust him as their spiritual authority.
Notice that Noah “wasted no time” in obeying God. If he had hesitated like Lot, he would have jeopardized the lives of his entire family.
Noah’s faith stood in direct contrast to the rest of the world “which refused to obey.” So, do you sometimes feel like you are the only one who believes God’s Word? The only one with high standards for your children, surrounded by people whose beliefs are in direct contrast with yours? Well, you’re not alone! Just keep being like Noah, who determined to obey God, regardless of what other people said or thought.
Genesis 6:8-9 says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God” (New American Standard). Notes in the New American Standard version translate the word blameless as “complete,” “perfect,” or “having integrity.”
Then, he developed a tolerance for sin and hesitated to obey God, a behavior that did not impress on his family the importance of God’s Word.
The Bible says that when the angels told Lot that the city of Sodom would be destroyed, “Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, ‘Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.’ But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting” (Genesis 19:14, New American Standard).
Lot’s family did not respond to his direction—direction he had received from God. Why would they do such a thing?
Part of the answer is in verses 15-16: “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand...and put him outside the city” (New American Standard).
The failure of Lot’s family to respond to his instruction should have come as no surprise. Lot himself was not quick to obey God’s Word. His choices demonstrated to his children neither a hunger for God nor a respect for God’s direction.
Because of these choices, his own family didn’t take him seriously. Lot was more of a joke to his family than a man of integrity to be followed. Later, as Lot and his wife left the city, Lot’s wife disobeyed the command to “look not behind thee” and was destroyed. Though spared because of Abraham’s stand in covenant with God, Lot lost his wife and other family members. And he received the greatest dishonor a parent could—his family mocked his instructions and did not respect his authority.
As a parent, Lot had failed in the responsibility God made so clear to Abraham, “For I have chosen him, in order that he may command his children...to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice...” (Genesis 18:19, New American Standard).
The Secret of Noah’s Success
Generations before Lot, however, another parent, Noah, faced similar challenges and succeeded:
Noah was another who trusted God. When he heard God’s warning about the future, Noah believed him even though there was then no sign of a flood, and wasting no time, he built the ark and saved his family. Noah’s belief in God was in direct contrast to the sin and disbelief of the rest of the world—which refused to obey—and because of his faith he became one of those whom God has accepted (Hebrews 11:7 , The Living Bible).
The example Noah set before his family was that he “trusted God,” even though there was no physical evidence to verify what he had heard. His stand of faith—trusting God for deliverance from the coming destruction—gave his children the opportunity to have his example as a pattern for their faith, and to learn to trust him as their spiritual authority.
Notice that Noah “wasted no time” in obeying God. If he had hesitated like Lot, he would have jeopardized the lives of his entire family.
Noah’s faith stood in direct contrast to the rest of the world “which refused to obey.” So, do you sometimes feel like you are the only one who believes God’s Word? The only one with high standards for your children, surrounded by people whose beliefs are in direct contrast with yours? Well, you’re not alone! Just keep being like Noah, who determined to obey God, regardless of what other people said or thought.
Genesis 6:8-9 says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God” (New American Standard). Notes in the New American Standard version translate the word blameless as “complete,” “perfect,” or “having integrity.”
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