“Our influence in the society is greatly dependent on the influence of the family values that is instilled in us. When men rise to become true fathers, and women rise to become true mothers to protect and establish godly values it will cause us to measure up to something.” Israel Onoriobe
I listened to the story of a great preacher recently which greatly intrigued me. Apparently, his parents were entrepreneurs (had their own business ventures) and were a very god-fearing couple. He recounted how he was groomed by his parents from a very young age to live a godly and reputable life. Nevertheless, a season came when he moved to another city where he lived away from his parents. He recounted how he started picking up strange attitudes which were contrary to his parental training. He said, during one of his visits back to his home, his mother looked at him and said he was in her territory and could not continue with these strange behaviors. He said besides the home training he got, his mother constantly prayed for him. To cut the story short, after a while he redressed his ways and today he is a very reputable preacher and a great vessel used by God to transform lives across nations.
As I listened to his story, I was amazed at the response his mother gave to him when he returned home “…you are in my territory”. Through this, I sensed the voice of a woman who was confident that her home is a primary place of assignment. I said to myself that this was properly a woman who had taken time together with her husband to build a godly home. She prayed for her children and trained them to uphold godly values which were the foundation of their character. She was confident that her home was a safe place to nurture and bring up children of reputable character. Even when she noticed the strange character of her son, she never gave up on him. She kept praying and correcting him. This preacher’s father died some years back and his mother in her old age. They may not even be aware that in building a strong family and training their son in the way he should grow, they were bringing up a great vessel to be used by God to impart thousands of lives across different continents.
The family is the first institution established by God through the covenant of marriage. One of His aims was that the family grows to become a peculiar tribe of people who are separated to be His treasured possession. The order of God’s dealing with creation, and the administration of His purposes in the earth is first with an individual through whom He establishes a family, and that family becomes the corporate body that He uses to impact the nations – the earth realm, to establish His purpose. This is clearly seen in the promise to the patriarch Abraham as it relates to his family and the nations. “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, …I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing…and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” – (Genesis 12:1-3). “The LORD said to Himself, “I should tell Abraham what I am going to do, since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth.” – (Genesis 18:17-18 CEV). The promise of God to Abraham was so weighty, yet his greatness and the fulfillment was not in himself, but in his seed (Son), to whom the promise was given, and who becomes the instrument of releasing God’s fullness and blessings upon the earth.” (Israel Onoriobe (2019) “The Seven Mountains of Influence”, World Vision Outreach Ministries)
In whatever we do, PLEASE never neglect the family. The family is the central unit of every society and societies make up nations. Our societies are witnessing an increase in moral decadence. Let’s arise and make a difference in our families for the family is the fundamental place of nurturing godly values. Not arising by our own strength but from a place of intimacy with God whom through his word gives us insight to our fundamental role as men or women in our families.
Let’s take a look at Deborah who is introduced in the book of Judges…
“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. (Judges 4:4)”.
“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.” (Judges 5:6-7).
Deborah was a:
• Prophet (she had a relationship with God, she was a worshipper who heard and obeyed God);
• The wife of Lapidoth (She was a good wife, a wife of noble character- the kind of described in proverbs 31:10-31);
• She was a judge (Greatly talented and used her skills to serve her community);
• She was a mother.
The sequence of Deborah’s introduction in Judges 4:4 is indicative of the fact that she had a thriving relationship with God, she was a great family woman and an exceptional judge. It is very obvious that in all she did, Deborah never neglected her role as a woman, a wife and mother. Rather, she understood and attended to her family responsibilities. Deborah attributed her rising to work with the men for the liberation of Israel to being a call from God as MOTHER of Israel. (Judges 4:6-8).
Hey sister, lets arise. Let’s go back to the word of God, and by the help of the Holy Spirit understand our role in the family, empower ourselves to live exemplary lifestyles, together with the men raise strong families and raise godly offspring who would greatly influence subsequent generations. May the Holy Spirit empower and help us to model Jesus Christ in our families.