Raising a Sodom-immune family, By Ayo Akerele

Many wives in Christian marriages have looked back. Many men in Christian marriages have looked back. To look back is to go back to sin. It is to go back to your vomit. It is to go back to your ex-girlfriends and sin partners. It is to turn your back to your spouse. We are having a major pandemic of “looking back” in many Christian homes. This is not the will of God. The will of God is for two people to live together, raise godly children, and serve God together until death parts them.

What your family will become tomorrow is determined by what you do with it today. Truth be told, we live in a generation of massive attacks on families.

1. Governments of many nations have redefined families as led by Satan;
2. Divorce rates among Christian families continue to skyrocket;
3. Single parenting is becoming fashionable;
4. Many cases of crimes among young adults are now linked to cases of children raised by single parents, particularly, single mothers.

And the list continues to grow. Why? Satan hates families. Strong families, and the God fearing ones, in particular, are the bedrock of strong societies. Also, strong families are the factory of values upon which the future of children are based.

All Through Scriptures, We See Satan Constantly Fighting Families

1. He attacked the family of Adam (Genesis 4:8);
2. He attacked the family of Eli (1 Samuel 2-3);
3. He attacked the family of Samuel (1 Samuel 8:1-3);
4. He attacked the family of David (2 Samuel 17);
5. He attacked the family of Jacob (Genesis 37: 12-36);
6. He attacked the family of Lot (Genesis 19).

Why? Satan is anti-family. Sadly, he knows what many Christians don’t know. Friends, don’t play or joke with your family. One of the saddest examples of a ruined family was that of Lot. We’ve looked at the critical mistake that Lot made. He moved to Sodom. This was a destiny disaster, if you look at the trajectory of his life. Let’s drill down to this story. In Genesis 18: 26-33, we see Abraham negotiating the destiny of Sodom with God just because of Lot, and he ended by asking God for the possibility of saving the city if ten people were found there? Why did Abraham stop at ten? Abraham counted Lot’s family plus his in-laws, making up a total of ten people (Lot, Lot’s two daughters, Lot’s wife, the two fiancées of the daughters, and the four parents of the two fiancées). But Abraham was wrong. He misplaced his trust in Lot. He thought that the light of Lot would shine to at least six other people, aside from himself, his wife and his two daughters. Lot did not even influence his own family for God, much less influencing his in-laws for the Almighty. 

Let’s look at Genesis 19 very critically. Lot did certain things that proved to me that Sodom had ruined his family.

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1. In Genesis 19:8, Lot offered his virgin daughters as gifts to the Sodomites to save his face. What sort of a man was Lot?
2. In Genesis 19: 14, Lot tried to evangelise to his in-laws but they saw him as a joker.
3. In Genesis 19:26, his wife looked back, wondering: what’s happening to this family?

This is the most serious of the trouble that befell Lot’s family because of his journey to Sodom. His wife looked back!

Many wives in Christian marriages have looked back. Many men in Christian marriages have looked back. To look back is to go back to sin. It is to go back to your vomit. It is to go back to your ex-girlfriends and sin partners. It is to turn your back to your spouse. We are having a major pandemic of “looking back” in many Christian homes. This is not the will of God. The will of God is for two people to live together, raise godly children, and serve God together until death parts them.

Here what the Bible says, Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 NKJV

We are battling many cases of wives or husbands who have looked back. What makes a spouse to look back?

Materialism, greed, and lust, at all levels led Lot to Sodom.

How Do We Immunise Our Families From the Forces of Sodom

1. Association and location are key issues; stay where God has planted you. Stop allowing the green grass of other families to lure you. You don’t know what’s behind the greenness. Wait for God (Psalm 40:1);
2. Spirituality and sensitivity (Romans 8; 6-8; 12: 1-3);
3. Contentment (godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6 NKJV);
4. Teach, build, and prioritise your family above money.

The strength of a man is his character. You are not a strong man because you are able to hide your girlfriend from your wife. You are a very weak man if this is what you’re doing. Strong men build their strength on the quality of their character – the ability to stick to values.

Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.