Satan has done a masterful job of separating the family unit to cause disunity, isolation and contempt one person for another.
When the family unit has been torn asunder in such a way, each person lacking concern for one another, is of little help when it is most need. There is absent the support God intended, leaving the individuals without love and kindness often causes the isolated ones to seek their comfort from the world. There is little safety for the individuals who have been estranged from family.
We have become an individualistic culture, bent on doing whatever is right in each ones eyes, while showing deep contempt for anyone who will attempt to impart wisdom to those who are less experienced or in error.
The devil knows that the more we depend upon ourselves alone, rejecting all counsel and input from older and wiser people, there is greater chance of serious mistakes, even mistakes that can and often do destroy their own lives and the lives of others.
Ecclesiastes 4:11-13 "…11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. 13 A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.…"
Also, when a culture become individualistic in their thinking, many people will turn to entities such as government sources for their help, in order to remain anonymous and private, for their help. Government has a tendency to hand out goods and services without righteous counsel. This practice of the government allows for full blown sin habits that perpetually keep individuals who depend on them, living in their sin, never able to dig themselves out of the hole they got themselves into.
People in this condition who have rejected family counsel in favor of governmental support "feel safer", when in actuality are in more danger and more isolated than if they had adhered to the family unit that required accountability. When government becomes the parent, sister, brother of a person, they are relegated to cold and lifeless robot like entity rather than the instruction, protection and sensitivity of those who would love them.
When a culture chooses complete independence over family accountability, there is a greater chance of serious life long pitfalls. That's not to say that we should never extricate ourselves from wicked extended family who would counsel us to defy Christ, from those we must remove ourselves.
We know that the devil is behind all the twisted thinking that creates rebellion, contempt and rage toward authority. Why do we know this?
When Peter suggested to Christ something that was not God's will, Christ turned to Peter and said "get thee behind me Satan." Christ looked at Peter but did not speak to Peter, but to the devil that was using Peter's mouth.
Matthew 6:22-24 "…22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” 23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.…"
When an entire culture has rejected the instruction and correction of parents even after adult hood, we have lost our culture. Total independence from the family unit and the wisdom of the family elders, has created much more of a mess than we ever thought possible.
Self esteem as well as individualism has been the foundational problem of the problems in the family today. The mentality "keep your nose out of my business" has created selfish and unteachable adult children who see any instruction or correction at all as off limits. These people believe they already know everything when the truth is if they did know "everything", they would know better than to resist counsel from others. They would know that everyone needs to learn and change, in order to be a wise person.
Wisdom does not come from learning a new technique, it comes from God's Word and life experiences that have proven God's Word. Those who spend little to no time in the Word, cannot see the lessons God has for us in life, they will misinterpret them to fit the worldly view of the culture around them.
May each one who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ continually pray for open eyes to truth, change of heart where needed and above all a teachable spirit to learn no matter who God sends to teach us.
Believe me!!!! When everyone is seeking truth, there is no arrogance that produces fighting or contempt. Those who seek truth become more humble as they grow older, while the arrogant unteachable ones become more contemptuous. Old age reveals much!
