VFNRadio Second Hour April 28, 2014

LISTEN NOW! John, Greg, and Pat discuss the state of the family and how to get back to God’s original intent.  The American Bible Society compiled the results of surveys and stats to find out the top problems families are facing today.  According to the survey…

·         One divorce occurs every 36 seconds in America. ( U.S. Census Department, 2011)

·         22 % of children live in homes below the poverty level. ( National Center for Children in Poverty)

·         Depression affects 10% of the adult population. (CDC)

·         For every 2.4 marriages in 2011, there was one divorce. ( U.S. Census Department)

·         Just 50% of American adults think the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. ( State of the Bible 2014)

It is interesting to note that the same percentage of marriages that are ending in divorce, 50%, is the same percentage of Americans who don’t think the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life.  It’s easy to see how problems come into our lives when the Word of God is meaningless. The problem is not with God it is with us.  Like everything we purchase comes with an instruction manual so that we can be aware of two important things.  One thing is what we need to avoid so we don’t mishandle the purchased item and the other is how to maximize and use the purchased item in the manner it was designed to be used.  We have placed our hands all over our families without giving any regard to the word of God that tells us plainly how we are to live in the roles God has called us to.  Rest assured when we ignore God’s truth it is only a matter of time before everything falls apart resulting in great pain.  They continue to discuss a new movie from Focus on the Family called “Irreplaceable” is an upcoming feature length documentary. According to their website it is the first in a series from Focus on the Family that explores critical questions about the family in today’s culture.  When we individually put God first the family will remain strong. 

 In this wisdom moment found in Proverbs 4:14-19 “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked (sin) or walk in the way of evildoers.  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.  For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.  They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.  The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.   But the way of the wicked is LIKE DEEP DARKNESS; they do not know what makes them stumble.”  There are two paths, two ways to go in our life, two ways to live our lives.  One is the path of dark wickedness and one is the path of life of righteousness.  Those who walk on the path of wickedness (in sin) they are driven to do evil and feel like they can’t sleep till they have sinned in some way.  They spend endless hours, giving up sleep and rest, till they make someone else stumble.  They find release when someone else finds pain through their efforts.  Their meals consist of the Bread of Wickedness (sin) and the Wine of Violence (sin).  They can’t see enough wicked sinful media and never are able to fully quench their thirst with the wine of violence as they seek more and more violent experiences through media, or physical violence.  The complete opposite is true for those who take the path of righteousness.  Those who take the path of righteousness grow progressively in their life becoming more and brighter just as the morning sun processes to its peeking over the horizon with a glimpse of light, till it is so obviously shining it’s bright as the sun is at noon day.

Those who take the path of wickedness (of sin); their way is like DEEP DARKNESS.  Think about dark rooms where you can’t see your hand in front of your face.  It gets more and more dark until your ability to see what is right and wrong has totally left your grid of understanding. Walking in darkness has serious ramifications resulting in falling, tripping and crashing in personal lives, in relationships, at work, and in life in general.

They have no clue why they stumble, it’s because of their choice to walk in the path of wickedness/sin, and they can’t see it because they are in the dark.

So you’ll find them blaming others, someone for their own choices.  You see “they do not know what makes them stumble.”

The darker a society gets, the more tragedy it experiences, but the blindness of those in that society increases till they know there is tragedy, but they can’t see – THEY ARE THE REASON WHY!  John 1:5 “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

There are two paths and it’s for each of us individually to determine which path we will walk in. If we choose the path of righteousness’ our lives will become ever brighter and we’ll not have a life filled with traps, pitfalls and stumbling for our path will be made straight. If we choose the path of wickedness and sin, our lives will become increasingly darker, our ability to discern the what and why of what we’re doing will become impossible.  Two Paths are  before you; choose wisely.