Their faith in God is evident in every instance, and their humility and compassion shines through. So i wonder how it is that Satan got his foot in the door and brought this entire family down using the oldest son to fulfill his goal.
Remember that it only takes ONE bad apple to spoil a whole barrel. It’s the mistake of a single person that can bring down an entire church–I’ve seen that happen, too. A family unit can be destroyed by the sinful act of just one person, as the resulting ripples of destruction affect every person in that household.
I just saw this next reply–
HB once said something about this, that satan tries harder to bring down people who are of God or something like that, I can’t recall the exact words. (sorry).
Satan tries a whole lot harder to bring down people who truly belong to the Lord, than he would your average sinner. The sinner is ALREADY his, so, what need does Satan have of attacking someone he already owns?
I can say with all confidence that Satan would consider me to be a “feather in his cap” IF he could successfully bring me down. I’m strong enough in the Lord, who protects me, that I can hurt him, he knows it, I know it, and so he keeps trying over and over again, and I just keep bypassing temptation, because I know better than to fall into that perceived path of least resistance, and entrap myself in sin. The destruction of my house would follow. No human being is immune to temptation, but we always have a choice to avoid it, and push it away.
One thing people need to remember about Satan in the realm of Know Thy Enemy–Satan tries the same old tired tricks over and over again, and doesn’t expect anything to change. He doesn’t have the solid understanding why his temptations work on some people, but not other people.
Well, dang it devil–you need to learn new tricks! However, he’s one enemy that doesn’t have that capability of learning new things, nor does he have confidence in learning “new” tricks. He resorts to what he knows, and his specialty is preying on the emotionally, and morally weak people.
He’s patient, and he never plays his hand early–those are the only two points I’ll give him. The rest of the time, he’s sneaky, conniving, deceitful, and he’ll make something look so good, because that’s part of his trap of temptation. He wraps up ugly things in pretty packages. People wouldn’t touch something that was ugly, would they? NO, they’re drawn by beauty, and if they’re not careful, they can become trapped in temptation that leads into sinful action that dishonors and destroys THEM.
One last observation that has made a lot of people angry, because this truth has stepped on their pride: Satan loves to use people who only claim to be Christians, but as the Bible warns, are really wolves in sheep’s clothing, because people often look up to them, seeing them as one to follow, and learn from. However, when Satan brings them down, their whole following often falls with them. Why? Because, first, their following’s faith and trust was sorely misplaced, as they become guilty of putting that person on a pedestal that belongs to GOD, and no other.
That’s a serious mistake.
One should NEVER put their faith and trust in any human being, because that faith and trust should always be in GOD, and no other. Second, because people tend to judge so harshly, making it harder for those of us who truly and sincerely follow the leadings of God. As we seek to shine the light, walk the path that God has laid for us to help others on this way, we have a tougher time convincing people that God is in the midst of all that we do and say.
Yet, if people are truly of God, He goes before them, confirms them to people, and there is no doubt when God is doing the confirmations.
Trust is hard to build, but so easy to destroy, IF Satan is allowed to influence a weak Christian into destroying the confidence of other people. The Bible also says, that you should always test the spirits, because not all are of God. You shall know (discern) them by the fruit they bear, and if the fruit is rotten, you can bet that person is also rotten, and Satan is behind it. If the fruit is good, you know that person is good, and used of God. It’s all about learning to discern what is of God, and what is NOT of God.
If Satan can bring down one person, the ripple effect can and will spread through all those who are connected to them.
This oldest boy hasn’t just directly ruined his life with his sinful and adulterous actions–he’s actually indirectly ruined the lives of his family, who were innocent, but that doesn’t matter, because they were all judged guilty by association–simply because they were his family, and people didn’t separate him from them.
The Power of One that is most capable of making a sweeping, and completely altering change is never more evident than within the context of a major midlife crisis. If either husband or wife can be brought down into a pit of sin, the family stands a greater chance of crumbling into total destruction. Satan isn’t just after the midlife spouse, he is also after the rest of the people in the family. He’s out for blood and vengeance against as many of God’s Children as he can possibly come against.
People do tend to hurt the ones they love the most, and that is a solid truth during the midlife crisis. You are the closest person to the midlife spouse, and the one who is going to get hurt the most UNTIL you realize that what they do, is NOT about you—it’s all about THEM.
From the spiritual experience I had with the midlife crisis–Satan approached me first, and when he failed to directly bring me down, he went after my husband and nearly succeeded in bringing me down indirectly. The initial target was ME–and had Satan brought me down, my husband would have most likely also gone down, because the temptation I faced was an emotional one, an opportunity for an affair with a man I knew at work. I didn’t go down that road–and I wasn’t in a crisis situation at that time.
Temptation was laid the year before my husband went into his first bout of midlife crisis. But this trap failed, because I refused to fall into it. So, in retaliation, out for blood and vengeance, at a later time, Satan went after my husband during the early time of his first bout of midlife crisis, tempted, brought him down, and NEARLY brought me down in that process. I learned these things in hindsight, as I moved forward in my own learning.
There are not only mental, emotional, and physical aspects to this crisis—-there is a major spiritual component that involves Satan as the Tempter. Temptation is around every corner, and it also plays its part during the Transition. There are actions that bring forth reactions, and all actions give birth to consequences.
Good or bad, we all have a choice to make–whether we have awareness or lack of awareness, to commit a sin, is to reap what we have sown in that sin. There are seeds that are planted long before, (opportunity, and a trap), and a choice that is made (the stand or the fall), and then for better or for worse, we live out the consequences of each choice we make in our lives.
This rule does NOT change, when we find ourselves deep in a trial, or the midlife spouse finds themselves deep in an emotional crisis. I’ve seen talk about how God lets them get away with emotional “murder” but that’s not true in any form.
God does not allow anyone to get away with anything. Keep in mind that every person is quite capable of creating their own Hell on Earth, because Hell takes on many different forms. Hell is not just awaiting the sinners–hell is right here, for each person who sins against God, self, and other people.
Most of the time, the most damage we, who are sinned against, will ever face, is not what we face DIRECTLY through events we have control over–it’s what we will be forced to face INdirectly–through other people during events that we cannot control.
Years ago, I once asked God about why the innocent suffer, and this was with full knowledge and understanding that suffering takes on different forms in this life. The answer He gave me at that time caused a deep anger within me. Why? Because He spoke of chosen reactions, and responses to events that were not mine to control, and manipulate.
It was a Truth I didn’t want to face at that time, but He was RIGHT, because I always had choices all along the way. I didn’t always make the right ones, and caused more trouble for myself, but I can never say I didn’t have a choice in how I was going to choose to react or respond to whatever problem came up before, during and after his midlife crisis. Food for thought.
Also, He said that little children are the only ones who don’t have any real choices–therefore what hurt is dealt to them, becomes self-victimization, and by all rights it should, because those children didn’t get a choice at all. They weren’t asked if mom and dad could get a divorce, and if they were given a choice, they would NOT be OK with this–but again, they weren’t asked how they felt.
The adult in their lives didn’t even consider them when making their choice to walk out and get a divorce. That’s how selfish immature adult people can truly be–and yes, I AM including the midlife spouse in this true assessment of people who think more of themselves, than their families who need them to be that example of integrity, but that’s NOT what they choose.
The midlife spouse often thinks that when trouble comes up in a marriage, the only answer is getting a divorce, getting a new partner, creating a new life, and if the children have a problem with it, they’re told to get over it, but that is a wrong thing to tell a small child whose world has been turned upside down.
You adults who are left behind, can suck it up, get it together, figure out your own life, and go anywhere you want, but guess what? Those children do NOT have that option–they are limited in what they can do, or choose. They have to do what they are told, go where they’re told they’re going, and sadly enough, they’re often treated like excess and unwanted baggage by the spouse who not just walked out on the husband/wife who has been bombed, but has walked out on the children, too.
It’s past ridiculous to read that the midlife spouse claims to have abandoned their spouse, but NOT the children, because you know it’s a lie intended to cover the midlife spouse’s guilty conscience, and it’s also midlife crisis justification script to make their actions OK, when these actions will NEVER be OK. Destroying a family in pursuit of selfishness is NEVER OK with God.
For adults, suffering is a chosen aspect, because regardless of what happens, everybody has a choice to personalize a wrong that was done against them, or they can choose to rise above it, learning to understand that actions by hurting people will always hurt people–but then, hurt and pain is relative, because we are choosing our reactions to events that are beyond our control.
We didn’t get a choice, so at first, because we don’t know what’s going on, we choose to have a deep emotional pity party for ourselves, claiming that we were hurt by that person who made a choice we didn’t agree with. We were only hurt, because we gave our personal power away to the person who hurt us. It’s not because of love, it’s not because of loyalty–it’s because of a choice we made to trust someone with our lives, and they betrayed that trust.
Does this mean we can’t trust again? No, but that next time, your trust won’t be so easily given, because you’ll learn to trust God instead. I know how it is, because I was in your shoes. I’ve been where you are–not the exact same situation, but the same destruction of the midlife crisis came to my door, and broke into my life, too.
Had I not learned to pick myself up, rise above the destruction that was occurring all around me, and started, and in time, eventually finished, a journey that began within ME, I would not be here writing all these things now.
I see a lot of things people could do, but they won’t do, and it’s because of an age-old aspect people can’t seem to overcome–FEAR.
Fear that if they don’t let go of the midlife spouse, they’ll never get their marriage back.
Fear that if they DO let go of the midlife spouse, they’ll never get their marriage back.
Fear that if they don’t break themselves down, and do what the midlife spouse wants them to do, they’re going to lose that spouse. Newflash: they are ALREADY GONE, LOST, so you can’t lose what’s already been lost.
Fear that if they detach, everything is going to be lost.
Fear of divorce, because their marriages mean more to them than God does–that is idolatry, and putting any relationship on a pedestal that belongs to God is the breaking of the first commandment. What you value most on this Earth, will be the loss you face.
Fear that if they change, as encouraged to do so, the midlife spouse won’t want them anymore–this is the major reason people won’t walk the prescribed journey to wholeness, and healing, because change is NOT what THEY want to do…it’s not “for” them.
Fear that crops up, because they don’t want to understand what the journey is all about–delving into their inner psyche to face, resolve, and heal their unresolved issues from the past.
Fear that puts them on the defensive, when someone who recognizes where they are, tells them where they need to go, so they can start moving forward.
Fear that Standing means they’re stuck, still, and waiting.
Fear because they don’t trust their intuition.
Fear of the unknown future without their midlife spouse in it.
Fear of the unknown future with the midlife spouse in it.
Fear their midlife spouse will be in their affair for life.
Fear that the affair partner has something they don’t. NOT TRUE! That affair partner is NOT you. Stop giving that person power they never had—you are the WIFE, you are the HUSBAND. You have POWER that all of the affair partners in this world will NEVER have. Let that real and perceived power carry you forward, as you learn to stop giving the affair partner so much undeserved head space!
Fear their midlife spouse will never wake up.
Fear that they will say or do something wrong.
Fear of everything that’s new, strange, that is going to require them to step out of their comfort zone.
Fear of change, growth, and becoming that will lead them beyond their midlife spouse.
Fear of leaving the midlife spouse behind.
Fear that involves more of what they can’t control, than over what they can control.
Face your fears, and let GOD help you overcome these, because fear isn’t going to serve you in the short run–it’s going to hurt you in the long run.
All food for thought–and a sermon. 🙂 ((HUGS))
