Genesis 3:1-8
Proverbs 12:18, AMP
2 Corinthians 5:17
Luke 10:19

Summary

The family is a force wherein its members do good to one another without conditions. The two most powerful forces on Earth are love and selfishness. The family is to be built on the foundation of the love of God. The institution of the family cannot exist successfully on a foundation of selfishness. God's love is the foundation for every successful promise He has made in His Word.

1. Agapé love will resolve any family problem.
   1. Carnal, emotional love comes with conditions.
   2. With agapé love, there are no conditions.
      1. Agapé love pays no attention to the wrong done to it.
      2. It is not self-centered and it endures through everything.
      
      
   3. If the foundations are destroyed, what shall the righteous do?
      1. Develop in agapé love, which is our foundation.
      2. Selfishness only produces more problems in relationships.
      3. Obey the Word of God as a Christian first, then as a husband, wife, mother, father,                             or child.
      
      
   4. When you have a successful relationship with God, you can have successful relationships                         with others.
      1. Treat your spouse as your brother or sister in Christ.
      2. Eventually, you will have to respect your children as brothers and sisters in the                             Lord.
      3. Children are assignments; God gives you the opportunity to train them up in the                             principles of God's Word.
      
      
   5. Satan is using the same weapons he used in the Garden of Eden to destroy families                         today (Genesis 3:1-8).
      1. Satan came in as a serpent.
      2. Emotions are the "serpents" that attack our minds.
      3. Emotions are feelings on the inside caused by pain or pleasure, designed to move                             you in a certain direction.
      4. Negative emotions move you away from the will of God.
      5. Emotions talk to you; you cannot depend on feelings because they change.
      6. The curse that took place in the Garden of Eden was the curse of being emotionally-                             ruled.
      7. God gave us emotions, but they are not to govern our lives.
         
      
      
   
   
2. Deal with hurt the right way.
   1. Words can pierce like a sword (Proverbs 12:18, AMP).                             
      1. Hurt comes in like a serpent and robs people of all God wants them to be.                                     
         1. Hurt is based in selfishness.
         2. Do not use your hurt as an excuse to be selfish.
         3. Do not try to build relationships on a foundation of hurt.
         4. Hurt will distort your decisions and perspective on life.
         5. Hurt will make you bitter and prevent you from going forward.
         6. Hurt causes you to make bad decisions and wear your emotions on your sleeve.
         7. Hurt causes you to protect your feelings and not your future.
         
         
      
      
   2. The wrong way to deal with hurt:                             
      1. Hurting others.                                     
         1. You will reap what you sow.
         
         
      2. Hardening your heart.                                     
         1. You cannot hear from God when your heart is hard.
         2. You will feel pitiful and then block healthy relationships.
         3. Hardening your heart is fear-based.
         
         
      3. Pretending you are not hurt.                                     
         1. This puts you out of touch with reality.
         2. It invites more hurt or mistreatment.
         
         
      
      
   3. Hurt turns to anger.                             
      1. When you are angry, you start to feel sorry for yourself.
      2. Anger turned inward becomes depression.
      3. Satan's plan is to bring you down through negative emotions.
      
      
   4. We are new creatures in Christ and old things are passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).                             
      1. Refuse to use your pain as your point of reference in life.
      2. You have been given authority; overcome hurt in your life (Luke 10:19).
      3. You can change; you are not powerless.
      4. With the Word, you can become emotionally invincible; success comes from within.
      5. Love will give you authority over hurt.
      6. Allow a strong brother or sister to speak a Word to you when you need it.
      
      
   
   

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