"A man's enemies will be the members of his own family"
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." Matt. 10:34-35 KJV
In other words, it is very possible to have peace and reconciliation between you and God, but be at odds with members of your own family. Other versions of the Bible say "a man's enemies will be those of his own household." Christ makes the astounding statement that family will often be a person's worst enemy. How is this possible? It is because within the members of one's family are those who believe in God, who follow His teachings, who believe His words, who do not take the Bible lightly, and who TELL THE TRUTH.
And then there are those who deal in lies and slander as a way to get through the difficulties of life. They either don't believe in God, or only partially, they "pick and choose" what they want to believe in the Bible and throw out the uncomfortable, difficult parts, and they just mainly want to live life on their terms instead of God's. Or they are out and out atheists! They are not "born again of the spirit" and they have absolutely no interest in the things that are of God. They follow the Devil not God.
Those who follow Christ always do so by staying in the "truth" of any matter. While those who do not, twist the truth or deal in outright lies. When you have one person telling the truth in a family and the other person is lying, then there can be no real relationship between them. One is in the light and the other is in the dark. And light and darkness have nothing in common. Not only that, but those who stay in the truth irritate those who do not. Those who follow Christ and stay in the truth become a "living irritation and rebuke" to those who would practice lying as a matter of course.
Another reason that Christ causes division within families is because there are those within the family who live in spiritual darkness and who therefore cannot stand the "light" or those who live in the "light." The person living in the TRUTH and the light sometimes does not have to say or do ANYTHING, their mere presence causes those in the dark to feel uncomfortable. Thus, one can find that they are "in trouble" with members of their own family sometimes for "just existing." They don't have to say or do anything and they are ostracized and hated. And they can be hated from a distance, even several states away. They don't even have to be there and they are shunned. This is a good example of how a "man's enemies will be the members of his own family."
Those who live in the "light" find themselves suddenly at war. A war their narcissistic families have declared. You've tried and tried and tried again to live in peace with these people, but the moment you insist on living in reality, a reality that they disapprove of, you find yourself engaged in a battle. This is the inevitable division that occurs when one person loves the truth and another "loves and makes a lie". Rev. 22:15.
Once you understand the dynamics of why your family is so hateful and abusive towards you, you will be able to find peace and their attacks will no longer affect you as they once have. You can now reach the place where being hated, repudiated, separated from, or abused by your narcissistic family members, will no longer affect you the way that it used to. When you have trouble with your family members it is not a sign of being unloved by God, but exactly the opposite. It is a sign that you are a child of God who is being "persecuted for righteousness sake" and the persecutors are the members of your own family.
This is the order of things. Those who hate the truth and love lies will naturally hate you if you insist on living in the truth. They will hate you just like they do Christ.
If you are looking for true spiritual freedom from the tyranny of those who embrace evil and lies then please don't hesitate to reach out for help and advice on this matter. Loving the truth will give you peace with God and peace with those of humanity who also love the truth. Expect, though, that loving the truth is a guarantee that you will have enemies. And it is very likely that those enemies will be the members of your "own household." Don't be surprised when it happens. Jesus told us that our enemies would be the members of our own family. And this has proved to be true.
So don't believe those who tell you that if you had a right relationship with God you would have a right relationship with your family. The division in your family is because you are a truthful person who does not believe in abuse, or slander, or lies, so the division between you and your family is not your fault. The real problem is a spiritual problem between your abusive family members and God, not between you and them. If they had a right relationship with God they would have a right relationship with you. You would cease to become their "target" and they would know who you really are.
"A Man's Enemies will be the Members of his own Family"
Patricia Jones, M.A.
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