Consumed by sex and money - Families have been ruined by pursuit of power and wealth, says Lyston

Steve Lyston, Contributor

Money and sex are the greatest demands of man today. Most decisions are now being centred on those two things and it is now affecting every sector of the society.

Nobody would know that the Antichrist would come through those two areas. Revelation 13: 17 says, "And that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or(a) the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

Many countries and individuals are now lining up to endorse certain activities and lifestyles that are related to those areas.

Both money and sex were instituted by God and both are there to give God glory. Nothing is wrong with them, but it is the action and the motives behind them. There is nothing wrong with money itself or being wealthy, but the issue lies in how it was acquired and its source.

Wealthy people must be good stewards and must do good - carry out good work - willing to share for the good of man. Not to use their wealth to sponsor and/or promote evil, which is destroying the family, perverting the course of justice, promote the sex trade, human trafficking, adultery, immorality and ultimately bring down the fabric of the nation.

Sadly, the very persons who should be instituting the values and attitudes within the nation are most often the ones who are behind it.

But change can come when each person does a self-evaluation and determine "Am I contributing to the building or the devaluing of the nation?"

There are many decisions a family has to make for survival. In order to remain together, for example, a family must be willing to stand together against the wrong motives behind money and sex; otherwise each will need to decide if it is worth it to lose his/her family for money and sex.

One's integrity

Businessmen and politicians, in an effort to gain material things, and pursuit of power and/or wealth, have ruined their families.

Fame, power, wealth and compromising one's integrity should not be the most important issues in one's life. Anything that you are pursuing more than God, the wholeness of your family life and the maintenance of your integrity will not only cost you those relationships, but also the very things you are pursuing.

A person in any capacity (whether in ministry, entertainment industry or other secular jobs) who travels extensively working locally and/or globally without their partner accompanying them at some point leaves him/herself to great risk. It puts their spousal/family relationship in jeopardy.

What about a person who spends more time with the secretary or bodyguard or assistant on a daily basis? Does it put that person in a compromising position? Some will say that they have to do that in order to keep food on the table for their family.

But this compromise can cost them that very same family - regardless of the motive. Thus begins the cycle of crime and possibly drug use, unsupervised children.

Every decision that we make must be family oriented, including legislation. Legalising marijuana will only work against the family, bring greater poverty, increase crime and negatively affect the education system. What we should be focused on is getting to the root of the matter, and seek for the right solutions.

Communicating with others

With whom do you communicate most each day? Is it co-workers, friends, family?

Family, especially husbands and wives, must encourage each other when times are difficult and things are hard economically. This will make it difficult for those with wrong motives to infiltrate the family and cause damage.

Look for the signals from your family members. Statements from your spouse like "we used to go out more." or "you don't dress as nice as you used to." Or when the children say, "we don't go to the beach anymore." Or when they ask, "daddy/mummy, what time are you coming home today?" Sometimes when the children's grades start falling or they become rebellious, that is a signal to us that we need to pay closer attention.

What if family life improved in this way, would there be a difference in the nation?

If the media took a different approach and promoted more family oriented programs, would there be a difference in the nation?

What if every company and the government cut unnecessary spending and redirected those funds to more family centric activities, would there be a difference in the nation?

What if we cut the security costs and channel more to the family oriented activities? Would there be a difference in the nation?

What if the banks cut some of their charges bringing a strain on the family? Would there be a difference in the nation?

Steve Lyston is a biblical economics consultant and author of several books including 'End Time Finance' and The New Millionaire'.