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Psalm 127:

1.a "Except the Lord build the house (home, family), they labour in vain that build it:....

2.  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep."

Pastor Ilah Claycomb reminded his sheep often that too many Christians have become desensitized to the sinfulness of the world’s standards.  The Bible says we are not to partake of evil deeds or even to  have the appearance of evil.

I Thessalonians Chapter 5

Verse 19 "Quench not the Spirit."

Ephesians 4:30---God tells us to "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,"

Do you think impurities/sin/a lot of good things but not the best things in our lives make the Holy Spirit sad?  Causes Him grief? 

Verse 20 "Despise not prophesyings."

Unlike the world we are to keep God’s command to be in church under the sound of the preaching and teaching of the Bible.

Verse 21 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

We need to make sure to read, and study our Bibles so we know God’s truth.  We need to know God---His heart and mind for us---so we can know His will for our lives and our homes.

Verse 22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

I taught my children that more reputations are ruined by appearance of evil than from evil deeds.  Be aware of how other people may view what you are doing, where you are going and what you are saying. 

Let’s look at some possible impurities that filter into our homes hoping to take up residence:

I did interviews with Christians to help me compile the following:

Family Behavior:

Dress in our homes (or lack of it):  Are we wearing "modest apparel in our homes?  Are we covering our bodies?

In Leviticus chapter 18 God gives a very long list of people---family members-- we should not see the nakedness of.  The Bible says we are not to uncover (reveal, disclose, discover) their nakedness; we are not to see people undressed. David told God he would set no wicked thing before his eyes. (Psalm 101:3)  Oh how all of us need to make the same vow.  We face nakedness in everything from those ‘innocent’ homemaker’s magazines’, mail order catalogs, newspaper store ads, to television commercials.

As parents we are to protect our children and that includes their innocence and their minds.  With the statistics on abuse we need to view our children as a sex object---not that we as parents are to think of them that way--but realize some pervert will look at them that way.  Parents need to make sure they do not look provocative in any way. 

We need to think about the dress standards inside of our homes...not just when we are out of our homes. 

• What shows when men have those spandex shorts on?  Should we or our daughters be exposed to this giving Satan entrance to our minds?
• When the girls have those bathing suits on?  Should the dad or brothers be exposed to this giving Satan entrance to their minds?
• How about tank tops? 
• Tight jeans? 
• Tight sweaters? 
• Semi sheer tops?
• Slits to the thigh?  (In the Bible a harlot was known, not by the difference in her clothes, but by the slit in her skirt.  God says the thigh is to be covered....and our thighs stop at our knees.)

We need to get back to having propriety (proper standards of behavior) in our homes.  One person I polled for this section said, "Kids lose respect for parents when they grow up with the parents nakedness and impurity of actions or talk.  How can they then accept the wisdom of the parents when they need it as teen-agers?"

If  I could shout this from space so the whole world could hear it I would do so: Do not leave your sons and daughters home alone to care for each other.  I am constantly told of the devastation caused by incest in good Christian families.  I am a survivor of incest by my brother when he was left home alone to take care of me. We never left our older son home with his sister.  I always told my children I trusted them to always do right.  But I also told them I did not trust the devil NOT to tempt them above what they were mature enough to say "NO!" to. 

Satan is alive and well be very cautious about allowing your children to sleep over at someone else’s house.  A child predator does not wear a label on his or her head.  They have no distinguishable kinds of behavior until they are alone with a child.  The man who molested our daughter when she was five years old was our pastor and my husband’s best friend.

Actions in our homes:

Family play time.  Dad’s with daughters and boys with mom.  One response I received, "If children are ‘too familiar’ with mom and dad they will take that standard to dating.  Key is the balance---don’t make your children feel sexy or stimulated in any way.

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