MISCREANT

Miscreant

“Be not deceived evil Communication corrupts good manners” (1corinthians 15 vs. 33)

A miscreant is simply a wrong doer. A person without moral scruples i.e. they do not have any moral principles guiding their thoughts or actions.

Having this kind of person in our families spells disaster.
Saddam Hussein was portrayed as a miscreant in the world family and it led to why military action was taken against him.
At different points in family units, we could almost always sense that some people fit this description. All they care about is themselves, they do not follow laid down rules, and they do not think hard enough that their actions could lead to “Family meltdown”.

A story from the good book of life (the bible) will help explain the effects miscreants can have on a family…..even a family as big as a nation. .

This story is about a man named Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah.

It came about when the people of Israel went to take over the city of Jericho.

The city of Jericho was recorded as a fortified city with good military strength. The highlight of Jericho’s military capability was resident in the strength of the city wall.
The story of the destruction of Jericho and the collapse of the wall can be found in the bible in the book of Joshua chapters 6 and 7.
God played a major role in the Israelite’s victory by giving them instructions on what to do to bring the walls down. But those were not the only instructions; He also told the Israelites to utterly destroy the city and MUST not take any spoils for themselves. All the spoils must be given to God i.e. taken to God’s house.

The Israelites conquered Jericho, celebrated and decided to move on to the next city that will be conquered. This next city by the name Ai was smaller, less powerful and of no significant threat to the Israelites, so we say….a piece of cake for the Israelites. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. Fresh from conquering Jericho, the Israelites were defeated by this small city and it raised concerns and a lot of questions.
What went wrong?
In this type of situation, the Israelites will consult God to get answers and so they did. God answered and told the Israelites that they have broken his commandment. Someone in the Israeli camp had taken spoils for themselves and God was upset about it. Achan the culprit was found out and he was punished for his offence.
The Israelite army went back to Ai after dealing with the Miscreant in the camp, and they were back to winning ways.

Remember, the wining ways was not in a chess or football game. Achan’s sin (disobedience) caused the death of 36 Israeli soldiers in their first attack against the small city of Ai and these Soldier’s lives cannot be brought back.

Characteristics of a miscreant

v The go their own way instead of tried and tested ways
v They are disobedient
v They have their own agenda instead of a corporate one
v They live double lives (Hypocrites)
v They have a form of godliness but deny its power
v They are always learning, but never know the truth. They learn to argue.

Miscreants are in widespread existence in our families. We find our families at the mercy of these types of individuals and taking a laid back approach will almost mean we have resigned ourselves to defeat.

How does this affect you?

Your beloved family could soon be destroyed e.g. national family
You can be a victim of the consequences of someone else’s wrong doing (the dead soldiers). Achan himself did not die in the battle.
Your hard work could be of no productive significance or use e.g. if there is a miscreant at your work place.
You stand the risk of being convinced to become a miscreant

Lines of action!!!

Report to proper authorities concerning the activities of a miscreant. If your sibling is constantly punching the television set, and you decided not say anything significant about it, it might not take long before the whole family experiences life without a TV. Telling your parents could land him/her in trouble, but it would have resulted in a better outcome.
Likewise, if your colleague at work is constantly following the wrong procedures, you might excuse yourself as not being the manager, but don’t be surprised if you all become jobless as a result of those wrong procedures.

United we stand, divided we fall…. Seek unity among the family units that you belong to.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So no matter how hard you’ve worked or tried, a miscreant in your family means failure might not be as far away as you think.

Lets all make it our responsibility to look after each other….. The presence of a suicide bomber in a busy market means the market is as safe as the bomber blowing up.

Now do you care??? I think you should.

NEXT WEEK!!!! WHO IS A FOOL?........ Stay Paged