As we look around at our society and see abortion, child abuse, and incest, we wonder when our country began to hate children. Scripture tells us that there are two foundations, one built on the rock and the other on sinking sand. Men, we are on sinking sand and now great is our fall (Matt. 7:26).

Who is the enemy?

Ultimately, it is Satan. This is who is behind the sin, and those who listen to his lies are his slaves. “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin’” (John 8:34).

Fruit of the womb. We have many vocal spokesmen for the devil—at this time many are known as “feminists.” One of their goals has been to pervert or eliminate God’s plan for women to have and bear children. These mentally twisted women would find it a curse to ever bear a child or to allow “fruit” to be fertilized within them. “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3). The women involved in the NOW organization literally hate men.

Many women have turned to lesbianism and to the government for the protection of their sin. These are the women who have deceived many of our wives into believing they don’t want to bear children. These women say that you, the husband, have no rights in regard to your own children. These same women, who will never know or want to know a man, have convinced masses of women, along with their husbands (or boyfriends) as accomplices, to abort (murder) their own children as a sacrifice to the feminist god of “self.” May God forgive us for listening and agreeing with their lies, “for they are of their father,” the father of lies. (John 8:44).

Obey Him. If you choose to follow their beliefs, you have ultimately chosen to follow and be a slave to Satan. If you say you believe God, then obey Him. “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). If Jesus is Lord of your life then you should act like it. If babies are a blessing, then act like it and trust God with your wife’s fertility! If the feminists’ deception and their continuous propaganda have fogged your thinking, let us “renew our minds” in Christ Jesus (Rom. 12:2).

What time did Jesus predict would be a more sorrowful time than even the crucifixion?

The time is now! When the Jewish women were mourning and lamenting over Jesus, He turned to them and said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed’” (Luke 23:28–29). How many times have you heard women telling your pregnant wife, “Better you than me!” How many times have you heard men and women (even Christian men and women) say, “No way! I’m not having any more kids!”

Branding instead of beauty. Jesus was facing the lowest point in His life, yet He said there would be a time that would be worse! When we see the feminist movement and their push toward lesbianism and reduction or elimination of children, we can see we are in the midst of the times Jesus was talking about. “Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty” (Isa. 3:24).

How did the “anti-children” movement begin?

It began about 30 years ago when birth control became accessible, and we have been sinking ever since. Birth control means:

“I don’t want children yet.”

“I don’t want too many children—one, two, three, or maybe four, but no more!”

“I don’t want them too close together.”

“If, and I say if, I want children, I want them when I want, how often I want. God is no longer in control; I am! I know what’s best for me and what I can handle. I choose my own destiny!”

Why do you call me Lord? “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). To have Jesus as Lord of your life, you must follow His teachings and principles.

The Bible clearly says, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28).

We must be willing to allow God to determine how many children we will have. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Ps. 127:1). Allow Him to build your family, one child at a time.

God hates the lukewarm. Once we Christians started to tolerate the “gray areas,” beginning with “natural family planning,” then it was easy to slip into a darker gray, “the pill,” and other forms of birth control. Now we have the black area—abortion! “So because you are lukewarm [using birth control], and neither cold[which is abortion]nor hot[trusting God entirely for your fertility], I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16).

How can we, who hate abortion (and maybe even work in the pro-life movement), convince a woman who is contemplating abortion that the child she carries is a blessing when we are refusing a blessing ourselves?

In Mary Pride’s book, The Way Home, she states: “Family planning is the ‘mother of abortion.’ Once couples look upon children as ‘creatures of their own making,’ all reverence for human life was lost. Children as God’s gifts whom we humbly receive are one thing; children as articles of our own manufacturing are another. You can do anything you like with what you yourself have made. Hence, abortion, incest, child abuse.”

God said, “Be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth” in Genesis 1:22, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 8:17, Genesis 9:1, Genesis 9:7, Genesis 35:11, Genesis 48:4, Leviticus 26:9, Deuteronomy 7:13, Deuteronomy 8:1, Deuteronomy 30:16, Jeremiah 30:19, Jeremiah 33:22, and Hebrews 6:14. He told us 14 times!!

But, haven’t we already filled the earth?

Fill the earth. You may be saying, “Haven’t we already filled the earth?” We continually hear about the dreaded “overpopulation problem,” but two experts give us a different picture:

“We could put the entire world population in the state of Texas and each man, woman, and child could be allotted 2,000 square feet [the average home ranges between 1,400 and 1,800 square feet] and the whole rest of the world would be empty” (Mary Pride, The Way Home, pg. 62).

“Every person in the world could stand, without touching each other, within the city limits of Jacksonville, Florida” (Bill Gothard, Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) Publications).

But I’m afraid that if we let God have control He would give us 20 children!

Do you believe that the Bible really is the infallible Word of God? If so, read this: “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3). We Christians are picky about which blessings we will receive. Give us more cars, a bigger house, and a higher position in our job and the extra responsibility, trials, and work that go along with them. But, for “heaven's sake,” don’t give us any more children! God says that children are a reward, not a curse! We have been brainwashed by the feminists and by a worldly viewpoint! As a Christian, whom do you choose to believe, God or the feminists?

Opened her womb. Statistics show that in developed countries, the average woman without birth control will have five or six children, not twenty. Look at the Bible. Noah had just three, Sarah had only one, and both Rebekah and Rachel had only two. Gentleman, this was prior to birth control. Large families were the exception in the Bible, and also the most blessed.

Leah had six sons and a daughter, but Rachel had just two sons. “Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren” (Gen. 29:31). “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb” (Gen. 30:22). God gives exactly how many children He wants to give each woman. He gives them in exactly the perfect order and at God’s perfect timing. In your desire to control your fertility, have you missed a blessing? “God also said to him, I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you” (Gen. 35:11).

Closed fast all the wombs. Not having children is God’s curse or punishment. “They will play the harlot, but not increase” (Hos. 4:10). “For the Lord closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife” (Gen. 20:18). This also shows us that it is God who opens and closes the womb. “For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs . . .” (Gen. 20:18). “And He opened her womb” (Gen. 29:31).

But what if I can’t provide for any more children?

God shall supply all your needs. A lot of what we are lacking is faith. Claim this verse: “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). We need to reevaluate our priorities. Could the “needs” you think are needs actually be “wants”? “We are the richest people in history, yet are the most fearful about the costs of child-rearing” (Mary Pride, The Way Home, pg. 48). Let’s be “. . . free from the love of money” (1 Tim. 3:3).

With these we shall be content. A lot of what you want to give your children is something that later will ruin them and lead to their destruction. Aren’t the children who “have it all”—the toys, clothes, and their own room—the most spoiled, ungrateful, and miserable? Aren’t these the same children who as teens are drawn into drugs, cults, or are often suicidal? Here is what Scripture says, “And if we have food and covering,with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation, and a snare, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:8–9).

Love of money. It seems that children today tend to be a financial burden for almost twice as long as they once were. The contribution from children to the family and society has now been delayed for years while they play and go to school. The young people in previous generations helped with preserving food, sewing clothing, and plowing and harvesting the fields, or they worked in apprentice positions to help the family financially. By the time they reached their teen years, they clearly became an asset instead of a liability. We all know many young people who are still living off their parents well into their twenties. This is even after their parents have paid out great sums of money for their college education. Ask yourself why you feel it is important to send your children to college; is it for godly character? “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Tim. 6:10).

Fear. Instead of the fear of “having children” that the world keeps telling us about, let’s talk about the fear of what they are not telling us. Not only do we miss blessings, but also we are living dangerously by what we use to stop God’s blessings. Remember,“God is not mocked, what you sow this also you shall reap” (Gal. 6:7). Why do we want to sow a seed (by being intimate) and yet not reap the fruit of the womb (a baby)? With abortion, we actually rip the root right out of the soil! Men, how can you possibly trust God for your salvation, but not trust Him for the size of your family?

Multiply your seed. What are the dangers of stopping our fertility? “The Pill, an abortifacient, disturbs the lining of the uterus (endometrium), assuring that any baby who may have been conceived cannot implant himself correctly. Thus, the baby starves to death at about seven to nine days of age. The tiny infant is then cast out of the womb—a victim of abortion. The pill also causes hypertension, blood clotting, diabetes—hence the rise of maternal diabetes and a mandatory test is now recommended for all” (from various IBLP publications). “Indeed, I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Gen. 22:17).

They labor in vain who build it. Many of us believed in Natural Family Planning. We believed that if we (and our wives) “planned” our family “naturally” we were working with God. Weren’t we just being responsible? No. We were still saying we knew, above God, what was best for our families. Those of us who found the Truth and decided to trust God has experienced such freedom. Giving this responsibility over to God lifted such a burden. Some of us never had any more children and others had a few more. By trusting the Lord to build our house, we had the confidence that we had His best. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it . . .” (Ps. 127:1).

Wasted his seed. What about those contraception methods used by men? Not surprisingly, the Bible has covered them all, when the “seed was spilled” (Gen. 38:9). “And Onan . . . wasted his seed on the ground, in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also” (Gen. 38:9–10).

Sterility. So many women are unable to become pregnant because of birth control, multiple partners, and damage from abortions. This has caused an obsession with some American women to have a child “at any cost.” “Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren” (Gen. 29:31).

Abortion. We are told that it is wrong to allow “unwanted” children to be born. But the Truth is that those babies are definitely wanted. The long years of waiting for those wanting to adopt a baby are proof.

In vitro fertilization. Many see no wrong in test tube babies for a childless couple. But now we have been made aware of the many fertilized eggs that are disposed of in the Petri dish and also aborted from the womb. Since this method is so expensive, the doctor inserts several fertilized eggs, hoping that some will embed. Many times a “multiple pregnancy” results and the couple will have to choose “which and how many” will be spared and which will be aborted.

Surrogate mothers. These are women who are paid to carry a man’s child for another woman. This is not new. Hagar is the first and most well-known surrogate mother. The hate that Sarah felt for her and the destitution of Ishmael and Hagar, not to mention the wars that have continued to this day, tell us the result of this sinful way of getting a child “at any cost”!

Homosexuality. “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Rom. 1:26–27). We have seen some of the “due penalty” of their error. AIDS is running rampant, especially among homosexuals. When women despise children, stop bearing the fruit of their wombs, and voluntarily sterilize themselves, this is unnatural!

Let’s sum up what God has been telling us so far in His Word, since “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness . . .” (2 Tim. 3:16).

1. Children are blessings.
2. Our children are our rewards.
3. We should allow God to open and close the womb.
4. God commanded us to multiply and fill the earth.
5. The earth is not filled; we are not overpopulated.
6. We are not to give wants to our children, or it will lead to their destruction.
7. God supplies all our needs; we don’t have to worry.
8. Not everyone will be blessed with a large family—some will only have one or two without even “helping God” with birth control or sterilization.
9. By using any form of birth control or sterilization, we are imposing a curse or punishment on our wives as God did on those in the Bible.
10. We can’t really say we are pro-life if we use birth control—since it is the foundation of abortion.

What do you do if you want more children and your wife doesn’t?

First, you need to pray and repent of anything that you may have done to encourage your wife not to trust God for her fertility. For example, do you rant and rave about the cost or burden of raising the children God has already given you? “Do all things without murmuring and complaining” (Phil.2:14).

Have you made your wife’s job as “helpmeet” a miserable existence with all your demands on her when you arrive home from work? Maybe she’s expected to bring home the bacon and cook it too—while you watch television! “When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11).

Are your children “pleasant to be around” or are they unruly and disrespectful? Do they rule your home, or do you? “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction . . .” (Prov. 1:8).

Next, you need to pray. Ask the Lord to speak to your wife’s heart concerning future children. “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3). Ask God to restore your wife’s heart to your children and toward future children. Share with her your heart change and this Scripture, Malachi 4:6: “And He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” Ask the Lord to turn your wife’s heart. “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21:1).

If your wife continues to take the pill or watch for signs of her fertility, don’t get upset with her; just pray. Trust that God will direct her. Your wife is responsible for obeying or rebelling against the authority God has placed over her. It is not your responsibility to make her submit.

What if I’m the one who has wanted to limit or space our children?

Examine your motives and your fears. Have you been motivated by selfishness, wanting more material things or more time for yourself? If selfishness has kept you from having more children, remember this Scripture: “But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:43–44). Certainly, a father who is solely providing for his family is a servant of all! This, my friend, is a real man.

Perhaps your wife has a fear of childbirth, and you don’t want to put her through it again. Satan uses many varieties of fear with our wives. Some women who have had many children born naturally become fearful of the pain of childbirth.

On two different occasions when Erin was expecting one of our seven children, she became overwhelmed with fear as she was approaching her delivery date. This fear stemmed from the fact that she experiences very long, hard, and painful labors. “To the woman He said, ‘I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.’ Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have [not filled the earth] which I commanded you, saying . . .“And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it” (Gen. 9:7). Help your wife in any way you can if she experiences fear in bearing children; she needs your strength and assurance. Be there for her physically, mentally, spiritually, and her love for you will grow ever stronger.

Through one of our members, we recently discovered a wonderful new resource, Supernatural Childbirth, by Jackie Mize! A mother of 6 (who has a restored marriage and whose husband is a doctor) told me about it. She said that her first three she had naturally, the last three she had supernaturally—pain free!! We ordered the book and it was awesome and powerful! Now we are going to use this book, these principles, and Scriptures to prepare our three daughters for their future pregnancies (and us too, if the Lord has plans for us to have more children!). You can read testimonies on Amazon.com, but after reading my friend’s testimonies and after reading the book, we are totally convinced it is not only possible, but it is God’s plan for His own to give birth pain-free.

But, my wife and I feel overwhelmed with the children we already have.

If this is the way you’re feeling, you need to check and see if you and your wife are following God’s wisdom found in Proverbs concerning child training. (See Chapter 14, “Father’s Instructions,” for more wisdom.) Don’t rely on Christian or secular child experts or authors; go to the Author and Creator of your children for the answers. “Blessed is the man who trusts the Lord . . .” (Jer. 17:5). “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength . . .” (Jer. 17:7).

Also, take the time to consider whether the things you do for your children (all “extra” curricular activities) have eternal worth. If not, trim back to an absolute bare minimum those that do not qualify. You can be sure that one of Satan’s plans is to wear you and your wife out and cause you to feel overwhelmed, so he can achieve his goal of stopping any more Christian children from being born! Protect your wife and don’t put too many demands on her. Sometimes it’s the wife who feels her child needs to be in all the sports, music lessons, art classes, etc. Sometimes it’s the child or teen who is pleading. Sometimes it’s we fathers who remember our youth fondly and enjoy taking pride in our children at the games. Just keep in mind that we men are the protectors and we’ve been given the discernment. Use your discernment and pray about how God wants you to “train” the children He has given you.

When your wife works outside the home, the children you have, and any future babies, become a burden, not a blessing, since a lot of the paycheck goes to childcare. One woman sat down and figured her profit from working full time. She found that she only cleared $1.00 an hour after paying out childcare for her three children! A wife working outside the home will undoubtedly bring division to the home and family. Wives are “to be sensible, pure, workers at home . . .” (Titus 2:5).(See Chapter 13, “Provide for His Own,” for “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge . . .” [Hos. 4:6].)

Preserved through the bearing of children. God has a promise for those who trust God concerning the bearing of children.“But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint” (1 Tim. 2:15).

Here is another example of how you can help your wife. One woman’s in-laws continuously harassed her husband to make her go back to work and earn her keep. Once her fourth child was born, her husband checked into childcare and found that they would actually lose money if his wife worked. His parents stopped pushing. She was “preserved” and able to stay in her home. Soon afterward her husband was given a substantial raise and they no longer needed additional income.

In Conclusion

Obey God. If you choose to follow the world’s beliefs, you have ultimately chosen to follow and be a slave to Satan. If you say you believe God, then obey Him. “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, then act like it. If babies are a blessing, then act like it—by trusting God with your fertility!

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within your house,
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
—Psalm 128:3

May God Bless You!

Personal commitment: To trust God in all areas of my life, including the number of children my wife and I have. “Based on what I have learned from God’s Word and from observing the fruits of this generation’s disobedience, I commit and surrender the size of my family to my God. If we are past childbearing years, or permanently unable to conceive, I commit to spreading the Truth and confessing my faults to others in order to discourage them from making the same mistakes.”