can recall in an instant the confusion as a child,
when my parents divorced. There went the whole world around my feet with no rock on which
to stand. My very foundation was shaken, my parents I had relied on up until now to be my
steady ground fell apart. Where to now? Where does a young child turn to when there is
nothing to hold onto? They do not have the understanding of an adult – so where do
they turn?
As a parent it is our primary responsibility to look after and care for our
children’s spiritual well being. When their spirits are healthy and in tune,
everything will fall into place. They will be free to express their skills, they will
learn and be educated easier and they will listen to reason easier, but alas it is the
last thing you think of. Especially when you are faced with a day when they do everything
you told them NOT to do, react in total rebellion and basically stretch the line very
thinly between your sanity and pending madness! ;-)
Ask yourself right now, Do your children have a solid foundation in the Lord Jesus
Christ? If your world had to fall apart tomorrow will they remain standing, or will the
devil blow them away with a wind of confusion? You look after your own spiritual needs, so
when last did you take the time to take care of the spiritual needs of your children? Well
– they are just children you might say, they do not have the depth that I have as an
adult. Well Jesus was mature enough at the age of 12 to be discussing in depth
philosophies with the priests in the temple, does your child match up to that?
Well, you might tell me, my child is not as intelligent as that, he has a lot of
learning problems and does terribly at school, so I can’t see him understanding the
word. Well, Paul told us that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate teacher, maybe you should be
leaving the teaching stuff to Him. Ok, so how do you get your children to come to a place
of understanding then?
Reading your children bible stories and telling about the word is a good start, but
this is only the starting point not the only one. Once the seed has been planted in their
hearts, it is up to you to encourage it to grow. Yes, constant prayer helps water the
seed, but you need to make sure that your seed is planted in good soil. What kind of
example are you giving your children? When things get tough do you throw your hands up in
despair or do you go to the Lord immediately in prayer?
Children follow by example, if they see you set your face to prayer when things get
bad, then it will also become a habit pattern for them to pray when things get bad for
them. Look at yourself right now and ask honestly: "What kind of message am I giving
my children about Jesus? – not the words that I speak of Him, but rather the actions
and reactions I am portraying to them, about the Lord?"
You may feel like the task ahead of you is daunting, and indeed there are very few
responsibilities that equal the care of a child. Don’t worry, the same spirit that
raised Christ from the dead can surely lead you all on the path to a greater understanding
and steadfastness.
Ok, so you have told them all the stories, they see you pray and they know that when
they graze a knee or get real sad they just need to go and pray to Lord Jesus and He will
take it all away. How do we get them to the place where the Lord is their solid rock, that
no matter what happens around you they will be able to stand in a spiritual strength of
their own? Firstly do not underestimate them. Jesus told us that we needed to be such as a
child – and for good reason. Ever see how a child just accepts what you tell them?
Ever see how they are open to new friends and new experiences? Tell a child that they can
feel Lord Jesus and that He speaks to them, and you will see how they immediately keep
still to hear if He is talking.
I did that with my youngest daughter. From when she was about one year old, I used to
tell her that Lord Jesus was in her heart. I used to ask her "Where is Lord
Jesus?" and she used to answer without hesitation "In a heart!" (a cuteness
only us moms can identify with and brag about;-)) I tell her often that He is speaking in
her heart all the time, she just needs to close her eyes and listen. I have conditioned
her thinking to the possibility that she CAN hear Him. She will not grow up thinking that
it is something she will need to attain to, it will be something she takes for granted.
She is only 2 now and prays every night on her own, often it goes along the lines of
– "Thank you Jesus for giving me horsies and lotsa toys", but often she
astounds me with her faith. When I tell her, Sweetheart please keep quiet mommy is feeling
a bit sick today, she boldly ambles up to me, lays her tiny hands on my head, closes her
eyes in earnest and prays "Lord Jesus, make mommy’s head better thank you".
She then looks at me with such charming seriousness and says – it is ok now mom Jesus
made you better.
I never had to teach her any of that. I just introduced her to the Holy Spirit and He
taught her the rest. You often condition your children to the impossible because of your
own fears and doubts. The word holds the only truths in this world, and indeed it is the
truth that will set our children free of the bondages in this world. Truths like, Jesus is
alive in them, Jesus hears and answers their prayers and that they have the ability to
hear Him.
Still think it is impossible? My young brother John (seven
at the time of this article) has sat in on every
prayer meeting, bible study and get together since he was a baby. When we were going
through a tough time, just before the Lord opened the doors for us to come over to Mexico
as missionaries, I got an e-mail from Daphne. Telling me that while they were having a
time of earnest prayer, John had piped up, saying that he had seen two pictures in his
head, that he had a seen us on a roller coaster and then it stopping, the other one, he
said was a ship coming from the sea and stopping at the land. It was so specific to the
time we were going through at that point, it encouraged us to hold on just a bit longer.
Yes, the Lord can use your child, in fact if you gave Him half the chance, He could
raise your child to be something dynamic from very young. Do you know what will make them
so dynamic, what will allow them to raise people from the dead, heal the sick, part the
seas and move mountains? No one would have taken the time to tell them that it was not
possible.
A child will believe and trust in what it sees, has experienced and is told. Why not
start right now reconditioning your children to believing the truth? That all things are
possible for those who believe. That whomever says to this mountain be removed and cast in
the sea and believes it with all his heart it will be done. That is the truth, it is a lie
from the world that – you can’t do that! It is just inappropriate! Are you mad
didn’t anyone ever tell you that you can’t go around healing people!? Tell them
and show them the REAL truth, the rest will follow as you allow the Holy Spirit to teach
and train them.
Watch the mind of a simple child confound the wise. See your child as an instrument for
the Lords use. Hannah dedicated her miracle child to the Lord and He produced through her
Samuel - one of the greatest prophets who ever lived. Your child could be a Samuel, a
Moses, a Mary, a Paul, a Deborah, the possibilities are endless.
Your child too has within her the spirit that raised Christ from the dead, and probably
has more faith and more simple understanding of the things of the spirit than you do.
Don’t be afraid now to give them the freedom and the encouragement to release the
power from within, you will stand back in awe as you witness them doing it with an ease
you have striving for for years! ;-)
May you and your family be blessed with an understanding and Power of the Spirit that
you have never had before. Move on in love and in strength.
God Bless.
