Train up a Child

I was watching Tony Evans today. His sermon on “Life’s Disappointments can turn into God’s divine appointments.” There are some powerful statements when Mr Evans sermonizes. And it strikes me enough to share it with you. One such statement is: ************************** “It is unfortunate that we will do, in the career realm, in the financial realm and in the education realm, what we are unwilling to do in the spiritual realm. And that is, GO For It!************************************** “We will make great sacrifices, time and attention to make more money, get a title by our names, get popularity and notoriety, get elevation for what this world values and what it legitimately needs in order to function, but often at the cost of dreaming big spiritually.” ***************** My mind goes to our children, because while I can’t reach the adults in this world, despite my love and fear for them, it is the children who will suffer from the ignorance and lack of faith of the parents. Yes, as an adult, you have the right to choose what you believe and to go to hell in a handbasket if that is what you choose. I am so sorry to hear it and it does indeed break my heart…. But by your decision to NOT educate yourself spiritually, you are likely also NOT teaching your children about God and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for them either. ********************** I get that you see they are just as happy and oblivious to the ramifications of your decision on this side of the world because it IS the world of darkness and the evil one is in charge here so all manner of distractions and side shows exist to make you feel justified. Here. Some parents even disparage God and biblical teachings to their children or worse still, warp and mold it into something that it is not, like those who teach hate and twist scripture to suit them. Oh, there is a world full of false prophets and fake Christians proclaiming the Truth when the truth is not in them. Just look at our politicians, our government and our business practices. ***************************** But hear me out here. Do you research and read up on all of the things that you need to know in this world to become better educated and knowledgeable about them? Or... do you just believe what other people tell you? Do you get an ‘inclination’ or a ‘feeling’ that something doesn’t ring true and look it up? Do you just believe what facebook posts say, or Q or conspiracy theorists? What do you do when you want to understand something? Do you research or do you just repeat nonsense other people say about it without a true study of it? Are you wise? Are you a Lemming? Are you discerning? Do you have blind faith and believe what you hear, failing to see what is there? People do that, you know. TOO many people.***************** Believe it or not, someone very close to me used to quote what he heard from websites and others over his many years as if it were straight from the bible. I would lovingly tell him, “Until you read it for yourself, I don’t want to discuss it. Read it for yourself. You are a brilliant man. You look up EVERYTHING that you don’t understand and learn about it first hand. Either read the bible for yourself, New Testament first, or we can’t talk about it because what you were told, or what you believe, is not in the bible.” ********************** Over the years, he began to witness what God can do, will do and has done, in other’s lives… especially the broken. He was watching people’s living testimony play out in real life. People’s addictions removed, lives saved, children’s lives saved, families restored, miracles occurring. He listened and watched… and then, he began to read for himself. He couldn’t deny it any longer. *************************** But think of this… while you are in darkness and not seeing, you are raising up a family of unbelievers who also are in darkness and cannot see. They don’t know about God’s promises. They don’t understand what hope does and how it changes you. They don’t understand how to truly combat the evil that presents itself in their world. They have no inclination to believe or follow God and have eternal life rather than hell and damnation… THAT alone should be inspiration enough to save them from the darkness they could experience in a lifetime without God as their guide. **************** You fail to equip them for the inevitable and possibly hinder them from being open to faith in the One who can comfort and guide them through life. People will ALWAYS fail you. People die. People move. People aren’t mentally or spiritually equipped to support, defend or enable children through life but GOD and His word is ALWAYS there. ******************************* It’s my pain. It is my heart’s burden. KNOWING that Trinity pleaded to go to church as a child and loved hearing the bible stories. She would call me up and tell me to come get her. As a teenager, when we had her, she found God and cried like a baby at the fact that He forgave and loved her wholly. Knowing that she LOVES God so much and yet, through her life, was not equipped to turn to Him when trials came. She was not strong enough to understand that she was loved unconditionally by Him. That she only needed to call out to Him for strength. That there was another path. The world became so ingrained in her soul that it blinded her from the True power of His love. Her own choices have blurred reality to the point of death… and she can’t see it. But I can. There is only one of two ways this ends. And we already saw how it ended for our son-in-law at age 34. ****************** Do YOU not see it? Do YOU not want to give them every opportunity to live in the Light in this dark world instead of by its lowly ways? To share with them the Power, the Hope, the Love that the bible has for them? Why be okay with them to live in darkness expecting nothing and leaning solely on you? They need to be equipped to make that decision for themselves and yet, you are not equipping them. If you wait too long, the WORLD will be ingrained in them and they will not trust much else except by the mercy and grace of God. ********************* We will suffer at the hands of this world and its ways. But Paul did too, for his faith. ********************* 2 Cor 11:24-27: 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked." ********************* 2 Cor 12: 6-10: “6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassing great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ********************** His faith, despite ALL of his hardships kept him strong and focused in this world of false prophets and dark deeds. It gives us principles, morals, guidelines, to follow which the world does not adhere to. It gives us hope where there should be no hope. It gives us wisdom down through the ages. It gives us truth so that we will not be misguided. it gives us discernment so that no one can deceive us. It protects, defends, comforts, loves and surrounds us with others who have the same values. ************************** In Europe, we saw so many histories of the young, younger than 18, who gave their lives for their faith. They had a choice from day 1 because they were raised to know the truth when they saw it and were willing to die for it. And die, they did. In this country we wouldn’t be willing to live for it, let alone die for it. We won’t even crack a book to see what it says. We follow any whim and believe every author of nonsense when it comes to raising children and yet, we cannot… we do not fully equip them to decide what really matters for themselves. ****************** And you? What do YOU want for your kids, if not for you? That is my heartbreak… for you, yes, but more for the young lives that must endure darkness without truth and hope. You set them on the dark path and expect them to see the light? Fully equip them and let them decide for themselves. ***************** Prov 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” ***************** Give that some thought. *********************