I just finished watching a video of a Mormon missionary at 19 years old that was challenged by a preacher to start reading God’s Word like a child and pray for God to open his understanding to God’s love and the gift of salvation through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
As he told his story and how God’s Word transformed his life, he was in tears many times being so thankful for the blood of Jesus and the free gift of salvation. I almost came to tears because I’ve met only a few young people who were baptized in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost that was so deeply moved about their relationship with God that it flowed out of them like rivers of living water.
This young man quoted scripture after scripture. It was the evidence of his study of God’s Word. Psalms 119: 9 – “How can a young man cleanse his way? By obeying the Word of God.”
Raising a child while attending church will not necessarily be the impetus that makes them seek God for salvation. It is in the power and truth of the Word of God! If we do not teach our children according to Deut. 6 – waking, walking, sitting, and laying down, they will not search the scriptures for themselves. In daily activities, look for ways to apply God’s truth in all we do and say.
We parents must be excited about our relationship with God for our children to gain a hunger for Him. We lived godly before our children. We taught them the need for salvation through scripture. We instilled in their hearts at a young age the need to repent of sins, the reason we must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and why we needed the gift of the Holy Ghost – Acts.
That was what was patterned for me by my parents. They loved God and His Word. They lived godly in the home and instilled God’s Word in our hearts as young children. I was begging to be baptized at six years old and received the Holy Ghost at nine years old.
Our children received the Holy Ghost at age nine and 12 years and were baptized young. We taught them at home and it was reinforced in church, Sunday school, and youth camps. Children must be in the atmosphere of the Spirit of God.
No one is a perfect parent, but when we choose to make God and His Word the most important part of our lives and instill God’s Word in their young hearts, we have a much greater opportunity to see our children hungry for God. We are to train up our children in the way that they should go. God mandates this truth.
As long as the child lives in the home, the parents are responsible to teach and show by example how to put God first in everything. We must teach and show the love of God. We must teach and live right from wrong. We must teach and live respect. We must teach and obey God’s commandments. We must set firm disciplines. We must show them unconditional love, but not to the point of excusing their wrong responses. There are consequences to all actions.
Proverbs teach we can tell what is in the heart of a child by their actions.
Proverbs 20:11 (NLT)
11 “Even children are known by the way they act, whether
their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.”
We all are born with a selfish sin nature, but it is extremely sad to see that selfish nature manifesting itself in every area of a child’s or teen’s life who chooses to follow their selfishness instead of God. We are thankful our children received the Holy Ghost young. When the teen years arrived, it was the Spirit of God, His Word and our prayers that helped them make godly choices even in the times of great temptation.
When we hide the Word of God in our hearts, it gives us the strength to bring our sinful nature under God’s control. We need the infilling of the Holy Ghost because it is God in us the hope of glory! The Bible teaches us not to walk in the desires of our flesh, but to walk in the Spirit!
As long as your children are still in your home and you are feeding and clothing them, it is never too late to start teaching God’s Word to them. It is a heaven or hell issue. We all have a soul that will live forever. Nothing is more important in this life than to have a vital alive relationship with God through the power of salvation!
Father, be the pastor of your home. You will answer to God for your spiritual leadership in the home. Be godly and teach godliness. God created families before He created the church. The salvation of our children must be the most important goal as a parent because it is an eternity issue. Everything else in life is temporary. Our salvation is eternal and everlasting!
Josh McDowell says, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” This is why we parents must have our own intimate loving relationship with God so we can teach by example and word how loving God makes living for God exciting!
Jesus is coming soon! Our your children ready for the rapture?
From the heart of this Bible Teacher/Certified Pastoral Counselor/wife, mother, MieMie to four – www.carolclemans.org – read ‘about ministry’ page – nationwide counseling/teaching (636) 448-0121. Join my teaching site: www.patreon.com/carolclemans
Mins. Ref: Pastor Daniel Batchelor, Dupo IL.