Do You Have a Wayward Child?

One of the greatest heartaches of a Christian parent is having a child who is not walking with the Lord.  

Despite being reared to know and love God, sometimes our children choose another path.  Because we know how dangerous it is to know the truth and walk away, we fear for our children. 

We know that the pull of evil is so strong, and the flesh is so weak that our children can easily get sucked into a lifestyle that brings heartache and destruction. The enemy of their souls is extremely crafty, and he can easily deceive them into thinking that bad is good and good is bad.

What can we as Christian parents do?

Stormie Omartian, in her book The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children (2009, Harvest House Publishers), has this to say, "If you have adult children who have been captured by evil influences and destructive behavior, and they keep relapsing back into it once they are free, refuse to give up and stop praying."

Scripture says the same in Romans 8:25, "If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance (emphasis mine).  This reminds us that we do not have to sit idly by while we hope for a breakthrough, but that we can be actively involved in helping to bring about that breakthrough in our children's lives.

One of our greatest weapons against the wiles of the devil when he sinks his hooks into our children is to wage spiritual warfare against him through prayer and fasting.  "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood," Paul says in Ephesians 6:12 ,"but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness." We do not have to sit idly by and hope our children have a change of heart, we can persevere in faith through prayer.

Prayer is a powerful weapon. Second Corinthians 10:4 describes this spiritual warfare as "mighty in God for pulling down strongholds."

Stormie encourages us, "Sometimes it may seem that the more you pray, the worse it gets.  But you can't back down. If the enemy has turned up the intensity, you need to turn up the fervency.  Often the battle becomes more intense the closer you get to victory" (140).

Take heart, praying parent.  We do not have to do this alone. Romans 8:26 reminds us that "the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."  This is encouraging!  When we reach a point where our heart is breaking, and we think we cannot cry another tear or utter another prayer on our child's behalf, the Holy Spirit of God comes alongside us and prays with us.

God knows that we are frail, that we lose hope, and that we despair. Knowing this, He has made provision for us.  He has sent the Comforter to come beside us, to lift our burden and to make it His own. He not only helps us bear the burden of our wayward children, He prays for them according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)

"What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31).

As you pray for your wayward child, "do not fear, only believe." (Mark 5:36)

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living."(Psalm 27:13)

 I encourage you to trust God today as you fervently seek God's will in the life of your child.  Press on.  The victory is near!

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Who Do YOU Say That I Am?

“He (Jesus) said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’" (Matthew 16:13)

I am a mother who loves to hug my children, but hates to discipline them.

I am a woman who enjoys wearing cute shoes, but hates shopping for them.

I am a wife who enjoys dates with my husband, but hates paying for them.

I am a dental professional who loves keeping teeth healthy, but hates it when my patient loses one.

I am a writer who loves creating a story, but hates to edit it.

I am a friend who loves laughing together, but hates crying together.

I am a neighbor who loves to lend, but hates to borrow.

I am a puppy momma who loves taking Winston on walks, but hates taking him to the vet.

I am a daughter who loves her parents, but hates that they live out of town.

I am a Christian who loves pleasing the Lord and hates failing Him.

One day when Jesus and his disciples were walking, He asked them, "Who do men say that I am?"

Their responses were varied, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Then He asked them another, more important question, "But who do you say that I am?" 

Peter, known for speaking first and thinking later, got it right the first time.  "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Jesus commended Peter for his answer. "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."

Jesus asked and Peter answered the most important question that each of us will ever answer.  Not "Who does your mother, father, sister, brother, neighbor, pastor, grandmother, Sunday School teacher, lady-next-door think that I am?" 


But

"Who do you say that I am?"

If you cannot claim with Peter, that He is the Christ (YOUR Savior) then please visit the page to the right that asks "Do You Know God?"  and settle it today.  It will be the best decision you've ever made.  

 

 If you do have a relationship with God, take to heart what Peter admonished the believers in 1Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;"  Be part of sharing the message of Christ to a lost world that desperately needs to know Him!

 "Blessed are you, ____________! (your name here),"

Catching the Ring

Summers are short in my home state of Rhode Island.  Surrounded by ocean on three sides, my hometown of Bristol is host to many of the happiest memories of my childhood.  One of my family's traditions was to conclude the summer with a much anticipated trip to Crescent Park, the nearby amusement park.

With candy apples still between our teeth, my sisters and I would choose our rides after a careful survey of all the possibilities and a discussion of the merits of each one. We didn't want to misspend the precious ride tickets mom and dad doled out equally.  While Cindy might choose to ride the Bumper Cars and Tina the Boats, it was an unspoken agreement that the evening would end with everyone riding the Carousel.

The Carousel was a beautifully shining affair.  Bejeweled with thousands of lights and covered in what we knew was pure gold, no decision compared to the choice of which animal we would ride on.  There were several unspoken rules to guide our choice.  First, it had to be a horse.  All other animals paled in comparison to riding one of the magic steeds. Second, it had to move up and down.  We looked with scorn and derision at the small children and grandmothers who sat on the stationary ostriches and pigs. Finally, and most important of all, the horse had to occupy a position on the outside of the carousel's circumference.

The reason for this important criteria was because of "the ring."  When we were really young, and there was some concern about whether or not we could actually stay on the horse we chose to ride, no one mentioned "the ring." But as we got older and became more accomplished equestrians, Dad chose to unveil the mystery of "the ring."

At a certain point in the carousel's orbit, there was a dispenser that held metal rings.  "If you catch the brass ring," my dad told me, "you win a free ride on the carousel."  Catching the ring was no small accomplishment, I learned.  Timing was everything, since you had to lean waaaaaaay out at just the right moment while the carousel whirled.  Skill and precision was also required.  Hooking your finger through the ring and pulling at the same time was tricky.  Add to that  the important dynamic of staying mounted on the horse while leaning out and hooking the ring, and you have quite an impressive feat.

The first summer I tried, I think I had beginner's luck.  I hooked the ring the first time I whirled past.  And the second, and the third.  Greedy with success, my head whirled as fast as my body with the thoughts of all the free rides I would take on the carousel.  After I had hooked five or six rings, I began to assess the mounting treasure hooked on the thumb of my spare hand.  Feeling generous, I began to plan how I would even be able to treat my sisters to free rides since I had accumulated so many rings.  When the ride finally ended, I brought my treasures to my dad and proclaimed, "I hooked 12 rings.  That means we can each ride four more times!"

My dad glanced at the rings I was displaying so triumphantly and broke the sad news, "I'm sorry, Lori, but you have to catch a brass ring to win a free ride."  He pointed to the sign above the ticket booth that displayed a ring much shinier than the ones I held in my once-victorious hands and he patted my back sympathetically.

I thought about that handful of worthless rings today as I was reading Ephesians 6:7-8, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does."  In the carousel economy, my well-intentioned attempts fell short of deserving a reward.  For though I caught a ring, I didn't catch the brass ring.  In God's economy, however,  every good deed I do in his name is seen, recorded, and rewarded.  Every single one.  My deeds don't have to meet a certain standard, or impact a huge number of people.  Their value is in the fact that they are offered up in faithful service to the God I love.

John Piper, in his devotional book A Godward Life, puts it this way.  "Every little thing you do that is good is seen and valued by the Lord.  And He will "pay you back" for it.  Not in the sense that you have earned anything by putting Him in your debt; He owns you and everything in the universe.  He owes us nothing, but He freely, graciously chooses to reward good things done in faith.  Nothing we do -- nothing, not one thing -- is done in vain.  "Whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord.  Astounding!" (177).

May we serve the Lord and our fellow man with renewed vigor and enthusiasm, knowing that we "will reap a harvest if we faint not!"  (Gal. 6:9)