Parenting is not easy!!! When you hold your baby son or daughter in your arms for the first time, just the idea that you hold in your hands the destiny of a vulnerable human life can be daunting indeed. But you need not fear or be overwhelmed by the reality of that thought. God has ordained that the education of children, (particularly to know and love God first and foremost), and the nurturing of them to know who they are and to learn how to live by His design in every generation is the responsibility of their parents.
Now in modern times we hear people boasting in their ignorance that they don't go to church and they don't want to impose their religion on their children. They say, when they are old enough their children can choose for themselves what they want to believe. May I say this? That kind of parenting is effectively child abuse and neglect!
Parents, you cannot wait until your children are "old enough to make their own choice" about whether they believe in God or not. You are charged by God to teach them to know the Lord and to follow in His ways. Don't think for a moment that one day when your child is "old enough" to decide whether to believe in God or not that the devil and all those allied with him are waiting to present their lies to him then. No! They are actively, vigorously, and intentionally pursuing your children now to indoctrinate them as early as possible into their lies.
Therefore, you must, for the sake of your children’s innocent souls, teach them the Word of God, take them to church and be in church with them. Talk about the things of the Lord and show them the contrast of who they are in Christ as oppose to those in the world. If you must send your children to public schools then by all means arm them with the truth of God's Word and teach them how to discern what is good and what is evil and to stand their ground for the truth.
In a culture gone made with hate for all those who proclaim the truth of God's Word, we must stand firmly on the Word of God despite the opposition and criticism (even persecution) by those in the world. Will we be hated for it? Persecuted? Vilified and targeted for standing up for righteousness? Probably! Yes! But which is better? To stand with God against evil or to be silent and allow evil to trample your house and destroy you and your children? We cannot make anyone choose righteousness, but we can make the truth known to all who are willing to hear it.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:10-12
It is amazing to me how many so-called believers in Jesus Christ have attempted to recreate Jesus, our Lord, and fashion Him into the image of their sinful nature and call it love and compassion while remaining silent in the face of blatant displays of sin in the midst of one of the greatest attacks against the Christ our Lord, His Church, and the Word of God in the history of our nation.
But we must not be shaken by the spiritual state of depravity and ungodliness pervading the world, the culture, and particularly our nation. Jesus warned us by the Holy Spirit, speaking to the apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy, that such times would come.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Yes, in the last days many troubling things will take place but take heart. There is an even greater promise of glorious things to come in the last days.
"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2:16-21
I believe we are seeing the first fruits of this outpouring in the revivals and worship gatherings spontaneously springing up here in the US and around the world. Young and old alike are rising up to seek the Lord in prayer, praise, worship, and intercession.
No! This is NOT a time to despair of the evil that seems to be winning the day! IT IS NOT!! The enemy's evil deeds are only being exposed and revealed for what they truly are, and because of it the hearts of the people of God are being stirred, and righteousness is being revealed from generation to generation. Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world.
Let us therefore worship and praise God, the only true God, boldly and passionately everywhere we can, all the time we can, by all the means we can. Could this time be as it was with Esther (Hadassah) of the Old Testament, that we have come to be here now for such a time as this? God knew exactly when we would be born and He has ordained that we should be His voice in the World at this time.
Therefore, let His Word be heard in our homes, with our children. This is our example.
"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." Deuteronomy 6:6-8
And let them be heard in the gates of the city, in the market place, in the workplace, in the boardroom, in the classroom and in public places wherever we go. and as John Wesley was noted for saying, "preach the word and when necessary use words." Jesus has given us the commandment and the commission.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
The empowerment the courage and the boldness to do all this is in the Holy Spirit. He has come and is now abiding in us and with us to give us the motivation, the ability, and the resources to fulfill God's calling on our lives.
We are not alone. God is with us, to preserve us and deliver us from evil. Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:39