Notes from this week's podcast: People, We Have A Problem

I have righteous indignation in my heart. I see on the horizon where the enemy has gotten a foothold inside of our homes. 

In the midst of the recent Spring Breaks, I saw something that really was alarming to me.

Spring Break and teenagers out of control at the beaches is not our problem. I saw a news article where a Sheriff in Florida was crying out for help because the beaches were being overrun by intruders/gangsters coming from other states to create havoc and chaos, destruction, violence on the beaches among the teenagers who were there wanting to have a good time. The look on his face was desperation. It's not the out-of-control Spring Break that's the problem. Then, I look at articles that are bombarding us in the State of Alabama that sports betting among teenagers is out of control. Sports betting is not our problem. And then, the lack of discipline among our children in the schools is out of hand. Teachers can't control it. That's not the problem. The lack of school discipline is not the problem. We have a problem.

"They do because they can."

It's not the lack of the Church not doing its responsibility, not teaching the Word. It's not the lack of trying to engage teenagers in Bible study and strong Christian fellowship. It's not the Church's problem. Children are doing because they can. We need to stop asking the Church to solve a problem that we at home, as parents are not willing to. We want to hand it over to them.

Our stance (my and Keith's): We never asked the Church to do something that we were not first willing to do ourselves at home. We wanted them to help and reinforce the godly principles we were attempting to implement in our home. But we never asked them to do it for us. It's parents' responsibility first to raise their children. Not the school. Not the sheriff on the benches. Not the Legislature to put some laws to safeguard. We need help to reinforce. But what we have is a parenting problem. We have forsaken our God-ordained authority. We have handed over our responsibility and our authority of our children -- to society, to the Church, to the court system.

We are at the front of the line crying out to God.

We are "swatting flies" unless we get back to the foundation of the problem and take responsibility and begin to implement God-ordained responsibility and resolutions to this problem.

We have surrendered what God put in our possession within our scope of authority and given us the responsibility for. As parents, we have surrendered it for our own selfish pleasures, selfish ambitions -- so that we can have this "fit in" behavior and mentality. We want to, we want our children to "fit in" with the crowd. They'll fit in and the enemy will take them down the path of destruction.

I'm crying out that we will see what the problem is -- embrace it, get back to the Word, and take responsibility  and stop asking the Legislature to enact another law. Our children are crying out -- because of their behavior. It's stealing their peace, their prosperity, their purpose that God has for them.

It's going to take some boldness, courage, fire from the gut. Not complacency.

Sometimes, we don't want to confront the real problem. We're tired, worn out. We just don't have the fight. Ask God to give you the desire to deal with it. And then move into action to take back your children from the force of evil in the world.

I want to give you some hope, direction. Be on the alert. Rise up. Be intentional. I don't want them to "fit in" with evil, but to get as far away from evil as they can. Don't let them be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of their mind. Get the destructive forces of the world out of our homes, so it's less that their hearts have to battle with.

The most important assignment that a parent has is to raise up godly children.

1. Parents, begin by saying: I'm going to check my own heart. Obey the Holy Spirit wherever He is convicting you.

2. Begin to pray out loud Ephesians 5:13-17. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light on your heart. Help me to get it aligned with the Word as a parent so that I'm now firm and strong in my stand so that when I parent out of authority, my children will listen because they see and hear my heart.

3. Declare that you will not be a people-pleaser, that you'll not be deceived by what people think about you, but you'll be more convicted by what God reveals to you. And what God reveals to you will be your motivation to move forward into action.

4. Take action -- intentionally, under the power of the Holy Spirit, covered with the blood of Jesus.

If you're a grandparent, Keith and I are spiritual parenting. We have purposed to set aside 40 days to be intentional about praying for our children, grandchildren, family, our home, their homes. We will pray specifically warfare and deliverance prayers, very focused as we humble ourselves before God praying for the parents, the children, grandchildren, what God allows us to see -- that's where we'll go to war in our prayers, press in to God.

5. Repent. Come back to God. The world has nothing to offer me. And I want my children to serve God.

Ask the Holy Spirit of God to move you into action, that you will stand firm in your faith and take authority over your home, in Jesus' name.  

Scripture for further study:  Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Proverbs 22:6, Joshua 24:15, Ephesians 5:13-17, Acts 3:19