Christian Parents, This Is Your Moment!

Last May, our family was on a bus coming into Jerusalem when our tour guide read the verses from Luke 13 where Jesus said,

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

This morning in church, our pastor read those verses as part of the passage we were studying, but my mind immediately went to “O, America, America…”

God has truly blessed our land with hundreds of years of freedom to worship and speak without fear.

He has given us every resource under the sun to help us dive deeper into His Word and know Him even better.

We have an unrivaled number of gifted preachers and teachers who pour their lives out to teach us to walk worthy of the calling we have as believers, and yet my heart breaks as I see what’s happening in our land today.

I grieve not only because of what I see playing out on the news and social media, but also because I believe that Satan has blinded God’s people to the incredible power they have to head it off at the pass and even overcome it altogether.

When I was studying for the Teach Them Diligently parenting book, I found it incredible that when the children of Israel were FINALLY ready to enter the promised land and Moses was giving them final instructions— He started by addressing the PARENTS!!

He didn’t speak first to the military leaders, tribal leaders, or religious leaders… NO!

Moses understood that the most important leaders in any culture are actually the parents.

It is the parents who have the most impact on society. It is the parents who have the most influence on the men and ladies their children will become. PARENTS LIKE YOU!!!

With all the craziness and wickedness we are seeing unfold all around us in the world today, there has NEVER been a more important moment for parents to step up, take advantage of their God-given platform, and teach their children diligently the Biblical truths and “homeschool subjects” that will make them godly young men and ladies in the days ahead.

For those of you who are uncertain how to really tap into your influence with your children, I wanted to share a few tips and resources with you. It is CRITICAL that we don’t drop the ball right now, for the stakes are high and the enemy is on the prowl.

  1. Pray Strategically and Specifically for your Children. Commit to praying specific scriptures for your children starting now if you haven’t already. Cover them with God’s Word day in and day out. As a parent, you will be amazed at how much the Holy Spirit will guide your own thoughts and interactions with them to reinforce and teach those scriptures you have been praying– and God is faithful to answer those prayers and produce fruit not only in your children but also to grow your faith as well. Click here to pick up a printable of a number of verses and topics I have prayed for my children every day since they were young. You can also access a 35 day email series in which we’ll take a look at how praying specific scriptures for your children can change the way you parent, your relationship with your child, and can open your eyes to see God working in ways you may have missed before. Click here to access that resource now.
  2. Engage in Bible Study and Discipleship Conversations with your Children Every Day. If you aren’t teaching them how God sees people and how He wants us to interact with them, someone else will! Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart– and the second was like it- Love People! I imagine that like me, your heart yearns to see this principle lived out among God’s people more in this world. Proverbs 10:12 tells us that “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.” Oh, the conflicts we and our children see around us each day that are stirred up because of hatred and sin in the hearts of mankind. The Bible is full of specifics about what loving God and loving people actually looks like, and as Christian parents we get the privilege of modeling that for them and teaching them from God’s Word how to live it. Be intentional with your family Bible Study Time– and use those in-between “Teach Them Diligently” moments to reinforce those truths in daily conversation. If you’re looking for a resource to help you start on that, download the Family Devotional Guide on our site. There are even conversation starters and study guides included for the first 9 weeks. (I totally dropped the ball on the rest when everything got derailed this spring– but I promise they’re coming soon!) Click here to access the Devotional Guide.
  3. Get Solid Teaching and Mentorship To Give You Accountability and Access to Helpful, Reliable Resources. I encourage you to join Teach Them Diligently 365. Through TTD365, you can lock arms with a community of Christian homeschool moms (and some dads!) who are as committed to discipleship through home education as you are. You can have access to the resources, instruction, mentorship, and fellowship found at Teach Them Diligently 365 days a year. Nowhere else will you find a more complete library of audio recordings and video workshops to encourage your heart and keep you on mission — and the stakes are simply too high not to have access to that. Additionally, through the community element, you will be able to utilize forums, groups, and meetups to form godly friendships with moms at all stages of parenting and homeschooling who are ready to help you and encourage you every single day. How I pray you’ll join us there! I sincerely believe God had us create TTD365 for such a time as this, and I would love to get to know you there. Click here to learn more and join TTD365 today.
  4. Get Instruction In Discipleship-focused Parenting. Several years ago, the Lord asked me to write a parenting book called Teach Them Diligently, Raising Children of Promise. It’s basically a series of conversations that I would love to have with you if we could sit across the table and chat about your family and what God’s Word has to say about how you raise your children. We’ll discuss the whys and hows of Christian parenting, and I pray that you’ll leave our time together feeling much more confident to embark boldly on the mission God has given you to Teach your children Diligently. Click here to order the Teach Them Diligently book now.

The very last verse in the Old Testament, Malachi 4:6, tells us, “And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Never in my lifetime have I seen a time like this one– utter destruction of our land doesn’t seem too far-fetched right now. But Jesus came into the world to provide hope and salvation– and God’s design for passing on that good news is for moms and dads to truly turn their hearts back to their children. Invest your life and your time into discipling and strengthening relationships with them.

This is your moment!

 

 

PS If you’re looking for more encouragement as you parent and shepherd your children’s hearts, I invite you to check out this article David wrote entitled Head for Jesus. I think you’ll be encouraged! 😉