What is God Saying to the Church Today?
ONE GOD, ONE LORD, ONE SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN, PART 3: Impart to Your Children All You Know
God desires godly seed. In Part 1 of this message, I shared with you that in order for you to produce godly seed, training must first begin in you the parent. In Part 2 I shared the first practical step in training godly seed, was to build a family altar. Today we continue Part 3 of this message by giving the second practical step in training godly seed. Impart to your children all you know, with God’s word your source.
Spiritual impartation
I cannot stress how important it is for you, the parent, to get the word in you, then to impart to your children all the Holy Spirit reveals to you. The name of the Lord is above all names. In His name demons tremble and flee. There is no other name by which a man can be saved except by the name of Jesus. And though His name is omnipotent, above all names, He has exalted His word above His name- Psalm 138:2.
John 1:1-3 tells us that in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. Verse 14 says the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Everything we do, all we are, all who our children are and will become begins and ends with the word of God. Impart the revealed word to your children.
It is urgent that you develop a relationship with Christ and that you encourage your children to develop a relationship with Christ. Relationship, Relationship, Relationship. Help them to recognize very early that He is their friend. He is their Father. He is their Comforter and a very present help in trouble who is ever present with them.
So impart to them spiritually.
Financial impartation
What have you learned about money? Teach it to your children. You will hear people say that money is the root of all evil. That’s not true. Money is neutral. Leave a coin or a note in a room on a table. Lock the room and do not disturb it for 10 or so years. After this time when you go back to it you will find that the money is still sitting there. There may be decay all around it and the coin may be dull and the note ready to fall apart when touched. Small animals may have moved it, but the money will still be there. It has no life of it’s own but what we give it. So it’s not the money that is the root of all evil, it’s loving money that is the root of all evil. Loving money so much that you do not care what you do- lie, steal, cheat, kill, etc., just to get it. We cannot live without money as I’m sure many of you are finding out. The gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be preached without money. That is why God said that the tithe and the offering have to go to His work. Love or fear of money has a controlling effect on people. Just check how many people in the church tithe to know that people let money control them. So,
Teach your children to tithe and give offerings. You may have a hard time tithing because of the mess you finances are in. You cannot afford not to tithe because that’s God’s money. Teach them that .10 on every dollar is God’s. Give the youngest one, as little as 3 years old, an allowance for doing a chore such as emptying the bathroom trash and picking up their toys. They can have .50 a week just so you can begin to teach them about money. Give it to them in coins. Have them pull out .5 and put it in an offering envelope you bring home from church ahead of time. Have them put a nickel in a penny bank. Have them put .2 in a jar you keep which you tell them is to pay bills and buy food. Have them give a penny or two offering, but let them decide on the offering. This is a good time to teach them to pray to God to speak to their hearts how much to give for an offering. Then make a deliberate trip with them to the corner convenience store so they can pick out candy and pay for it with their own hands using the rest of their coins. Do not take them to church and give them a nickel or a dollar out of your purse and tell them to give it as an offering. That’s not teaching them. The money must be their own.
Teach them that abusing credit cards will get them into terrible financial trouble. Have you ever figured out how much you are paying on a 1500 debt on a credit card? At 19 and 21 % interest you will pay as much as $90 a month on interest. If the minimum payment is only $36 and that’s what you are paying, then it will take you about 10 years to pay off this debt at the minimum payment if you never use that card again! Teach them to save or put their stuff in lay away. Credit is not for poor people. It is to use as a tool for when you are maybe traveling and need to rent a car or you do not want to travel with cash. It is to be used when you can pay it back the next month, especially before the 20 day grace period so you do not have to pay interest. Credit cards are not money you have, but money that has you! If they cannot pay it all back the next month, then they should not be using credit cards.
Teach them the wisdom of saving. As they get older, let them save for long term in the bank and short term in their penny bank. Let them work to earn their allowance. Teach them by 10 or 12 to balance a checking account. We may not use checks any more, but we do need to balance our accounts.
Teach them about stocks and bonds and to invest wisely. Some of you have businesses. Pass that information on to the kids. Teach them about the business. It takes time and effort but it will benefit you all in the long run. Children growing into healthy, fulfilled, productive adults will do your heart well. Proverbs 4:1-6, 15:20
So, impart to your children all you know of money.
Physical impartation
Teach them to eat right, to get enough sleep, to watch less TV and to play and run outdoors more. Teach them to fast and the true meaning of fasting. As early as three they can fast a snack. School age children may be better off fasting their evening meal since the temptations and peer pressure at school is too much for them. They can fast a TV show or sodas, etc. Fasting food must be replaced with bible study, prayer and time with God.
So, impart to them how to be physically whole.
Emotional/Mental impartation
Teach them to guard their hearts, Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
True love is not an emotion. Teach them as early as two and three that they must not marry an unbeliever. 2 Cor. 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Teach them that a boyfriend or girlfriend cannot love them unless that person first has the love of God shed abroad in their heart, through an acceptance of the shed blood of Christ. Show them from examples around that just because someone looks good does not mean they are doing good or that they are the one to be hanging out with. Love is God Himself, a Spirit which brings choices, commitment, wise decisions. Love has nothing to do with what feels good. It’s a life time covenant that is too easily broken in our society today. Teach them that love and sex do not go hand in hand, but sex and marriage go hand in hand, and love and choices go hand and hand.
-Teach them to forgive. Matthew 6:14-15 tells us that if we do not forgive neither will our heavenly Father forgive us. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not based on emotions but on obedience to God. Teach them that forgiveness does not mean hugging the person who did them wrong and placing themselves in harms way, but it is a choice to release the person from their thoughts and emotions and give the person over to God. Forgiveness is a process that has to be continuously worked on, giving it over to God every time the hurt and anger comes up until the sting is not overpowering as before and you can go on.
-Teach them to reason and make decisions according to God’s word. They do not have to envy the wicked because the word of God says over and over that the wicked will not prosper. They need to choose to do right over what others are doing. If they choose to tie themselves in with the wicked, then they too will suffer the consequences God has for the wicked, therefore they must choose to believe and obey God’s word regardless of peer pressure.
Holiness impartation.
Teach them that we serve a Holy God, and that without holiness no man shall see God, Hebrews 12:14. Teach them that though evil is present in the daytime TV shows they watch, in the classroom and on the playgrounds, even in church, God still expects holiness from His children. He has no grandchildren. What He expects from you, the parent, He expects from them. So, they have to choose to be holy. To do so means being careful what they watch, what they read, who they listen to, who they hang out with- 1 Cor. 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
If they hang out with someone who does drugs, or uses profanity or is sexually active, or is rebellious to parents or steals and shop lifts, then they are corrupting themselves by association, making it difficult for themselves to live holy. Teach them that the Holy Spirit does not excuse Himself and go to the next room while they watch bad shows.
Teach them as early as 3 in the simplest way and then in more details as they grow older that they should wait for sex. Teach them that sex was created by God as something good and pure for the marriage but that the devil has corrupted this. Teach them that a covenant is cut by the shedding of blood, so that when the husband and wife have sex for the first time on their wedding night, blood is shed and the covenant is sealed for life.
Teach them that because the courts legalized same sex marriage does not make it right in God’s eyes. Homosexual and Lesbian act is an abomination to the Lord (Romans 1). Our country redefining marriage does not change God’s original and eternal definition- between one man, born a man with a penis, and one woman born a woman with a womb. God loves the persons but hates their behaviors. These humans He loves and died for, just like the heterosexual person, must never be abused and mistreated, but must, with the love of Christ, be shown and taught the love of Christ. Perhaps in this way they can choose to forsake their ways through abstinence, and choose God. Abusing them is a sin. God also disapproves of heterosexual act outside of marriage, as He does all sin. He WILL NOT change His word for anyone even if our country changes His word.
Moral impartation
Teach them values according to the 10 commandments, Deuteronomy 5, and according to the fruits of the Spirit-Galatians 5:22. They need to exercise self- discipline to withstand peer pressure. They need to be honest and kind. They need to show respect for those in authority even if the person is wrong. They do not have to agree with all the person in authority is doing, but they do have to show respect. Romans 13 says authority is ordained of God. He instituted it. Though King Saul was evil and tried to kill David for no good reason, David said I will not touch the Lord’s anointed, 1 Samuel 26. Never think those in authority are getting away with wrong. To do so is to doubt God’s word and to call Him a liar. He said He will repay evil. He will fix those in authority who do wrong. In Mark 9 and Matthew 18 it says someone who harms a child is better off throwing themselves into the depth of the sea with a huge heavy stone around his neck than face God, because God will deal with that person. There is no need for a child to be rebellious to the teacher or anyone in authority. Have them come tell you and you pray and deal effectively with the issue.
Finally,
Gifts & Talents impartation
Is your gift to play the piano or a musical instrument? Pass this skill on to your children. They may never be great at music but it is a well documented fact that those children who are involved in music do better in thinking skills since music stimulates the brain. Is you gift carpentry or cooking or sewing? Impart this to them. Is you gift sports? Impart this to them. Remember you may have a child who will hate playing sports if you are pushing them, may not be very good at this but can learn to appreciate the sport, develop team work and lots of other skill by just being involved. They may not be great in your talent and do not try to force them to live for you by making them learn something that you never got a chance to do. But you can impart to them all you know which will increase their capacity to be an all rounded, well balanced, happy citizen, while strengthening the bonds between you and them.
So the second practical step to training godly kids is to impart to them all you know about life, with God’s Word as your source,
Spiritually
Financially
Physically
Emotional and Mentally
In Holiness
Morally
And in Gifts and Talents
Look out for Part 4 of this 5 part message where we will share the third practical step in training up godly seed. You can find more information about this subject in my book, Women Called to Arms! If we’ve been a blessing to you, or if we can pray for you, let us know.
Until next time this is J.A. Thomas from Voice to the Believer Ministries encouraging you to take God at His word.