Training
children
Father
of Spirits
The
real child you have is a spirit.
All you see is the body (he or she) lives in. The life and nature and characteristics
– the invisible qualities are from God, the father of Spirits.
The
physical is for this short lifespan.
The Spirit is the infinitely more important because it is
forever.
In
bearing a child, you have been entrusted with one of God’s most precious
gifts. I believe the greatest
eternal rewards go to those who are faithful to follow his instructions in
caring for and training their children.
The Father and Mother both together following God’s directives in this
most important endeavor can fulfill the family purpose as stated in Mal.
2:14-15, “The Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth… she
is thy companion and the wife of thy youth. And did he not make one? And wherefore
one? That he might seek a
godly seed (offspring). “ One
reason God made the sacred union, the one flesh, marriage relationship is so
that you together could raise up godly
children.
“Whose Child is That?”
One of the worst sins that resulted from the fall of man is selfishness. Men want to claim ownership of everything God blesses him with, “my house, my car, my freedom, my children.” Listen as God speaks regarding ownership. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 27:1 Of course, the Creator God is truly the one it belongs to.
The children of Israel had developed the idea that if they gave birth to children, that these children belonged to the parents. The prophet Ezekiel set the record straight, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the Father, so also the soul of the son is mine.” Ezekiel 18:4 “Moreover, thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me.... thou hast slain my children....”
God created Adam and breathed life into him. Outside of God there is no life. God gave Adam and Eve the ability to have children, but God alone gives life and sustains life for all creatures in His creation.
Whereas, Paul tells the Corinthians, “Ye are not your own, you are bought with a price.” And to the Colossians he says that, “all things are created by Him and for Him.” So, we were not only created for Him, we were bought back for Him with the price of His own Son Jesus.
The children God has given you are yours only in the sense that God had given you the responsibility to bring them up in the way He directs. The directions contained in His Word are clear. Some day you will stand before the Father and give account for the most valuable of all God’s treasures on earth; the soul of a child. Your responsibility is to follow His directives, the outcome is His responsibility.
If when you have done all God has said to do and you still have a wayward child, then be aware that you are not alone. God says, “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.” Isaiah 1:2
The Pharaoh of Egypt thought that the Hebrews were his slaves. God sent Moses to tell him to “let my people go.” Pharaoh refused but God had the last word and proved that they were His people.
If you’ve considered your children as yours, you should repent and tell God that you now acknowledge that they are really His and that you will follow His scriptural directives for raising them. Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”
You
must realize that the future of the church depends upon godly disciplined men
and women. I Tim. 3:4-5, “One that
rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the
church of God?)”
A
disciple is a disciplined one. If
we fail to discipline our own household then we are not qualified to make
disciples unto Christ Jesus.
I
believe that the one major reason for the neglect of scriptural discipline and
judgment in most church bodies is the disregard for upholding God’s
standards. In choosing leadership,
pulpit committees, councils, boards, church bodies, or whoever is responsible,
substitutes their own agenda such as education, experience, previous success,
socializer, on and on, without consideration of God’s
standards in I Tim. 3 and Titus 1 and 2 as well as many more given by Jesus and
the apostles.
I believe
that for those who adhere to God’s Word as a standard for child raising will be given authority not only in the church Christ
is building now but also in the age to come. By the same token, many who seem to be
doing great works for God while allowing their own children to go undisciplined
may be stripped of all authority as an overseer in the next age.
Nothing in the world can you take with you when you die. However, by
investing time and energy into your children, you can take them with you. Or you can neglect your responsibilities
to train them and lose them as well.
TRAINING
CHILDREN
MEET
MY FATHER
“We
have had Fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence,
shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and
live.” Hebrews 12:9. Perhaps my earthly father was the best a
child could have.
The
most important quality I would like for you to understand about my father is his
loving discipline. He loved me too
much to let me go astray. He
corrected me with the rod of chastisement.
God
places the responsibility for training their children upon their father. Psalm 78:5-6, “For he established a
testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our
fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know
them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them
to their children:” You can give it
back to God. It is not the
responsibility of the church, or the school or the scouts, the Sunday School teachers, the pastors, or the angels. It’s the parent’s and since the father
is the head, God holds him responsible.
If
the Fathers fail in this task many succeeding generations reap the bitter
fruit. Deut. 5:9-10, “visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and
keep my commandments.” If you love
God, it will show in your lifestyle, because it will change your heart. Deut. 6:6-7, “And these words, which I
command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest
up.” When you heart is changed and you really love Jesus, he will not be just a
once a week add on, but he will be your entire life. That’s when your children will
experience what God intended for them to see in you, true love for God and
them. Your children pick up on your
values. They kindly absorb your
priorities. You teach and train by
who you are, what you say and what you do.
God
speaks – God acts
To
know God is to know his ways and his actions. How does he deal with his children. To
know this is to know how to best handle ours. Not to know and to follow his ways is to
err in your heart and grieve your heavenly father, and even worse (for you) to
experience his wrath. Hebrews
3:10-11, “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always
err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath, they shall not
enter into my rest.”
Now
hear the words taken from Proverbs 3:11-12. “My son, despise not the chastening of
the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loves he corrects;
even as a father the son in whom he delights.” Hebrews 12:6-7, “For
whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he
receives. If ye endure
chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father
chastens not?” This is God’s way
which we must follow. It’s the way
of life. It’s the way of the
wise. Listen again to the world’s
most wise man, King Solomon.
Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to
himself brings his mother to shame.”
Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he
should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from
it.”
The Pain Principle
People (we) as humans try to minimize pain and maximize pleasure. This is a very simple principle God established. He wants us to use this principle in child training. The instrument designated to create pain is the rod. The place to which it can be applied with no physical damage is the hind end.
The more severe the pain, the greater will be the effort to avoid it. When you apply the rod of correction to the child and it is not seeming to correct the misbehavior, it is probably due to not being severe enough.
When you have only a slight tooth pain, you may postpone or avoid going to the dentist. But when the pain becomes severe, you try for the earliest possible relief.
This principle applies with using the rod of correction. For extremely self-willed and determined children, the contest may become very intense. The worst thing you can do is give up. That is when satan has won a victory in rebellion, and the disobedient spirit will have received your permission to maintain its anti-Christ behavior in your child.
The scriptures instruct “Children, obey your parents.” However, children have the sin nature and will not adhere to this command. It is the responsibility of the parents to make this a reality.
Original
Sin
God established boundaries for Adam & Eve. They trespassed and disobeyed. Only one time was all it took. Just one disobedience gave satan the domain that god had give man. Just one disobedience brought death.
Pain - Pleasure
Your small child is very smart and knows what he is doing. Your child will find pleasure in being stronger than you. He will feel superior when he has said “no” to you and gotten by. If he can throw a tantrum in order to manipulate you, then he knows he is in control. Even if you make them with physical force do as you say. Example, you say “come here.” Response, “no.” So the argument continues until you go and carry or drag them. The child won, the spirit of rebellion is still in charge, and satan had a great victory. The rod of chastisement should have been applied at the first rebellious “no.”
For the child to respond with “no” or any other form of dishonor to you the parent, is at no age cute. If you think it is to be smiled at, then view Jesus bleeding at the cross for you. That is the result of disobedience. At any age and in any form, it is an abomination to God and will be judged and punished.
If you do not judge and chastise it, then it may be a part of the child until judgement day when it will be judged by God and will certainly be of far greater severity. That is why Proverbs 13:14 is so true, “He that spareth his rod, hateth his son.
Why
does God judge disobedience so severely?
By one man’s disobedience sin entered the world. Disobedience is the Father sin and has
caused all the pain and suffering since man first disobeyed. To disobey is now part of the fallen
nature. The wrath of God still
prevails against those who refuse to obey.
Thus it becomes imperative that we train our children to obey. If we neglect that responsibility they
will have difficulty in submitting in obedience to all other authority including
God’s. The Spirit of rebellion can
become the strong man in their life that brings them down to
destruction.
“…You
shall correct him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell.” (Proverbs
23:13)
The
root cause of disobedience is pride.
Pride caused the fall of satan and has since resulted in the fall of many. Obedience is the result of
humility. The rod of chastening
brings humility. The law of
forgiveness is separate and distinct from the law that says you reap what you
sow. Of course we forgive our
children. However, to be trained
they must reap the consequences of their actions. “He who spares his rod hates his son…”
(Proverbs 13:24) The meaning of
Proverbs 22:6 is not that a properly trained child will depart and then return
when he is old. It means that as he
is growing older he will not depart.
Training is the key. This
involves time and effort, persistence and consistence and
perseverance.
Animal trainers know the importance of making sure their elephants,
tigers or dogs are trained before putting them on display. It is even more important as
parents. A half trained animal may
turn on you, so also it is with children.
One
definition of trained is obedience to every command every time it is given. If your children do not obey every
command, you need to continue reading and take
heed.
Trainers need to understand the nature of their animals, parents as
well. It is not a child’s nature to
obey. Along with the sin of man
came the spirit of rebellion passed on to our children. One key I believe ranking with the most
important in training is CONSISTENCY.
The trainer must do the same thing every time if he ever expects the
trainee to respond the same way each time.
Anything less brings confusion. Before talking about that, let me say
that not only do you need to understand your children, they need to understand
you. You need to teach them
Scripture and show them the ways of the
Lord.
God
made it plain to Adam and Eve. Do
not eat of that tree. God spells
out the rules and the consequences.
IF you disobey, you die.
Be
sure your child understands the rules. You set the boundaries. When you
establish them, all of heaven will work with you. “Whatever you bind on earth is bound in
heaven.” God gives you the
authority and responsibility to bind and set the limitations: TV, Books and magazines, radio, music,
friends and many more boundaries need to be
established.
Never
yell, unless the child is deaf or a long distance away. When you yell you train them to yell and
be disrespectful. Speak with
firm resolve. Ask them to repeat. Then you know they know. Children learn much quicker than adults.
A child subjected to 3 languages while growing up speaks them all without
effort. Children are very smart and usually know
their parents much better than their parents understand them, and many times
use manipulations to get their own way, while the parents are unaware. As children mature, so many parents are
surprised or shocked that their child could behave in such a way that brings
a reproach upon them, even committing serious criminal offenses. Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give
wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.” Many parents take for granted that their
children will turn out good because they have provided good food, good clothes,
a good house, good toys, etc.
True
security in a Christian’s life is to know God and believe his promises. Those
who trust in anything of this world end up disillusioned. So it is with children, they need a
strong, firm, loving authority they can trust and believe in. Nothing on earth can provide that, only
the parents or guardian. Without
this, the child is insecure which results in misconduct.
Limitations
Limitations apply to all of us. According to the child’s age, he has
limits. Young children have a short
attention span. Tell them to do one
thing at a time. When they are
young, too long or complicated directives bring confusion and forgetfulness.
Keep an eye on him. Then he knows you are serious and he
knows he is not getting by. Psalm
32:8, “I will guide thee with mine eye.”
He cannot lie about what he has done or fool you if you are
watching. Have him report to you
when he is through. Check it
out. When the assignment is
finished, reward him with hearty expressions of praise. Occasionally surprise him with something
special you know he likes. As you
take these steps, be much in prayer for wisdom for yourself as well as for the
Holy Spirit of love and obedience to dwell in your
child.
Wow,
wasn’t that easy. Probably not, for if your child is not accustomed to training, you
will have to deal with some disobedience and
rebellion.
CORRECTION
– CHASTENING
In
Hebrews 12, we see that God chastises every child of his with great love for the
sake of bringing about obedience and holiness. In Hebrews 2:2, we see that not one time
do we transgress or disobey without being chastised. God is consistent. He never came to Adam and Eve and said,
“Oh well, I’ll give you one more chance.”
Hebrews 2:2, “Every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward.”
Never
chastise the child in the heat of anger.
You will probably overcorrect and be sorry. One way to prevent this is to chastise
every disobedience immediately. If you let them build up inside, you may
explode when you finally release chastisement and do more damage than
good.
How
do I properly bring correction?
Hebrews 12:9-10 “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” The writer here takes it for granted that earthly fathers who know the scriptures used the rod of chastisement to correct their children. We don’t do it because it is fun. It is unpleasant for both the chastiser and chastenee. “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.” Vs 11 But we do it because of the wonderful results. “But afterward it yields peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Vs 11 AMP
God judges and chastens with justice. Not everyone is punished or chastened with the same sentence. Luke 12:47-48 “That servant that knew his Lord’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to Gods will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes.”
Justice. As a judge sentences different crimes
with different sentences, so also ask God for wisdom to give a just reward for
each transgression as well as each obedience.
There
are different devices that may be used such as restrictions, greater
limitations, extra work, withholding of previous benefits, etc. However, the one ordained in Scripture
is the rod applied to the seat.
This always gets right down to the
bottom.
Proverbs 23:13-14, “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beat him with the rod, he
shall not die. Thou shalt beat him
with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” Whatever method you use other than the
rod is not backed by the Word of God and will probably be ineffective compared
to God’s method as outlined in the
Scripture.
When
should I begin?
As
soon as you sense that they understand the meaning of the word, NO. Normally perhaps one
year old. The longer you
wait the harder it will be. The
roots of rebellion and disobedience become more deeply entrenched and hardened
with age. You must mold the clay
while it is pliable.
As
the child matures and becomes conscious of people, do not spank in public. Take him to a private place at once or
as soon as possible. To spank when
others are watching will bring embarrassment which may damage your relationship
long term.
You
be the Judge
Psalm
89:14, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne.” You as parents sit on the throne. You make the rules, you enforce them,
you are judge when those rules are broken, you give the sentence and you
enforce.
God
has set you as king in your house.
Revelation 3:21, “He that overcomes shall sit with me in my throne even
as I overcame and am set down with my father in his throne.” How you handle your God-given power and
authority will manifest itself in the lives of your
children.
Hebrews 2:2, “Every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward.” I cannot
overemphasize the importance of consistent, every time punishment. Without that, you’re only training
inconsistency, confusion and strife.
Talk
without action is like faith without works, DEAD.
Let’s
go to some Scriptural examples. Eli was
the high Priest. It is not my purpose to criticize God’s Priest, but
let us learn from his mistake. He
never trained them to obey or to have an intimate relationship with God. I Samuel
v.
17, “The sin of the young men was very great before the Lord.” They ate the raw flesh of the animal
sacrifices instead of roasted as required.
This was the lust of the flesh.
They also committed fornication with the women of the congregation.
v. 22-25, Eli was informed of their actions and he had a talk
with them. Basically he threatened
them that the Lord would judge them.
Instead of accepting his responsibility, he tried to shift it back onto
God. This does not work! God will not do your job, no more than
you can do his. Eli’s sons never
changed, and Eli never got tough.
Verses 27 to 36 are the words of the prophet God sent to Eli. God’s judgment was to be very
severe.
They
would be removed from the priesthood which they had been promised forever. I Samuel 2:30, “Wherefore the Lord God
of Israel said, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father,
should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord said, Be it far from me; for
them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly
esteemed.” As a father he had the
authority to make them obey, yet he refused. I Samuel 3:13-14, “…his sons made
themselves vile, and he restrained them not. Therefore I have sworn unto the house of
Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor
offering forever.”
In
chapter 4, we read of a defeat in battle against the Philistines. The Elders of
Instead of removing the sin, they got the ark and only suffered an even
greater defeat. Both the sons of
Eli were slain in battle and the ark was taken by the
enemy.
When
they brought the news to Eli (I Samuel
This
sad ending is being repeated thousands of times just because fathers failed to
honor God in providing discipline and godly guidelines for their
children.
Example
number two – Samuelsons
It
would seem that the prophet Samuel would have surely learned the importance of
strict discipline for his sons.
However, he learned child raising from Eli’s
example. He was given to God by his
Mother and served Eli from his youth.
He was actually raised the same way as Eli’s sons, so he had a poor
example to go by. Therefore, he
made the same mistake in raising his sons.
Even though he was a prophet anointed by the Lord and lived a dedicated
holy life it was not enough.
Without strict godly discipline, his sons never turned out much better
than the sons of Eli.
I Samuel 8:3, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside
after lucre, (Money) and took bribes, and perverted
judgment.”
In
the series of events that followed, the sons of Samuel lost their positions of
authority and the right to be judges in
David And The Giant
We’ve all heard the triumphant victory of David over the taunting threats and boastful behavior of Goliath. He fearlessly slew this proud man and brought great victory to the armies of Israel.
But there was another giant he failed to conquer. In Deut. 17, God said that the king shall not multiply horses to himself, nor wives, nor silver and gold. The disregard for this command created for the king a giant which rose up against him and almost cost him his life.
David’s
sons
King
David had many wives and begat many sons and daughters by them. Even though he was a great King, a
mighty warrior and anointed prophet, he was for the most part an absentee father
who never had time to train his numerous households scattered out in different
locations. As a result, we see the
bitter results he had to live with.
One of his sons, Amnon raped his half sister,
Tamar. As a result, Tamar’s
brother, Absalom, murdered Amnon. Therefore, King David sent Absalom into
exile. Later, when Absalom wished
to communicate with his father, David refused. Absalom set Joab’s fields on fire in order to get his attention. He finally got a very short appearance
in the presence of his father and that ended the relationship. Absalom rose up in rebellion, committed
treason, drove his father out of
The
next attempt was made by Adonijah. This was to David’s son by one of his
wives named Haggith. When King David became elderly and
feeble, Adonijah gathered a great company, including
Joab, Captain of the Host, and he usurped the position
of King and tried to overthrow his father.
This also ended in defeat because David declared Solomon to be King. Solomon was an obedient and submissive
and wise son.
What
made the difference? Early in the
life of Solomon, King David had sworn to his mother, Bethsheba, that her son, Solomon, would be King. King David therefore spent much time
nurturing, teaching, training and disciplining Solomon. As a result, Solomon respected his
father, David, and was not selfish or greedy. When God asked what he desired, he
simply wanted wisdom in order to provide the most noble
leadership for God’s people. This
led to favor with God and man as well as a reign of peace in his
kingdom.
So it is with parents who fail to bring their children into subjection and obedience. Many times the consequences of their disregard for the instructions in Gods Word creates giants that bring shame and reproach upon their name and upon the name of Christ.
Now
notice again the words from Hebrews 12.
“If you are without chastisement…you are not sons (children) but are
illegitimate.”
In
the 89th Psalm, we find the covenant of David which is fulfilled in
the reign of Christ in our Life.
Psalm 89:3-4, “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto
David my servant, thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to
all generations.”
Since
we have embraced God as our father, he does not disown us when we sin. However, there is always a price to
pay. Psalm 89:30-32, “If his
children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then
will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes.”
There
is always a high price to pay for disobedience or willful sin. We can confess and be forgiven, but sin
still has its consequences. As you
read the account of the sin of David with Bethsheba,
you see an example of how that his sin was forgiven, but even after it was
forgiven he suffered greatly the consequences that
followed.
Provoke
to Love, not Anger
In
Ephesians, we are told not to provoke our children to wrath. We are also instructed to provoke one
another to love and to good works.
Let
us consider ways we can do this.
When we become as a child we provoke them to love. Example: your son says, “Daddy, I sure would like
to have a puppy dog,” or your little girl wants a kitty cat. What is your response? It really means nothing to you and you
want neither. So you say, “No way,
dogs are always barking and tearing things up, and they eat too much and on and
on. As for those stinking cats,
they ought to shoot them on sight.
I hate cats, always have and always will, etc. As for your child, you may have done
less damage knocking him down with a 2 x 4. If you do not want to identify with some
of their values as a child, they will have a tendency to reject your adult
values. God loves his
creation. Why do you suppose he
made cats and dogs in hundreds of varieties.
Why
not say, “It would be nice to have an animal. Let’s ask the Lord to lead us to just
the one he wants us to have.” Or, ”I would
like for you to have a pet, but in our present dwelling, they don’t allow cats
or dogs. How
about a fish bowl now and perhaps the Lord will make a way for us later to have
an animal.”
Now
you have done a lot to provoke to love, hope, encouragement and respect in your
relationship.
Do
not underestimate the spiritual sensitivity of children. They pick up the atmosphere in your
home. Bible
reading, spontaneous prayer, loving one another, expressions of thanks and
praise, singing unto the Lord.
If this is your life, it will normally be the life of your children. On the other hand, if hatefulness,
disrespect, complaining and the like are present, you can expect to reap the
same from your children.
Attitudes
are just as important as actions. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. When we obey God because of fear of
punishment or give him our time and energy begrudgingly, it grieves his
heart. These attitudes receive his
chastening. So
also with our children.
Attitudes usually take more time and effort and love and encouragement
than actions.
In
all you do in training your children possibly the most important is to walk in
love and constantly asking the Holy Spirit for guidance for both you and your
children.
When
not to Punish
Children should not be spanked for mishaps like accidental
occurrences. Example: when I was young, I was made to wash and
dry dishes at times. Occasionally I
happened to drop a plate or glass and break it. It was not intentional and I regretted
it. I would be punished anyway,
until – one day Mom dropped one and broke it. I still well remember her apology to me
as she explained that with the soap water the glass was slippery. I appreciated her so much and the fact
that she never again punished me for those
things.
Maybe
a window in the house is broken by throwing a ball. If it was an accident, it needs no
punishment. I can remember this
happening to me at maybe 10 years of age.
I felt so bad about it that I went some distance from the house, behind
the barn, and sat broken and discouraged.
But Dad came and brought great consolation and comfort in letting me know
that it was only an accident and I was still loved. Be assured, however, if he had
instructed me not to throw the ball in that area, I would have gotten a good one
for disobeying. Thanks, Dad, I
respect you very highly!
Even
much greater appreciation goes to my heavenly father. Thanks for every chastisement you have
given that I might be a partaker of your holiness and your eternal
blessings!!
How
long should I continue?
If
you start young and continue through early or mid teens, you probably will have
them trained.
However, there may be exceptions.
For example, in the book of Deuteronomy, there was a law which stated,
“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of
his father, or the voice of his mother, and that when they have chastened him,
will not hearken unto them; then shall his father and his mother lay hold on
him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his
place; and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn
and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a
drunkard. And all the men of his
city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt
thou put evil away from among you; and all
God
comes down very hard on willful disobedience. If this continues through adulthood, the
child will eventually face a power and authority that will force him into
submission, but it will be very unpleasant for him.
Other
than the death sentence for crimes, the other form of correction directed by
God’s Word even for mature adults was spanking. This could be done with up to 40
stripes, as the judges required.
Deut. 25:1-3, “If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto
judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous,
and condemn the wicked. And it
shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to beaten, that the judge shall cause him
to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a
certain number. Forty stripes he
may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above
these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.” Why does God come down so hard on
disobedience? Because it has eternal
consequences.
Witchcraft
I
Samuel 15:23, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…” Satan in his pride disobeyed and
rebelled against God. Man aligned
with satan and also disobeyed
and rebelled against God. Man and
Satan in disobedience against God equals witchcraft. Improperly trained or untrained children
often use manipulation, control tactics and lies to deceive their parents and
authorities. This is the work of
satan and relates to
witchcraft. There will be no
witches in heaven.
The
stakes are high, the consequences are eternal, and you the parent for the most
part determine the outcome.
Faithful
Fathers
What
is faithfulness? In God’s Covenant
with David and his seed (Jesus) as expressed in Psalm 89, verses 31-33, “If they
break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then
will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes. Nevertheless my
loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to
fail.” A part of God’s faithfulness
lies in the fact that he uses the rod to correct his
children.
As
you study the life of Moses, you see no account of where his children are
indicted with evil. He obviously
used his rod to enforce discipline.
So in Hebrew 3, we find Moses is used as the example of being faithful in
all his house.
Here he compares the reign of Christ over his house similar to that of
Moses. Moses was given the Law and
knew how important it is to uphold and enforce it. Not only did he judge and discipline his
immediate family, but he was a faithful judge to the whole house of
What
will be eternally written regarding your faithfulness over your
house?
Once
again let us adhere to Paul’s instruction for qualified church leadership, “one
that ruleth well his own house, having his children in
subjection with all gravity; for if a
man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the
church of God?” I Tim. 3:4-5. The Amplified says, “Keeping his
children under control with true dignity, commanding their respect in every way
and keeping them respectful.
Respect is an attitude and spirit as well as actions.
A Spiritual Battle
If you are reading these scriptural admonitions and are fighting these truths, please be aware that this is a spiritual conflict. Spirits of rebellion receive reinforcement and strength in different ways. When a person has grown up with incorrect or unjust chastisement or abuse, it will resist even loving and Godly chastening. In these cases, the training process may take longer and a more strict enforcement to break the will to resist. Or, if you were raised without chastening, then the spirit of rebellion may be speaking to you something like this. “You are not bad and you weren’t spanked, and your parents are not bad and they let you have your way most of the time. So, why should you be so cruel as to force your children to obey you every time?” This spirit of disobedience which we inherited will use the carnal mind to fight the Word of God so that it bears no fruit. These spirits are familiar with your family weaknesses. The longer these enemies have maintained dominance in your family lineage, the more familiar they are with ways to defeat any changes you would make in order to overcome them. You must realize that your armor is the Word. Command them with your authority in Christ and then be bold to enforce the Word of God.
Bad
news, good news. First the
bad.
If
you have not done this, you have disqualified yourself from church
leadership. Now
the Good News. You can begin
right now. Ask forgiveness from
God. Ask forgiveness from your
children. Explain to them the new
order that you are going to bring to your house. Show them the rod (Stick or spanking
device, wooden spoon, etc.)
Explain how it will be used and why. Disobedient actions and attitudes must
be corrected. Pray, love,
discipline, love, pray, discipline, never give up. God does not give up on
us.
End.