ENCOURAGING PARENTS IN THEIR HEART WORK

LIVING BY FAITH

Concerning Children ~ Hebrews 11:6

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.”

May 22, 2021 - [Adapted June 7, 2022]

Audrey McGresham,

His Birthing Assistant

[spmidwife@gmail.com]

Children when they come into our lives whether they come through our womb, whether they come through our family, or whether they come through other sources, once their path crosses into our JOURNEYS there is an impact.

I believed the statement, “These [KIDS] don’t come with instructions” , because that was what I heard the “old folks” say. I stumbled thru trial-and-error doing things ‘right,’ as I understood or was told. Then life happened, situations, and circumstances surrounded me. I soon discovered that the Word of God is indeed the ‘instruction book’ needed not only my life but for children as well. We need to understand that LIKE THOSE appliances they do have instructions which is the word of God. My discovery was that BABIES, TODDLERS, YOUTH, TWEENS-TEENS, and yes, EVEN THE ADULTS children all of them have DESIGNER made instructions, just like those appliances. Did you notice I said DESIGNER INSTRUCTIONS*, which are specifically made for everyone HE created? The instruction book He has provided for us is the Word of God. We just need to consult the MAKER / CREATOR – GOD; as to how to troubleshoot, how to address the problems and concerns that certainly come at all the levels, how to motivate, as well as how to handle the gift He fearfully and wonderfully made and has placed in our care. As Pastor Nathan Johnson reminds us “God has options we don’t have.” And He also knows exactly how to care and correct His creation. *DESIGNER INSTRUCTION MANUAL- EXCERPTS - CONCERNING CHILDREN. Available upon request: [spmidwife@gmail.com]

Our relationship with children comes with great responsibilities. We will experience joy and delight along with times of fears, doubts, questions, and concerns for them. These same emotions and state of dread rise as we question our own ability and capacity to handle the assignment God has given us.

A child's life’s journey from conception throughout their lifetime will have you at various points experiencing fears concerning various things taking place and happening or not happening to them; this will indeed place one in position to begin developing their faith level using the Word of God.

Living by faith concerning your children, your family members, your friends, and yes even strangers along with world events causes you to take a stance of PRAYER. Those fears and/or doubts at times places you into your secret closet sharing them with the Lord AND looking for His instruction to move beyond the hurdle, the weight, the issues. Like Mary, Jesus’ Mother, you may have to ponder some things in your heart, as God works it out.

I found that praying aloud in the presence of my children, in the midst of their rampages, their unnatural silences, their sleepless nights, their hurts/injuries their disappointments, the rejections of others, or their failures has made an impact on my children.

To pray concerning a situation, to call on God, asking Him to enter in and be alive and present in their understanding. Think about those parents, or maybe you were one of them, when their toddler fell, they would “Kiss the child’s ‘Boo-boo’”.

Consider the impact if they also

• PRAYED for a quick and speedy healing of that area.

• PRAYED that the Lord would grant favor to remove or reduce the soreness as it heals.

• PRAYED to allow the body to continue to function and that if medication were needed; that it would do exactly what it needs to do without any harm or residual effects.

Take advantage of the opportunities presented to you to PRAY OUT LOUD and live your faith before the children. Let them hear some of the prayers that you present to God. This provides an illustration that our Lord is concerned with every area of our lives. As well as how, why, and when to pray.

I learned to pray aloud and to pray concerning my children, situations with them, things that troubled me, and the fears that came uninvited. I was able to share what the word of God said, what directions and insights the Holy Spirit was guiding and directing me, concerning them. As my children aged, one began to ask, ‘Can you let me know when you are going to do that?’ Do what? I replied. The response was when you switch from talking to me to praying. As my Faith Level increased, I understood that since God says He is in the mist when two or three are gathered in His name, it would be rude not to include Him in the conversation. Especially with the options He has to resolve anything.

Living by faith is being an example in the presence in the lives of our children, as we come against those fears that show up or present themselves at unexpected times. Let us not embrace the fears, but rather choose to embrace the Word of God and the promises found in it.

Promises such as:

Proverbs 3:5,6b “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, …, and He will guide you on the right paths.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up your child in the way they should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it.

One of my favorites, Isaiah 54:13 that lets us know the Lord will teach your children. Teaching them for His purposes and for the plans He has concerning them.

Having been selected to rear, to mentor, to invest, and to disciple children, there are times we just wonder, as my daughter, shortly after bringing my first grandbaby into the world. -She called in a panic - When I told her how to resolve the situation, she let out a sigh of relief and questioned So I did not break her? She is going to be okay!

YES, THERE ARE TIMES IT SEEMS THEY ARE BROKEN, and no, we have not always gotten it right, done it the way God has designed it to be in our relationships with others and with the children. Some of us got some things right by the trial-and-error method. Other things were disasters when we make decisions in the spur of the moment, even though we thought we were doing the right thing under the circumstances. Some followed what was trending and was left with disappointment, regret, and even discouraged. Others yielded to temptation, made mistakes and decisions that left a void that they are still pining over; grieving that they wish things could have been different. God

knows whether you gave birth outside of marriage, whether there was an abortion, whether there was a miscarriage, whether there were children you could not or you decided not to keep and hold on to, or intentionally ignored. God knows it all.

For those that have situations where you are still holding on to grief, to disappointment, to unforgiveness, to regret, and to discouragement behind what has happened or what did not happen or what you thought should have happened.

SUIT UP with the whole armor of God as described in Ephesians 6: 10-18. This is also for those that are yet walking through this area on their journey. Warfare is inevitable, but do not fear be of good courage the word of God tells us in (Psalm 18:34; & 144:1) that God will teach our hands to war. And for those mourning Isaiah shares in 61:3 “…He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

I have been warring concerning diseases, depression, demonic activity, attempts of destruction of the lives of my children, as well as my own, but through it all I quickly learned what the full armor of God meant and had to suit up daily and sometimes readjusting during the day to make sure that the armor was securely on.

Someone is struggling with fearing whether their children are going to be okay. Have they messed up? Did they break the kid in some way? Could they have done it differently?

Apply this quote: “Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and do it differently now.” Karen Salmansohn

It reminds me of a statement my speech teacher years ago shared with the class. You always give three speeches: One you prepare. One you give. And then the One you wish you had given.

So, as with children it is what WE prepare for concerning them; what WE actually do, say, or not; and then the moments that we have that we wish we had done, said, or handled it a different way.

Begin today putting before the Lord, our God who cares for you and cares for the children, the prayers seeking His direction, grace, mercy, favor, peace, and forgiveness. Praying for and with your children.

Because we are stewards over that that He's given us, it is Him the Designer, Maker, and CREATOR, that we must go back to and stay in continually communication for instruction, direction, peace, encouragement, and comfort as we carry out our assignment of a steward.

Where we can make a difference in the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical areas of the lives of the children that have been placed in our stewardship, WE MUST STAY CONNECTED TO GOD.

What is THAT FEAR concerning your child being, okay? Is it some physical ailment that they are experiencing, is it mental, emotional, relational, or spiritual? GOD KNOWS! Let us not disremember where our help comes from to assist us.

Also, who has God sent to serve as a “BATTLE BUDDY” for you. The one you can call on to share, and to pray with. The one that will stand with you.

Let me remind you that one can chase a thousand but two can chase ten thousand. Who is your “BATTLE BUDDY” that you can cry before, and they will even cry with you? They will share wisdom and truth with you. They will seek the Lord's direction with you.

If you have not identified A Battle Buddy in your life, ask the Lord to reveal who it is that He has already put in place.

You then need to seek God to direct you to the one you can be a “Battle Buddy” to. The one they can confide in without the fear it will spread. Let me caution you, as you pray with others you must be careful not bring up details or confidences that have been shared with you. Everybody does not need to know the details to pray, God knows the details. Just pray asking God for the wisdom, for His favor, for His direction, and for His peace.

Children are resilient, but we must be on guard and watchful concerning them. As their stewards, the one God has assigned to them. Being mindful about all sorts of things that may affect their lives. Not just the injuries to the physical body we need to be concerned about their mental, their emotional and their spiritual states as well.

As Pastor Nathan Johnson taught the Bible Study on April 21, 2021, “We are to prepare the children with insulation and tools to navigate the things they will encounter and not just cast them into the ‘destructive river of the world that takes life.'”

As stewards we need to be jealous over what goes into their eye and ear gates. To stand watch, ready to war concerning anything that sets itself up to steal their innocence or turn them from the true and living God. We are not left without protection or instructions to fulfill this assignment. Remember God will teach our hands to war, and we have the whole armor of God. To live a life demonstrating 'Living by Faith' is not something that you just wake up and you do. It is a series of events, circumstances, life happenings, and experiences that drive, direct, or cause you to seek God and His will. To get closer to Him to build a closer relationship with Him. This is done thru the study and application of His word in our lives. Unfortunately, when some of these situations, circumstances, life happenings, and experiences occur, we seemly fall into a state where we disremember. Forgetting that He's available and present. The One that is with us, in each of these occurrences.

TODAY, I share there is hope. He is available for healing and wholeness in our body, in our mind, our emotion, and our spirit because He cares. We have a forgiving God, and a reconciling God. One that is ready to receive us because of His Son, Jesus Christ. The one He sent so we might have life and have it more abundantly. That means without the weight of guilt, disappointment, and rejection that weighs us down because we have not released That ‘It’ on to the Lord. Giving ‘It’ to Him and finding out His directions as to how we can turn from what we have done, what we have said, or even what we have thought, that displeased Him. Learning how we can turn from where we are to the established steps spoken of in Proverbs 16:9. The steps He has determine for us. As we move into position for the plans God has for us, we no longer have to operate by Trial-and-error. We will be able to refer to the Designer Instruction Manual* for every aspect of our lives and those that have been assigned to us, the children.

*DESIGNER INSTRUCTION MANUAL- EXCERPTS - Concerning Children. Available upon request: [spmidwife@gmail.com]

Having children put me in a boot camp of learning to live by faith as well as understanding that children are a gift that God shares with whom He chooses (1Cor. 12:11).

Jeremiah 1:5a the Lord says- “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.”

Psalm 139:15,16 David said Lord- “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

Certainly, children belong to God, He gives us opportunities to be stewards concerning them. Children have been given to us; we are to be stewards. They do not belong to us; and certainly, we are not their creators. They belong to God; they are His. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord;” . We are also informed in Job 33:4 that, “The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Our stewardship of the children includes those that not only come through our womb, but those that are presented to us in our journey; be it someone in our family; someone else's family or others from unknown sources. God provides opportunities and the privilege for individuals to serve, minister, and steward His children.

REMEMBER THIS:

• We must realize ‘we do not have to be PERFECT for God to use us.’ God places people, experiences, and circumstances before us that provide opportunities to Parent or to be Parented.

God uses others to impart wisdom and share their faith. He provides and positions you with the opportunity to pour into the lives of His children.

• Your faith can encourage someone else's.

You too have a few people who stand out that has imparted wisdom, love, hope, or encouragement that has made an impact on your FAITH LEVEL.

Help In Time of Need.

We are invited in Hebrews 4:16 to come to the throne of grace boldly to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This certainly is the place to go to share with the Lord the concerns, worries, fears, apprehensions, expectations, desires, hopes, and dreams concerning the children that has been placed in our charge. As we tarry there talking with Him, sharing, and seeking His direction and His instructions concerning children, reminding God of His word, not that He's forgotten, but letting Him know that we believe His word - WHAT HE SAYS MATTERS.

These Prayers Concerning the Children Matter.

When you have gone on the glory, there will be some prayers that have not been answered that will be part of your legacy of prayers. God does not forget any of our prayers. Revelation 5:8 lets us know the prayers of God’s people are held as incense in gold bowls. So, your intercessory prayers for the children, the faith that you display, and sharing of His word makes an impact for Kingdom’s sake and God’s glory.

Cheri Fuller, an author says, “The legacy of prayer is a legacy worth investing in, and it's the best thing we can leave to those who come after us.” She also shares “Into the lives of children, we plant seeds of love, learning, good character, and faith. We watered the seeds with our prayers and sometimes our tears. But it is God who brings the growth.” We must continually remind ourselves that THE CHILDREN are works in progress. Yes, even that adult child and so are YOU. We all are still growing.

Letting Go Experiences

At times you have done all you know to do, and you have exhausted your ideas, plans, and solutions. There seems to be no progress to what you are facing. The answer does not seem to be in sight. In some cases, you have hidden, covered, and manipulated things trying to hold things together, but like Jochebed Moses's mother (Exodus 2:1-4) you must place your 'Moses’ situation' with all its perceived challenges, problems, promises, and potential and release it to the one who holds the future. The one that knows everything and knows how to help you navigate through each situation.

GOD’S GPS:

Using His GPS: GOD’S PLAN of Stewardship | GOD’S PLAN of Safety | GOD’S PLAN of Survival | GOD’S PLAN of Security | GOD’S PLAN of Salvation | Etc.] You must choose to release your children and consult God at every level, every stage, age, and every phase of their existence. It is not a one-time occurrence. You will find that it is necessary to continually have a connection to THIS GPS system. Charged up and turned on with prayer, worship, and praise of the Lord, while staying in His word.

The faith and wisdom of children can be instruments God used to help us in strengthening and growing in our faith. Living by faith is following and trusting and relying on the directions of the Holy Spirit. Learning and knowing when to let go and when to hold on. Ultimately growing to the point of trusting God's reputation. Also letting you know THAT those experiences, situations, circumstances, and issues, though painful can be used as building blocks to develop and grow your faith. Bringing you into a more intimate relationship with the Lord and His word. Positioning you to hide His word in your heart. So, at times the Holy Spirit can bubble it up in your conscience to allow you to remember you are not alone. To remind you, you do not have to fear, YOU can be courageous, and YOU can stand with confidence knowing and thanking God, for He is YOUR provider, He is YOUR rescuer, He's YOUR healer, and He gives YOU peace. He is available to you and that availability is reached through YOUR PRAYER LIFE.

I PRAY, that your faith will develop and strengthen as you become an intercessor for yours and others’ children. Demonstrating before all that you confidently are living by faith.

AMEN.

REFERENCES

· Worthington, Alli 2018. Fierce Faith. Grand Rivers, MI: Zondervan.

· The One Year Women’s Friendship Devotional 2008 by Cheri Fuller and Sandra P. Aldrich. Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. Pages 102, 115.

· Holy Bible, The New King James Version, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.

· Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Holy Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible, 2011. Holman Bible Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee.

*DESIGNER INSTRUCTION MANUAL- EXCERPTS - Concerning Children. Available upon request: [spmidwife@gmail.com]