ENCOUNTER THE FATHER
The goal is not to use spiritual tools to ‘fix’ our children. The goal is to lead our children to an encounter with their Father!
ENCOUNTER THE FATHER
ENCOUNTER THE FATHER
- Encountering the Father, Kingdom Parenting
LOOK WHAT GOD DID
My inbox receives, on average, 25 testimonies a day of “Look what God did!” But there is a new level of breakthrough that I am seeing in our families. When a parent who used to partner with control, fear, and anger cries out and says, “Help me, Holy Spirit,” He is so faithful to show up in such an intimate, real and tangible way to help parent our children.
COMFORTABLE PARENTING
I had a great conversation with a friend about her parenting challenges. She said sometimes she looks at her child with the thoughts, “GEE!!! If you would just be like XYZ, it would make my life so much easier,” and then she said, “… and would make me feel like I was doing a good job.” I responded, “You can either pursue parenting that makes you look and feel like you are doing a good job, or you can allow God to do a good work. The latter will always cost you something.”
SURRENDER ENCOUNTER
It’s time to surrender our children back to the One who is ultimately the only One fully capable of keeping them safe. It’s not all up to you, and the weight of protection does not just rest on your shoulders. God is the One who knit them together. They are HIS, and we must RE-ALIGN ourselves to His role in their lives or we will come under a weight that isn’t ours to carry.
HIS KINGDOM
The Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy, yet one of the biggest reasons why Sunday school leaders have a hard time finding volunteers is because adults are uncomfortable with JOY. Teach parents how to be restored to joy, and they will be drawn to those who carry child-like joy!
AFFIRMATION
The opposite of judgment is not acceptance; it is affirmation. Affirm – af·firm – Verb. 1. state as a fact; assert strongly and publicly. 2. offer (someone) emotional support or encouragement. “There are five common ways parents fail to affirm their children.”
When was the last time you intentionally affirmed those around you in their identity, value, or destiny? It is Kingdom to do so.
SICK AND TIRED!
I hosted a parenting class and asked the parents why they were there. Seriously, there was a motivating factor that drove them to sign up. They wanted something. I encouraged them to dig deep and discover why they said yes to joining me. Around the room, the answers were the same, and my spirit was soaring with each response. Friends, we are entering a tipping point. One by one, parents stated they were SICK AND TIRED! Sick and tired of the fighting in their home, the disunity amongst siblings, the lack of respect, the lukewarm temperature of their hearts, the complacency, the addiction to screens, the fear of man – the pressure to perform, the weight of the atmosphere, the feeling like a victim to circumstances, and the lack of joy. Oh, my friends, it is good to be sick and tired of this in your homes. One by one, there is a tipping point of families joining the ranks of I WANT TO FOLLOW HIM WITH EVERYTHING I’VE GOT! It will cost you something, but you will gain everything He has to offer.
GOOD ENOUGH
Do you find your worth attached to your performance? During one of the teachings from the online JOURNEY class, I asked if they had parents who called out the good in them as a child. Many did not, but for those who did, the response is always something along these lines, “Yeah, they called out the good, but it always seemed to be the good about what I DID, not who I was.” When we dish out praise based on behavior/performance, we are teaching children that their performance pleases us and dictates their value. That is not what God says or how He operates with us. He LOVES us because of who we are, not what we do! So why not try it today? Ask, “Jesus, when You look at my child, what do You see?” Write it out on their mirror, on a piece of paper. Be creative and have fun; you have permission to connect with them!
PURSUING YOUR SON’S HEART
How have I pursued his heart over the years? Teaching him godly character, explaining on his level what connection looks like, allowing him space but not isolation, never letting the sun go down in anger or conflict, speaking his love language daily, calling out tones and attitudes, intentionally restoring the joy chemicals in his brain, hugging him, telling him I love him in words other than “I love you”, speaking over him who he is called to be, prophesying over his future, not tolerating slammed doors or storming off, teaching him how to respect me in actions and speech, limiting the number of video games, not allowing violence to entertain him, role-playing how to interact with his sisters when he is upset, fighting in the spirit realm over him, speaking over his future success – “You are going to be…”, being aware when there are emotional or relational walls, telling him the fruit he will bear with his choices (good or bad), helping him see how good connection feels and how it is worth the work it takes!
LET’S ASK JESUS
Ask, “Jesus, if You could write a letter to my dad, what would it say?”
FAMILY COMMUNION
I love Communion Sunday. I take the forgiveness of my sins seriously and believe with my whole heart that Jesus is not only the Savior of the world but MY Friend. The price He paid for me to know Him and walk in that friendship is no small thing. While my children took communion on Sunday, I wanted to go deeper with them. I went to the store to buy gluten-free rice crackers and a bottle of grape juice. I already had communion cups (at any party store) and gathered the kids. We spent time going around telling Jesus what we were thankful for (because of Him). We broke the cracker and sat quietly as we each focused on His body being beaten, ripped, and torn for US! We recalled the countless times He has washed us clean from our messes and mistakes and never once turned His back on us. We thanked Him for ‘taking the spanking on our behalf’ and quietly consumed the juice. What struck me so profoundly about our pastor’s message is that communion is so much more than just eating and drinking over a history lesson. Just as being baptized is more than taking a swim, there is something more significant going on when we take communion. We take communion to RECEIVE His forgiveness and healing TODAY. We are committed as a family to taking communion every morning. We recall who needs the blood of Jesus in their life or circumstances, and we take it on their behalf. We focus on what Jesus has done for us TODAY and fill our hearts and minds with His goodness. Gather your kids and partake in one of the greatest gifts ever given to man!