I heard from a wonderful guest speaker from Sweden who shared this glorious testimony. A young man took a photo of himself in a sassy pose and made 50 copies which he hung all around his school. The caption said, “I am a Christian. Ask me why!” Kids would come to stand by him to whisper, “Tell me why.” He later said, “That was the best thing I ever did!” Jesus ignites a boldness in our children’s hearts to be the light for those around them.
Dear friend, we celebrate with you!
“We cried tears of joy tonight as we watched our precious baby girl give her heart and her life to Jesus!! This is the most important decision she will ever make in her whole life, and our hearts are overwhelmed with the deepest joy and gratitude that she belongs to Jesus! The angels are rejoicing, and so are we!! We praise You, Lord!! She said, ‘I feel so so so so soooooo happy and wonderful! Jesus lives inside my heart, and I live inside His heart, and He will never leave me! I can talk to Jesus! I want to listen to Jesus music and praise Him! I love Jesus soooo much! And I want to get baptized!’ She danced and sang and smiled so big the rest of the night, so full of joy and wonder! What a precious gift! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, JESUS!!! He is so worthy and so beautiful and so wonderful!! ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’ (Matthew 19:14).”
Share this with your children and let them know it is okay to be brave and bold.
“My son Preston was at school today, and a girl his age (10) asked him if she could share with him the Gospel (good news of Jesus Christ). He responded, ‘I already know the Gospel, but yes, tell me…’ She told him how Jesus died on the cross for his sins… How cool is that?”
I personally do not believe in rushing out to get your child ‘saved’ as it is an organic move of the Holy Spirit. I personally wanted it to be real and authentic, not just out of obeying or pleasing me. However, I do strongly believe that children need to be taught what salvation looks like.
There are four aspects to Christian salvation: 1. We are all sinners – we all fall short of being good enough on our own. 2. Everyone is born a spiritual orphan. 3. Jesus died for our sins – He took our spanking for our wrongdoings. We must receive and believe in that gift – just knowing it in our mind is not the same as receiving the gift. 4. If we receive Jesus in our hearts, we will live with Him FOREVER as His Son or Daughter.
I would say to the children, “Someday, you will make a choice if you want Jesus to live in your heart or not. Only you get to decide that.” When we would see people acting in ways that were not kind or honoring, I would use it as a teachable moment through the lens of salvation, such as, “That person is acting that way because they haven’t been introduced to Jesus yet.” I also filtered p*rnography through this lens by saying things like, “That is someone’s daughter, and we want to cover and protect her. She is doing that because she doesn’t know who she is.” It isn’t an s*x issue. It is an identity issue.
I was raised in the church. By that, I mean I was in attendance nearly every Sunday for 15 years (before I moved out of the house). Roughly put, I walked through the doors over 800 times (not including weekly gatherings, potlucks, and Confirmation classes). When I was in the 4th grade, I began attempting suicide. I continued to go to Church. I had meetings with the Pastors 1:1. I had a near-death experience when I was 24 and encountered hell as I was not a believer (I thought it was because I knew all of the stories and went to Church but had no relationship). It wasn’t until I woke from my coma that I realized I had missed the boat and that I did not have a relationship with Jesus, salvation, or was ‘saved.’ When God says, He sent His Son to save us; HE ISN’T KIDDING! It isn’t heaven or earth; it is heaven or hell, and hell is a very real place. How in the world can someone go to Church their entire childhood and never once be told about salvation and the CHOICE that was given to me to accept Him? I spoke with my brother, who said, “I didn’t know. No one told me.” This is mind-boggling to me.
The goal is not to get our children saved but to lead them to the One who saves. Parents, in this hour, our children MUST know that there is another world available to them through Christ Jesus. Have you taught your children? Do they know that someday they will stand before Him and give an account for their lives? Do they know they can choose Jesus NOW? As I taught my children, I never asked if they wanted to receive Him as I wanted it to be something that came from within them, not pressure from me. I would say, “Someday, I hope you make a choice to want Jesus in your heart,” and planted seeds that they had a choice to make.
Parents, do not wait – teach them TODAY about the GOOD NEWS!
1,000’s of people have been affected by my life because the forces of darkness were not successful. Death came knocking hard and almost won. Many years ago, I was slipping into a coma enduring 76 long hours alone, slowly dying. It would be another full day before I was found. Hell thought it won that day. The enemy thought he succeeded in killing a life that didn’t appear to matter much to anyone. A heart that hurt more than it loved. A mind that was tormented by lies of utter unworthiness and despair. I took more than I contributed and shared my brokenness with anyone brave enough to try and get close to me. But God… But God saw the value of what He created! But God knew the plans He had for me! But God was confident in His power! But God knew my day of salvation was near! But God decided life was better for me! But God sent His Son to die for ME! But God knew it would be the final blow before I began to rise up like a lioness! But God knew that my ache would turn into my roar! But God knew my future included pulling others out of the pit! But God, He had four precious babies in store for me! But God knew the lies were just that – lies! But God sent people in my path to help me! But God knew my pain would turn into worship! But God was aware of what He was doing in me! But God knew I would be His weapon of destruction against the forces of evil that almost conquered me!
Baby, I do not know what you are facing today, but the same God who moved in my life is MOVING in your life. Keep going, for He is not done with you yet. He trusts Himself with your journey.
God has been highlighting my son to me for months now. Something just wasn’t quite right. I didn’t know if it was hormone issues, a heart splinter, or something else. I would cry out to God to reveal what was going on, and slowly the picture came into focus over a period of about six months – He isn’t a believer! There was a noticeable difference between him and the girls with attitude, interest in spiritual things, and even joy. God began to show me that when they were little, and we were going after hearing God’s voice, I would say to them, “Where does God live? In heaven? Out in the field? No, He lives in your heart,” but that isn’t actually 100% true. It is true that Jesus passionately loves us, and we can hear His voice and even play in His Kingdom, but each person must choose to receive Him and invite Him into their hearts. I believe the Lord allows children/us to play in the Kingdom so that we will enter the Kingdom, but playing in the Kingdom isn’t always the fruit of salvation. Matthew 7:22. I was keenly aware I could not go to my son directly and tell him, “Hey, I don’t think you are really a believer,” as that would have crushed him. I waited. I prayed. I cried out, and I waited some more. I knew God was after His heart and needed to let Him do the work. I continued being alert to His leading. It isn’t that my son didn’t know God, he did. It was that deep inside, he knew something was missing. He lives in a culture where kids are powerful, heal the sick, and hear God well. While my son was able to still participate in these things, he was keenly aware there was a space between his relationship with God. Others were modeling what he didn’t have. While it should have created hunger, instead, it created a wall of separation, and he felt exposed. It is hard to stand up against a culture and say, “Hey, I am not experiencing this!” We came home from church, and chaos broke out. I gave everyone the opportunity to enjoy some alone time. I sat in the living room asking God what was going on, and He told me to invite Hudson to sit with me. We sat face to face, and I could see the anguish in his eyes. I began to ask him about the space between him and God. A large teardrop fell, and I knew this was the moment I had prayed for. I asked for forgiveness for not clarifying when he was younger that someday he would need to make his own choice if he wanted Jesus in his heart. Such a sigh of relief validated his confusion over the months, perhaps years. I explained fully what salvation means; he was a sinner and has fallen short, Jesus died on the Cross for HIM, and Jesus longed not just to talk to him but actually reside and live inside of him. I passionately believe salvation isn’t just for the soul to enter heaven someday, but that salvation is for our mind, body, and spirit. We began to pray and ask Holy Spirit what parts of his mind, body, and soul needed healing. God had me ask if it was hard for him that his earthly father is very kind, even provides well for him, but doesn’t touch and interact with him. The tears began to pour out, and I asked, “And do you feel that way with Father God? That He is good, loves you, and provides for you, but that your heart longs for Him to touch, encounter, and embrace you?” With tears and the sweetest tenderness, Hudson became a Son!
Jeremy Riddle was leading worship when Ellie got so lost in worship and then got really quiet and sat down for the rest of the time. Afterward, I asked her what was going on, and she asked if we could go on a 1:1 date so she could tell me. She began to tell me that during worship, Jesus said, “You and I are friends, but I want to be your best friend.” She knew Jesus was telling her there was more, and in the middle of the Winco parking lot, she accepted Jesus. Jeremy, to me, you will never be just a great worship leader. You were the man who ushered Jesus into the room and came specifically for my daughter!
If I could wave a magic wand and change one thing about Christian parenting, it would be this mindset. Walk with me for a moment as I explain. People become believers out of their journey with God and want to raise their children in a godly home. All is good, except their children aren’t believers… yet. When someone accepts Christ, the Holy Spirit moves inside of them and begins this incredible transformation process that will continue until death. It is gorgeous, glorious and a force to be reckoned with. God LOVES all of His Creation, God SPEAKS to all of His Creation, God CARES about all of His creation. But there is a difference between a spiritual orphan and those who are called Sons and Daughters. Let’s put it this way. Anyone can enter God’s house, open the fridge and eat whatever they want, they have access to God and can talk to Him, but at the end of the day, non-believers go back to being an orphan fending for themselves. Sons and Daughters remain in the palace because it is their home. Not all children are Sons & Daughters… yet. I honestly believe we work against God when we treat our children as if they are believers when in fact, they are still seekers.
Do children need to be believers to play in the Kingdom or do they play in the Kingdom to choose Him? I think it is both. When did God speak the loudest to Saul (Paul)? When He was Jesus’ enemy #1. When did Jesus invite Matthew? When he was full of greed. When did Jesus welcome the man on the cross? When he was destined to hell. God’s most profound act of love was a free gift to those who didn’t know Him. Oh, yes, He cares for those who do not yet know Him. God speaks and interacts with unbelievers. And in doing so, it provides an encounter with the One who is worthy of it all. Encounters become the gateway in which many realize He is the One and make the choice to follow Him. This is a glorious, beautiful event because it becomes their testimony which no man can argue or deny. Our goal as parents should be to seek to provide our children with encounters with Him and the joy of playing in His Kingdom so that they experience Him. Head knowledge is religion where encounters are relationship.
Some ways to usher our children into an encounter could include: showing them a Scripture of how much Jesus cares about them (not just to correct their behavior), asking Jesus questions that pertain to their world, heart and cares, inviting Jesus into their pain, taking them to church, allowing them to stay with you during worship, sharing with them what He showed you during your quiet time, telling your own God stories, letting them dance at home with worship music, soaking (simply sitting/lying quietly generally with music on to feel His peace), asking God to help them with something (and then helping them see how He responded).
When my children were little, I had a sign on the wall that said, “Dear Jesus, thank You for ______. Would You please help me with ______”. Each day they would pray filling in the blanks. I was modeling for them how to be thankful and come to Jesus with what was important to their heart. At the end of the day, we would play the High/Low game where they would share what was the high and low of their day. Their highs would almost always reflect the very thing they asked Jesus for. One day my daughter asked Jesus to help her get a sweet treat. It felt rather insignificant to me, but hours later we were at a store, and a clerk said she made one too many ice cream cones and offered it to my daughter. I immediately reminded her of her prayer that morning. I saw my role as a dot connector. Teaching them to pray, then helping them see the way God was responding and speaking to them. Their faith grew each time leaving them hungry for more. We were building their stories with Him long before any of them made a personal decision to follow Him.
