Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength (Vol. 1) - # 356
Michael’s book is
available through:
ABIDING LIFE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Littleton, Colorado
(303) 972-0859 www.abidinglife.com
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There are basic “life principles” that dictate so
much in our life. Gravity is one. Our perceptions and beliefs are another.
Michael delves into an area of life where God has
a lot to say in His Word, humanism has today interjected its religious views,
and most parents know little of
either and have no clue how to parent. Especially from a Spiritual (God’s) view
or putting His wisdom into practical use.
DAY 229
Raising Children Practically
Woe to those
who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! –Isaiah 5:21
Often I am asked to
share some basic principles that I have found in childrearing. Below I have
mentioned a few.
1. The attitude of the parent must be always to approach the child
with an empty bag. Even if
a parent’s I.Q. were 200, God’s is infinite. When a parent comes to the
child with his own knowledge of what to do, he will almost always get it wrong.
Everything in life teaches us
dependence on the Lord. The child has specific needs that only God
knows. Therefore, the parent who does not know what to do is better off at the
time of need to seek the One with the infinite I.Q. How does this work out
practically? A parent need not react right away when he sees the child acting
out; he can just wait, pray, and see what the Lord would have him do. In every
situation he can see God or himself; if he sees God, he can have a move in the
Spirit. If he only sees himself, he only has a move in the flesh. God is
working something in the parent as he works with the child. Waiting before he
acts and listening to Him both work something in him. God is intensely personal
with each one of us. Remember when Jesus brought the exact fish to the exact
place to the exact man (Peter) to meet an exact need? When the child acts out,
it is the exact thing needed for the exact parent to meet an exact need. In
short, the child will drive a parent to his knees, and that is not bad.
2. The situation must be
entered in faith and with the belief that God does not fight sin or failure but
uses it. That is very important, because a person does not rule his belief
system; it rules him. A parent must see that God will work in his
child’s life. God does not have any grandchildren; all must come to Him on
their own and out of need. Therefore, the child needs some failure, turmoil,
and pain. My prayer for my kids has always been, “Father, allow enough in their
life so that they will see they need You, but not enough for them to be
destroyed.” Jesus is God’s
peace. He sees the believer today, and yet He sees the believer in Jesus
in heaven. No matter where a Christian is today in his struggles, the Lord sees
him complete in Christ, and He is at peace. The parent sees his child today and
sees Christ today, and he also has peace.
3. You must be willing to
fight with the child and be miserable. There
are so many messages that this young generation gets from the world that ours
did not. For every one time you tell the child something is wrong, the world is
telling him one hundred times that it is all right. I hate fighting with young people, but we must.
Many women have told me how disappointed they were that their father did not
exert any influence to keep them from dating a particular boy. In my house I
decided that I would fight over drugs, sex, and alcohol, and nobody would be
happy if those things were happening.
4. Let the peace of God rule
in your heart. You may not know when it comes, but you do know when it
leaves. Simply listen to it for guidance as to when the child needs
confronting, hugging, or nothing at all to be said.
5. It sounds simplistic to
tell people to rest in faith, listen to His peace, and go in emptiness, but
only until it is tried! The greatness of faith is not determined by how much
one receives but by how long he can wait though receiving nothing.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
Isaiah’s words of warning have long been the
bane of Christians. Instead of finding out what God has to say, and following
His Words, too many Believers have turned to their “own understanding” and “cleverness.”
Well, King Solomon had something to say about that also:
Trust in the LORD
with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
And what about that astounding statement to
close out the Book of Judges:
In those days there was no king in Israel:
every man did that which
was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25
Just a short summary of what Michael has
said…
Parents must be willing to be parents.
Parents must be trusting God’s Word that “all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to His purpose.”
Parents trusting God will find the peace of
God ruling in their Heart.
What we perceive, we believe. What we
believe…really believe…God solidifies with His Faith (Galatians 5:22). Will
there ever be a day when God’s people BELIEVE Him and see His Life Lived out in
our lives?
To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www .leemccm.blogspot.com
NOTICE: another blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness. You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
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P.O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches,
TX 75963 936-559-5696
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