CHAPTER SIX | HONORING PARENTS AND RESISTING REBELLION
The Bible also says, “Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness” (Proverbs 20:20).
The fact that we can affect the length and quality of our children’s lives is reason enough to pray, instruct, and discipline them. Along with that, we must recognize and resist any rebellion that threatens to creep into their minds and causes them to do other than what God commands.
Rebellion is actually pride put into action.
The Bible says, “Rebellion is as the sin of witch craft” (1 Samuel 15:23) because its ultimate end is total opposition to God.
Pride gets us into rebellion, but stubbornness is what keeps us there. Anyone who walks in rebellion has a stubborn idol in his or her life.
When children do not honor their father or mother, it is often the first sign that the idols in a child’s heart—a child of any age—are pride and selfishness. That’s why children who are not taught to obey their parents become rebellious. They say, “I want what I want when I want it.”
Identifying and destroying the idols of pride and selfishness through prayer can often be the key to breaking a child’s rebellion.
The opposite of rebellion is obedience, or walking in the will of God.
We want our children to walk in obedience so that they will have confidence, security, long life, and peace. One of the first steps of obedience for children is to obey and honor their parents. This is something a child must be taught, but teaching becomes easier when prayer paves the way.
If your child is older, an adolescent or even an adult, and rebellion is already clearly manifested in his or her behavior, the discipline and teaching part will be harder, but you still have the power of prayer. Remember, your battle is not with your son or daughter.
Your battle is with the enemy. The good news is that Jesus has given you authority “over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Don’t be afraid to take advantage of that.
Rebellion will surface in your child at one time or another. Be ready to meet the challenge with prayer and the Word of God, along with correction, discipline, and teaching. Don’t be intimidated by a rebellious spirit. Jesus is Lord over that, too.
WEAPONS OF WARFARE
Isaiah 1:19-20
Psalm 107:10-12
Proverbs 30:17
Proverbs 1:8-9
Nehemiah 9:26-27
Chapter Five | Chapter Seven
All Summary Attempts | More Resources | Connect with Bayor
Disclaimer - Misrepresentation of the author's perspective is unintentional. Contents of this post and all other post in the "Summary Attempt" series (and all posts by other authors) are in no way intended to be an infringement on the rights/copyrights of the author/publisher/representative. Neither are they provided as a substitute to the book(s)/resource(s) but an invitation to buy the books wherever they are sold. Liability for this blogpost or any other information (or the use of such information) provided on this blog is not accepted from any source.
No comments:
Post a Comment