I feel that this series is so prophetic for our generation and what is happening in society. We cannot turn a blind eye and just say that what is going on is not going to affect the next generation. We see that the enemy knows and he is after the next generation; he is after our children.

Those reading this may be in different seasons or walks of life right now. Whatever your season, I want you to know that this message is for you because you have a role to play to be an influence for God. I pray the Word of God will touch you as you read, in Jesus’ name.

Embrace The Kingdom Mindset

It is common to hear in society today that children are a burden, problem, or an inconvenience. I remember when I was in my 20s, it was rare to hear something good about children. Many parents would say things along the line of ‘I love my children but do yourself a favor, don’t have your own.’

I could not comprehend this mentality! It was everywhere – in school, among my relatives, and in social media. Many people today have heard this viewpoint and many others have even started to believe this lie.

In my 20s, it seeped into my mentality and I truly began to believe that having children would pause me from reaching my full potential in my career and would be a burden. It wasn’t until I was in my mid 20s that I realized I believed what society believed. Through reading the Word of God, and praying with my husband, I came to repentance and understood that I could not believe this anymore. This psalm changed my mind.

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, an offspring and reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.”

Psalm 127:3-4

In other words, God says children are a blessing. If my mentality and confession is that children exhaust me and are a burden, I am professing a demonic lie. If I believe this, I have adapted to society and not to the Word of God. This was the beginning of my repentance and embracing of the Kingdom mindset that my children are a heritage and a reward.

Children Are A Blessing Not A Burden

I am not saying that having children is always easy; neither am I saying that you won’t be tired and lose sleep. It is hard but what is not demanding that is good? Work is hard, marriage is hard, and raising warriors is hard but when you work it through, the benefit, legacy, and fruit are worth it.

The enemy wants us to believe, speak, and feel that our children are a burden to us; they are a problem instead of a blessing. That is a lie that does not align with the scriptures. This is a strategy of the enemy to rob us of the blessing of good parenthood because becoming a mother was one of the absolute best things that has ever happened to me.

If we truly believe that children are a burden and we have this mindset, we will not be able to raise warriors; we will raise victims. If we truly believe that our children are burdens, they will not only believe that themselves, but they will be a burden to others. This is very dangerous.

The Root of The Problem

I asked myself, ‘why is is that people think having children is a burden?’ Where did it come from? The first place it came from is that society told them so and the second place is that was how they were raised at home.

Children are very sensitive and they can quickly pick up on your attitude, the things you say, and the atmosphere you create. This is why we have to embrace the mindset of the Kingdom of God. We have not fully embraced the Kingdom mindset if children are absent in it. We need to realize that they are part of the vision and purpose of the Kingdom of God.

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Matthew 19:13-14

The disciples rebuked the parents but Jesus rebuked the disciples for getting in the way. When we have this mindset, we can get in the way of our children coming to Jesus. When we accept that they are bothering the flow, bothering the ministry, bothering our progress, we are standing in the way of them coming to Jesus.

We have the have this intentionality that we are raising our children as leaders and warriors to lead the next generation. They will not be victims in Jesus’ name.

Expose

This is a powerful tool the devil is using to affect today’s children but we can turn it around and use it as a powerful tool for God Almighty. The age our children are being exposed to the world, porn, drugs, alcohol, and all manners of evil is becoming younger and younger. The enemy wants to steal innocence and purity of heart. He wants to pervert it, corrupt it, and sow doubt and fear into their core belief system. Satan wants our children to be exposed to all this darkness before they can be exposed to the power and goodness of God.

Therefore, it is our responsibility as parents, family members, and influences in the children’s lives to expose them to the truth that Jesus Christ is greater than the enemy and every pain he has caused. This should be done based on your discretion and discernment as a parent when you believe your child is ready.

Show Off Jesus To Your Children

Let your children see things that happen, for instance at our prayer lines, when the name of Jesus Christ is spoken, demons and sicknesses have to obey. They must understand that we are not just hoping to win; in Christ, we have already won.

Children are like sponges and what they see in us, they will do. Let us show our children the power of the name of Jesus Christ. There is a craving in our society for the supernatural. Some argue why we would introduce our children at such a young age but Harry Potter and witchcraft in children’s toys and stores are not relenting. They are actively going after our kids. So, we have to come against it full throttle and give them exposure to the light of the world who can dispel all darkness. Our children need to understand the difference between the truth and the lie, the dark and the light, the demons and the Deliverer, Jesus Christ.

Practical Steps To Introduce Your Children To God

Testimonies

Testimonies prophesy the future. They are powerful for our faith and for our children. Testimonies will help them believe that God can heal, deliver, and bring a breakthrough, and when we pray, God answers. I often testified to my children what I had witnessed of God’s power in our crusades or conferences. Show them testimonies that reveal the power of God.

Personal Stories And Storytelling

We can see from the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 4:8, that they created a culture of curiosity in their children. The children would ask who is this God who split the Red Sea? Who is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They cultivated curiosity for their children to ask questions. The instruction was to tell of God’s glory to the grandchildren and great grandchildren. This explains to your children why you love God so much and why are you so committed. Is it because of religion? No, tell them how God touched you. Tell your children what God has done for you.

Open Conversations

Your children will always have questions for you. You do not always have to know the answer. You can let them know you will pray about it and go to God for the right answer. Then, you will be able to give an explanation in a childlike manner that they understand because it is the truth, not just because mom or dad said so.

Don’t hide the truth and the answers to life’s questions from them. Allow them to come to you and ask you the hard questions. Take their questions to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to give you ideas.

Interesting Example For Children

My daughter came to me one day and asked how many boyfriends they were allowed to have before they got married. I was flustered and didn’t know how to answer the question so I went to the Lord and He gave me this inspiration. I asked her, how many hearts do you have? She said one. So you have only one heart to give. What you should do is give it to your father, so he can guard it until he gives you to your husband at the altar. You only have one heart to give which is why we don’t have boyfriends or girlfriends before we get married. God doesn’t want you to have a broken heart and to have to give that to your husband.

If we don’t give wise answers or resort to the age-old classic cop-out answer of because I say so, our children will try to find the answer in the world or on the internet. We don’t want that. As Christian parents, we have the Holy Spirit so we can ask for wisdom and knowledge of the truth and communicate it to our children in a way that is useful for them.

Your children will accept what you tell them when you do not hide the truth in your answer or avoid the question.

Don’t Doubt Your Parenting

Don’t doubt your parenting. I cannot stress this enough. You are not their parent by accident. You are their parent; God gave them to you. Therefore, you have authority and influence in their lives. Being parents, we carry the responsibility of teaching our children. we are our children’s first teachers.

Music, Books, And Videos

There is so much that our children are absorbing and consuming daily in terms of media. I pray specifically for God to give me things, movies and media for them that will inspire them and speak to them at their level. This can plant the seed of faith in their hearts that God can use them even as they are. Ask the Lord to give you the right music, media, and things that inspire the right questions in them.

Show Your Children How To Read The Word of God

As Christian parents, we pray, we praise God, and we read the Bible. We need to expose this to our children and in a way, show it off! Be proud of your devotion to the Lord and help them to understand it. It doesn’t have to be all the time but be intentional. Show them that you read the Bible. Show them that you pray, you praise God, and you sing worship to Him. Let them see you on purpose so that they know you do it, and it makes them curious about it too.

Experience And Encounter

We have the power to create opportunities for our children to experience and encounter Jesus. We as parents carry the authority to charge the home atmosphere, car atmosphere, and wherever you go. They can be touched by God in daily things. We are not trying to force God upon them; we want them to freely come to Him and get connected. Our job is to offer an invitation and opportunity for them to encounter Jesus.

The enemy wants our children to experience fear, doubt, and all his evil schemes but I want you to know there is power in your prayer and how you go about things in your family because you are the authority there. You can say not in my house devil. You can create an atmosphere for God in your home. Cultivate the atmosphere around you and in your home for your children to encounter God through worship, music, and prayer. You are the carrier of God’s glory in your family; share it with your family in your daily life. Be an example to your children. We are not problems; we solve problems because we have Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will meet you in your car, at the grocery store, kitchen, bedroom, living room, washing dishes – anywhere you take your children. He wants to be involved and to manifest Himself to them.

Night Life – Dreams vs Nightmares

The enemy wants to cause timidity in us and our children. His goal is to remove the courageous spirit of boldness that the Lord has establishes inside us (Proverbs 28:1). The devil wants to make us believe that the night season is a time when we are vulnerable to his attack. Do not accept nightmares to be a normal part of your child’s life. Those nightmares they dream at night can affect them in the day as it leads to a victim mentality and plants timidity in them.

This is not the will of God; He wants us to raise our children up as warriors who are going to lead with boldness, knowing that God is on their side. My husband and I have started praying for the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to them and encounter them at night. We pray for angelic visitations and prophetic dreams for them. You can pray for the Holy Spirit to meet your children too.

This is how we can make sure that good seeds are being planted in our children to believe God exists, He heals, He saves, He blesses and He is not just a God but He is their God.

Equip

Being parents, we carry the responsibility of teaching our children. I want to share four practical steps you can use to equip your children.

Prayer

Your children need to understand that when they pray, God answers them. They need to know that there is power in the name of Jesus Christ. Include your children in prayer at home and when you need prayer, you can train them by asking them to pray for you too. If you pray for family issues, like believing for a breakthrough, when the answer comes, let your children know so they can see that prayer works.

Praise

This is another area of Christian life you need to equip your children in by practically engaging them at home. Let your children know why we praise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and lead them in worship. Tell them how the enemy hates our praise. When they see you praising God, it will have an impact in your life.

Participation

Let your children participate in all areas of how you worship, serve, and believe in God, according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and your discretion. It doesn’t have to be at home only either. When you go to church, or a conference or watch one online, get your children to participate in what is going on like the prayer and worship. Teach them, give them the opportunity but do not force them. Then, their hearts will be open to the Holy Spirit and to understand what is going on and why. This will invite the curiosity to go deeper themselves.

Problems

I used to fear problems and for my children to experience rejection or bullying. I experienced lots of things I didn’t want my children to experience but I realized that those problems that occurred actually served me because those problems created opportunities for me to teach them. You can help your children to properly process what they experience. Then, they will not be afraid of what happens.

Don't be afraid of problems; they are learning opportunities. Click To Tweet

I truly believe that we are called to raise the next generation with the knowledge that in Christ, they are the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath, (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). God is raising up a generation of Moses, Esthers, Deborah’s, Elishas, and Elijahs. In the last days, God promises He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh – our sons and daughters will dream dreams and see visions of God; they shall prophesy, and the power of God will be upon them and upon us. Amen.

If you feel condemned or ashamed by this message because your children have gone so far from God already, let me give you hope. It is not too late. God is a God of restoration. He wants to redeem and restore your relationship with your children and their relationship with Him.

Prayer

Ask the Lord to forgive you for believing the lie that children are a burden instead of a blessing and embrace the Kingdom mindset. My children are a reward and heritage from the Lord.

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