Well, good morning North Live. Thank you for coming out this
morning. If you're new to North Live, we
want to just welcome you. My name is Jace and I'm jumping
in for my husband Kurt, who fell and hurt his arms.
So we were coming back from Texas.
And so last night he basically let me know that I needed to
teach today. OK, I, I, I, we pulled it
together, the Holy Spirit and I, and it's OK.
So it's going to be OK. But listen, we literally pulled
up here at 8:00 AM this morning. This is my traveling outfit.
Thank you. And so this is how much we love
y'all because. We got, you know, we wanted to
be. Here we made it happen, but.
Pray for. Kurt, he's in a lot of pain.
He really hurt himself. And the funniest thing is it was
the last day in Texas and of all places to fall on ice.
Texas. I'm like.
Really. Kurt so sad, he's in a sling, he
can't use his arm. Like it's really sad.
So just pray for him for quick recovery because he really is
missing being here this morning. OK, well, let me pray for us
before we dive into it. And you know, as I was praying
about God, what do I put together for tomorrow?
In these few hours, I felt like God really laid on my heart to
speak on parenting. And I think we're going to be
talking about parenting. We're going to touch a little
bit on each season of parenting. It should be good, but I let's
pray. Let's pray and ask the Father to
help us navigate through this. Father, thank you so much that
you are the best parent in this whole world and in the whole
Galaxy and universe. God, you are so good.
And we just pray God that you would just relate your heart to
us this morning. God help us to become more like
you, God, and to learn how to love our children the way you
love. US Father, the way you have
patience for us, the way you teach us God and bring us up.
Lord, we pray for just an anointing, a fresh anointing on
us as parents this morning. God anoint this message.
Holy Spirit, come take your liberty and teach us.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. OK, well, I.
Just want to start by. Saying that, I'm not speaking on
parenting up. Here because I figured this out.
OK, I am. Speaking on parenting from a
place of a lot of failure, OK, and just letting you know that
God is with us through it all. As we are learning, you know, a
lot of us didn't have great parents to help us or not great
parents, but godly parents to help us navigate to what it
might look like to raise children that are Christ
centered, right? And so we're going to be leaning
into the Holy Spirit. If you're at all like me, that
has been my journey is to say God.
Teach me how to be a parent because I don't have a clue what
I'm doing. So I want you to know that that
I'm not coming from a place of. I got this figured out.
I'm the most. Amazing parents.
I'm here teaching. No, not at all.
And I want to remind you of something parents did you know
that your children are born little butt heads?
Did you? Did you?
Know that when they're born, they're not saved yet.
It's so funny because the second they can.
Crawl you can. Figure it out pretty fast that
they're pretty self-centered and selfish little cutie patooties.
And you know, and, and so God is helping us, the whole goal.
Here's, here's some of the goals.
Guys, Let me read this to you. Well, no, let me wait for that.
It's, it's funny because it's the second, like even my
grandkids, right? And I'm going to mention them
quite a bit today because, you know, I raised a kid who's 30
years old, but these are. Brand new.
Fresh. Baked ones, right?
So we're kind of relearning things all over again, and we're
learning new things that I didn't know.
So it's kind of fun, but it's so funny.
Because, you know, Ezra is barely two years old.
And there's no way in heck he wants to share.
There's no way in heck that he wants to obey or listen.
And so it's just funny to watch them like live their little
lives in their little flesh. And, and just and just know that
God has entrusted us with these beautiful lives to help them to
navigate them towards the heart of the Father.
And you know. With that said, I want to say
two things. The world hates children so much
so that they literally want to kill them while they're still in
our womb. The world hurts children.
There is a lot of settings that the things that we see nowadays
of children being abandoned, of children being harmed and God is
very. Clear how he feels.
About that, he says it's better for you to wrap our thing around
your neck. Go kill yourself, OK?
Go go jump. Take yourself out before you
hurt. One of these little ones God has
made, He's protective of his children and he has made us to
be protective of his children. But God loves children and
children church are a gift from God, OK, In our lives, we are to
steward them. We are to help them to grow in
the Lord. Let's look at.
Psalms 127 three where the Bible says it says behold.
The children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the.
Womb a reward, and I want to say that's true for the planned and
the unplanned children. No child, regardless of how life
has become to be is a mistake because God knew our stories
before He ever actually knit us together physically in our
mother's womb. He knew us.
Stories He called us for purpose.
He made us for eternity. He made us to love him, to know
him and to be with him, to dwell with him, not just on this
earth, but eternally. We are his.
And I love that idea, you know, And it took me a minute as a
brand new mom to realize that my child, my children are not mine.
God has entrusted your children to you, trusting you to raise
them and to point them towards Him and to give them back to
Him. And what a beautiful gift not
only that children are, but that we get.
To play such an amazing part. I mean, think about it like God
could have been like, and we would have never known the
difference. Like, you know, I mean, what's
normal now is that they grow in our bellies and then we give
them birth. But how, how many of you, OK
guys, you're going to think I'm weird, but like how many of you
have all these alternate thoughts that you think things
through? Like what if we didn't have
noses that would look normal then or.
You know what if babies were born in cocoons and God, you
could have done that. Somebody reminded me recently
that even when your child is 3040 fifty years old, their DNA
still lives inside of. You.
As a mother, like there's this connection that never goes away.
It's a whole next level and I think God.
Did that on purpose. Right.
How many of you have this like? Supernatural intuition.
Something is off with your kid. Went yeah, exactly right.
I had a few of those phone calls with Jasmine when she was a
teenager and it was 12 the clock and she was supposed to be with
her dad and I'll be calling. I'm like, girlfriend, where you
at? What you doing, girl?
Why do I feel this flag? And she's like, oh, Mama, Hey,
Mama. OK, I'm going to leave this
party. Right now I'm like, you are so
God has given us great intuition to help our children and guide
them well. OK, here's the goal.
Of being a parent. Let's just simplify this today.
Can we do that? Number one?
Keep them alive, people. That's the number one goal.
OK, I don't know about you, but when I brought Jasmine home.
I really do hate to say this because I don't want you to hate
me, but she did. Sleep the first night all the
way through the night. She did.
It's weird. She loves to.
Sleep like even my grandkids, they will sleep for our naps.
Man, it's crazy. So she got home, but I didn't
sleep. Why?
Because I was like, are you alive?
Are you breathing? Like we need to do this here.
Make sure the air is coming out every hour.
So I'm like, are you alive? Are you breathing like?
Because she didn't wake up. And honestly?
Guys, when I think. Back of the time, I'm amazed she
survived because you know how you're not supposed to have
anything in like the cribs and stuff like that?
We didn't know that Gen. X over here.
Like I had five blankets on her. Filled with bears.
I mean, I'm like, Lord, what a miracle that you survived my
child through all of that. So for those who have babies,
you know, you're not supposed to do that.
They suffocate. OK, so.
Number one, keep them alive. They're going to climb, they're
going to go crazy, especially when they're toddlers.
Just keep them alive, people. And then number. 2 Is this Help
them see how much God loves them.
Help them teach them to see that God loves them.
Remember, they're not saved yet. There's a story of Samuel when
he was serving. Is it Elijah?
No. What is what?
What is the guy's name that he was serving under?
Eli, thank you, Pastor Bob. Like when he was serving under
Eli and the Bible. Talks about this.
I did have a scripture but I don't know what happened.
Oh, there it is now. The boy Samuel was ministering
to the Lord in the presence of Eli, and the word of the Lord
was rare in those days. There was no freaking.
Vision and isn't there another one?
Isn't there like a three seven as well?
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord
had not yet been. Revealed to him.
Isn't that something? Here is a little.
Boy who's not saved yet, He's serving in the House of the
Lord, right? God has not.
Revealed himself yet to him and so often I feel like.
That's the truth with our. Kids.
Just know that everything that they're learning from you,
everything that they're doing. There is a purpose for that and
the goal is for them to know God.
OK and then the last one I want to say this, so help them, OK,
keep them alive, help them see how God loves them, help them
fall in love with God, OK. And the third one is help them
walk in their God-given purpose for their lives and that.
You know, it's so funny because I feel like if you know your
children, you. Kind of already see where their
giftings are. I mean not.
Pull on do. You agree with that?
You. See if they have a desire for
this area or that area. You you just know how the
Goddess even early on you can already see where their
interests. Are and what God might have for
them one day. And as we're still in toddler
years here, I want to just say this to you toddler parents.
Good job. Good.
Job of hanging in there with your babies and your toddlers it
is look. I've forgotten how much work
that is. It might be maybe the most
challenging years possibly in a childhood I think.
Would you guys agree with that? Dose that had toddlers doesn't
make it easier the older they get.
Thinks, thinks does it till they're teenagers and then
things shift again a little bit. OK, But I feel like toddlers
especially, there's so much patience required.
There's so much love required. There's so much.
Even discipline required. And we're going to touch on that
just a little bit, but fold those parents with little babies
and little tardos. I mean, when, when I get to
Texas, let's say this is the child.
It's literally my, my, my kids are like at the door, like hi
here. OK, we're out.
They're tired, they're exhausted.
They're ready for me to come in and do the laundry and take care
of the babies because it's a lot of work.
And you know, one thing that I appreciate on a whole next level
is I only had one child to raise.
Having multiple children. Whoa, that's a whole nother
thing. OK.
It's like it's overwhelming because I mean, I'm learning as
a grandma how to do that. It's like this one peed and this
one pooped and this one is hungry and this one is crying.
Like just to navigate. And I can't even imagine if you
have more than two children like.
Wow. Kudos to you guys.
Amazing. But I want you to remember one
thing during those difficult years.
They're only small. For five years, you have five
years of little children of sort, and then things shift
again. So even though it is hard, just
know, don't. Don't rush it because you're
sleepless. Don't rush it because it's
difficult. Don't rush it because you're
running out of patience. Embrace the mass.
Embrace the chaos. Because.
Soon they're not going to cuddle you like that.
Anymore they they're going to they're.
Going to be on is that. True, it is so.
Hard right? They'll they'll give you a
cuddle here and there, but not to that.
Level where they're. Stuck.
With you and have no choice but to cuddle you for hours.
There was this fun little video I saw.
It's called cat. It was called Nap Nap.
What is it called? Never mind, I'm just.
I'll show it to you sometime. Another but this.
Lady who is? Trapped by the napping baby and
she has this whole song about being trapped.
Nap trapped. That's the song.
Look it up. It's awesome.
OK, so 5. Years they go so.
Fast and those. First five years are.
So important of that time spent with your young children.
I think even when we don't remember things as young
children, I think emotionally we do.
I think there's an emotional understanding when there is a
deeper bond with people and when there is not, right.
So even though you don't physically remember, I think
sometimes just knowing that we're building trust with our
children for those five years, you're building their
confidence, you're building that security that that is in you in
those five years and and. They're all hard.
They're hard years, but they're. So, so, so important.
Yes, it's a time where patients will be tested.
It's a time when you will learn how to best discipline your
children. And so undisciplined.
This is always such a strange thing to talk about, but let's
do it anyways. Proverbs 1324.
What does it say? Whoever spares the rod hates his
son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
And now, first of all, one thing that Kurt, you know, shared with
me this morning is that the rod, it's not like something.
To beat with the rod of a shepherd was to lead, to lead
the sheep. Right.
It wasn't like. To beat the sheep.
OK, it was to. Lead the sheep.
And so now, but I'm not saying to not discipline your children,
OK, and I want to what I want to say on this is I think for some
of us, it's a little bit harder to do that than others,
especially if you have a traumatic past of how you were
disciplined as a child. OK.
And that was my. Story.
I think that lines were crossed. Of how I was disciplined and so
I was really worried because I'm still learning as a mom like I
don't have these parents this community at this point to teach
me how to do it well right. So I am worried at this point to
do it, but Jasmine's dad was very good at this.
OK, My daughter's dad, my ex-husband.
And for those that. Do not know.
Kurt and I are mixed. We're mashed family.
What is it called? Blended.
That's the one. Mixed.
Blended. Mashed.
Yes, all mashed up. There we are.
Shake for you, baby. Shake, shake.
OK, so, so he was really good at it, you know, And so I was
disciplining her in a different way than he did because I didn't
know my limits. Of somebody that had trauma with
it, right? So, so he did it.
But what I loved about it is he never, he did it so well, guys.
He never disciplined her in the midst of anger.
And there's a fine line there. Because if you if you take too
long of a time to come back to the discipline, the kid will not
know what they did wrong to begin with.
And he gets in the house, you agree, but like, but what he did
is he just walked. He's like, he basically said,
hey, Jazz, I'm about to discipline you.
Give me about a minute. He'll be coming back.
We'll take care of this. And then he would explain to her
before he disciplined her, why he's doing that.
And he would discipline her. And he would then say that he
forgave her and he would love. Her.
And he would love on her. There's nothing worse than to
discipline a child and then let it like there's double
punishment, right, If you discipline a child and the
discipline really, if if you feel so LED to do a little butt
spanking And Kurt told me not to say spanking, but it is what it
is. Kurt, you know, I you know
that's, I know he's like, do. Not judge the word spanking.
I'm like, OK, I'll try. Just flew out disciplining them
when we're disciplining them, I think.
We just have to realize this one thing and this is what God
showed me. I didn't discipline Jasmine for
maybe the first three years because she was getting a little
spoiled right? And the Lord was just like
saying, Jace, how does spoiled milk taste in your mouth?
If if. If you allow her to get spoiled,
she will be disgusting, a nasty taste in the mouth of people.
It will not be a refreshing thing.
Don't you want her to be a big glass of water?
Refreshing, pointing people to me.
I was like, yeah. I do because sometimes I think
the word spoiled has also some positive ideas when I would
think like that person is loved and cared for and shopped for
and you know what I'm saying Like.
It has this beautiful feeling, but I had to realize that oh OK,
God, I do have to if I love my child if I want them to turn out
well. I have to discipline them and
now discipline does change and it looks different, I think, as
your children. Grow.
And the only person I think that's the best person to tell
you how to do it with each kid individually is the holy.
Spirit. Because God made those kids, and
what works for one is not going to work for the other.
Is that true? There's no such thing as like.
In law, this is how it's going to go for 1-2 and three Nah.
They're going to be Nah, Nah, that doesn't work for me, Mama,
we. Got to figure it out.
And we got to lean. Into the Holy Spirit.
And that's just what I did as a young mother.
I leaned into the Holy Spirit and I said, please help me.
I don't have a clue what I'm doing.
Let's look at John 1426 here. What does it say?
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name. He will teach you all things,
how many things, even parenting. Right all things and bring to
your remembrance all. That I have said to you and I
just love that. And the Holy Spirit has been
such a presence, such tangible, tangible presence in my life
when it comes especially to parenting.
And you know, let's move on to a little bit older children, OK?
We're just going to keep moving forward.
There is OK parents, if you have 910 eleven year olds, you know,
7 year olds, whatever. It will say that there is
nothing greater that will turn your children away from the Lord
than saying one thing and doing another.
You want to lose your children quickly.
That's all it takes. If you are living a hypocrite.
Hypocrite. How do you say hip?
That's a hard word in English life.
Your children. I don't they they will know they
will know the difference. They were going to watch you and
the things that you say and the things that you do are going to
they're going to matter. It's going to matter.
So please be careful church to not do that.
Be careful. Let your yes be yes.
Let your know, be know that your children see that what you say
you mean, what you promise you. Fulfill, right?
And what you don't want, it doesn't happen.
Your life is the biggest witness in your children's life.
And you know, I think sometimes we underestimate when that
starts. It starts very young.
OK, Let me see this picture of
my grandchildren. Look how young this starts.
They watch us. These are my grandbabies.
Look how cute they are. Look at the cheeks.
Look at those eyes. But.
And there's Tyler with his sexy shorts back there.
I'm sorry about that. OK, sorry Tyler, if you see
that, but but here they are. Did we tell them to do that?
Did we tell them to sing, to want to sing to Jesus?
Did we tell them to to to want to do this?
No, we did not. They watched their parents do
it. They watched their grandparents
do it. So they want to.
So what? They asked.
For for Christmas was worship. But they really meant as
instruments and things to make worship, right?
But they wanted worship. And so they're going to watch
that. And I love this little story.
This was kind of fun. My friend Josh van der Clark, he
had like 5 kids and they were like 7 or 8 years old or
something like that. And they had this hot tub
upstairs in their house. The kids were in the hot tub.
A guest came over like their friend with a little boy and
they were in the hot tub. And this little boy runs into
the house. He's like, I got baptized and
everybody was like OK, what does that mean?
So Sam goes over to talk to his little 7 year old.
She's like, he's like, why is this?
Little boy saying he got. Baptized, you know?
And Avery says. Well, he said he.
Wanted to get baptized so I asked you make Jesus your Lord
and Savior and he said yes. And then she said, OK, well, I
baptized you in the name of the Son and the Father and the Holy
Ghost, and then I baptized. Him.
And. And the the Father of the Son
goes well, is that legit? And he goes, well, they did
everything the Bible says to do so.
I guess it's done. He's like, if you hang out with
my kids, you might get baptized. So, but why?
Why are they? Why are they doing that?
How do they know how to do that? Because they're sponges.
Our children are sponges, incredible sponges.
And they watch us at home. They watch us at home, guys.
Yeah, let's look. At James 122 through 24 really
quick be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving
yourselves, right. So to be doers to show our
children. So listen, our children, they
will. Where did I write that down?
We can OK, let me start with this.
We cannot force our children to love God, but we can expose them
to people and experiences that increase the likehood of
spiritual growth. Amen.
We can be selective with what we put in front of their eyes.
We can create. Spaces of worship.
To encounter His presence in our home, setting the culture in our
home. To experience His glory and His
mercy. Your children will become what
they see, not what they are told.
Let me say that one more time. Your children will become what
they see you doing at home, not what you tell them to do at
home. OK?
They're going to watch us like that.
And I want to touch a little bit on.
Go a little bit. Deeper with that actually and
talk about cultural Christianity versus Christ centered
Christianity, OK and why that is important as parents.
You know, in my country, when I went to school in Germany, we
would there was Bosnians and like Serbians and Croatians and
we. All were like under Yugoslavia.
Sort of. So we all.
Were like in the same class, right?
But during like religious classes, we all separated.
So the Muslims would go into their class, the Catholics would
go in their class and the Orthodox would go in their own
class, right? And we would learn stuff, but it
was so funny because the Muslims were culturally Muslims.
They were not actually practicing Muslims back then.
Like it was like if you were born in Bosnia, you're just kind
of like a Muslim, right? It's just, it's just instantly
that's your religion then because you were born a Bosnian.
You know what, guys? There's a lot of Americans like
that too. There's a lot of cultural
Americans that will come to church once in a while.
They will, you know, come to the festival, give once in a while,
you know, they will prioritize sports and school things and
this and that. And then come Sunday, they're
going to say to their kids, do you guys feel like going to
church this Sunday? Again?
I know I'm stuffy. I'm going Curtis, right?
But but it's truth what we represent.
What? What we prioritize, what we make
most important in our lives, That is, we cannot expect our
children to want to love God if we're not loving him first,
right? And our children know the
difference between religion and relationship.
They know it. And this is not to put anybody
down, like everybody has their journey of how they're coming to
God and where they're at in their journey.
It's not to put anybody down in that way, but it is like a wake
up call to say what? Are we prioritizing in our
homes, in our lives, with our children?
Because whatever we prioritize and wherever we put the body of
Christ, right? And it doesn't have to be N life
church. It could just be the body of
Christ in general. The way we talk about church in
our homes, the way we talk about pastors and brothers and sisters
in in Christ at home, it matters.
It will catch up. Sooner or later if you go home
and your five year old is there and you're like wow.
Curry was really sucky this morning.
What was that message all about? Right?
It matters. They hear that right?
So. Get alone on date night and let
it RIP, right? So, but, but here's what we want
to teach our children. We want our children, we want to
help our children by prioritizing the things that
matter to God. OK?
We want to teach them. We want to prioritize how to
serve. We want to teach them how to
give. We want to teach them early on.
The sooner you can get in there, the better.
OK, how to forgive? I remember, you know, if I made
a mistake and my daughter was three years.
Old the Holy Spirit. Taught me early on ask her for
forgiveness and it shapes things guys.
So it's OK to say, you know what honey?
Mommy was a bit harsh. There I was, you know what,
mommy was saying this about this person and that was not OK.
That was called gossip. I'm sorry I did that.
Will you forgive me? And it's so funny because when
they're little, they're like, no, you're like, yes, you're
going to forgive me. Now.
But we teach them right, we teach them forgiveness, we teach
them how to give, we teach them how to serve the body of Christ,
the Church of God. Those things matter, guys.
Listen, when this world goes down, if this world goes
downhill, you're going to need the body of Christ.
You're not going to run to the friends you made at the hockey
game. You're going to need the body of
Christ. You're going to need the church
to make it through it. So honoring God in that way is
important. So yeah, so just culturally,
let's let's ask the Lord what it looks like to.
Really love him with all of our hearts so that we can teach our
children true relationship with the Lord.
There is a scripture for that. Let's see, it's, I believe it's
Deuteronomy 6, four through 9. But I don't think we have that
up there, do we? And basically, what oh do we
hear? O Israel, the Lord, our God, the
Lord is one. OK, let's keep going.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your might.
Let's keep going. And these words that I command
you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk
of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the
way, and when you lie down and when you rise.
Are we talking about these things only when we go to church
on Sunday? Hey, what was the message in
kids church today? Let's have a quick conversation
about that. Or are we making God our whole
life? I'm not talking about adding
God. To your life like he's salt and
pepper. I'm talking about God is your
life. It's not a add on to your
American life. We have this, we do this, we go
here, we do that and we are believing in God and go to
church. No, that's that's all wrong,
right? Let me see that last part again,
at least. When is the last verse that
there was up there? You shall bind them as a sign,
OK? You shall teach them diligently
to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your
house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and
when you rise. And what that could easily look
like is that everything we do with our children leads.
Back to this. If they won a game, it's like
wow. Praise God, God give you the.
Strength to do that. If they lost the game, it's
like, you know what? I love how you honored God in
that loss, how you, how you honored him on that field, even
though you lost. Like thank you for doing that.
You were so kind. You were celebrating, you
opposing, right? We're teaching them every step
of the way, God's way. That's what it means to carry
him, to make him the center of a whole world, our whole lives.
This pastor Greg Rachelle was sharing this and I could really
relate to this because Jasmine also kind of did that.
Did I ever have to tell? And we just going back to did we
ever have to show these kids how to do worship or want worship?
Same with the Bible. Like did I ever say to my
daughter read the Bible? You have to read the Bible?
No, How did she read the Bible? She watched me do it.
She watched her dad do it, she watched her aunt do it, she
watched friends in church do it, and she just did it right.
So so the. Culture that you said it
matters, church, it matters. And I want to also say with
this, it's OK if you're not OK in front of your kids as well,
because even in the midst of that, it's OK to say, well, I,
I'm not, I'm not there yet with God.
I don't know if I fully love God with all my heart.
I don't know how to get there right.
I'm I'm on my own journey. It's OK to be.
Broken in front of your kids, guys, because even in dad, we
teach them, we teach them how to turn to the Lord.
We teach them how to be honest. We teach them how to be
transparent with one another, right?
We teach them that God is not going to reject us because we're
broken in some way or, you know, don't have it all together.
And of course, we don't share everything with our children.
I mean, obviously use wisdom, but it's OK to say, you know
what, Mama is not OK right now. Why not mom?
Because Mom is hurting. There's some things that happen,
and Mom is hurting. How about can you pray for Mama?
Can you pray for my heart? Even in those moments, we teach
our children how to respond. Well, you know, I'm a Gen.
Xer. How many Gen.
XS are in this room? Few.
Wow. That's it, Really.
That's all what's happening to us, guys.
It's crazy. I will say that growing up.
In our time was very different than everybody raising kids
right now. This is a different world, guys.
It's not. Is that true?
It's different and it's different because of this guys.
But just this in their hands, they have instant access to
everything evil in this world. They can watch wars live on
here. They can watch pornography right
here anytime they want, OK? It's a different world.
It creates different. But here's the thing, here's a
beautiful thing. Instead of being fearful about
that, the beautiful thing is that God picked you as a parent
knowing in this season that. This is how the world.
Would be he didn't entrust Gen. Xers with this season because we
grey like but he is entrusting you millennials, right?
He's entrusting you young Gen. Zers with this generation to
raise your kids well in this time, in this season.
And that's something guys, that is something, you know, and I
will say, like we used to be kicked out in the morning and
said, come back at night. Just stay alive and don't kill
no one, right? So.
But I mean, that's, you know, we drank from like the water
thingy, like what's it called? Hosts, you know, not this.
I mean, it was a different world, guys.
It's so different now. It's so much harder.
And we have to be diligent. We have to be diligent with this
season so. What I want to?
Say for those that have older kids and especially those teens
you're going to hate me that have these here get all up in
their business, parents. If the world is saying but what
about? Privacy.
It's like. Be quiet, world.
All you want to do is separate them from us so you can have
your way. That's all the world wants to
do. So do not sacrifice your
children at the altar of being politically correct to please
the world. You get to go into this.
You get to have their passwords. You get to control this.
There's so many predators, There's so much evil out there.
They're not emotionally. Balanced, yet to be able to
handle. Oh, I'm not.
I'm 50 years old. I can't handle.
Emotionally, everything that's on here.
If you fall in a ditch, you get cleaned up, but there's some of
the stuff that you can see you cannot on see.
It's stuck in here. So we are the guardians.
We are the protectors to protect and guard their hearts and
parents don't feel. Bad to not give them this
privacy. When they're old enough, that's
different. But I mean, if I had a kid right
now, I'd be like, look, I'm seeing every text that's coming
to you. I'm seeing every picture that's
coming to. You let your friends know.
I'm right there with you girl. Whatever they send you, I will
see. Let them know.
And you know, Paul showed me something really cool on his
phone. If you have an iPhone, there
actually is a way to control all of that.
So. I don't know how that all works,
it's something worth looking into.
But you can control how long they're on there with what What
websites are blocked? But guys even said even with
that said, it's still so sneaky. They will show up in kids.
Games it will be wrapped up in safe environment type of things
just to kid to get to our kids. Have you?
I mean it when we were little kids, guys, have you ever seen
of a 910 year old having anxiety attacks or depression or like,
you know, suicidal thoughts or I mean, that wasn't a thing, guys.
It's different now. The world is trying to confuse
our children. They're trying to rob them from
us and we have got to go in with force.
Amen church, Amen. You know, and and I just want to
say this, this is really important.
Before I touch a little bit on the older kids, just start.
Speaking life and blessings over your children.
Guys, this is so important. And this is one of the things
that the Holy Spirit taught me when Jasmine would go.
And you know what? It's also OK just to be
completely unhinged before the Lord in front of your kids.
They're going to think it's normal, OK?
Because if that's all they've ever seen, I mean, my kid has
seen me going. In the name of Jesus, you can.
You know, praying us up a storm in my house, battling in the war
or, you know, getting on my face and weeping or whatever, or
worshipping on my knees. Those were normal things for my
kids to see. So don't be ashamed to show the
raw, beautiful worship or the pain or the pressing into God.
Show your children, include them.
They may look like they may look at you like you're crazy at
first. But it will become their norm.
That is what's going to become their normal one day.
So one of the. Things that I did, and I really
feel like this has made a huge difference in Jasmine.
I really do. Every night I went into her
room, you guys, there was like on her door frame.
I'm not lying. It was this thick of oil because
every night I would take oil. And just anoint her.
Doorpost. And I would say.
God, I would pray for her. Husband one day.
I would pray for her protection, physically, spiritually,
emotionally. I would ask the Lord to put the
blood of Christ around her room or.
Dreams her mind. I would pray that he would call
her with purpose, that he would give her dreams, some physic
visions. We've got a war for our children
more than ever because this is not the time to be passive.
If you step back, the world will gladly.
Gladly take them. And I just want to say the
Scripture, it's so beautiful. Can we look up at the next
scripture? I think it's Isaiah 54.
Train up a child in the way he should go.
Even when he's old, he will not depart from it.
And I think that's so important because I think sometimes there
are seasons when our children stray.
But I think. I.
Think this is the kind of promises that you can pray over
your children, right? You can go over there and just
speak prophetically. God, thank you that when I am
training up Jasmine in the way that she should go, even when
Jasmine is old God, she will not depart from you.
I don't care what comes her way. I don't care where she.
Gets drawn to I. Don't care what it looks.
Like I don't care how cold she seems.
This is what I'm standing on, God, I'm believing.
I have faith, God, that you are true to your word.
This is a promise and the thing that we also want to teach our
children. You know, there's a scripture
that talks about obey your parents, children, so that they
may go well with you and that you may have long life.
That's a promise from the Lord, kids.
When you obey your children, your your, your, your parents.
When you submit to your parents, you honor God, and God honors
that, even when it's hard. When you honor your parents, I
don't care if you're 30. Years old, 50 years old, 12
years old, 15 years old. It will go well with.
You when you honor your parents, when you obey your parents.
And God has all these beautiful and why do we do that?
We're not asking for obedience because we want control, right?
When I want my daughter to obey me, it's because I believe in
the word of. God and I want her to have a.
Long life and I want. Her life to go well and to be
blessed. If I love her, that's what I
would want for her. That is why it's not out of
control. It's from stewardship.
From a heart of love that wants to see my kid prosper.
So parents start looking in the word of God for those promises
that you can speak daily over your children.
They matter in the spirit realm. How often do I think like?
God, if you opened up our. Eyes in the spirit realm.
What would we see? I bet you there's holy wars all.
Around us. I don't just bet, I know that.
There's angels, there's demonic, there is.
Just a whole. World that we don't see that
there's a war going on for our souls and for our children's
souls. So yes, so speak life over your
children, prophecy over your children.
Let them hear you prophecy over them so that word goes deep into
their hearts. Pray over their children.
Pray over their spouses. You don't want some guy or some
girl to come in and lead them astray, right?
Happens. Start praying now.
God, thank you for my son-in-law.
Think of you only. Thinking that he's going to love
you, think of you protecting. Him even now, wherever he's a
little boy somewhere out there, God just teach him.
I don't know what kind of family he's born into God, but I pray
you get a hold of him. Lord, get a hold of her.
Lord speak into her life, bless her life.
God start speaking that over your children, pray over their
spouses, prophecy over them. And then I just want to lastly
touch just a little bit of the parents that have adult
children. How many of those do we have in
this room? OK, few.
Isn't it such a strange transition going from parenting.
A 30 year old does not want to be parented anymore, guys.
And I tell you, this is still uncharted waters for me because
you know, I'm in the midst of it.
I'm learning how to do this now with a 31 year old daughter and
a 35 year old son-in-law. It's crazy.
And I will say in the beginning it was really difficult for me.
I did not know. How to do boundaries well with
that? Because she was my kid.
And I barely knew Tyler, I met him like 3 times because he
lived in Texas. And so I I.
Was like, who am I giving my kid to here?
I know you love God and all, but like, I don't know you, you
know, and. So the first six.
Months when they got married, it was a little difficult trying to
figure out this new rhythm. Letting go, letting your
children go and cleave to their spouses, right?
Building their own families, building their own lives.
It is weird. You're no longer parenting them,
but you're also not their girlfriend because you're their
mom, you know? And that's one of the things I
always said to Jasmine, like, what is one of the things I
always said when you were growing up?
And she said you always said I'm not your girlfriend, I'm your
mom. You only got 1 of me, right?
You can have many girlfriends, but you got one of me.
And so I think what's interesting with that is that
it's not quite a girlfriend, right?
It's not parenting anymore. Pam, what would you?
Say it is. What?
Do you have an idea, Pam? Like if it's not parenting, if
it's not mothering, would you think it's friendship?
I'm just curious for those that have kids that are 30 some years
old. What do you think?
Oh no, sorry. But for those that know who
knows Bob, what does it look like?
A passive mentor like that? No, you cannot, nor can you, nor
can you discipline or take care of their children, right?
Those are their children. You did your part already.
So what? So here's what I want to say
with that. Here's the thing that I did.
What I said was, OK, Tyler, you and me, let's go out for coffee.
My son-in-law, Baghdad. And we sat down and I said, what
can I do to win your trust? And he said, if I see you honor
our marriage more than your own relationship with your daughter,
I think that would win my trust. And I was like, OK, I can see
that. Because he didn't want to be on
the outskirts. Is that fair?
Son in There was no longer this thing
where I'm like I need time with my daughter I've got to fit in
time with you Jasmine somewhere right this pressure but Tyler
whatever right but I need time with my daughter when I started
saying hey guys, I'm here every time I'm here every day if.
You want go on dates, go build your relationship, go work it
out, go have fun. You don't have to worry.
I'm here right when that started happening.
I think that's when Tyler became my son as much as my daughter
was my daughter because it was no longer son-in-law daughter
right now. These were my kids and I honored
their marriage to form my own relationship with my daughter's
life. And so so I just want to say
that you guys, I know it's hard. Like I said, I don't have much
to say on this subject because I'm navigating and I'm learning,
but it did win his heart over. I did win my son in law's heart
over and I'm learning still how to do that even with my
grandkids. It's just it's a strange but
also guys for those give your parents grace.
It's their. First time to doing this stuff,
they've never done it before. They're learning when to not
cross a boundary with your kids or when not to say something
that is off or different that you're doing than what they did.
Your dad, your mom, right? But give them a little bit more
grace. But set those boundaries also
where it says Mom. Here's this.
Here's the non negotiables. This is not where, this is what
we're not doing this, but you're welcome over here.
It's OK to set those boundaries but also extend grace to them.
I think we're at the last scripture here, Isaiah 5413.
Let's see what it says. I think it was the last.
One, you showed it already, but let's, let's, let's see it
again. All your children shall be
taught by the Lord and grace shall be the peace of your
children. Isn't that beautiful?
It's another beautiful thing to speak over your kids, and I just
want to end with that and just say, you know, the Lord loves
our children more than we could ever love them.
The Lord loves our children more than we could ever love them.
When we're worried, when we're fearful, you know, it's such a
good reminder to always give them back to the Lord.
Because when I worry, when I fear over my grandkids or my
grandchildren or my children or whatever, it's so amazing to be
able to release them and say, God, you made them, you know
them, you love them, you have the best for them.
So I give them back to you there never been mine to give back
ANYWAYS to, but I have to tell myself that so that I could
navigate through the trauma of releasing all over again.
Guys, I want to pray for you really quick and we're going to
end right here. Thank you so much.
Thank you for giving me grace this morning.
Like I said, this message was put together within three hours
and God is good. So I hope you got something out
of it. Did you get something out of it?
All right, good praise God. OK, well, Lord, I just pray for
every parent in this room, no matter how old our children are.
And God, we just pray for such supernatural season as we're
walking through this new season in our culture and it's just
getting harder in this world that we just pray for a deeper
anointing as parents, God, as grandparents, Lord.
To be able to navigate through these.
Waters Lord, that are so uncharted and God we just pray
over our children. God, we give them back to you
today. God, our 30 some year olds, 40
some year old children, our grandchildren, our little
children and our future children.
God, we give them to you, Lord. We thank you, God, that your
plan is best over them. We pray for protection over
their minds, over their hearts, over them physically right now.
God, in Jesus name, Lord, we break every generational curse
over them in the name of Jesus. God, we thank you that our
children will not suffer with addiction like some people in
our family. We thank you God, our children
will not suffer from witchcraft like some of our past did.
God, we thank you, Lord. God, that you.
You can do new things, God, we pray for new things in our
children, in our future children, God, protect their
spouses, protect their lives, protect them at school, protect
them at sports. God and teach them to love you
and to know you. And Father, we pray the same for
our hearts. God that in this next season you
would fill our hearts to really know you, to really love you and
serve you and God that just by doing so, our children will be
in aspired to go deeper with you.
And we ask it all in Jesus mighty name, Amen.
So Kurt is not here to give you.