05/23

May 23

John 8:37-59

In verse 48, the religious Jews had told Jesus He was a Samaritan and had a demon. A Samaritan was a half-breed Jew that worshipped differently from the traditional Jew. A demon was an unredeemable, wicked being that rebelled against God and followed Satan.

Parents teach their children values and beliefs in the hopes that their children will carry on those values and beliefs generation after generation. God’s plan is for parents to invest in their children by caring for their needs, giving them an education, training them with life principles, and leading them to know the Lord and His Word. In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon writes about the teaching he received from his parents, writing that wisdom was to listen, accept, and apply those principles. He also speaks of the heartache and foolishness that comes from rejecting the teaching and disrespecting his heritage.

In John 8, Jesus acknowledges the religious Jews had Abraham as their father, their predecessor. Abraham was not perfect, but he was humble before God, teaching his children to know the Lord. These Jews that confronted Jesus were related to Abraham, but the one they listened to and acted like, was the devil. Jesus calls the devil a liar, and He called these religious Jews children of the devil because they were following him, believing his lies, and applying those lies to their lives.

Jesus goes on to say that if these men were of God, then they would have sought to hear their Father’s voice, and they would have heard Him. The same is true of people today; however, even Christians can get into error and wrong doctrine. It doesn’t mean they are of the devil; it just means they have been deceived. What keeps us from error is humility and backing up what we believe with the Bible.

Jesus then disagrees with these men, saying “I do not have a demon.” Then after telling them that they were of their father the devil, Jesus says, “I honor My Father,” who is God. Then because He is sent from the Father, Jesus speaks about the honor God has given to Him. If a person honors God, then they will honor what God honors, right? However, when Jesus reveals that He existed when Abraham existed, they did not value His words; instead, they attempted to murder Him by stoning. It was by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that Jesus passed by them without harm.

When we honor God, we seek to follow Him with a humble, submissive heart. If we honor God and our parents honor God, then we value the relationships of our father and mother and desire to carry out and pass on their wisdom. When an adult child turns away from their parents and their parents’ teaching, he or she could be seeking their own truth. Hopefully that son or daughter will recognize the love of the Father God and decide to put his or her trust in Him because they choose to do so, not because he or she is obligated or feels forced.

If you have a son or daughter that has turned away from God, and maybe from you, this is what I suggest:
Your child could be seeking truth, but they want to do that on their own, not simply because Mom and Dad told them what to believe. Each individual has a will, and he or she has that right to choose. They aren’t your baby anymore, and you can’t tell them what to do, how to feel, or what to believe; however, if a person can clearly see between heaven and hell, most would choose heaven. If a person is rejecting God, then they aren’t seeing clearly. We can do something in the spirit about that.
Love that son or daughter, extending grace without judgment, sharing truth only when the heart is open to receive it. If we try to share truth with a closed heart, it will only make things worse. Children raised in church might struggle with feelings of not being good enough, which may or may not have come from you or the church. Sometimes it is just human nature that feels that struggle between right and wrong until the person will receive the grace of God from a surrendered heart.
Pray for that son or daughter, knowing that all of heaven goes into action when we pray according to God’s will. Ask for mercy. Ask for revelation of love and truth.
Pray for God to send laborers, people that will be able to come across your son or daughter’s path, people that can speak into their life.
Submit to God, turn the care of the child over to God, trusting He will work on your behalf. You aren’t letting go; you are holding onto Jesus and letting Jesus do the work.
Fight for your child in the privacy of your home. Jesus has won over the enemy, delegated His authority to you, and requires you to take your position in the spirit. Use your words to bind the enemy from deceit and blinding the mind. Open your mouth and use your words to command it.
Use your words to declare God’s will done in the spirit. Worship God ahead of time, trusting that He is doing what He said He would do, moving on your behalf. “There’s no shadow He won’t light up, mountain He won’t climb up,” coming after your child. “There’s no wall He won’t kick down, lie He won’t tear down,” coming after your child. Believe and receive it.
Rejection hurts. Make sure you spend time with God and let Him fill any part of you that feels loss over a wayward son or daughter. God knows what you are feeling, and He cares about you.
Your child may have to hit bottom before they realize their need for God. Trust God that He is watching over him or her, drawing that dear one back to Himself.
Never, never, never give up on your children. Keep the faith.

1 Chronicles 8-10

Chapter 8 gives us King Saul’s lineage. Chapter 9 gives record of those who served as priests and Levites. Chapter 10 is about King Saul’s death, which ended his family reign, making the way for King David to reign over Israel and establish the family line that Jesus would come through.

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