My husband, David, had a vision years ago. He saw armies of young people in many nations. They had guns and other weapons. They were undergoing training for war.
Then the Holy Spirit showed him young people in America. They were goofing around, aimless and not caring. The Lord spoke to David and said, “Satan is preparing his army, and My church is entertaining her children.”
Is this a picture of your children—aimless and apathetic? If so, you need to assess yourself and your own relationship with the Lord. You cannot give to your children what you don’t have yourself. It is very difficult for a child to stay on fire for God when his parents are full of compromises.
If you are serious about your children, you must learn to serve the Lord and live in the anointing. If you want them to put God first all the days of their lives, you must do the same.
How can you tell if your relationship with God is all it should be? Ask yourself these questions:
• Have I fallen into a religious rut? In other words, are you trying to reduce your spirituality to a list of doctrines and rules to abide by? I was in that rut myself for six years and then decided it was too hard.
After running away to Australia and trying to give up the Christian life altogether, I discovered—to my relief—that the Holy Spirit is not a doctrine; He is a person. His job is to make manifest everything that we believe. In other words, if you believe God loves you, the Holy Spirit is there to make sure you experience His love.
You are going to need spiritual authority to raise your children “with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord” (Eph. 6:4, NLT), so it is important that you get to know the Holy Spirit very well. You can’t have spiritual authority if all you are living in is a form of religion, without any real power.
• Have I lost my joy, forgotten God’s wonderful grace, and entered into a works mentality? If you have, it’s time for a change. You don’t have to earn God’s love. Nothing you do “wrong” will make Him love you less; nothing you do “right” will make Him love you more.
Be simple. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to return to your first love. Fall in love with God again, and enjoy your relationship with Him.
The Holy Spirit wants to fellowship with you, and He wants you to know Him and love Him. He is always present. He cares about your children even more than you do.
Learn to love Him for yourself, and listen to His voice. He will be more than happy to equip you to raise your children to fulfill their callings.
• Am I being bogged down by the cares of the world? What does your life consist of? Is most of your time and energy spent in making a living? Are you largely consumed by sports or some other activity?
Jesus said, “‘Don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing…Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs’” (Matt. 6:31-32). And Paul encouraged Timothy, “As Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army” (2 Tim. 2:4).
If you are “tied up in the affairs of this life,” you will lose your fire and excitement. Your children will get the impression that God is reserved for Sundays, and when you become concerned about their spiritual lives, they won’t understand why. After all, if your spiritual life isn’t that important to you, why should theirs be?
It will be hard for your children to love the Holy Spirit if you don’t, so the ball is in your court. The Christian life is not difficult and boring. It is exciting and adventurous because it is supernatural.
God is Calling Children in This Hour
This is a wonderful time to be alive. There is a great move of God coming. We are seeing the stirrings of it, and it is exciting. But we must be aware that in these days Satan is out to capture our youngsters. He’ll use anything and everything to get their attention.
They want excitement, but what they need is a sense of purpose, and only the reality, the power and the plan of God can give them that.
This younger generation has a mighty call on their lives. God is raising an army of young people who will be anointed, appointed and sent. They will disciple the nations and reap the harvest. They will see great signs and wonders, as God confirms the gospel.
The devil would like your son or daughter in his army. Don’t think your child is too young to be trained for God. Satan doesn’t think they are too young to be infiltrated by his demonic powers. We have observed very small children experiencing deliverance from demonic activity because of their exposure to occult toys and cartoons.
The Holy Spirit can also minister to and through children. We have seen children caught up in the Spirit for several hours, overcome by a spirit of intercession, weeping for others, confessing their sins and asking God to move on nations. We have witnessed many healings and miracles through young people as they have prayed for the sick.
In our meetings the Holy Spirit often comes powerfully upon large numbers of children, including teens. Many have visions, prophecies and words of knowledge. God can minister to and through any age of child, if there are no barriers.
David now spends his life stirring up church leaders to get children anointed and ready for the coming move of God. But the leaders can’t do it without your cooperation, Mom and Dad; you must catch the vision.
If you have been lukewarm and backslidden in your heart, I pray that you are convicted by the Holy Spirit. Remember, we are living in a serious hour. There is no time to play religious games.
Remember, too, that God has a destiny for you to fulfill as an individual and as a family. Every desire buried deep within can be met only in the destiny that God has planned for you. You must be determined enough to “push through the crowd” and find the path that was prepared for you before the foundation of the world (see Mark 5:27).
Kathie Walters and her husband, David, are co-founders of Good News Fellowship Ministries in Macon, Georgia. They may be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Adapted from Parenting by the Spirit by Kathie Walters, copyright 1994. Published by Good News Fellowship Ministries. Used by permission.
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