Proverbs 22:6 teaches us to train our children in the way they should go. To train means to mold character, instruct by exercise, and to drill. In other words, we teach our children how to live their lives just as we would show them how to brush their teeth. We must take a hands-on approach and demonstrate. We teach by example.
There is a difference between teaching children and training them. Teaching is instructing, and training is showing and correcting. In life, there are certain lessons we can learn by instruction, and then there are those we only learn through demonstration. As parents, when we take on an active and loving role in our children’s lives, we take the first step toward biblical training.
The Bible tells us that our children are a reward and heritage from God (Psalm 127:3). One definition of the Hebrew word for heritage is assignment. Our children are our assignment. Therefore, it is imperative that we raise them according to the biblical principles God has established in His Word. Here are a few ways you can begin to cultivate a more hands-on approach to raising your children:
There is a difference between teaching children and training them. Teaching is instructing, and training is showing and correcting. In life, there are certain lessons we can learn by instruction, and then there are those we only learn through demonstration. As parents, when we take on an active and loving role in our children’s lives, we take the first step toward biblical training.
The Bible tells us that our children are a reward and heritage from God (Psalm 127:3). One definition of the Hebrew word for heritage is assignment. Our children are our assignment. Therefore, it is imperative that we raise them according to the biblical principles God has established in His Word. Here are a few ways you can begin to cultivate a more hands-on approach to raising your children:
- Help your children guard their hearts and minds against the negative influences of society. Establish rules in your household and be consistent in carrying them out. Help your children understand why you are establishing certain rules so they will know why they should live a godly lifestyle. For example, entertainment and advertisement today is saturated with sexually-suggestive messages. Talk to your children about the things they see and how those things do not agree with biblical standards. Substitute entertainment that is filled with sexual immorality, profane language, violent behavior, etc., with godly entertainment that is interesting and creative.
- Be a good example. Many parents do not live the lifestyle they teach their children to live. It is challenging to try to persuade your children to live a godly lifestyle when they see you living ungodly. When you live your life according to biblical principles and standards, you teach your children to do the same. Talk to your children about your decision to establish a lifestyle that agrees with the Bible. In addition, show them where they can find scriptures that deal with their everyday situations.
- Spend time listening to your children. Carve out a special time each day to wind down, relax, and talk with your children. Let them know that this particular time of day is just for them. They should be comfortable talking to you, knowing you genuinely care about their interests. Use this time to cultivate effective communication, which will also help establish a close relationship with them.
- Help them to view their Christian lifestyle as one that is filled with fun! Incorporate as much fun as possible in your day-to-day activities. Ask your children what they like to do for fun. Get a calendar and place it where your children can see it. Set dates for the fun-filled activities your children enjoy. In addition, get involved in your local church and community and encourage your children to take part in various activities. Also, invite family and friends over to play games, watch movies, have dinner parties, do charity work, etc. The more the merrier!
God's Prescription for Divine Health.
There is a medicine so powerful it can cure every sickness and disease known to man. It has no dangerous side effects. It is safe even in massive doses. And when taken daily according to directions, it can prevent illness altogether and keep you in vibrant health.
Does that sound too good to be true? It's not. I can testify to you by the Word of God and by my own experience that such a supernatural medicine exists. Even more importantly, it is available to you every moment of every day.
You don't have to call your doctor to get it. You don't even have to drive to the pharmacy. All you must do is reach for your Bible, open to Proverbs 4:20-24 and follow the instructions you find there:
"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health (Hebrew: medicine) to all their flesh.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee."
As simple as they might sound, those four verses contain the supernatural prescription to divine health. It's a powerful prescription that will work for anyone who will put it to work. If you have received healing by the laying on of hands, following this prescription will help you maintain that healing. If you have believed for healing, but are experiencing lingering symptoms, it will help you stand strong until you are completely symptom-free. And if you are healthy now, it will help you stay that way--not just for a day or a week, but for the rest of your life!
Powerful Medicine
To understand how this prescription works, you must realize that the Word of God is more than just good information. It actually has life in it. As Jesus said in John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth [or makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Every time you take the Word into your heart, believe it and act on it, that life of which Jesus spoke, the very LIFE of God Himself, is released in you. You may have read the healing scriptures over and over again. You may know them as well as you know your own name. Yet every time you read them or hear them preached, they bring you a fresh dose of God's healing power. Each time, they bring life to you and deliver God's medicine to your flesh.
That's because the Word is like a seed. Hebrews 4:12 says it is "alive and full of power--making it active, operative, energizing and effective..." (The Amplified Bible). It actually carries within it the power to fulfill itself.
When you planted the Word about the new birth in your heart, then believed and acted on it, that Word released within you the power to be born again. By the same token, when you plant the Word about healing in your heart, believe and act on it, that Word will release God's healing power in you.
"But, Gloria," you may say, "I've met people who know the Bible from cover to cover and still can't get healed!"
No doubt you do. But if you'll look back at God's prescription, you'll find it doesn't say anything about "knowing" the Bible. It says, attend to the Word.
When you attend to something, you give your attention to it. You make it top priority. You set aside other things so you can focus on it. When a nurse is attending to a patient, she constantly looks after him. She doesn't just leave him lying alone in his hospital room while she goes shopping. If someone asks her about her patient, she doesn't feel it's sufficient to say, "Oh, yes. I know him."
In the same way, if you're attending to the Word, you won't leave it lying unopened on the coffee table all day. You won't spend your day focusing your attention on other things
Does that sound too good to be true? It's not. I can testify to you by the Word of God and by my own experience that such a supernatural medicine exists. Even more importantly, it is available to you every moment of every day.
You don't have to call your doctor to get it. You don't even have to drive to the pharmacy. All you must do is reach for your Bible, open to Proverbs 4:20-24 and follow the instructions you find there:
"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health (Hebrew: medicine) to all their flesh.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee."
As simple as they might sound, those four verses contain the supernatural prescription to divine health. It's a powerful prescription that will work for anyone who will put it to work. If you have received healing by the laying on of hands, following this prescription will help you maintain that healing. If you have believed for healing, but are experiencing lingering symptoms, it will help you stand strong until you are completely symptom-free. And if you are healthy now, it will help you stay that way--not just for a day or a week, but for the rest of your life!
Powerful Medicine
To understand how this prescription works, you must realize that the Word of God is more than just good information. It actually has life in it. As Jesus said in John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth [or makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Every time you take the Word into your heart, believe it and act on it, that life of which Jesus spoke, the very LIFE of God Himself, is released in you. You may have read the healing scriptures over and over again. You may know them as well as you know your own name. Yet every time you read them or hear them preached, they bring you a fresh dose of God's healing power. Each time, they bring life to you and deliver God's medicine to your flesh.
That's because the Word is like a seed. Hebrews 4:12 says it is "alive and full of power--making it active, operative, energizing and effective..." (The Amplified Bible). It actually carries within it the power to fulfill itself.
When you planted the Word about the new birth in your heart, then believed and acted on it, that Word released within you the power to be born again. By the same token, when you plant the Word about healing in your heart, believe and act on it, that Word will release God's healing power in you.
"But, Gloria," you may say, "I've met people who know the Bible from cover to cover and still can't get healed!"
No doubt you do. But if you'll look back at God's prescription, you'll find it doesn't say anything about "knowing" the Bible. It says, attend to the Word.
When you attend to something, you give your attention to it. You make it top priority. You set aside other things so you can focus on it. When a nurse is attending to a patient, she constantly looks after him. She doesn't just leave him lying alone in his hospital room while she goes shopping. If someone asks her about her patient, she doesn't feel it's sufficient to say, "Oh, yes. I know him."
In the same way, if you're attending to the Word, you won't leave it lying unopened on the coffee table all day. You won't spend your day focusing your attention on other things