Release Your Child to the Lord
Parenthood

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Good morning church! We are in part three of our series; we’re concluding our series today, entitled, “Parenthood.” We’ve been going through the three R’s of parenthood; it is not the three R’s of education, which is “reading, writing and arithmetic.” It is the three R’s of parenthood, which is, Receive our Children as a gift from the Lord, Raise them up in the admonitions of the Lord and Release them back to the Lord. This is what it looks like to be parents. It’s a temporary assignment; it’s a holy stewardship. Today, we are going to be talking about releasing your child to the Lord, which in many ways is one of the most challenging seasons of being a parent. It’s because this season tends to be what we call “the teenage years.” We’re raising children through the teenage years and that’s a challenging season. As we’ve said before, it’s a good thing to have a sense of humor as a parent. You need a sense of humor.

With that in mind, here’s some funny tweets by parents of teens:

Tweet #1: Blue-eyed Ice Queen – “Be kind to the people you meet… you never know who’s raising a teenager.” Tweet #2: Lisa Bodnar – “Having a teen is sending them an ‘I love you’ text and getting a thumbs up in reply.” Tweet #3: Positively Randi – “Raising teenagers makes you age in dog years! I think I look pretty good for being 343!” Tweet #4: Untameable Soul – “Having a teenager is like having a cat that only comes out to eat and hisses when you try and pet it.” Tweet #5: Steve Olives – “At the airport. Just kissed 13 yr old son on his forehead. He reacted like Dracula getting impaled by a wooden stake.” Tweet #6: Sweet Momissa – “You think your kid’s room is bad? I watched our Roomba go in the doorway of my teen’s room, looked both ways, and turned right back around and left.”

Parents have all kinds of questions during the time that they’re raising children. They ask questions like, “How and when should I discipline my child? They ask questions about potty training. They ask spiritual questions too; “When is my child old enough to understand the Gospel?” “When will they understand it well enough to make a profession of faith?” “What about baptism and The Lord’s Supper?” When is the right time for a child to make these kinds of decisions? The truth is, it really depends on the child, using God’s word as our guide. We have to look at the maturity level of the child. There does tend to be certain general averages that require different parenting styles. Now, many of us think, Well, I’m just going to go with this one parenting style. That won’t work, because every child is different. Every child is unique. They change over the time that they’re growing up. They go through different seasons where it requires different parenting styles.

With this in mind, I started thinking about this, some years ago, when we were raising our children. At the time, it was before I became a pastor. I was an executive with a large drugstore chain; we had access to a lot of leadership seminars and so forth. I remember one by Ken Blanchard called, “Situational Leadership.” He shared the idea that when you have a new employee, you need this leadership style and as they progress, you change leadership styles based on where they are in their maturity as a leader. I started thinking, Man, that would work for parenting. I thought about writing a book, but it was too late. Ron Campbell already had come up with the idea. He has this chart in his book. I’m gonna be talking about it off and on; it is on the back page of your bulletin.

From his chart, we’re just going to be talking through the life of your child. From ages 0 to 6, you’ll be mostly directing, teaching and telling them what to do. From there, you have to start giving them more explanation, persuasion, encouragement and problem solving. After this, it’s more like we are sending them out. This requires a certain parenting style. You’ll find, often, that children between the age of 6 and 12 are at their highest willingness level. They really want to please you, but they don’t know everything yet.

What does the bible say about this? Gary, okay, you told us about this book, but we want to hear what God’s word says about it. It just so happens that the apostle Paul talks about the different ways that he was like a mother, like a father to the church members at the city of Thessaloniki. He followed different approaches, depending on where they were in their maturity. We’re going to be looking today at Paul’s three parenting styles of how to parent.

Let’s look at the text: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (ESV) 7 “But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” This is God’s Word. Amen

How to Release Your Child to the Lord: 1. Show and Tell when they are young.

I want you to look at verse 12; this is a summary of how Paul parented the new believers because the church, after all, is a family. The church is the family of God .

He used three different verbs here; take note of them in your notes. The first is “exhorted,” the second is “encouraged” and the third is “charged.” Can you see those? That’s our three parenting styles right there.

Let’s work on the first one, “exhorted.” That’s where we get “show and tell.” The word, “exhorted,” is παρακαλοῦντες, parakalountes, in the Greek. It starts off with “para,” which is where we get words like “paragraph and parallel.” It means to “come alongside” or “beside of.” This is the phase where he says to call your child alongside you. You are going to show them how to do things. Here’s how you tie your shoes, here’s how you brush your teeth. Here’s how you talk. Here’s how you walk. They don’t “come out” doing these things. They know how to cry and other things. Everything else we have to teach them.

This is a very high directive season. It requires a lot of energy; it requires tons of energy. It’s good to have children while you’re young because you are working hard when they are ages 0-6 years. Paul talks about it.

Paul says that some of you, when you were just starting out, I had to be like a nursing mother taking care of you. I had to do everything for you. You didn’t know anything yet. Paul is descriptive, he talks with a gentle tone.

Then, in verse 9, he goes on to say, “we worked night and day.” That sounds like you just had a newborn, right? It’s a high energy season. It’s hard work during our children’s ages of 0 to 6; children don’t run out of energy. They have energy while yours is long gone. But, this is the season, if you pour out your energy, then it’ll be so much easier when they are teenagers. Teach them to obey, teach them the household rules, teach them your beliefs about the Lord and about Jesus. Teach these things from your child’s ages 0 to 6; do the hard work.

I can still remember when Stephen, my first child, would go walking towards my stereo with a turntable. It would be playing a record. Tell the young people later what I’m talking about. Stephen would go up towards the needle and I would be saying ”No, No.” He would scratch the record touching the needle. I don’t know how many needles on my record player he would break because he just couldn’t leave it alone. It was too attractive to him. I learned that I just had to get up and stop him. He couldn’t help himself.

Our children are born with “the bends;” they are bent towards sin. That’s how all of us are born. We’re bent towards sin; we were born with the “sin gene.” We have that in common, ever since Adam and Eve.

You have to get out of that recliner and stop your child. Then, we graduated with Jonathan, our second child, to a VCR. Tell your kids about that later, as well. Jonathan walks up to the VCR with a sloppy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’m in the recliner again and I’m tired. “No, get away from the VCR.” He looks at me and starts batting his eyes like he knows he’s going to get it, but he can’t help himself. You cannot get peanut butter and jelly out of a VCR; you have to go buy a new one. This is a tough season. You have to move, you have to get up and help them because they can’t help themselves. They go through this season. It’s a lot of work.

Philippians 3:17 (NLT) “…pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” Paul was bold enough to say, watch me and then do what I do. Many parents do the opposite; do as I say, not as I do. They should do what we do more than they do what we say. We have to be consistent.

I know you’re sitting here thinking, Man, how do you do this? You must have God’s help, You have to pray a lot, trust the Lord and expend energy in this season. You do this with love and discipline.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:21 (ESV) “What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?” If you really love somebody, you will correct them. If you really love your child, you’ll discipline them. There’s a time when you should discipline. There’s a time when you should support and you ask the Lord for help with that.

I told you, last week, I used to get confused when they were little and they would stick a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my VCR. I would get frustrated. I will need to clean up the problem. I will need to replace something that I can’t get clean. I was angry because of what my children had done. Often, though, it was just childish behavior. They would spill something. They would trip over something. They would break something. I would sometimes discipline childish behaviour when I should have been saving my discipline for defiance, when a child does exactly the opposite of what you tell them to do. You can tell that they’re doing it and they’re testing you. You have to pass those tests. You have to teach them that “no” means “no” and “yes” means “yes.” During the ages of 0-6 is the season to do this. It’s a lot of work, but they’re more receptive to it during this season.

Let me put this chart up. I’ve got a lot of charts today. Maybe you can tell that I’m very passionate about the topic of raising our children. One of the things to be aware of is when they’re under five, they have very concrete thinking. What that means is be careful with the metaphors and so forth. One of them I can tell you about is if your ask a little child, “Would you like to ask Jesus in your heart?” Then, they’re thinking that Jesus must be really little. Be careful with that kind of language. When we say “yes” to Jesus in our heart, what we’re saying is we have asked Him into your life. We have asked Him into the center of our life, where our will, our mind and our emotions are in the hearts of it. It doesn’t mean the heart that’s beating in your chest, right? This is a metaphor. We know this as adults, but as a child, they don’t understand. So, when you talk to a child, you say, “Jesus died for your sins and He was raised from the grave on the third day. Do you know what a sin is? It’s when you do wrong. It’s when you tell a lie. It’s when you hit your brother.” You begin to teach what sin is and that we’re all sinners . Daddy is a sinner, too. You keep it really basic and very concrete.

If you think about our children’s ministry, we start off with really concrete bible stories, and we don’t do a lot of what I would call abstract stories until they start getting into third through fifth grade. It’s something we have learned about children; they’re very concrete. So, give them the rules. Then, as they grow up, you’ll start seeing that their minds are now able to understand the “why” behind things more. You work through this. Finally, as they finish up their teenage years, they have resolved so that they know their own mind on a thing. This is the process.

Go to the next chart. I’ve got so many charts today. I hope you’re “hanging” with me. are This is the parenting style we’ve been talking about “show and tell” from 0-6 years of age. It’s about making sure that it’s really high in teaching them obedience. You can teach them love, honor and respect along the way. But the main job right there, from ages 0 to 6, is to teach them to obey and teach them to do what you tell them to do. It’s so important. They’re most receptive to it during that period.

Many parents, especially among the younger generation today, really want to be friends with their three year old. They want to be “buds.” What I would say to you is to be their mom. Be their dad. You can be their “bud” when they’re grown. You can be their friend when they are grown. If you try to be their friend when they are 0-6 years old, you’ll end up being their enemy when they are a teenager. Be their mom. Be their dad. Teach them right from wrong, then you can be friends as they grow up. We get it out of order; be willing to take on the role.

The bible says in Ephesians 6:1-2 (ESV) “Children, obey your parents in the Lord… “Honor your father and mother” We want to teach them to do that.

We talked about this last week; Ginger Plowman, in her book, “Don’t Make Me Count to Three,” wrote this, “Set the standard of obedience. We should expect instant obedience from our children. Teach them that God wants them to obey all the way, right away and with a happy heart.” As I mentioned last week, “immediately, sweetly and completely.” We teach them the right attitude, how quickly to do it and to do it to fulfillment.

Dr. Tedd Tripp, in his book, “Shepherding Your Child’s Heart,” says, “When your child is old enough to resist your directives, he is old enough to be disciplined.” I’ll have people ask me, How old do my children need to be before I can correct them? You correct them as soon as they’re able to understand. It depends on the child; it’s usually somewhere around 18-36 months of age when they start understanding what “no” means. I’m not talking about abuse, but doing that which disciplines and directs the child.

Do the hard work; we are stewards of a holy stewardship. We’ve been given little eternal souls, little children that have infinite value to God. We’ve been given this holy stewardship to raise them up to trust the Lord. “Show and tell” when they’re young.

2. Coach and Encourage as they grow.

Remember that there are three words in verse twelve; the first is “exhorted” and the second is “encouraged.” You see that the second verb there is “encouraged.” This is the other way that Paul was a father to his children. He encouraged them. This is the idea of “to comfort, to encourage, to say you can do it, I’m here with you to help you.” This is primarily when your children reach ages 6-12 years. As a parent, this was like my favorite age. There were different things I loved and things that were more challenging with parenting, but 6 to 12 years of age was really cool because it seemed like they got the rules down. There was less discipline. There was still discipline but it wasn’t so intense. I had already developed a “look” with them so I didn’t even have to speak. I could just give them “the look.” To this day, (Stephen’s not in here right now but if he was sitting here), if I gave him “the look,” he’d be wondering what he need to fix with tech or whatever. He’s 39 years old now.

I remember, at a previous church before I became a pastor, that my wife and I were in the choir. It was the kind of church where the choir wore robes and stayed in the choir loft. The preacher would preach and we stayed in the choir. Our son, Stephen, had gotten to the age where he was too big to go to the children’s ministry, so we put him with a family in one of the pews. He was sitting in the second pew with this family. They had a little boy a year older than him. I’m sitting in the bass section and I’m looking around the preacher to see what my son is doing. He and the little boy were play punching each other. I leaned over and gave him “the look.” That whole pew of people straightened up. Everybody on that pew straightened up. I didn’t realize how much power I had with “the look.” Afterwards, the dad of this family comes up to me and asks, “Are you mad at me about something?” I said, “No, I’m sorry, I was trying to send that laser beam to Stephen.” I wiped everybody out on the second pew. Learn to achieve “the look.” At this age, they will often respond to a look.

In verses 10 and 11, Pauls says, “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children.” In other words, we’ve been models to you. We’ve been like a father to you. We’ve encouraged you. Put in the good work and they can affirm that you’ve done that good work for them.

It says in Colossians 3:21 (ESV) “Fathers do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged.” So, there’s this balance right here. Hopefully, you put in the good work during your child’s age of 0 to 6. When your child reaches the ages from 6 to 12, you can inherit some of the good work. They’re very receptive during that age to your leadership.

Hebrews 10:24 (GW) “We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good works.” I love that season so much. I remember we used to do this thing on Saturday mornings where I’d stand at the bottom of the steps, all the kids’ bedrooms were upstairs and they’d usually be upstairs playing. I would be getting ready to go somewhere and I would stand at the bottom of the steps and say, “Stephen, do you want to go with daddy?” He would say, “Yeah!” and come running down the steps to get in the car with me. Then, Stephen turns 12. “Hey Stephen, do you want to go with daddy?” Stephen says, “Where are you going?” I wouldn’t even answer him. “Hey Jonathan, do you want to go with daddy? “Yeah!” Then, one day, Jonathan says “Where are you going?” “Hey Erin, do you want to go with daddy?” “Yeah!” I was just trying to enjoy time with them. Stephen and Jonathan would tell Erin, “You shouldn’t go. He’s going to make you work. He’s going to go to Lowe’s. It’s Saturday.” It was just a joy to be with the kids in that age group. I’ve kidded around and said to my wife, Robin, “I really feel like the kids belong to you more than they do to me when they are 0 to 5 years old. They are mine starting at age six.” I just really enjoyed that age.

There’s something about that age. They’re the most spiritually receptive than they’ll ever be. In fact, what’s going on next door in the children’s wing is the most important thing that’s happening in the church because that’s the most spiritual receptive group of people in the building right now. A lot of us have gotten hard hearted towards spiritual things as we have gotten older. Children are very tender-hearted.

Parents, if you have a child between six and 12, make sure that you’re aware of this. Talk to them about the Lord and answer their questions. I am not saying to push them into any decisions because they’re all different.

I remember my son, Stephen, when he was five years old, he made a confession of Christ that I was convinced was valid. It was real. In fact, to be sure, because he was so young, I called the pastor of the church we were going to at that time. The pastor came over and spent the afternoon talking to Stephen. After he finished, he told me that Stephen knew more about this decision than a lot of adults he had talked to, so Stephen knew what he was doing. He agreed that Stephen should get baptized. My son Jonathan was around six or seven when he received Christ. It took him a little longer. My daughter, Erin, was around eight when she received Christ. Each one made the decision at their own pace. I was telling them about the Lord, but I was waiting for them to be able to express to me that they understood the difference between right and wrong and that they were a sinner and needed a Savior. I didn’t want to push them into it. I just wanted to keep giving them the information. If you push them, they might have a false sense of assurance later because they didn’t have a full understanding. I wanted to take my time.

I remember when my daughter was around 6 or 7, she would say, “Daddy, when do I get to eat the stuff at church? You know, that stuff with that cup and that bread down there.” I told her, “Honey, that’s for people who follow Jesus and have made a profession of faith.” Erin didn’t fully understand sin; she didn’t understand that she was a sinner. She just wanted to eat the stuff down front. I had to help her understand that it’s not about the stuff down front; it’s about asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Each child is different and they mature at a different age. Be aware that, in that particular age group, children are more receptive.

Pop the chart up one more time. We’re in this section, which is the section where we’re encouraging, persuading and explaining it’s really high in love and direction. It’s a hard working segment of parenting too, but it depends on who you are. For me, it was like one of my favorite seasons. It really was a fun season as a parent. 3. Charge and Send as they mature.

We are on that third word, in verse 12, where it says, “charged.” We’ve done “exhorted” and “encouraged.” Now, we are on the word, “charged.” “Charged” means you’re sending them out on the mission that you’ve taught them. You’ve encouraged them and it’s time for them to start taking the “training wheels” off and let them ride out past where you can see where they’re going so they’re on their own. This season is terrifying. What you have to say is “I’ve put all I can put in you now. I’m going to begin to trust you with more and more distance from me.”

Remember, we’ve talked you receiving your child as a gift from the Lord. You raise them up in the admonition of the Lord. Then, the idea is that you release them to the Lord. Now, they’re taking His hand. You have this temporary job. You have this important job with your children from ages 0 to 17 or 18. You’re raising them up so that you can charge and send them out.

The word, “charged,” here has the idea of putting a calling on their life. In fact, he says this, “charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. “ I’m giving you to God.

I remember when my mom had had it “just up to here” with my youngest brother, my baby brother Donnie, when Donnie was a teenager . Donnie would not obey. She says to him, “I’m giving you to the Lord.” Well, that was a different kind of thing. What she meant was that he was getting too big for her to spank. Donnie said to her, “Don’t do that, mom. Don’t turn me over to the Lord.” When I say, “turn them over to the Lord,” I’m saying, “Turn them over to Him to be directed by Him.” You’ve raised them up, now it’s time to begin to release.

Some of us hang on too tight. When our children become teenagers, we turn our houses into “prisons.” We can actually provoke them to rebellion at that point. It’s a tough season for us as parents, especially if we’ve been really, really protective.

Jesus spent three years with His disciples and then He sent them out. He tells them that He wants them to go do what He has taught them to do. It says in John 20:21 (ESV) Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” There’s coming a time when we send our kids out. When you teach your child to ride a bicycle, we start off with that little tricycle. Maybe you’ve got a thing at the back where you can actually turn the front wheel and push them around. They think they’re peddling, but actually you’re pushing them. Then, you get them a 12″ bicycle with training wheels and they ride it around the driveway. Then one day , you think maybe it’s time to take the training wheels off. You take the training wheels off and tell them to try it in the backyard, so if they fall, you are there and the grass won’t hurt as badly as the pavement. Little by little, you’re getting them ready to ride a bicycle around the block with you. Then, it’s time for them to ride it around the block without you; that’s usually when my wife, Robin, would say, “Are you sure he’s ready for this?” I would say to her, “ I think he’s ready; He’s ready for this.” Then, this one day comes where they take drivers ed at school and they come to you and they want to get a driver’s license. They’re off, driving around. It goes by really fast. You won’t believe how fast it goes. And you have to start saying, “I trust you. I trust you with the values, the beliefs and the things I’ve taught you. You’re in the Lord’s hands. Now, you’re driving out of my sight and protection.” You put a calling on their life and you and you have to switch from high authority to high influence. This is a tough season.

It was high authority when they were young. Now, it’s a high influence. If you try to get that out of order, you will provoke your children into rebellion. I’ve got a chart here to show you how that looks. When they’re born, it’s a high authority. Tell them what to do. Very low influence. You don’t have any influence with them yet; you’re building that, but over time, the authority you use goes down. Somewhere, around their age of 13-14, it crosses over and from there on you want to be a high influence. The blue line is influence and the red line is authority. When they’re grown and married, hopefully they’re your friend. They call you and say, “Dad, how do you fix this?” or “Mom, how do you make this?” They trust you and you have influence. You’re not telling them what to do anymore. You have influence with them not authority. Authority is temporary. But influence can last forever if you handle this season the way it should be handled.

Pop a couple of charts up here. First, this is the season of your child in the age group of 13 to 17. This is the season where you’re giving less guidance and more support. They’re testing you all the time. They’re asking you “why?” and they’re pushing back on some of the stuff because they’re starting to get a mind of their own. (Referring to chart) is when you actually need to be really high in love and respect, but it won’t feel that way. It’ll feel like, No, I need to tamp down. But, you’ve done it here (chart). It’s time to begin the process of taking the training wheels off.

Let me tell you a story. My daughter, Erin, called me, “daddy,” with like twelve syllables, until she turned 12 or 13 years old. Somewhere around eighth grade or ninth grade, she just started calling me “dad.” She stopped playing the, “I love you” game that we had been playing ever since she could speak at bedtime. I would chase her up the steps to her bedroom and as I was moving, I would say, “I love you,” and she would say, “ I love you more.” I would say, “I love you the most,” and she would say, “I love you the mostest.” I would say, “I love you infinity…” We did this and then we would say night night prayers and I would put butterfly kisses with my lashes on her face. We did all these little things. Then she turned 12 or 13. \I still remember this particular night that she went to bed and didn’t tell anybody “good night.” She just went to her room. It was around 11:00am that I asked Robin, “Where’s Erin?” I hadn’t heard from her since dinner. Certainly, she did not go to bed without telling us goodnight and I love you. That’s a rule, that’s a house rule. So, I go upstairs, her bedroom door is locked. That’s another rule; you are not supposed to lock your door. That means you’re probably up to something you shouldn’t be up to. So, I stuck my thumb nail in and twisted the knob. She’s cut the lights out. She’s asleep. So, I woke her up. “You forgot to say good night and tell your daddy and mommy that you love us.” She replied with a “Hmmph.” Like that’s a new language that you encounter at age 13. It’s got a lot of meaning. So, I did what I always did when she was growing up, I took the covers and put them all up over her head and I put her hands beside her and karate chopped everything around her until she was like a mummy. Then, I pulled the top cover down and then the sheet down and tucked it in under her chin. I kissed her on the cheek and told her that I loved her. She says, “I love you.” I left the room; what in the world has happened to my daughter? Has there been an invasion of the body snatchers? She was like that for several years. She told me later that she was thankful that I kept pursuing her and telling her that I loved her because she loved me. She was going through hormones, stuff at school and who knows what else. What I wanted to do was chew her out and tell her, “You better love me! What’s wrong with you?” Maybe I did that a few times because she would get on my last nerve. But she needed the opposite of what I was feeling. She needed security, love and encouragement. She was going through a time of disruption in her life. Now, she calls me “daddy” again. She’s now married with three kids.

Be the parent that they need, at the phase that they are in. I know it very well. I’ve given you some general ideas, but every child is different. Pray like crazy that God will give you the keys to your child’s heart. Aim at their heart to know their shape and to know the way they think and feel about things and to speak to them appropriately. The truth is, everything I’ve taught you for three weeks, you can’t do by yourself, But you can “do all things through Christ who gives us strength.”

Remember our first text that we studied a few weeks ago? It was Psalm 127:1-5 (ESV) 1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain… 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.” So, your children are like arrows. Where do you aim them? Aim at the target; aim them at Jesus. He’s the One who died for them and for us. The truth is, none of us are perfect parents, so we pray like crazy for God’s mercy. If we aim them at Jesus, we can do nothing better than that. Aim them at knowing the Lord and for His help to build your house. Don’t try to build your house on your own power.

Let’s pray. Lord, thank You that we can parent our children, knowing that they belong to You, Lord. We are humbled by this instruction. Before we can direct our children to Jesus, we have to know Him ourselves first. Do you know Him? You’re listening to me preach right now. Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior ? Do you have His power living within you to help you? It takes a lot of strength. It takes a lot of wisdom. It takes more than we have. Do you have Him? Do you know Him? You can receive Him right now. You can pray with me right now and receive Him. Dear Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I need help. I need Your forgiveness. I believe You died on the cross for my sins and that You were raised from the grave. Come and live in me. Make me the person that you want me to be. Make me the mom, the dad, make me the person, the man, the woman that you want me to be. I want You to be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for forgiving my sins and adopting me into Your family so I can call the Lord my Father. If you’re praying that prayer right now, believing, He will save you. You’ll be adopted into God’s family. You’ll have what you need to raise children and to know what God has for your life. Others are here today and you’ve done that. You have the Lord in your life. But as you listen to this message, maybe you felt a little convicted, maybe even a little beat up. You don’t have to, because Jesus died for our sins. He’s forgiven us. So just give it to the Lord. Any place that you feel a shortcoming, just say, Lord help me in this area, have mercy on my kids that I haven’t messed them up. Lord help me to do it the way You would have me do it. I want to raise my children so that they follow You. We pray this all in Jesus’ name. Amen.