Discernment - Proverbs 22:6

We are working through some lessons inspired by the verse in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” We have covered a couple of basic topics of Salvation and the fear of God. Another concept we need to train into our children is discernment, how to distinguish between right and wrong from a Biblical perspective.

The first principle that needs to be understood is that outside of Biblical guidelines, there is no “right” or “wrong”. For the Bible is the foundation of all that relates to God Who is the source of our knowledge of “right” and “wrong”. Apart from a knowledge of God, we are all left to decide what is right or wrong for ourselves. Your children must have this foundational understanding before they will be able to learn to discern.

I want to explain how to approach this teaching in a way that I hope you will understand. It is a way that is very clear to me, so I will try to describe it to you. I think that we need as parents, to build what I call a “grid” in the hearts and minds of our children. You see, there are many areas requiring discernment that come up in a day and it is hard to have a “discernment rule” for each circumstance. If we build a grid into the hearts and minds of our children, then when something comes up, if it doesn’t fit their “grid”, they will know how they should respond to it. A “grid” is basically a network of concepts and principles we all have to one extent or another, that we use to make daily decisions in life.

We have all heard the saying that “square pegs don’t fit into round holes”. Well, that is kind of like a “grid”. As our children are growing up, we need to teach them Godly Biblical principles. As we do this they can apply these principles to most or maybe all of the situations that will come up in life. And one principle that will cover those issues that may not be covered by the grid is this – If in doubt, don’t! (Romans 14:23) In other words if something isn’t clear based on the grid that is in my heart and mind, then it is probably best not to do the thing in question. An example of how a “grid” works is this: If we teach our children the principle in Psalm 101:3 (I will set no wicked thing before my eyes…), then when the TV is on and something comes on that is not uplifting, they will know that this is the kind of thing we should not watch. It is, of course, necessary that you teach them to be sensitive about what things are wicked in order for this to work, but I think that is very do-able as well. Teach them Biblical guidelines of how people should dress. Teach them Biblical behavior within the family and within the community. This requires that you spend a lot of time with them so that you can use every teachable moment. Watch TV with your children so they can see how you apply the principle taught in Psalm 101:3. This concept of discernment will not happen in five minute segments that fit between your work schedule and all the other things that you want to do for your own pleasure. It is a daily talking with them as you walk with them each and every day as stated in Deuteronomy 6.

Another Biblical principle is the one taught in Hebrews 10:25 where we are admonished not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. If your children have been taught this principle in Word as well by example, then when something comes up that interferes with one of the scheduled services of the church, your children will know how to make the decision of which event takes priority. I hope these two examples (and there are many more) give you an idea of how to help your child construct a “grid”. You as the parent need to give them the tools from God’s Word and set the example in order to accomplish this, but it is worth the time and effort to reap the benefit of a child who knows how to discern for a lifetime!

Prayer Requests for July 10

As we march through this election season, it is hard to see much righteousness in our political system. This verse in Proverbs reminds us of where we have come! BUT, God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above ALL that we could ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) and He has called His people to prayer! What a privilege it is to serve our God and let’s be obedient to Him by spending time in prayer for our land! What a wonderful God we serve!

1. Pray for forgiveness for our culture as we have gravely sinned against God.

2. Pray for God’s mercy upon our land!

3. Pray that righteousness WILL prevail in our courts and our government institutions.

4. Pray for the Vice Presidential choices that are being made! Pray that God fearing men will be chosen!

Happy Birthday America

James 1:17 is just a reminder for us of the source of everything we have, both personally and as a nation! We hear a lot of whining and complaining in our country and we have lost our ability to be thankful as a nation! We are the most blessed nation that the world has ever known and yet we have such an ungrateful spirit! I wanted to focus this week on all of the blessings we have as a nation and as people and remember that God has blessed America well before any of us were here! God blessed us with a Christian heritage that allowed us to build a culture that is still reaping the rewards of that Christian foundation. Let’s be thankful for our blessings and don’t let anyone catch us complaining about the issues that we face as a nation that pale in comparison to the lack of food, the disease and catastrophic natural disasters that have occurred in other parts of the world! And let’s not forget the last part of the verse that reminds us of the faithfulness of God! He is the only constant in our lives and with Him there “is no variableness nor shadow of turning”.

1. Praise the Lord for America and for the freedom we enjoy every day of our lives!
2. Praise the Lord for the freedom we have to pray anywhere at any time!
3. Praise the Lord for the natural beauty of our country He has created for us to enjoy. None of us has to travel far to find some natural manifestation of Creation.
4. Praise the Lord for the ability to get to the grocery stores where we see more food in one glance than many in other countries see in their lifetime!
5. Praise and pray for the men and women in our country who are spending their time and lives spreading the Gospel over Christian radio and television!

I could go on for a long time, but I think you get the picture! We truly have much for which to be grateful and we need to give praise to God at every opportunity and show a thankful heart for all the blessings of living in America!

Prayer Requests for June 19

After hearing of the decisions that have been made in California this past week and all the ramifications that may involve, it is a great comfort to me that God is “my strong refuge”! As the old song puts it, “Where could I go but to the Lord?!” Ladies, this coming election is for the heart and soul of America as we know it and the only hope we have is our trust in God! And Praise the Lord, He knew about that California decision before it was made and He was NOT surprised. Let’s keep the prayer a priority and let’s see what God will do. We know He can do whatever He wants, so let’s ask Him boldly for great things!

1. Pray for God’s mercy on our land as our courts continue to legislate morality.

2. Praise for God’s mercy and longsuffering as we have deserved His judgment many times even before this.

3. Pray for wisdom for our leaders as they make decisions concerning the economy of our country.

4. Finally, let’s praise and be thankful that God is in control and He will have His way in every decision and plan that our leaders will make!

More on Proverbs 22:6

Proverbs 22: 6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

I started a series of lessons on this verse last week and will add a short idea this week. I am getting things ready for a trip and so my time is limited. I just want to repeat a thought that I wrote about several weeks ago relating to “the fear of the Lord”. I believe it fits in this series concerning in what areas our children need training so “that when he is old he will not depart from it”. I have come across a couple of verses that I think are pertinent to this topic, so I would like to add those to what I wrote in the previous lesson.

The first lesson in this series was concerning making sure that your children understand their need of Salvation and making sure that they are born again at a young age. Actually, “the fear of the Lord” may be a great thing for them to understand even before they are born again as this may get them to thinking about where they are and whether they are happy with their standing before God. If they aren’t familiar with “the fear of the Lord” before they are saved, then it would be a good thing to cover as soon as possible.

The first verse is in Proverbs 15:33 (NLT). “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom…” And the second one is Proverbs 16:6. “…By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.” As I read these two verses, I became even more motivated to teach the fear of the Lord to everyone, but especially to our children There is great reward for fearing the Lord and if we desire for our children to be wise and to avoid evil, then we need to take steps to be sure that they learn this concept. It is very evident that they will not learn this from the culture, so again, Moms, it is up to you and your husband to teach these concepts.

Live it before them as an example. Teach them the Scripture. Make sure that they understand that besides “God is love”, there is “God is just” and let them know that sin brings consequences! God will not play the “blame game” that so many are getting away with in our culture. They will be standing before God one day and they need to know that now so they can be ready!

I will be away from the computer for a couple of weeks. Trust you are having a great summer. I will be back soon!

Prayer List for June 12

This verse reminds us of how to do battle in this world! The verse following these two verses reminds us that our battles are spiritual and not physical. Take a few minutes today and read through Ephesians 6 and remind yourself of the pieces of the Armor and the significance of each piece. It is very obvious that we are in a battle, but we need not despair as we are on the winning side!!! Let’s be part of the army of God and make a difference in the battle that is raging all around us!

1. Pray for President Bush as he finishes up the trip he is on. Pray for wisdom and safety for him.

2. Pray that we will all realize the nature of the battle we are fighting.

3. Pray that we will be willing to fight using the weapons God has offered to us. (ie. the Word of God, the breastplate of righteousness, etc.)

4. Pray that the truth will prevail in the midst of all the “talk”.

Prayer Requests for June 5

Praise the Lord! It is so comforting and energizing to KNOW that God is greater than everything we see out and about! If we can truly get a hold on this concept, it will give us great peace and help us to move on with joy as we see the things unfold concerning the coming election. Let’s continue to pray together and find support in knowing that many are praying with us! God is NOT surprised by anything that is going on around us. And even if those who are doing the talking and seeming to be in charge are not believers, God STILL rules and overrules in the affairs of men.

1. Pray for the ongoing decisions that are still needing to be made in the Presidential race.

2. Pray for the decisions concerning the Vice Presidential choices on both sides.

3. Continue to pray that righteousness will prevail.

4. Pray that Christian people will assess the moral issues and vote Biblically.