Children are not an afterthought for Jesus. They are front and center to Him. Statistics tell us people are more likely to accept Christ at a young age.
Category: Children
Unintended Consequences
From the time girls started learning sex education, most were taught that a fetus was not a baby. They heard it for many years from many platforms.
Take a moment to think about what it was like for many when they made that decision. For most, when they made a decision to get an abortion (or were pressured into it from someone else) they had not heard an alternative option.
No doubt they were terrified to tell their parents and recognized that having a baby would greatly change the course of the lives and bring the wrath of others down upon them.
They were simply believing what they had been taught- the fetus is not a human being until it is born and believed it to be true and acted accordingly. They did not consider any other path.
Many made the choice to get an abortion out of ignorance, not knowing any better. They had no idea that that one decision would come back to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
For most, is too painful to consider anything else. To consider anything else, all the buried pain and haunting questions would rise to the surface. Who could bear it? Not me.
Now, many years later, the guilt, shame,
and pain is crushing them
Statistics tell us that women experience more depression and earlier in life than men do.
The world’s solution is to medicate the pain rather than address it. Can you imagine what it would be like? It is no wonder that our fellow sisters fight so hard to keep abortion legal.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to alienate anyone of these dear women or cause any one of them to bear any more pain than she already carries.
The good news-no-the great news is that they don’t have to carry the pain, guilt or shame any longer.
That is why Jesus came and died on the cross. In his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus freely offers forgiveness for any errors we have made on purpose or unintentionally.
While we wish we could, no one can go back and undo the choices they made. But, mercy and forgiveness are available to every one of us.
Jesus made a way to be free from the crushing pain.
If you experience shame or guilt from an abortion, pray this prayer, “Jesus, I recognize you are God’s son and you died on the cross for me. I ask you to forgive me for my wrong decisions made in ignorance or on purpose. You carried my sins so I don’t have to. Come into my heart and make me clean.”
Rhema Ministerial Association International Values Children
To support the pastors and itinerant ministers in their district, directors are asked to host two events each year. Hats off to Patty and Rennie Ohls, District Directors for Eastern Oklahoma for coming up with a great idea.
They decided that once each year they would bring in ministers to provide a sort of continuing education in very practical areas that many of the small churches could not afford to do on their own. In 2015, they hosted a worship workshop. For 2016, the focus was children.
With each passing day, ministering to children is becoming more critical. Now, more than ever volunteers need to be properly equipped and filled with vision. We were very excited to share Gods heart for children with RMAI in Eastern Oklahoma with an all-day conference.
The meeting started at 9:00 with a great time of fellowship and a reunion of many old friends. In the morning, I taught from my new book, The Secret Door followed by lunch at a local Mexican restaurant and more fellowship time-yeah!
After lunch, we moved into Tips and Tools for Teachers, God’s Four Part Plan for Children.
Everyone got involved in Developing Spontaneity! Dana spontaneously jumped in and shared about mentoring young boys and kept us all entertained with his stories!
Then, we demonstrated how to take children
into the presence of God together. It was a wonderful day of teaching, demonstrations, making new friends and, as Acts 2:17 says, times of refreshing from the presence of God.
While your here, check out our Free Resource Page and Like us on Facebook.
Five Steps to Overcoming Fear
I was talking with my 87 year-old mother last night, and the attacks in Paris got the best of her. She was afraid and felt helpless. The future of the country and the fear she felt concerning the safety of her family were more than she could bear.
The feeling of uncertainty and not knowing where or when an attack might happen can cause great concern. Listed below are a few steps that can help.
- Turn it Off– The News Sensationalizes Everything- Evil is looking for a platform to instill fear. Sadly, the media plays right into their hands by playing and replaying all the gory details. Whatever you meditate and think upon will consume your mind. It isn’t healthy under any circumstances to have the constant dribble from T.V. with the negative reports and even more so now.
- Look at it from a Logical Perspective– The statistical chances of anything happening to your family are one in a million. In the light of all the people on earth, the ones affected are very few. Psalm 91 says “A thousand may fall at your right hand, and ten thousand at your left, but it will not come near you.” BUT, the Bible tells us that perilous times will come in the last days (before Jesus returns). So, it is going to be important to develop your sixth sense which leads me to my next point.
- Check up on the Inside– I remember several years ago feeling concerned about my sister living in New York City. With all the crime, how could she be kept safe? I will never forget her answer. “I check up down on the inside. If I even feel like it’s not safe, I go another way. “Psalm 23:3 say “He guides me along right paths for His names sake.” God is well able to keep you safe. Her response reminded me of something the late Brother Hagin taught. He said that God is so good that he will even lead the non-believer into safety.
- Spend Some Time in Prayer. When my mother was telling me how helpless she felt and that she couldn’t do anything, I reminded her that she can pray. That is our job in this crisis situations. Pray for the people who lost loved one. Pray for those who protect our borders and our leaders. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14.
- Control Your Thoughts– Now that the T.V. is off, fill your mind with thoughts that bring peace, not fear. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid.” ” He keeps us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him.”
Take a deep breath. Smile again. It is going to be okay.
Spirit Time
When my youngest daughter was 8, I started something called Spirit Time with her. She loved God and was sensitive to his Spirit. So, in the evening after we read the Bible, we prayed each night.
We prayed for the children of the world; the lost, the least and the forgotten. We prayed for her friends and their families. We started developing a lifestyle of prayer and learning how to follow the Holy Spirits’ leading at a very early age.
One night I was awakened in the middle of the night with a burden to pray for one of her friends. I prayed for awhile, but I just sensed that I needed to wake my daughter up and tell her what I was sensing. Together we touched heaven on this girls behalf. We prayed until a note of victory came.
Several years later when my daughter was in college, I went out to lunch with my daughter and her friend. In the restaurant, the Holy Spirit was present as I told her friend about that night in prayer. It turned out that was a very difficult time for her and she was contemplating suicide.
Learning to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit can be life or death for somebody. Start training your children while they are young so that supernatural things are natural to them.