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Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Establishing A Godly Home, Part Two | Morgan Dufresne | World Harvest Church | Murrieta, CA.mp3
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Hi, I'm Grant Dufresne and welcome to Dufresne Ministries podcast channel. We believe that as you listen to this message, your faith will be stirred and you will be encouraged in whatever you are believing God for today. Stay tuned at the end of this message to find out more information about our ministry.
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Last week we were talking about instructions for godly homes. I want to review in case you weren't here and do just a quick refresher so that we can go back through some very important key things because each, each message goes together and is connected together. And one may sound more, more instructive and maybe corrective for yourself, but all of them together are a representation of what the Spirit of God is wanting to get across to us. I don't want us to take one message and say, well, that's harsh, that seems harsh. But if you miss the context of the whole series, we want to keep everything in context with what the Spirit of God is wanting to deal with us on. Because there's much that God has to say about the family too often. And it's sad that much of the church world has gone to motivational type messages regarding people's lives. And it's all very much geared towards a motivating and taking people and leading them on a path that seems like they're, if they just come to church and they love God, everything is going to be all right. But that's not the truth of the matter. You've heard my husband say many people, the spirit of God said to him, most people like me, but they don't love me. A lot of people like God, but they don't understand what it means to love Him. And we can see in the scriptures that there's no greater love than to lay down one's life, well, if for one another. Well, what about God? How do we lay down our life? That means we're laying down everything that we desire, everything we had planned, everything we want to do. If we truly love him, then everything he says to us, we do so because of this motivational type messages and encouragement. What has happened is things like clear instruction for how to raise a family, how to be in a marriage, how to talk to your children, how to discipline your children. All of that has fallen to the wayside or has been sugarcoated because as Dr. Said, you bring up people's kids, their money and their weight and they get offended. So none of those things are talked about. How many of you remember him saying that their kids, their money and their weight, those are the first three things people will get offended over and vaminos, they're out of here. So the Word has something to say about all of those. All of those things. It has something to say about every aspect of our daily lives. The word of God addresses that. You can either be full gospel or partial. If you're full Gospel, then you say, I will take the gospel for every arena, every area, everything. He says, I love what Brother Copeland, the testimony. One of my favorite stories is when he talks about when him and Gloria took a whole couple weeks, went to Brother Hagin's meeting, and they dedicated themselves that whatever the word of God said, they were gonna believe it and do it. They just made that firm decision as a couple. So we have to make that decision. The spirit of God said to me today as I was, you know, studying and meditating, and I said, God, I. I just want to serve you. You know, I just want to do. And he said, remember, serving me is not a feeling. It's a decision. People are always waiting. And I'm not talking about serving in ministry of helps. I'm talking about giving your life. It's not a feeling. People want a good feeling to serve God. A good feeling to step out and respond, A good feeling to do the Word. A good feeling feeling that they, you know, that they cry. And I just feel God close to me. And it has nothing to do with feelings. Getting up every day has nothing to do with feelings, with whether or not you do the Word. And the times that we feel least like obeying are the times that are the most critical. So don't wait for a feeling to obey God. The feeling is not going to be there. Now, oftentimes when we step out and we're obedient to God's word, the anointing will come. We're real blessed if it comes before the decision. But you can't count on that. Every once in a while, the anointing will come to help you make a decision which way to go. But God, as the spirit of God said, remember, it's not a feeling to serve me. It's not a. It's a decision. But that can be a relief, too, that you don't have to feel anything. I don't got to feel anything that I'm not missing it, that I'm not feeling something. Oh, am I just, you know, slow? Am I behind? Am I not up to speed with my walk with God? Am I. Is my faith walk lacking because I don't feel anything? No, you're not lacking in Anything. Because if you're making the decision to serve God and then you're in his will, then you're in his flow, you're in the blessing of God. He can reach you, he can touch you, he can move for you. So no feelings. You guys set feelings aside. But that's really a relief. People think that's a negative, that they didn't feel something. I want to feel something. No, that's a positive. I don't have to feel anything. I love that I don't have to feel anything to obey God. So again, that was all free, free, free, free. Okay. Last week we talked about Abraham that the scripture said. And let's go there real quick, just again, because I want everything to be in context as we go through some of these things that the Spirit of God has. Genesis, chapter 18. And we can see here in verse 18. Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him, and shall be blessed, shall bless themselves by him. For I have known chosen, acknowledge him as my own so that he may teach. If you don't have this underline, underline it. Teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord. And there's two things here. Teaching, command. And so the reason I want to keep this in context is because we're going to talk about those things tonight. Teaching and commanding. And what that involves. It says, so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous. Look at this. So that the Lord may bring Abraham what he has promised him. It matters what you do with your children as to whether or not the fullness of God's blessing can be manifest. It was Abraham. God was dependent on Abraham being obedient with his children as to whether or not he could bring about the promise in his life. So to diminish how we raise our children and that there's many ways to raise our children. And yes, each child is different and we'll talk about that. But there's only one word of God. There's one word, that's it. So if what you do varies from what the word of God shows, then you're off. Not the word. And you have to lay aside culture. This is a big issue. Because there's a lot of things that come into play when it comes to how mama did it, how Grandmamma, how Daddy did it, how I was raised. We have to filter through with the word of God. What is scriptural when it comes to. Not only that, what do I feel? What do I. We have to set aside our own flesh. A lot of parents today, they parent by their own flesh. And what I mean by that is there's two extremes. You have the ones who don't discipline, they just abuse because they get mad and angry. Then you have the other end of the spectrum that is so lazy themselves. They don't want to get up. They don't want to make the effort. And because they want people to be tender towards them and gentle with them and permissive towards them, they've decided, I'll be gentle and permissive towards my children because that's what I want. I've seen it. You may have seen it on Facebook or whatever. Grace parenting. How many of you have seen this? There's this thing called grace Parents parenting out now. Well, what. Grace parenting. Okay, well, what you're saying is. And if you read what. What they're saying is, is I am going to allow my child to have certain behaviors because God is gracious towards me. Now, grace, you understand, is God's ability, right? Grace is God's ability helping meet my ability. I need to walk in God's grace because I need his abilities to succeed, right? So grace parenting is me helping my children to meet God's ability. And we're going to talk about what God's ability is tonight, what his word says regarding teaching and commanding. They need to meet God's ability. And so what they're saying is, well, I'm gonna be. What they're saying is, I'm gonna do mercy parenting. That's what it is. It's always mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy. Why? Because that way, when I choose not to do the word and I choose not to obey, that's what I want. Undisciplined children represent undisciplined parents. It takes discipline to bring proper discipline. You show me an undisciplined child, I have to look and say, how undisciplined is that parent? And we're talking in different arenas. You know what I'm saying? There's discipline in different arenas of life. You know, a lazy child means either the parent was too lazy to put discipline in the child or. Or the parent is lazy themselves. A child that's mouthy. I'm. Nine times out of ten, I'm going to guess that they've learned that behavior from a mouthy parent, a carnal child, you know, not every time, but there's Oftentimes you see certain carnal behaviors in children. Well, some of those things might just be represented at home. We can, we can, like Abraham did, we can set a standard according to God's word and have the generations blessed to come. So every time we see instruction regarding children, these are promises to us. These are not cross our fingers and let's hope for the best. These are promises that if I do the word of God, just as Abraham, who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice with his child, the ultimate sacrifice which was to lay down his child's life, but then he became the father of the nations, the one which with the covenant was able to come through which you and I were able to be heirs to the promise. I am result of one man's good parenting because one man was a good parent, obeyed God. I now have a covenant with God today because somebody had to act out and walk out what was going to happen on the cross. Somebody had to do it first here on earth before it could be fulfilled. So you just never know with your parenting what it's going to affect. You just don't know. Go to second Timothy. Let's look at second Timothy so we can see what the Word has to say. And you don't say, well, that's just your propaganda. All right, well let's go to the Word so that you can see my propaganda is God's propaganda. I'm not trying to sell you on anything that he hasn't put life to. Amen. Second Timothy, chapter three. There is life to His Word. It's what the scripture said. It's life and health to us. I want a healthy family. How many of you want a healthy family? You want a healthy home. I don't want just a healthy body and a healthy business. The Word talks about in Proverbs talks about, you know, asking for wisdom. Well, first and foremost let's ask for wisdom for our home because we see that our long term success is really based on success in the home, not just success at the workplace. Amen. Verse 14, chapter 3, verse 14. I'm going to read out of the amplified. But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing from whom you learn them and how from your childhood you have had a knowledge and a knowledge of and have and been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you, instruct you and give you understanding. The sacred writings is the Word give you understanding for salvation which comes through faith in Christ Jesus, through the leaning of the entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus and absolute trust and confidence in, in his every power, wisdom and goodness. Every scripture is God breathed, given by his inspiration. And look at this, and profitable. So this is how we profit. Instruction for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline and obedience, and for training in righteousness and wholly living in conformity to God's will, in thought, purpose and action, so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. Now, we know Paul is writing here to Timothy, but the fact, if it was just for Timothy, then we wouldn't have had it recorded by the Holy Ghost if it was just for Timothy. But we know this, that as it was with Timothy, and it talked about how Timothy as the faith was in his mother and his grandmother, so Timothy was raised right. And we see Timothy walking out the plan of God because his mother and his grandmother had faith. So this man has been raised himself according to the Word and by faith and God's plan. So that we know this, that he's now available for further instruction. It matters what you do with your children when they're young and if you live by faith as to whether or not they're going to be available for further instruction, instruction when they get older. He's available because of his mother and his grandmother's faith. Now he's receiving instruction from the greatest apostle the Word has recorded on a personal level. But because it's recorded in the Scripture and for all to read, now we know that something is available. This is available for us. This is what we're to go by. So it says, the Word is given by God to bring right doctrine for me to live by. So we could say instruction. That's what the amplified says. What do we have? Let's. Let's go through each one of these very quickly. Lego instructions. How many of you have ever seen LEGO instructions? It shows every piece you can. If you're really thorough, you can make sure you have every piece, line it up just like the back of the instruction manual, line those up, and then you do it by sections. They even come with bags. So you pull out the first bag, you do that, then the second bag, then the third bag. We have lived with Legos on our kitchen table for weeks at a time sometimes. But because of those instructions, those instructions are telling you how to arrive, how to arrive at the desired result, which is what you see on the picture. Many people have a desired result for their lives, but because they don't see the Word of God as their instruction. They'll never arrive at that desired result. They choose not to look at every piece. Every piece. They want to pick and choose. That's what my 8 year old son does. He picks and he chooses until he gets halfway through and doesn't look like what it. Why? Because there was usually one or two pieces that he chose to put on wrong or overlook. Usually because he was what, in a hurry to get to his desired result. Faith people are never in a hurry. They're never just looking for the end result. They love the day to day instruction, they treasure the reproof, they treasure the discipline. They love receiving on a daily basis. What does the word of God say to me? Every piece. They want every piece in place so that as they move forward it looks exactly like the picture. I want my life, I want my children's life to look like the picture. Amen. So if it says here the Word is given by God to bring right doctrine or instruction, then we must follow those instructions to have success. Then it says reproof. The definition of reproof is an expression of disapproval. So the word is an expression of disapproval. Oh, you will never hear somebody who is very much into the encouraging and motivational type messages ever talk about the word being an expression of disapproval. Because God is always approving of us because he loves us and we are just so special to God and we are just so wonderful to him and we have just so much to offer in this world and so many giftings and right. We're full of gifts and we need to find out what those gifts gifts are so we can shine bright in this world and be a motivation to other people. And you know, I could go on and on and we are just winning with him. But listen, aren't these things what people say to their kids? I'm making a point here. Isn't this what we tell our children? You are just wonderful, you are just winning. You are just, you're just gonna shine bright one day. And you are so special and so wonderful. All the while they're bringing absolutely no reproof. And they never wanna show that they disapprove of anything their child did. How dare you show disapproval of something your child did. But it says right here, the scripture is to show us where God disapproves of how we're behaving. If I don't know where God is disapproving of me, that doesn't mean he doesn't love me. Let's use scripture with scripture proverbs, whom The Lord loves. He chastens. I know he loves me. When he doesn't want me to be the same way I was last year, he wants me to be better. You know, it's okay for a coach to show disapproval of an athlete, but it's not okay for a pastor to show whether God is disapproving of their life. If we want to go down that road and call people life coaches, well, then let's do like the coaches do. Get back out there. You did it wrong. That looks sloppy. You're never going to win like that. If we really want life coaches, then let's mimic what coaches do. Depending on what sports you play, they'll scream and yell at you. They'll slap you around. You know, I don't want to be harsh, but I also want to make sure that we know and understand how we will arrive at success. Success. That's why I say we can't take these messages out of context because God was looking to get Abraham. There was so much. And. And don't ever, ever say to yourself, well, I'm not Abraham. No, you're not. You're a child of God. You are a child with Jesus Christ living on the inside of you. Redemptive power is flowing through you. Miracle signs and wonders are at your disposal to go out and lay hands on the sick. Bring deliverance to the captives. And we're still debating over whether I can do or do not certain things in my life. You know what I mean? Let's get rid of the fluff so that we can do the works of Jesus. Jesus lived completely free from sin. Why would we not want to? That's what people. They want to use Jesus. I'm going to be like Jesus. He went and sat with a sinner. Yeah, but he became sin so that I wouldn't have to want to get into that discussion. We'll get there. The sinner is going to show up here. But if we're living sinful, how will we ever help the sinner get rescued out of what they're so desperate for to be delivered from? Remember two Sundays ago when I read the Smith Wigglesworth? He lives so close to God that people around him would become convicted. But they would only get convicted. They'd become delivered from what they were bound by. Again, we're looking for an end result. We're looking to arrive at successful Christian lives. And it starts with the family discipline. So let's see here. Reproof. An expression of disapproval. That's what it says. The word is. Is Reproof, an expression of disapproval and conviction, correction. Then it also goes into correction and discipline in obedience. That's self explanatory. And it says then the last thing training in righteousness to be thoroughly equipped. Then why would we ever let these actions. I'm talking about this list right here. Why would we ever let these actions be counted as unnecessary in our children's lives?
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Lives.
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If these are necessary for our life as believers, then why would teaching, bringing instruction, showing expressions of disapproval, bringing conviction, correction, discipline, obedience and training and righteousness. Why are these less than in our children's? Why are these not first and foremost and how we're raising our children? They must be first and foremost. Well, that's harsh. Why would your first and foremost goal to be showing disapproval and bringing instruction and correction and discipline to your children? Because I love them. They're a little ball of flesh, You know, that's what they came into this world with was a bundle of flesh. That's what a baby does is when their flesh is hot, hungry, they cry when their flesh is wet, they cry when they want something, when they want to be held, they cry, they fuss. When they don't get their way, they make a scene. It's my job to shut scene. Finished, right. End scene. We're not having that scene around here because your little ball of flesh is going to get you in trouble one day. God doesn't flow with pitching and screaming and hollering. If Abraham to go sacrifice his child didn't whine and moan and groan and complain and ask and beg God for another way out, why should I let that be okay with my children for them to act that way? Discipline and disciple come from the same root word, trying to raise disciples. The goal for my children's lives is their salvation. That they follow God, that they follow his plan. What is that? That's a disciple. So the first thing I need to be bringing is discipline to their life. Because I love them. Amen. Always looking. We must always be looking. Let me outline it again with the word. When God made a covenant with Abraham, what was he looking at? Maybe answer, tell me, who was he looking for? What was he looking at? He was looking at getting. Remember doctor, you say he wanted to get his man back. So he was looking at us. He was the end result. Was not a covenant with Israel. We were the end result. We were the end result to his plan. So when he made a covenant with Abraham and said, I'm looking at getting my man back and there's got to come through a Line, there's a plan here. There's an order, a divine order to bring Jesus into this world. Everything has a divine order. So with my children, I'm going to do the same thing. There's going to be a divine order to things. The Word gives me the outline to that divine order. But I'm looking at the end result of their lives. My goal is to see that they are fulfilling the plan, that they are in fellowship with God and that they are walking with God and have their needs met, their lives blessed, that they're fulfilled. Amen. In the call for their lives. So that's what God did with his. He called them the children of Israel. What do you have to do with his children? He had to discipline them. So God's been doing this for a long time, folks. This is not a new thing. He's been instructing and disciplining and bringing order and giving rules and instruction for a long time. Rules and things to follow, you know, guidelines to follow is not just with the law. We've been given much to follow according to the word of God. But what they didn't have was God's grace to do it was God's grace to obey his ability to follow those instructions. We have the anointing, we have the Holy Ghost. Amen. Training of a child's flesh is critical for success, and teaching of their heart is vital for life. I want my children to have success, but I don't want them to have just natural success. I want them to have life. I want them to have the life of God. Amen. Let me see here where I want to go. Because if we go too much in the wrong, the different, wrong direction, then we'll get into a whole different sermon. So we can know here in Timothy we can see. And if you would like, I will invite you meditate on these scriptures for yourself first. I love my children, so I bring discipline and instruction to them. Sometimes it's creative. My husband is very creative in the way he instructs and disciplines our kids. With discipline should always come instruction. Discipline without instruction. Because, see, we see here, that's what the word is. It brings instruction, it brings discipline, it brings shows disapproval. There's times where my husband and I will say to our son, you are foolish. You are acting flat foolish. Well, that's Scriptural foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. Son, that was foolish. That was dumb. And if we don't tell you, nobody's gonna tell you and you're gonna keep doing dumb stuff. And nobody wants to be around that. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. My kids. Nobody wants to be around that. You know, Nobody wants to be around the way that looks, that acts, you know. So it's okay to tell your kids that's inappropriate behavior. Not, oh, honey, you just be you. And isn't my child so wonderful and special and funny and sweet and they're just so quirky. I want my kid to be an individual, but I want them to conform to the word of God. People have gotten off. You need them to conform. I need my children to learn how to fit in and conform to God's standard. Because if you push too much individuality, then when it comes time to conform to God's word, they'll say, well, that doesn't fit me. That doesn't suit me. I'm different. I'm unique. No, we're all the same. We're all children of God. Jesus blood was laid down for you, just like it was for me. You're no different than me. So I'm going to tell you how we're going to be the same. I'm going to raise my children and teach them how we're all, in this household. This is how we're all going to be the same. The Word says you're not going to act like that. The Word says you're not going to talk like that. And, you know, with that being said, we can pick and choose, even our own stuff. Standards. No whining, no pitching a fit, no throwing yourself on the floor. That's all flesh. Maybe the Word doesn't specifically outline these things, but it doesn't need to. When I can see their flesh out of control, I'm going to express, like Paul said to Timothy, my disapproval. I disapprove of that. God's not pleased with that. Listen, if I'm not pleased, God's not pleased. And I love what Pastor Nancy, she. She taught me this. You ain't gonna embarrass this family. My son. I don't mind telling on my kids. My son, he decided he was going to get upset one night in the kids class because he lost. He's very competitive. He lost a game. And thank God it was somebody. I mean, I was just. Father, I. Thank you. It wasn't some teacher that was just gonna like, totally judge us. Cause I was mortified. It was Brother Grant and Sarah Dean. I'm like, whoo. Okay. These people know and love my kids because he decided he was gonna pitch a fit that he lost this game out of the blue and don't know where it came from. Don't need to know. You know, that was his flesh doing what his flesh wanted to do. So he decided he was going to stomp off and, you know, show that he was unhappy that he was out of tag or whatever they were doing. And so he stomped his feet and then started to cry and got mad. So Sarah had to come and let me know what happened. And I was preaching, so I couldn't get called out to handle it. That's one of the negatives is. And then he knew he was in trouble. She said he knew he was in trouble because she's going to tell me. So he knew he was in trouble. And so the first thing I said to him when he got in the car was, you embarrass me. You embarrass your daddy. And ultimately you embarrassed your nanny, which is like the big. For him. For Bear, that. That's the big one. You know, if you bring her name up, then, you know, and the other two, they love her. But Bear, that's just that she is everything to him. And so you embarrassed your nanny. And I'm not happy that you embarrassed your nanny and you embarrassed this family. And not only that, you put on a horrible show and made it difficult on the teachers and were a poor example to those kids. So I give him this speech, you know, on the way home. So I'm expressing my reproof. I disapprove, and I'm bringing instruction to him as well. Well, then he's got his daddy. I call his daddy on the phone and I call his nanny as we're driving to let them both know what happened. Because if you want to act like that in this church that this family is called to, then the family can know what you've done, because we're accountable to one another. And I told him that we are accountable to one another. And you're not going to. I'm not going to cover for you from the rest of the family when you represent the rest of this family. So I see parents, you know, when. When a teacher calls, says your child did something wrong, it's inappropriate to cover because they're representing you. That teacher saw what they did wrong, had to handle what they did wrong. And when you come in and make an excuse and blame the teacher, blame somebody else. It really is a poor reflection on you. When you think you're trying to put your kid in a different light, you're really misrepresenting yourself. I always assume my Kid is wrong. Always. Always. You're in the wrong, and you must be proven right. Guilty as charged every time. Why? Because I know my kid. I'm sober about my children. I'm sober about their shortcomings. Most people are looking for their children's, all of their children's, you know, wonderful talents and gifts. I'm always looking for their failures. Ooh, that's ugly. Oh, I don't like that. I don't like that. I don't like that. I spend more time looking for where my children's weaknesses are than I do looking for what I can praise them for every time. I'd rather focus. Because you know what? I love my kids. At the end of the day, I can't shake them. I can't. You know what I mean? I don't care how many times they get in trouble. At the end of the day, can I sleep with you? Can I be with you? Can I? You know why? Because they know they're kept safe. They know I love them. You know? So if I sound harsh, don't you worry. My son is still upset because I hardly ever come pick him up out of class. Well, sorry, buddy. I got things to do. You always leave me, and then the teacher has to bring me. You know what? Such is life of the pastor's kid. So we get home with my son. We get home, and now he knows he's got to face Daddy. And so Daddy brings some discipline, but he's also going to bring some creative instruction. He said, son, you want to stomp your feet? Then you stand right here and you're gonna stomp your feet as hard as you can for a whole minute, as hard as your feet will go. And if you slow down and if you stop, you will get a spankin. So we're all lined up. Me, bubby, Nanny, cake, Steven, and Bear has to stand there in front of all of us because if he wants to stomp his feet in class, you think that's a good time? Great. We're gonna have a good time. So I have video of him crying, stomping his feet. Are you, you know, halfway through, Are you slowing down? No, ma'. Am. And he's just stomping his feet. Good news. He's never done that again. He's never done that again. Why? We expressed our disapproval. We showed him, and then I talked to him after he got disciplined, after some creative instruction was brought, and we took all the fun out of his flesh for that. Why? His flesh didn't want to stand there in front of all of us because you embarrassed us. So now we're going to embarrass you. You stand right here and let all. Everybody in this family is going to watch you. And now I'm sending the video to your nanny, to your Gaga uncle. I'm gonna send it to everybody so that you can know what it feels like. And then I sat him down and I said, honey, that misrepresents Jesus. And then we went to the Word and I talked to him about what it talks about in Proverbs, about anger. And he's never done that since. What did that take? It took me having knowledge of the Word. I had to have knowledge of the Word to know what to do, to know what the scripture said. To know that's inappropriate behavior. If we're not parents, if we're not first students of the Word, how will we know how to raise our children? The Word is my guideline for raising my children. The Word is my help. And then I can go to the Spirit and ask for wisdom. My husband always has the most creative ways of disciplining and bringing instruction to our children. He comes up with stuff just like that. I can't think of things that fast. You know, I'm better at initially laying down the hammer. And then he brings the creative discipline, and then I follow through with the instruction from the Word. And so it makes for. We're covering all of these bases that he talks about here in Timothy. So this is a wonderful guide, parents and families that we can look to. But I want it. What I really wanted us to see tonight is that if the Word is to bring these things that the modern church calls harsh, you know, discipline, reproof, instruction. If the Word is to bring these things to us, then don't think that it be too harsh in your home to bring discipline, instruction to show disapproval of your children, that you convict them of what they did. You have to help your children understand what conviction is. Honey, you didn't. You didn't have a. Don't do that. You didn't think that that was wrong. Let me help you. If you didn't think that was wrong, let me show you. So that the next their flesh wants to act out, they can go, oh, I remember. I got instruction. But we cannot bring instruction. We cannot bring correction, and we cannot bring discipline to any area that parents, us, ourselves are not disciplined in. It starts with us, an undisciplined child. Now, there's no such thing as a perfect child, and there's no such thing as a perfect parent. I'M not. Pastor says I won't expect perfection out of you if you won't expect perfection out of me. But God is looking just the same way with the Word. Don't stop with I'm born again and going to heaven. Praise the Lord. Where can I change? What can I get better? What can I. What can I improve on in my life? How can I grow? Well, God is. It's right for us to expect those things. Same things with our children. How can they grow? How can they change? How can they be disciplined? What can I take of that little ball of flesh? Because I got one too, and I'm trying to discipline mine. And the only way to put the flesh down is to know the Word and be full of the Spirit. Your children will never hear from the Spirit if they don't know the Word and know how to put that flesh down. So I want. I'm hoping tonight this is. We're just moving in a direction. We're just flowing with the way the river takes us. Okay, but it starts first. Where I wanted to arrive tonight is that we see first that it's us first. We've got to get into the Word as parents, as aunts, as grandparents, as leaders to those that are watching us. We must be full of the Word and know the Scriptures. I'm not talking about being a Bible scholar scholar. I'm just talking about that we meditate, as Joshua said, day and night so that we can make our way prosperous and have good success. Your children will see your success in the Word and they'll see and recognize your failures of the flesh. They're smart enough. Children are smart. They'll know when you failed because it was your flesh. And they'll know when you succeeded because. Because it was the Spirit and the Word. Amen. And we can. Well, we'll just go ahead and we'll stop there. I've got so much more. Again, these are things that I have been meditating on now for months and months and months just to get refined in my own life. And, you know, light has just been coming again, not for perfection. Because as God was looking for an end result, he was looking for you and me, I'm just looking for an end result. Every thing I have to ask myself, why am I okay with that behavior? And what is the end result going to be with that behavior? You know what I'm saying? By that I have to ask myself, why was I proud of my child doing what they did? And what will the end result of that be? Why was I permitt with this, with my child and what is the end result going to be? I always have to ask myself. God knows the end from the beginning. I need to know some things about the future of my children and recognize what's going on right now so that I can see the end result. God will help me with that. The Holy Ghost will help me. He knows their callings. I don't have to know every every bend and every turn in their life and I don't have to be afraid of them. But what I need to know is be full of the Word, full of the Spirit, and ask God for wisdom and ask myself, will this help the end result for their life? Or could this behavior end up embarrassing us, costing them, costing their future? Am I just being lazy when I don't correct their smart mouth? Am I just being lazy when I don't get up out of the chair and deal with them? When they talk back? Am I just being lazy? Am I just overlooking because, well, they're a good kid? Yeah, I'm sure they are in your eyes. But if you're not going to be tough with your kid, who is? I can't. It's not my child. That's not my seed. That's not my harvest. That's your harvest. Just as we were God's harvest and his end result. Let's look at our children and go, what will the end result of these things that we've been allowing in our home? Likewise the things that we have been doing, the things that we see in the word that we have been implementing. You can thank God every day. Father, I thank you that the scripture says, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. That means if I'm serving the Lord, my children will will know how to serve you. We want to look at the promises as well as the instruction. Amen.
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