Do you know what one of the most important traits parents need today is? Courage. I want to speak some new, fresh courage into your life as parents, so let me share the story of one really courageous mom—the mother of Moses. Let me set the scene for you, because things were really bad. First of all, the Pharaoh of Egypt was afraid of Israel, so he made life miserable for them by enslaving them under cruel, rigorous labor. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the boys they delivered, but let the girls live. Well, here’s the beginning of the courage, because the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh and refused to obey him. God blessed them for that faithfulness, giving them their own homes and families. We need to start here, too, to have the courage to say to the rulers of the culture that surrounds us, “We’re not going there. We’re not getting pulled down.” God will bless us for that; you can claim it as a promise. So then comes, Jochebed, Moses’ mom, who sees Moses and says, “I’m going to be courageous like those midwives.” As all the other mothers around her lost their children or gave them away to death, she said, “No way; I’m holding on.” And because of her faith, just as God blessed the midwives, God also blessed Jochebed by saving Moses and giving him to her until he was weaned. Now, we need to personalize this story, because this is a real mom and her real baby. It’s not some flannelgraph story stuck up on the board of some Sunday school classroom. It’s real, as real as you and me. And if we’ll make it real in our hearts, then the courage we see in the story can become ours, too. I’m telling you what, this mom here refuses to give in. She says, “Enough. My child is not going down with this Egyptian way of life and culture. My kid is going to grow up to know the Lord. My kid is going to be taught the ways of the Lord.” Listen, we need some courageous moms and dads like this in our culture who stand up and say, “My kids belong to Jesus; there is no way I’m losing them to the world. I will establish guardrails that keep my kids on the right path. They will love Jesus all their days, period.” I’m telling you, it can happen. You do not have to lose your children to the world. Don’t let it happen. Decide now to be courageous. Prayer Lord God, Thank You that I can trust You as I step out in courage and faith against all the culture around me! With You as my great big help, I determine today that my children will love You all their lives! Amen
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 02:47:25 +0000