Mission Sunday
A Spiritual Playbook on Behavior for Children
Jeremiah 17:14
Dr. D. Marie Battle, Associate Minister
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Good morning and Happy 5th Sunday! For the benefit of persons who have tuned in for the first time, may I welcome you and explain that at our church, the fifth Sunday of each month is reserved to recognize the humanitarian services rendered by the members of the Community Relations Commission, Christian Women on the Move, and Prison ministries. Indeed, our mission is to glorify God, therefore sharing our time, energy, talent and treasure is of the utmost importance. This group is involved in many projects aimed at that mission. I am proud to be a part of this great group of women who serve so lovingly. Usually we equate missions with a church or some other large philanthropic organizations. However, today, I am taking on a personal mission which is a new idea for me. In the Bible I read from Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 10, “We are God's masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This is the Word of God.
So, I am going to take on a personal challenge, a special assignment. I will take on this mission alone.
I was moved to give myself this assignment because in the September issue of the AARP Bulletin, I read an article entitled, "Our Kids in Crisis." It was reported that
The Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports a high rate of depression and anxiety among our children. Further, it reports that there is a dramatic increase in emergency room visits for childhood psychiatric crises. Suicide rates have risen nearly 53% during the last two years. The pandemic has caused lockdowns, isolation, virtual schooling and socializing. Social media promotes negative experiences in the lives of our children.
With this over-load, many of our children are afraid and are feeling lost. They are
at risk! Brothers and sisters, people of God, all of this tells us that our children are crying with dry eyes.
These children feel sad and worthless; they have no interest in life or living. As one therapist put it, “These children are mad.”
As a Christian, and a mother, I felt the need to do something. So, I prayed and ask God for help and guidance. He gave me a Spiritual Playbook on training.
Consider what it means to respond to the challenge to help our children.
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My subject today, A Spiritual Playbook on Behavior for our Children. A guide for today's and future parents to use in helping their child to feel safe, protected and loved. Hopefully, today's message will plant a seed in the minds of parents that will help future generations escape or minimize future problems of fear and depression.
Jeremiah 17:14 - Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved for you are the one I praise. Standing on the Word of God.....
I will begin with the story of two families, which illustrate my subject.
These families lived next door to one another in an upper middle-class neighborhood. The parents had the same level of education and economic status. But the outcome of their children's lives was very different. The children in one
family were always in trouble; they ditched school, actually, they didn't complete school. There were family quarrels, no respect for one another, lots of confusion
and the list of negative behavior goes on and on. I think you get the picture.
The other family lived peacefully. Their children were obedient, successful -- no problems. The parents were proud. The question becomes, "why?".
What happened?
Let's go back in time to the late forties: Remember Dr. Spock and many other child rearing experts? Many of them wrote books on child rearing that were best sellers!
Many of these experts (not all of them) promoted conformity and detachment, meaning that you never, never hug and kiss your children. Keep them on a strict schedule, let them cry themselves to sleep. Avoid too much love and attention, in other words, break free from the wisdom that said children require discipline, love and affection, just to mention a few of the ideas they promoted.
These books were popular during the period between 1946-1964, during the emergence of the baby-boom generation when over 76 million babies were born.
We will never know how many parents bought into these "expert" ideas. Because these ideas became the norm for many, in my opinion, I believe they could definitely be the cause for so many dysfunctional families for many generations.
This could very well be the root cause to today's crisis. So, With God's help, I will follow His lead.
My mind focused on the scripture Prov. 22:6,
“Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it!”
I realize that this is a big MISSION! Let me establish this fact right now!
To God be the Glory. In the book of Hebrew, 13th chapter, 6th verse. So, we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper. He certainly is my helper.
Consider what it means to focus on particular
scriptures to use as a guide in child rearing.
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Tuesday, November 1, 2022 |
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The words in this Playbook are soaked in prayer and devotion to our Lord.
This Playbook is written for and addressed to Parents.
LOVE, PRAYER AND RESPECT ARE THE GLUE THAT KEEPS FAMILIES FUNCTIONING TOGETHER LOVINGLY AND PEACEFULLY.
Our first priority as a parent is to put God first, every day.
Stay prayed up. Spend time with God in the morning, at noon (break) and night.
My concentration is on God's Presence. He knows everything. He is the power that lights my way, and the Holy Spirit fills my soul, mind, will and emotions with PERFECT truth. He teaches MY mind, directs my will and guides my emotions.
With this foundation my mind is filled with His truth. I am ready for the guidance of God to direct the course for change that is needed.
Before I address the behavior of our teenaged children, allow me to start with the babies. Getting children on the right track starts with the parents. Training starts when you bring the baby home from the hospital.
God has given you this precious life to mold, to love, teach and to train and to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. There is no instruction book, You must believe that the love of God is directing your thoughts and intuitively you will do the right thing. Also, you can learn by observing other mothers.
Consider what it means to see your child as a gift that has been
entrusted to your care to nourish and nurture.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2022 |
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This Playbook is a guide to better parenting. The secret to parenting is taking time to give thanks for a new day. Take time to read to your baby. In fact, there is evidence that reading to babies even before birth lays the platform for advanced language development.
Giving your child some of your time is called bonding, allowing your child to feel secure and loved. You teach them good manners at an early age. Take them to Sunday school and church. Teach them cleanliness and how to take responsibility for caring and keeping their clothes and room neat and clean.
Teach them how to pray, to bless their food before they eat, and to say their prayers at bedtime. I remember my Dad asking my brother to bless the food at Thanksgiving and he said, "I don't need to, Grandma knows how to cook." (I thought that amusing.) Allow your children to have their childhood beliefs, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and other childhood fantasies. Help them to be children as long as they can.
Children should have chores to earn the money for their allowance. You don't want to over indulge them with gifts and money. Teach them to feel a responsibility to have to earn what they receive.
Sunday family meetings are so important. This is the time you get to express yourself and tell what happened that you liked or didn't like during the week. Sometimes, one sibling is holding anger towards another because of a misunderstanding. During our Sunday family meetings we were able to clear the air and get everyone back on the right track. There are eight years between my youngest child and the next sibling, and when she was five years old, I remember her response when asked if anyone had a complaint: "Yes, I do. I am tired of being the 'go for' girl!" I didn't know that the older children were using her to go and get things for them. I thought I would share this personal experience because it was most helpful at the time.
Parents, you need to take time to rest, relax and release the tension of the day.
Don't take your frustration out on your children.
Consider what it means to take time to rest, relax and release tension.
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Thursday, November 3, 2022 |
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You want your children to feel that they can come to you with their problems and be helped and not criticized. Children will respect the parent who behaves toward him with wisdom, love, and understanding.
This is why it is so important for the parents to set good examples. (This does not mean you have to be holier-than-thou to be the right kind of example.) Be firm, give them love but cultivate a relationship with your child that they understand that when you say no, you mean no. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Children should not get mixed messages, it's confusing.
There is so much defiance in children and one reason is because they have never been taught that a part of life is learning to respect authority and the rights of others. In my opinion, not all, but many of our young boys are killed because they have not been taught to respect authority. Why do you suppose God put parents here on earth? If He had not intended that children have the guidance of a mother and father, He would have had the parents lay eggs (such as the turtle) so that once the children were hatched, the parents could walk away and leave them on their own. Parents are to teach their children to respect their elders and the law. Do what is right and you will stay out of trouble
Who is responsible for teen-age behavior? Why are they so depressed and want to take their lives? There are many reasons. Look at the many negative messages being spread over the media: the children see and hear lies being told, cheating, stealing, killing, riots. All of these things are shown on media. If I had my way, I would suggest that all televisions be removed where there are young children, or channeled to only child-specific programming. These smart cell phones and other devices are robbing our children of their childhood. They are being exposed too soon to programs that are not appropriate for children.
Consider what it means that children's lives are shaped by images
and ideas to which they are consistently exposed.
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There is a lowering of moral standards. The media has a great effect on the mind and behavior of our children. We should not totally blame the teenagers, we should take some of the blame ourselves.
One point I want to make. Children should never be given the impression that if they do wrong God is going to punish them. They must learn to love God, not to fear Him. Do the right thing and obey and follow His Word. What has been can be undone!
Whatever is causing our children to feel sad, worthless, having no interest in living can be healed with the word of God.
We must start with Romans 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In other words, what had been done can be undone. To change our thinking, we go to Job, 22:28: Thou shall decree (say) a thing and it shall be established unto thee, and the light will shine on your ways.
What these scriptures are telling us is to renew our mind, to change our thinking, and what we decide on changing, it will be done.
So, I have selected several scriptures for young people to use to program their thinking. I have used this method and it works. Prepare and put up signs with these messages from God. Put the sign on the mirror of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Put it on your door and above your bed.
Consider what it means to use advice from the ages
of biblical literature about rearing children.
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Saturday, November 5, 2022 |
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Read the scripture for two weeks. Once you have it embedded in your mind. Select another one. Select the scripture that speaks to you. You feel the words in your spirit. You will begin to heal. Make up your mind that you want to change, feel better and have a peace of mind. Again, to be successful, you MUST LISTEN to what you are saying - say the words from your heart and not your head. Say them over and over and over and over again until you feel the meaning in your spirit!
Is.41:10 - Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
I am not afraid. God is with me. He will direct me and strengthen me. He will help
me and will hold my hand.
James 4: 7,8 - Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(I will not)
This Spiritual Playbook gives parents a silver lining in rearing their children. I have made a list of scriptures for healing. If you are interested in a copy see me after the service.
There is an old Baptist hymn that reads:
O God, our help in ages past; our hope for years to come.
Our shelter from the stormy blast; and our eternal home.
As we look at the conditions of our world and its effect on our children, we may become fearful. But God has provided for our future. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.
It does not say "perhaps, He will provide or He is able to" but He WILL provide.
God is our hope for the future.
Consider what it means to rely on the Lord to help you and give
you hope to manage and overcome the challenges of parenting.
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2412 Griffith Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90011
Phone: (213) 748-0318
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