Ezekiel 11:19-20 “’19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.’”

HEARTS OF STONE

The people of Israel had become so hard-hearted that they did not care anything about God’s correction or instruction. God was preparing to send them into exile because of their rebellious acts against Him, and they did not seem to care. Right after these verses God’s glory is removed from the Temple, leaving it desolate and without His presence. Now, that is sad.

But even in the midst of judgment, God reminds Ezekiel that they are still His people. When they repent and turn to Him, He will restore them to Himself and give them a soft, supple heart that can be shaped and molded by Him. This will give them the ability, once again, to keep His commandments.

TEACHING MOMENT

Has your child ever gotten “hard-hearted” towards your instructions? Maybe you call it strong willed or hard-headed. Either way, they refuse to obey. You try everything, and they still refuse to listen or comply. This is a perfect verse to apply to the situation. We cannot make them comply. But we can allow them to have to deal with the natural consequences of their actions, just like Israel had to when they disobeyed God.

How long do we enforce the consequences? Well, that all depends on little Gertrude and Leroy. They must repent of their sin against God and you and ask for forgiveness. They must recognize that they need to restore the fellowship. They must give up their hard heart and receive that new heart. Our challenge, as parents, is to NOT cave under pressure and rescue them before they have reached that point of confession. In many ways, it is harder on us.

God could have decided to NOT send the people into exile. He could have just forgiven them and gone on about His business. But He knew that would only make the people worse. We have to do the right thing with our children also. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We are looking at the finish line, not each hill along the course. Stay true to the course. God has placed your children in your care to teach and prepare to follow Him. He will give you the wisdom and grace to parent. Just ask Him!

Jude 17-18 “17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’”

DISRESPECT

Have you noticed how the world around us is mocking God? They acknowledge God only when He is convenient or in agreement to what THEY believe. But the very second God’s Word comes into contrast to what they believe, He is mocked and ridiculed or downright dismissed.

So why are we surprised by this? We are told right here in the small book of Jude to expect that. Even back in the time of Christ, they were doing that. They mocked Him. They even spat on Him. Why should we be surprised today when we witness the same?

TEACHING MOMENT

It is our responsibility as godly parents to teach our children to always respect and honor the Lord. We have to address any disrespect we see in the lives of our children, whether that be against us, another adult or the Lord Himself. We are building a foundation of honor and respect in their lives. The day will come when they will have to choose. They will choose between following the Lord or joining the loud and rowdy chorus of unbelievers who will be more than willing to accept them.

Our children will model our behavior. You know that. So we have to be so careful to demonstrate to them what honor and respect look like. We have to be deliberate in our teachings about honoring the Lord. We have to consistent in correcting disrespectful behavior. But above all, we must live what we preach. We have to show through example what an honorable and respectful life looks like.

Will you ask the Lord to show you? Will you ask the Lord to be your teacher? Will you be the example for others to follow?

Ezekiel 9:3a “Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple.”

DEPARTURE OF GLORY

When I read this verse, my first thought was “How Awful!” The Lord had just shown Ezekiel all the abominations that were going on privately inside the Temple. Priests were worshipping false gods. The people were praying to pagan idols. And God had had enough!

Then this verse! His glory leaves the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies and goes to the door of the Temple to leave. How sad! How heartbreaking! I remember the passage when the glory filled the Temple following Solomon’s prayer. And now we see it leave.

TEACHING MOMENT

We should pray that our children never witness anything like this in their church. However, we have churches all across the world that are compromising the truth of the Gospel in order to be politically correct and inclusive. I do not have to list the compromises. I am sure you know exactly what I am referring to. I am fearful God is removing His glory from these places of worship, just like He did here in Ezekiel.

So how do we teach our children the importance of maintaining the truth of God’s Word? We have to live it. We have to walk it. We have to stand up and fight for what God’s Word says is true, not what the world says is okay. We have to teach our children that, no matter what the world says is acceptable, the only guide we will follow is His Word.

Will this be easy? Will this be popular? Nope! Will this cause an uproar? Probably! But we must hold to the truth.   We must insist that there is only One Truth! We must continue to point our children in the direction of truth. But above all, we must continue to live truth. We do not want just a “form” of godliness. We want godly lives.

Will you stand for truth?

Jude 9 “But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’”

FIGHTING OUR FIGHTS

Did you know there are only two angels named in the Bible? Yep, Gabriel and Michael. The rest, well, they are nameless. Michael is one the greatest angels. He has the role of the Guardian Angel of Israel, among other things. He is the one who fights against Satan, but even Michael knew his limitations.

We see in this verse that he leaves the rebuking of the devil to God. He says, “The Lord rebuke you!” He knew God had sent him to fight against the devil, but God was still the One in charge.

TEACHING MOMENT

If there is one lesson worth teaching our kids, this is it. Let God rule! Let God fight! Let God have complete control. When they learn to do that, all of life’s battles will be so much simpler. They won’t have to struggle to walk the Christ life. If they will just let God have dominion over their lives, He will guard them and protect them.

I am sure there are things you do to protect your children. The next time something like that comes up use this verse to explain, just as you protect them, God wants to protect them spiritually. But they have to let Him. God will not force His protection on anyone. We can choose to do things our own way and face the repercussions of a rebellious soul.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of fighting my battles. It seems every time I take one step forward I get pushed two steps back. When I allow the Lord to lead me it is so much easier. Every time I yield to Him, I ask myself why I fought it so long. I guess I am just hard-headed and stubborn – just like you. Lol

Just let Him do His thing. After all, He has promised to keep us and protect us.

Ezekiel 3:17 “’Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.’”

WATCH OUT!

No, a watchman is not someone who makes or repairs watches! Lol. A watchman in Scripture is someone who watches out for the enemy and warns the people. God appointed Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel. He gave him a message to deliver. He had to warn them of their need to repent and turn to Him.

We have been appointed watchmen for the world. The moment we receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior we have the responsibility to share the Good News to a lost and dying world. We have to share with them the need to repent. We are not responsible for their decision. That’s between them and God, but we are responsible to share.

TEACHING MOMENT

If your child was in the street playing with their friends and you saw a truck coming down the street, what would you do? (Perhaps the first question should be why they are playing in the street, lol). You would holler at them to get out of the street. You would warn them a truck was coming. You would not sit and watch as the truck came barreling down on them.

We need to teach our children the importance of sharing the most important thing in the world to others. We need to teach them HOW to share it in a non-threatening and loving manner. But we also need to teach them the urgency of the message. Every day that Jesus does not appear is one day closer to His appearance. Time is running out! We must be diligent watchmen.

I don’t know about you, but I know people who need to know. I know people who need to be warned. That’s all I can do. Well, I can pray also. But I must do my job. I am a watchman on the wall who must tell all those in harm’s way of the coming judgment. “Hey, did you know….?”

II John 6 “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”

JUST OBEY

How do we show our Heavenly Father that we love Him? It’s simple – we obey His commandments. John tells us that in this short little letter. We just have to walk in God’s commandments. That shows Him how much we love Him.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your children are not always obedient, are they? Sometimes they deliberately disobey and other times they simply mess up without intentionality. How do you respond? As parents, we have to discipline our children. Why? Because we want them to learn to obey. We want them to obey without being told. We want them to obey without having to be watched. Doesn’t it bring you such joy, though, when you “catch” them obeying?

So how do we teach our children this principle of loving God by obeying Him? We can teach them this verse the very next time we catch them obeying. We can brag on them and praise them for being such an obedient child. We can tell them that we love them anyway, but when we see them obeying, our hearts are warmed and we just want to hug and kiss them.

God is so pleased when He “catches” us doing His Will. He loves to see us obeying. He is ready to pour out His blessings on us. Now, that is NOT why we should obey – to get something from God. It is nice, however, to know that we have pleased the Father through our obedience. God doesn’t necessarily reach down and give us an “at a boy.” But through His Spirit who lives in us, we will know He is pleased.

And this is so simple. We just obey His commandments. Which commandments? All of them. But before you panic and say, “I can’t do that” remember you don’t have to. The Spirit in you will guide you, if you will just surrender your stubborn will to His.

Now, go and obey. Be loved!

Jeremiah 51:16 “When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.”

COUGH, COUGH!

I guess this verse stuck out to me because the region of the U.S. where I live is under a severe drought right now. We are well under our normal rainfall for the year and are experiencing fires all around. The air is full of smoke, and the air quality is poor. Visibility on the area highways is down to less than a mile in some places. People are urged to stay indoors because of the smoke and fires.

I was wondering if perhaps the reason we do not have rain is because we have not heard His voice. The verse reads, “When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens.” Have we acknowledged our own sins against a Holy God? Have we turned to Him for forgiveness? Have we begged Him for rain?

TEACHING MOMENT

What a perfect verse to teach our children. Show your children this verse and discuss it with them. They should know that it is the Lord that sends the rain on the just and the unjust. He is the one who is in control of the weather, not the local meteorologist. We must ask Him for rain when it is needed and for clear skies when they are desired.

Explain to your children why rain is so important to us. God knows that we need it and will send it according to His perfect plan. Why would God care about rain? Because He made it, just like us. And everything that He makes is special to Him.

Our Father, we ask you today to send rain. We beg for relief from the smoke-filled skies. We ask you to forgive us of our unfaithfulness. We ask you to hear us and quench our thirst with heaven sent waters. Protect those who are fighting the fires. We thank you Father for we know You hear and answer according to Your Will.

I John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

PERFECT BODY

One day all believers in Christ will change their appearance, but as this verse says, we do not know how we will appear. But I am willing to bet – no, I believe – it will be much better than the present. If God is changing us into something, it has to be better, right?

How many of us complain about our present appearance. I have known people who spend hours, and I mean hours, trying to improve their earthly appearance. Now, there is nothing wrong in looking your best. But we are what we are!

TEACHING MOMENT

When your children start complaining about being too short or too fat, read them this verse. As a believer in Christ, they will have a perfect body one day. They will have no need to complain. The verse even says we will be “like Him.” Wow! And we know He is perfect.

What part of their body does your child want to change? Their nose, eyes, ears, or chin? It will all be perfect one day. Physical appearance will not matter. The spiritual will. So why not start focusing on that now? Teach your children that the spiritual body is so much more important to spend time on preparing to meet Him.

I don’t know about you, but there is much to be improved about my physical body. This verse gives me hope. I do not need to worry. One day I will be perfect as my Savior in Heaven is perfect. That’s a change worth waiting for.

I John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.”

THE UNLOVABLE

Have you ever met someone who you just can’t love? Well, you are right! What? That’s right! You can’t. But God can through you. But why should we love that person who just grates our last nerve? John tells us right here in the verse – “because He first loved us.”

Think about it for a second! Do you remember how you were before you came to Christ? I was awful. I only cared about myself. I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. I was a nice enough guy, but I did not love people unless they loved me back. Why would God love me? Because He is God! It’s that simple.

TEACHING MOMENT

Have your children ever asked you, “Mom (Dad), do you love me?” They just want to be reassured that you love them, so what do you say back? “No, and I never will.” Of course not! You say, “Honey, I will always love you.” Do you stop loving them just because they disobey you? No! Do you love them less because they don’t live up to “your” expectations? No!

Our children need to know that the Lord has given believers a Spirit of love who will love others through us. There are going to be people who are hard to love. We all have them in our lives. But our children need to learn to surrender to His will and let Him do the loving.

I am often amazed at people who demand you to be tolerant of others, but are absolutely intolerant of you if you don’t. They can’t love someone unless they agree with them. But before we judge them, remember, we are just like them. We can’t love them except through the powerful love of our Father who loved us first.

His love triumphs over all.

Jeremiah 44:16 “’As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you!’”

NOT LISTENING

Have you ever heard those words from someone? You explain to them the truth of the matter, but they refuse to listen to you. They are convinced their way is best, and nothing else matters. Even if God Himself appeared, they would continue down the same road.

These words came from the Jewish people who were left in Judah. They told Jeremiah they did not care what he said. They did not care if God had given him the words. They were NOT going to stay in Judah and be under Babylonian rule. They went to Egypt and even drug Jeremiah with them.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your children, if they haven’t already, are going to buck you. They are going to say those very words to you, “I don’t care what you say!” They will refuse to listen to you. Guess what? You can’t make them obey. Just as God did not force these Jewish believers to believe, you must let your children learn a lesson sometimes. That is hard, isn’t it?

Don’t you think God wanted to “make” them stay in Judah? It would have been better for them. But no!!!!! They had to do things their way and suffered for it. They even caused others to suffer because of their sin. Your children must learn that lesson, too. They need to know that they can make their own choices, but they cannot choose their own consequences. Every choice they make will have consequences.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of doing things my way. After all these years, I have finally begun to believe God means what he says. He does know what is best for me. Even when I have the “better” or “easier” way, I must trust that He has it all under control. He may want me to travel the hard path to teach me to rely more on Him.

Hmmmmm! How about you?