THE PROTECTION OF PARENTING
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church, St Louis, MO
THE PROTECTION OF PARENTING
A glorious opportunity has been given to all parents. God calls parents to do for their children what God Himself does for His own sons and daughters: protect them. God marvelously protects His own. And He protects them carefully, constantly, lovingly, patiently, watchfully, and sacrificially. Our culture has shown itself to be a child-hating society because of the prevalence of, the championing of, and the celebration of the murder of unborn children. The safest place for an unborn child (a mother’s womb) has turned into a slaughter house for the weakest and most vulnerable. Parents ought to protect their children.
God, as the perfect Shepherd, provides the wonderful paradigm for protecting His own. In Ezekiel 34, God says that He will search for His sheep and seek them out (v.11). He cares for the sheep and will deliver them from the tough places (v.12). Furthermore, He will gather them, bring them, and feed them by the mountains of Israel (v.13). He promises to feed them good food and He says He will ensure they lay down on good grazing ground and are well fed and led to rest (v.14-15). What a God who protects. He guards from danger. He watches over His own. As true believers, our God is our pattern for how we must care for and protect our children.
Parents must protect with instruction and teaching. All parents must take up the Word of God as the glorious tool that God has given to teach the children and train them up for a life of ministry and service to God. The Bible must flow from your lips, from your heart and to your children’s both formally and informally each day.
Parents must protect with alertness (danger). Parents must guard from the constant dangers of this world. The prince of the power of the air would love to destroy your children any way he can. Parents must strive to protect by vigilantly praying, interceding with constancy, and in protecting from harm, from predators, from worldliness, and from foolish decisions.
Parents must protect from worldliness. This world lies in the power of the Evil One. This world is against God, hates God, and has an anti-God agenda. Children need to be guarded and protected from worldliness. Be careful what movies and video games your children play and watch. Guard what parties they go to. Guard who influences your children. Protect them from worldliness. You cannot take them out of the world but you want to shield them and protect them from worldliness while they are young and so moldable. Take advantage of the young, formidable years to teach truth constantly and guard your children carefully from the things of this world.
Parents must protect from bad companions. Watch their friends. Bad company corrupts good morals. One’s friends will reveal what a man will be like in the future. Our children are influenced easily and you must guard the people they spend time with. Ensure they will help them advance toward godliness and not get entrapped in worldliness.
Parents must protect from self-centeredness. All parents must vigilantly watch for and stand against self-centeredness in the children. A great way to protect the children is to specifically expose the sins of the heart and the selfishness that evidences itself. These are God-given and providentially appointed opportunities to shepherd the children and protect them by exposing the anger of their hearts, the pride within them, and the need to trust Christ and submit to Him wholeheartedly. This form of loving and parental reproof is a way of protecting your children by admonition.
Parents must protect from autonomy and independence. Parents must understand the grave danger of autonomy (I am my own authority) and independence (I don’t need you; I can handle this). These are common heart-attitudes that may arise as a child grows and yet parents must lovingly and diligently take time to speak to the child and show how these attitudes are unbiblical, ungodly, and unhelpful. These unwise heart-attitudes reveal gross pride that God will stand against.
With all of this: the most important and profound way a parent can protect his children is to constantly pour biblical truth into their minds (information) and seek to probe their hearts (affection/persuasion) so that the children will see God in Christ, trust Him by faith, walk obediently to Scripture, and live wholly for the next world. May God protect the children and the next generation for His great glory!
This is part 9 of the ongoing blog series on PARENTING.
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