Passing Down Values: Intentional Parenting for Spiritual Growth

1) "One of the things the holy ghost has been saying to me for the past year or so if not two is that not everything you hear is for you right um there's a generation after us the bible talks about this talks about um the elder women teaching the younger women now I don't know how your theology works it doesn't say the elder men teaching the younger men but it's implying that right okay um but the point is that the generation before has to teach the next generation about how things ought to work but but there are ironies what the world is becoming now is they don't want us to talk so the first the first inspired thing I'm going to say today is we have to keep talking whether it is the gospel of our lord jesus christ or it is the gospel to our children or the gospel to our spouses they must not shut us down we must not let it that's what the enemy wants to do but we have to even if they change how we would normally we have to be intentional about how we say the things that must be said because the moment you stop saying it if one generation stops saying it there's going to be a generation that won't know it right" [05:00] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "So here's, in looking at some of the things that we're talking about here, I often say, and I've said it many times, that you have to define what the values that you want to have. What you want to pass to your children are. You need to define them. Whatever those spiritual values are, or natural values are, you need to define them upfront, intentionally. And then you need to ask yourself, the culture that I live in, does it promote those values? If the culture I live in does not promote those values, I have to intentionally teach those values. I have to, in fact, I have to overteach, and I must sound like a broken record, to compensate for what is missing." [07:10] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "If David and I still had this little conversation at the back of the room that, where are the men? It's just us here. and that is the problem. Does anybody know that that's the problem? Okay. The men are doing other stuff when they should be here praying. Why is it only the women that are here for the most part? But we don't let that go. We must fight to change that. Because I don't care what the politically correct people say, you guys are not making it without us. I've read the Bible back to front many times. You cannot do this without us. No more than we can do it without you. Because that's not the way he planned it. If he planned that you do it without us, then you can do it. But as long as he's with us, you're on your own if you go on your own." [09:51] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "So here's the thought here Jesus is saying the well Jesus is saying the centurion above saying no actually just speak I understand how authority works right that you don't need to come just speak do you know that if you have taught your children well that you don't have to be physically there to give them instructions does anybody know that that if they have been taught authority the moment you say it you can be at work and they can be at home and they will do what you say because they don't understand how authority works so so here's what I'm saying I'm saying we especially we that live in an egalitarian society we have to teach our children what authority is otherwise they are not going to know and if they don't understand authority naturally they won't understand it spiritually because this is what the centurion has just said I get what you mean because this is what I practice in my daily life I don't understand what the centurion has just said in my daily life so when it comes to spiritual things I know what you're talking about did you see right but he wouldn't have been able to get it if he wasn't taught it" [15:00] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Teach your child to respect and value the things of God. Be intentional about teaching your, you already know this, so I'm sending you to tell somebody that you must prioritize this. God forbids, you know, we Nigerians, becoming a lawyer, a doctor, a nurse is the most important thing on the planet. But God forbid that you have a doctor, a lawyer, and a nurse and you get to heaven and they're not there. Your education is not the most important thing. We just think it is. Okay? No. So we must be intentional about teaching from a young age. Isn't that what Paul said to Timothy? From a young age. Teach them this thing. Let me tell you what I mean to help you." [34:53] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "Teach them to go to church. I'm saying this because I know what I'm seeing. Teach them to serve in church. Teach them to give. Or tithe. Nobody wants to hear that word now. I don't believe in tithing the way most people believe in it. Tithing is just a name you give to 10%. It's still giving. It's still giving. Now, let me emphasize that a bit. That's important, especially when you live in a culture that is stingy. This is the point. Think about what I'm saying. When you live in a culture that is generous, I don't need to emphasize that too much. But if you live in a culture that is stingy, you need to overemphasize it to compensate. If you live in a culture that's counting every penny, no, you can't take my 1p, you can't take my 10p, you must give it back. You have to tell. Because, listen, because your children, your children are not like you in the sense that they grew up here. And if they grew up here, they take on the spirit of the place in which they live." [35:44] (69 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "So here's my point. You have to teach and train your children to think about you. A couple of stories around that is how, again, one of our friends was talking about how she was thinking, man, when it's my birthday or it's a significant thing in my life, my children don't seem to care. They don't seem to be doing anything. And she was talking to another friend about it. And the other friend was saying something like, actually, you need to address that. This is what happened to me. I noticed one day that I was unwell and my children, they were coming to the house and they were just walking past. They were doing their own thing. They just didn't care about me. And I was unwell. And then I had to call them to orders. Come, come, come, come, come. You guys can't be doing that. I spend my time, my money, my resources, taking care of you, making sure your welfare is good, everything is okay. Okay. And then when it's my turn, you don't care. So she had to teach the children to take care of her." [50:46] (69 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "but um this young lady look next generation look she's such a blessing to listen to right and she was talking about how um her parents they had their own drama and they separated and then she was being raised by her mother herself and i think two siblings or so no ten siblings because i don't want you to know what i'm talking about um and um what happens and mother passed away so she had to step in and take responsibility right okay and um she spent her time her resources her energy practically raising her siblings and then what happened to her was when her siblings were could practically take care of themselves and go to uni and stuff like that they would come home and talk about how they spent this money and they went on holiday to this place went to a little in that place and then went on another place and then she was saying that she was bitter because in order to take care of them she deprived herself she too knows how to enjoy but she deprived herself so that her siblings would have a chance and then it just hit me like a ton of breaks that many parents are feeling like this because they did they slave they did this they did so that their children will have an opportunity. And now, they're traveling the world and they're not looking back. Because that's the spirit of the age. Now, travel the world if you want, but give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. Can anybody see what I'm saying? And unto God that which is God's. Do both. Can anybody see what I'm saying?" [55:11] (110 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)