Embracing Growth Through God's Correction in Parenting

In my sermon, I emphasized the importance of allowing God's correction to take place in our lives, particularly in the lives of our children. I stressed that as parents, we often want to shield our children from the setbacks and hardships we've experienced, but in doing so, we may hinder the lessons God intends for them to learn. I used the example of a boy, stating that it's crucial to let him fail, go through hard times, and figure things out on his own. If a mother is always fixing things for him, he may grow up expecting women to rescue him. I encouraged parents to pray for their children, asking God to break them but not kill them, to allow them to experience the consequences of their actions but not be destroyed by them.

I also discussed the concept of the "Perfect Storm," a situation where nothing goes right, and all plans fail. This is a situation we should pray for our children to experience, as it can lead to growth and understanding. I emphasized that our children's decisions are not a reflection of our parenting, and we should not feel guilty for their mistakes. Instead, we should pray for them to experience discontentment and deception, the two weapons of Satan, so they can learn to recognize and overcome them. I concluded by reminding the congregation that sometimes God gives us what we think we want to show us that it's not what He wants for us.

Key Takeaways:
- It's crucial to allow children to experience failure and hardship as part of their growth and learning process. ([04:38])
- Pray for your children, asking God to break them but not kill them, to allow them to experience the consequences of their actions but not be destroyed by them. ([05:27])
- The "Perfect Storm" is a situation where nothing goes right, and all plans fail. This is a situation we should pray for our children to experience, as it can lead to growth and understanding. ([06:00])
- Our children's decisions are not a reflection of our parenting, and we should not feel guilty for their mistakes. ([06:41])
- Sometimes God gives us what we think we want to show us that it's not what He wants for us. ([11:07])

Bible Reading:
1. Luke 15:11-32 - The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Observation Questions:
1. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, what were the consequences of the younger son's actions?
2. How did the father respond when the younger son returned home after squandering his inheritance?
3. What was the reaction of the older son when his younger brother returned?

Interpretation Questions:
1. What does the father's response to the return of the prodigal son reveal about God's character and His response to our mistakes?
2. How does the older son's reaction reflect our own attitudes when we see others receiving grace or mercy that we don't think they deserve?
3. How does the younger son's journey from rebellion to repentance mirror our own spiritual journeys?

Application Questions:
1. Can you recall a time when you, like the prodigal son, had to face the consequences of your actions? How did you feel and what did you learn from that experience?
2. How can you, as a parent or mentor, allow the children or young people in your life to experience the consequences of their actions while still providing them with a safe and loving environment?
3. Think of a person who has wronged you or made mistakes that affected you. How can you show them the same grace and forgiveness that the father showed to the prodigal son?
4. Reflect on a time when you felt like the older brother, resentful of the grace or blessings someone else received. How can you change your perspective to celebrate their redemption instead of harboring resentment?
5. How can you pray for the "perfect storm" in your life or the lives of your loved ones, trusting that God will use it for growth and understanding?

For the Perfect Storm, Clarence Edward, where are you going with this?

You pray for the perfect son; he asks for his inheritance. "Yo Daddy, I'm sick of living under your house," he says. "Go Daddy, I don't want to come in at midnight." So he lets them go, and he goes to a faraway place and squanders his money on wild living. When they start filling themselves, you pray for the perfect storm to come into their lives.

Now, every parent who's feeling this right now, I want y'all to look at me. I want to tell you something right now. Your children's decisions are not a reflection of your parenting. Come on, I came to set somebody free. Y'all acting like I ain't feeling that. Your children's decisions have nothing to do with your parenting. Now, if you are a horrible parent, that's a different story. But you know you got him up to go to Sunday school. You know you had him on a drill team. You had them in church sitting next to you. But what you didn't control was those no-good rock Negroes that were hanging around them. I'm doing the best that I can.

And so, you pray for the perfect storm. And when you pray for the perfect storm, my prayer was, "Lord, during this perfect storm, break them, but don't kill them." God, I'm preaching this better than y'all responding now. The perfect storm, ah, is when nothing goes right. The perfect storm is when all their plans cave in. The perfect storm is when everything they thought was going to work begins to fail. The perfect storm is when all those folk who are gassing them up leave them by the wayside. You pray for the perfect storm, "Lord, break them, but don't kill them."

And so, that's what's happening here in the story. And so when we pray for this perfect storm, we want them to experience difficulties. We want them to hit rock bottom. We want them high to get their knees scraped. We want them to feel the pain of their decisions. We want them to feel the hurt. But don't kill them. Break them, but don't kill them. Because parents, I want to help you all out. I'm old enough now and been through this enough now I can talk about this.

See, have you ever considered that sometimes we get in the way of God's correction? Because you're a parent, you want to rescue. You're a parent, and you don't want them to experience the setbacks and the hang-ups that you've gone through. So instead of God teaching them what he needs to teach them, especially boys, you gotta let a boy fail. You gotta let a boy go through hard times. You gotta let a boy figure it out. Because if they don't, and mama's always fixing it, they gonna get a woman, because that's what they're used to—a woman rescuing them. You got to pray, "Break them, but don't kill them." Oh, it's quiet in here. I could feel the tension up in here. Y'all all right online? Maybe I need to talk to y'all online because they didn't got quiet on me here.

So, help me out. Help me out. First of all, you do what? You pray. You only want to talk back to me. All right, all right. Come on, help me out. You pray for the perfect storm. And in that prayer, Lord, what? Break them. But all right, y'all doing all right. Come on, give God a clap offering and be ready to praise. Just let me know if we're doing all right. All right, we're praying for the perfect storm now.

Now, see, this is what those who experience it go through. Now, Satan's grading weapons. Um, that's why they... You gotta pray for the perfect storm. It's discontentment and deception. That's what your child is up against. Your best friend is up against deception and discontent. The enemy wants your child to think that where they are, it ain't nothing; somebody else down the street got something better. Someone else in their circle got something better. So, the enemy begins to stir up discontent, that where you are is not blessed. And then deception, because the son's thinking in that faraway place that there must be something that is better than what I have right now.

Secondly, let's move on, because y'all looking at me funny now. Now, with that stated, look at verse 14. Y'all doing all right online, let me know. I can't see what you're... Just what you're saying, but verse 14, after he had spent, uh-huh, remember you're praying for the perfect storm. He doesn't have any money because the text says, after he had spent everything, perfect storm. There was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. Perfect storm. So, he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. Perfect storm. You left luxury, verse 16, now you want to eat what pigs eat. Perfect storm.

So now, the Pharisees are smiling because the Pharisees want justice. The Pharisees are smiling; finally, he's getting the justice that he needs. But Jesus is, in turn, with the story. And the reason we know Jesus isn't done with the story, here's the second prayer that you add after we pray for the perfect storm. The second prayer you pray is, pray that they have no satisfaction.

Yeah, yeah. You in a faraway country, I'm gonna pray that every day your day is miserable. I'm praying every day that what you thought that you wanted, you realize it wasn't what you wanted. I'm gonna pray every day that when you taste that food, that it's nasty. I'm gonna pray every day you get a speeding ticket. I'm gonna pray every day that you almost, watch this, almost get fired from your job. I'm gonna pray every day that while you out there, that you have no satisfaction. I'ma pray that while you out there wasting your money, that it'll run out before the month. You pray that they have no satisfaction.

Now, now, in doing this and praying for this person, I know this is hard because mamas love differently. Mamas love their sons differently. Mama, and I know I'm riding sons because I got two of them, man. And I take that prayer even further. Lord, let the one that quits him, let him be uglier than him. And Lord, put a smile on her face like she found her both. And just let her smile in his face, see what you lost. No satisfaction. Y'all can't believe your pastor like that. Y'all can't believe your pastor like that. Yeah, yeah. I told you I'm petty. I'm gonna go to Michael's, buy some material, make a cape, and I'm gonna be super petty.

Now, watch this. Y'all ready? I'm about to land a plane. I promise. I'm about to land the plane now. Now, hear this. Digital pastors, drop this, uh-huh, in the comments. And I want y'all to write this down. Sometimes, God will give us what we think we want for us to realize that it is not what he wants. God's got to give it to you, show you sometimes this ain't what you want. So, he'll give it to you. You'll have it, but while you're having it and holding it, there is no satisfaction. There is no peace. It don't feel like you're supposed to feel because it didn't come from God.