R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha Franklin wanted us to find out what it meant to her. 

What does it mean to you?

Have you noticed how little of it there is today? 

When I was a teenager everything was changing, Hippies were taking over. The “Father Knows Best” mentality was being run over by a Mack truck of free love, LSD and pot. I suppose every generation of adults feels the same way about the teens. There were the beatniks and the beginning of rock and roll in the generation before me. I don’t know, I think we were worse. Bra burning, flag burning and neighborhood burning seemed a little more severe than weird poetry and finger snapping.

The thing I do know is no matter what was going on in society most of us were taught the importance of respect. I remember thinking at the time how outdated all that was. That “respect” was such an old-fashioned term and only old people cared. Now, when I wonder what ever happened to plain old respect it makes me wonder if I am just old and out dated. I don’t think so.

As parents it is our job to teach our children how to react to God by how we train them to respond to us. If we allow our children to question everything we do then they will question God. This leads to a lack of the “fear” of the Lord which is, after all, the beginning of wisdom. Does this mean we cannot ask Him questions? Of course not. It does mean we need to check our hearts when we question. 

I am always concerned and distressed when I see parents ask their 2 year old what they want to do. Not that I think learning decision making is wrong but when the 2 year old runs the family with their “decisions” it puts a responsibility on the child they should not have to handle. Sometimes He asks us to do things we do not need to need to understand. We just need to love Him enough to obey.

The other thing that happens in these situations is the parents manipulate the child into what they want them to choose. How does this train them in the way they should go?

I see several blockages to their ability to walk with the Lord as adults:

1. They grow up thinking that what they want is of upmost importance and have no respect for authority
2. They learn to manipulate to get what they want
3. They do not learn to fear God which is the beginning of wisdom

Wouldn’t it be better to teach our children how to humble themselves before the Lord? To hear God and be quickly obedient? To fear God and obtain the wisdom that brings? To respect authority?

Deuteronomy 4:9-10  Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade fro your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.

Deuteronomy 13:12-13 Assemble the people--men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land your are crossing the Jordan to possess.

God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

You probably fall into one of 2 categories: You either know someone who has children or you have children—ok that was a no brainer. 

Are you praying for them? Do you pray for the parents to stand up and be parents? To raise Godly children? Do you pray for the children you know so that they will grow into Godly men and women? 

Find the scriptures on children rearing, memorize them then ask God to show you who to pray for and how. Start declaring truth over their lives. We need a Godly generation to be prepared to mentor and train the spiritual babies.

Psalm 8:2  Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

Who are you interceding for today?