Saturday, October 19, 2013

October 19 - Decisive Destruction

And now do not carry on as scoffers, or your fetters will be made stronger; for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts of decisive destruction on all the earth. Isaiah 28:22  

Don’t scorn or ridicule the Lord God. He is all powerful—and has the ultimate power to destroy whatever He wants on the earth. He chooses whoever He wants…He blesses them or not. We cannot manipulate God, but we can honor Him and trust Him…that He will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6. God never promised that life would be easy for us—just that He would make our paths straight—guide us in His ways. He also said that if we love Him, we would suffer with Him. …and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:17. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake….Philippians 1:29. Choose Jesus. Then be prepared for the worst here on earth…and enjoy the best—spiritually now and eternally in Heaven.

Training Tip – Just like when you train a child to clean their room…one task at a time, train your child to respect the Lord, one task at a time. Does your child respond positively when you tell him to “clean your room” or does he start and them immediately get side-tracked? He must be trained to do one task, beginning with the biggest task first. Make a list…or draw little pictures to show each step.
            Make bed
            Put away toys
            Put away books
            Pick up clothes
            Straighten dresser/clothes bins
            Vacuum
            Dust
Make the bed. You’ll need to work with him to begin with for a week or so that he learns to make the bed, understanding the different steps to doing that. As he accomplishes that, without your help, the whole room will look better and the child will feel a sense of accomplishment.  

Next work with the child on organizing the toys and putting them away—it may again take a few days working side-by-side to keep the child focused and on task to put away the toys. 

Each task needs to be taught, working side-by-side, and will follow the continued success of each of the earlier tasks. The command should only be whatever tasks the child has mastered until all the tasks have been mastered. Then the child can be told to “clean your room” and you both can expect success.  

Spiritually the child can be expected to grow as they memorize scripture and learn to pray. Work side-by-side with them as they learn to master skills that will help them know and trust the Lord more day by day. 

Lord Jesus, help us to learn to trust You more each day even when we face trials and tribulations. May You be glorified in all we do and say as we decisively serve You.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.
© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

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