EMPOWERING OUR YOUTH TO GODLY LEADERSHIP
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6)–NIV
The only way to empower our youth for Godly leadership is to teach them to obey and follow the Lord. God has given us parents the mandate and the responsibility to teach our children the commandments of the Lord our God. If we truly love our children and want the best for them then we will have to teach them to love the Lord, to be faithful, devoted and obedient to Him.
Why is it so important for our youth to know the Lord? Let me answer this question with the words that Moses spoke to Israel before they entered the promise land … “ And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today… (Watch this… Don’t miss it)… for your own good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) Obedience to Our God will always bring blessings to our lives and home. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) Disobeying our God will always bring curses, calamities and destruction to our lives and home. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
Note: Only in obeying the Lord do we have joy, peace, unconditional love, purpose, fulfillment in life, and success for our future… “ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.” (Deuteronomy 28:6) Life is a lot less complicated when we Obey and Follow the Lord. If this is the kind of life you want here on this earth then we must be faithful and obedient to our GOD.
The Bible says: Do not be deceived: GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature WILL REAP DESTRUCTION; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit WILL REAP ETERNAL LIFE." (Galatians 6:7-8) “NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM US DOING EVIL … NOTHING!”
Note: To the Israelites obedience to God meant protection from their enemies, food on their tables, Health for their bodies, etc. (Leviticus 26:1-13,Deuteronomy 28:1-14) Moses warned all the Israelites before they entered the promise land what would happened if they did not faithfully follow and obey the Lord commands. (Leviticus 26:14-46,Deuteronomy 28:15-68) In the different books of the Old Testament, you will read of how Israel rebelled against God and how God brought calamities, destruction, devastation, and eventually because of their refusal to repent, Exile. (This is exactly what Moses told the Israelites would happen if they forsook the Lord their God and served other gods.)
Empowering our youth for godly leadership. How do we empowered our youth for such a task? Let me give you a couple of stories from the Bible that can aid us in accomplishing this goal. In the book of 1 Samuel the Bible says: “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli.” (1 Samuel 3:1) The prophet Samuel is a great inspiration to me in my walk with the Lord.
The Bible says: Hannah asked the Lord for a son. (1 Samuel 1:11) Hannah vowed to God that if He granted her request and gave her a son that she would give him to the Lord. God heard her prayer and granted her request. (1 Samuel 1:20) When the time came for the boy to be given to the Lord, Hannah gave her son to Eli the priest. (1 Samuel 1:24-25)… BUT the boy ministered before the Lord UNDER Eli the priest. (1 Samuel 2:11)
As a young boy Samuel was brought to the temple of God and from then on Eli the priest taught Samuel the ordinances and commands of the Most High God. Samuel became a prophet and the judge of all Israel under the ministry and the training of Eli the priest. (1Samuel 3:20 - Ch.7:15) Thank God for the people who He sends into our lives to teach us and to help propel us into our divine destinies.
The second story is found in the book of 1 Kings 19:19-21 when Elisha became the servant of the prophet Elijah. When the time came for Elijah to be taken up to heaven Elijah asked his servant Elisha … “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “ Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “ yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise not.” (2 Kings 2:9-10) The Bible says, that Elisha saw his master being taken to Heaven… (2 Kings 2: 11-12) So Elisha request was granted, he received the double portion of his master’s spirit. Wow! Talk about being at the right place at the right time! My friends don’t ever despise your low position in any ministry because you don’t know when God’s promotion will be coming your way. Be faithful and respect those …“Who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
Note: If we would like to see our youth, our children in godly leadership then we need to take the time to teach them, to guide them in the ways of the Lord. We have all had someone who nurtured us in the word of God, someone who planted the seed of the word of God into our lives. None of us would be teaching, preaching, or ministering if we didn’t have a godly leader in our lives to minister under, someone who took us under their wing.
I would like to tell you all about the godly woman who nurtured me and planted the word of GOD daily into my life. That person is my Grandmother (Antonia) who has gone to be with the Lord. She taught me and told me about our Creator when I was a young child and although I didn’t give my life to Christ until I was an adult … I thank God everyday that He used my grandmother to plant HIS word in me.
My first Bible was a gift from my grandmother. She wrote in it a passage from Scripture that I would never forget and it reads like this … “ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." (Psalm 119: 9) It’s been 20 + years since my grandmother transferred her residential address here on Earth to her new permanent address in Heaven, but I can still remember all the things she would say about Jesus. I can still remember seeing her on her knees for hours in the middle of the night praying for all her children and grandchildren. I can still remember her telling me, Vicky, “Though your father and mother forsake you, the Lord will receive you." (Psalm 27:10). I saw God in her and He worked through her.
I would like to share with you all one of the great miracles GOD did through my Grandmother. When I was very young, I remember being injured and I was bleeding from this injury, my grandmother didn’t panic, she just told me to lie down on the floor and she got her anointing oil and prayed over my injury. As soon as she was done with her prayer I was completely healed. It was like I never got injured in the first place. I know now, that God wanted me to know that He was the One and Only True God. This is the reason, I write the way I write and admonish people to follow and obey the Lord. I know He is real with all that’s in me; I know that I know… HE LIVES!! And HE is coming back soon.
The word of the Lord dwelled richly in my grandmother’s heart, she spoke of His word daily to me. So the word of the Lord was fulfilled in my life, in that we should...“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)–(NIV) I am a Christian today because my grandmother took the time to train me, to teach me the ways of the Lord and to show me His miracles. I’m grateful and thankful to have had such a godly woman in my life and I can’t wait to the day when I’ll get to see her again.
Note: Parents and grandparents keep teaching the ways of the Lord to your children and grandchildren because we know we serve a God who is faithful and true (Revelation 19:11) and this word in Proverbs 22:6 will be fulfilled in your children and grandchildren lives, if we take the time to train and teach them God’s commandments. So let us be diligent in guiding and teaching our children to live a devoted and committed lifestyle to their Creator.
The Bible says: “LOVE the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your strength. THESE commandments that I give you today are TO be UPON your hearts. IMPRESS them on your children. TALK about them when you sit at home and WHEN you walk along the road, WHEN you lie down and WHEN you get up." (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not do anything on His own but only spoke what the Father taught Him to say. (John 8:28) Every word that Jesus spoke in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John will lead us to eternal life and we must be faithful in obeying the Lord if we want to inherit eternal life.
STUDY these books and LIVE by them. The Father says this about the Son (Jesus Christ) … “ This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. LISTEN TO HIM!” (Matthew 17:5) I want to share this last Scripture with all of you, in Luke 11:27-28 – “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “ Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of GOD and OBEY IT.” It is important for all us to live a lifestyle of obedience to our God and to teach our youth, our children and grandchildren to obey the words of the living God, their lives and souls depend on it.
GOD BLESS YOU NOW AND ALWAYS
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA
