Bible time--Prophetic parenting

So I answered them and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 2:20)

We are not just floor-mopping, dish-washing, diaper-changing slaves. We are wall-builders. 

Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

Like Nehemiah, we have been alerted to the fallout from years of enslavement to ideas like evolution, feminism, humanism and the like. The gaps left in the wall by all of these attacks have left us with wounds, the injuries of a childhood spent drifting in a void of meaninglessness, with mothers too busy to pay attention and many fathers who lived somewhere else.

We were taught to question authority, and we know what it is like to live without any solid foundation. From childhood our hearts were broken, and when we first held our own children in our arms, we realized that the madness all had to stop; God's plan and ways must be followed. Just as Nehemiah had the courage to begin to rebuild the broken and burned walls of Jerusalem, we struck out with a seed of faith and a grain of courage to take the initial, yet, wobbly steps towards the wholeness that comes from obedience to God’s Word. We eschewed those modern ideas that left us empty, vulnerable and hopeless and replaced them with the precepts that led to life and true contentment. 

--God as Creator, the giver of life, meant that we should respect life and rejoice in conception and the birth of children:

"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:27-28)

--Our place in God’s plan; being equal to man, nevertheless being subject to him:

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." (1Peter 3:1-6)

--That being a “homemaker” is not just a waste of time, but a vital ministry, keeping the Gospel of Jesus Christ from being blasphemed: 

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)

So we have lived and built our home upon the foundation which is Christ. But it has never been easy. Just as Nehemiah faced opposition, we also have our own “Sanballats" and "Tobias". Even in our own churches, there are those that stand against us, who pronounce doom and gloom over us, and who plant the seeds of discouragement. We recognize its apparition while listening to the daily news editorials, and we read it on the covers of the prominent magazines while at the check-out line of our local grocery store. 

The truth is that the adversary has a plan, an appalling plan, to destroy the very rock and foundation of God’s church; the Christian family. We may have felt insignificant, but the day we decided to “set our faces like flint” and forge ahead to soldier in the fight for our marriages, our children and our homes we became a serious threat to the kingdom of darkness.

Depression, loneliness, guilt and fear are the weapons the enemy wields. I know from experience just how heavy the burden can become. I understand just what it means to be completely demoralized with a feeling of hopelessness.

I have learned that we need to be like the re-builders of the walls of Jerusalem; working hard with one hand while outfitted with a weapon in the other to maintain the good fight of faith. And our weapons are not worldly, but Heavenly and powerful.

These weapons are:

• The Word of God
• Thankfulness
• Praise
• Worship
• Prayer
• Faith confession
• Obedience
• Trust

If we want to fight effectively, we must be in the Word day and night. Only the Bible can change our old patterns of thinking and our ungodly mindsets. It is cleansing, refreshing and buoys our faith in God!

Being thankful keeps our minds from becoming darkened. There is nothing as hateful as being in the presence of someone who sees everything as being half-empty. "And be ye thankful" is a very important commandment that we must take seriously; even for bad things, trusting that God will turn them into good, according to Romans 8:28.

Praising and magnifying the Lord is the way we must live. There are too many voices that tell us that God is small, irrelevant or even non-existent. When we adore and magnify the Lord, all those other voices are silenced and great courage rises up in our hearts. After all we are obeying the MOST HIGH! When we practice praise, it is like we become energized by a bolt of lightening so that everything we do becomes lighter and we experience true joy and enlivened faith.

We must learn to pray, and often. This prayer is the type that your whole life is a communion and conversation with the Holy Spirit. Wonder what to do about a disciplinary problem? Pray. Wonder how to stretch the budget? Pray. Wonder how to keep from blowing your top with your husband? Pray. And pray expectantly—He loves to answer these prayers for us. 

Lastly, singing is something that will boost yourself and your whole household. This is something mankind has done from the beginning. When we sing, we engage our whole being, and we cause our mind, hearts and will to be engaged and in agreement with the new spirit (inner-man) God has created within us. I have discovered that scripture songs and hymns to be the most effective in giving me strength, courage and direction throughout my day. I have read accounts of saints that were raised by godly mothers who had this practice of singing, and this is one of their fondest memories.

Father, you know that I am weak, and you know that I cannot do this work without You today. Like King David, help me to encourage myself through Your word and sing songs to You in praise and thanksgiving. May it not only lighten my heart, but the hearts of my husband and children. There is so much heaviness and so many attacks; be our refuge and strong tower today as we bless Your name.

In the name of Your precious Son, Jesus.

Amen