YOur Team

‘Do not withhold discipline from a child.’ Proverbs 23:13 NIV Two areas where parents can get confused. Discipline versus punishment. ‘Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.’ (Proverbs 22:15 NASB) Notice God’s choice of words: ‘the rod of discipline’ not the ‘rod of punishment’. Discipline and correction are about teaching and learning; punishment is about making a child suffer for their behaviour. Children need discipline, not punishment, from a loving parent ‘Do not withhold discipline from a child.’ (Proverbs 23:13 NIV) Withholding discipline prepares them for a life of failure and suffering. Discipline is focused on improving...

‘Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.’ Psalm 127:3 NKJV Over the next few days, let’s look at some practical areas where parents are often confused. (If you’re not a parent, use these points to help you pray for parents you know.) Guidance versus criticism. If you have a placid, agreeable, and compliant child who enjoys school, homework, and doing household chores, bringing ‘them up in the training and instruction of the Lord’ will be a joy! (Ephesians 6:4 NIV) Many of us, however, are given assertive, strong-willed kids with their own agendas. These kids know what they want, and when and how to get it. They also know what they don’t want to eat, wear, hear, say, and do! And...

‘Train up a child in the way he should go.’ Proverbs 22:6 NKJV If you’re a parent, do you ever wish for a parenting do-over—a second chance to raise your kids? With hindsight and insight, you think you would do it right next time! Parenting is both rewarding and guilt-inducing. It’s rewarding because we love our children and they bring us joy. It’s guilt-inducing because we blame ourselves for their shortcomings and misfortunes. ‘Where did I go wrong as a parent?’ There is no perfect parent, and there is no universal blueprint because every child is born unique. Psychologists have said our children were born with a ‘blank slate’, waiting for us to write life instructions on them. Not so!...

‘He cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.’ 2 Kings 6:6 RSV A prophet was chopping trees when his rare and valuable iron axe head fell into the river. He said to Elisha: ‘Alas, my master! It was borrowed.’ (2 Kings 6:5 NKJV) He uses the past tense. As far as he is concerned, this axe head is gone forever. He has no expectation whatsoever that the axe head will be retrieved. He shows Elisha where he lost it. Then something happens that most likely never happened before or since. Elisha ‘cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.’ (2 Kings 6:6 RSV) Notice, this isn’t a life-or-death situation. Yes, it’s a loaned axe head. Yes, it disappeared....

‘All things are possible to him who believes.’ Mark 9:23 NKJV Demosthenes, who was reputed to be the greatest orator in ancient Greece, had a serious speech impediment. Legend has it that he overcame it by reciting verses with pebbles in his mouth and speaking above the roar of the waves at the seashore. As a prisoner in the Wartburg castle, Martin Luther made use of his time by translating the New Testament into German. Beethoven wrote his greatest symphonic masterpieces after losing his hearing. John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress when he was in prison. Daniel Defoe also wrote in prison, creating Robinson Crusoe. Abraham Lincoln is thought by many to be the best of the United States...

‘Let each esteem others better than himself.’ Philippians 2:3 NKJV Observe: (1) The right attitude makes a difference in your relationships. Former US President Theodore Roosevelt said, ‘The most important single ingredient in the formula for success is knowing how to get along with people.’ And Paul writes: ‘Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’ (Philippians 2:3–4 NKJV) If your track record with people isn’t too good, maybe you need to look at your attitude. While it’s true that some people just seem to have...

‘Fathers, do not exasperate your children.’ Colossians  3:21 CSB Another point of parental confusion is this: Bitter versus better. What is bitterness? It is strong resentment or cynicism. How do parents create bitterness in their children? Consider the following triggers: (1) Inconsistency. This happens when you are autocratic and authoritarian one day and permissive the next. What brought a strong rebuke today brings a smile of leniency tomorrow. So, your child never knows what to expect. (2) Moodiness. Today you’re fun and enjoyable to be with; tomorrow you’re irritable and distant. (3) Unreasonableness. There is no room for discussion, no opportunity for children to explore their...

‘This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands.’ 1 Samuel 17:46 NIV Everyone who ever achieved anything significant had to beat the odds. The problem for most of us isn’t the odds; it’s that we sell ourselves short. Richard H. Headlee observed, ‘Most people think too small, aim too low, and quit too soon.’ The odds in favour of David defeating Goliath weren’t good. Unless you factor faith in God into the equation—and that’s what David did. Listen to his words: ‘I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.’ (1 Samuel 17:46 NIV) Clearly, David was aiming high. Whatever God is calling you to do, aim high. The odds matter little. Whether you fall down along the way matters little. You fell...

‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.’ Daniel 3:28 NIV There comes a time when we have to face our fears and take a stand for what we know is right. That’s what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did. They risked their lives when they refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. They could have rationalised, ‘I’ll bow on the outside, but not on the inside,’ or ‘I’ll just pretend the idol is the Lord God.’ But they took a stand for what is right, and it set the stage for miracles. ‘Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He...

‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.’ Philippians 1:6 NIV Many of us have a God-sized dream within us, but we’re so afraid of failing we never even try. We can’t imagine how it could possibly happen. So, we don’t act on it. Here is a challenge: don’t worry about the outcome. That isn’t your responsibility. ‘Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV) You simply need to act on it. It doesn’t have to be something big; in fact, it will probably be something small. Everything that’s big starts small. But if you do little things like they are big things, God will...