Something that's been on my heart for a while

[astra 0]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I have this great pain in my heart for our kids. I am a mother of 2 teenagers (well, my daughter is a young adult now - I still think of her as a teen :-) ) and an aunt of another girl in her late teens. For years now I can't stand the pain of watching our teens being stolen from us to drugs, alcohol, sickness, drunk driving, all kinds of bullying and immorality. And the list goes on and on. On top of all the perssure every teenager is facing in their social and home life. At work I keep hearing my co-workers talk about their teen kids and practically every one of them has some major problem going on.
What's most maddening is - all this can be helped with the Lord! And so many parents are watching their kids go down and feel totally helpless. So what I'd LOVE to do is to help parents with all the resources I can find to stand against satan stealing our kids!
I know we as parents have all the authority to get our kids back! My kids strayed away from the Lord and I keep helding them up before the Lord and I will keep doing this till I see their Salvation manifested! While I am standing the Lord is giving me great encouragement. The latest one I received left me speachless: couple of weeks ago I was watching on the internet one of the interviews of a well known Ministers of the Gospel. At the end when they usually pray for people or give a prophetic word all of a sudden the lady said "there is a mother watching this broadcast. A mother or an aunt that is praying for 3 children" (at this point my heart almost stopped beating!) And this is word for word what she said right after: "The Glory of the Lord is going to touch them. God holds their destiny fully and firmly in His great plan!" Tears of joy and amazement just flooded out of my eyes. I knew this one was for me!! I am praying for my daughter, step son and my niece without ceasing (so I am a mother and an aunt at the same time). So this just shows me how much we as parents can do for our kids.

What I feel I shoudl do is build a community of parents empowered with God's Word and TRUTH to stand for their kids! I am thinking of a website to start with, but I know I won't be able to carry it out all on my own.
So I'd love to ask you to pray in support for me and whoever would like to join and partisipate in this to be encouraged by God (I am not going to lie, I am scared to even think of starting this). For His provision of all that is needed for this. For clear directions and instructions, resources and prayer warriors to come together in the right timing.

Sorry for making this so long. There's lots of pain but also lots of HOPE in the Lord to get our kids back from the enemy!! I cannot pray for each kid there is (even though I'd love to!), but each parent CAN!

God bless!!!!

[Cloud 0]

this seems pretty common for Born Again parents nowadays from what i've seen


it's like God set things up this way...that the kids of Born Again parents would be MORE open and susceptible to drugs


it's not for the Born Again parents to change their kids through demands and commands but through prayer


yes i agree with your idea

[Dove-Solutions 0]

I'm standing in agreement with you. I pray for the salvation of my daughter and her children. Now that you have received the word of the Lord proclaim it daily and praise Him for it.

Love in Jesus,

Connie

[Deborah 0]

I had a teen girl (not related to me) staying at my house one time. She had been on meth and had had a lot of problems at home. I took her to a women's Bible study with me once and was HORRIFIED how the so-called church women sat around a table talking about how terrible teenagers are right in front that teen. I hear the cry of your heart here, Astra! These kids have so much pain and they really really need the Lord to get them through! We need to love on them and pray for them! That teenage girl did accept Jesus later, by the way!

[Cholette 0]

This is a great post Astra! My heart has REALLY been for the youth and young adults lately since God directed me to a church that is filled with them. I watch their struggles with trying to deny the world and choose the ways of Christ...and it's difficult for them.

What I'm learning is that we can't PREACH to them, but SHOW them the love of Christ. Not just show them Christ's love by how we treat them, but what they watch us do. They are looking for EVIDENCE...they are looking for something different than preaching adults that don't have their lives together.

The Bible says that we are written epistles LEARNED and READ by ALL men. So our lives are Christ...our lives are the Word...our lives is the message.

I'm learning this, just by talking to the youth from time to time. I just want to spread the word. Your heart is in the right place and I beleive that God is laying this on your heart because it is time to pray AND allow our lives to be a witness to them to see.

I'm thankful that you obeyed God to post this...it is needed and well received!!!

[astra 0]

Thank you all so very much for your encouragement and prayers. They mean so much to me!
A while back I've stumbled on a song on youtube that I thnk will break any heart. It precicely shows what our kids are dealing with and the worse part is - no one sees it! Even parents - born again or not, even loving parents very often don't see what's going on in their kids' hearts. Every time I hear this song I simply bowl my eyes out it's so touching:

It's called "I will carry you" by Michael W. Smith, one of my favourite singers!
Whenever I feel that my heart is getting a hard crust over it towards my kids when they try and drive you crazy with their "things" I go listen to this song.
What our teens need is to see that someone sees their pain and shares it like their own. Parents should start taking these hurts of their kids' hearts SERIOUSLY! Not just kick their butts for the things that come out of them as a result. Instead of yelling at your kid for being "lazy" look into his/her heart and see maybe there is a big huge wound there that makes them freeze with fear and keeps them from even trying. So many wounds that outwardly manifest themselves like immorality, drug/alcohol abuse etc need healing and no one can do this but Jesus, but we, as adults, can show our kids that we see deeper and don't punish them for the "surface" behavior. I do believe that when our kids see that we are not heartles monsters that demand discipline, but do see and share their pains, most of that acting up will disappear on its own.
I do agree that all this "preaching" without being a mature parent will only turn our kids away from Jesus. I know, I've tried this myself. Did not get any positive results and when I cried out to the Lord, He said "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Well, I did not need to be told twice! My preachings stopped right there. I believe the song I mentioned above has changed the way I see my children in an instance. I believe this is one of the most anointed songs I've heard.

[Dove-Solutions 0]

Astra,

I am also a fan of Michael Smith but had not heard that song before. Very powerful.

Interesting how the Lord tries to show us that if we will let go and let God our lives would be much simpler but we have a way of getting in the way. It is tough to lay it down and give it to Jesus but it is possible and when you do it is so sweet the feeling of relief that comes over you.

When we talk about Jesus to people, we should do so in a loving manner but also we should let the Lord do the work. We are but the vessel he uses. I had a discussion with the Lord about this because I never felt right talking to people about their salvation. Then the Lord said to me, I am doing the work, I am asking you to be the vessel. When he said that to me, I totally got it and stepped aside and let the Lord do the work. It was so much easier. I never said to much or to little. Sometimes I am the farmer planting the seeds and other times I am the harvester. This is where my signature verse comes into play alot. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6. Our problem is that we want to be in control and God is asking us to step aside and let Him be in control.

Awesome post by the by. Love in Jesus,

Connie

[astra 0]

Hi Connie,
I love what you said about preaching the Salvation to people. I am lacking in this area. Would you please tell more about your conversation with Jesus? I really need to be preached to in this area!!!
I understand what you say about trtusting the Lord. Anything we do it's not by our own power, but by His. But we still have to say something, right?

[Dove-Solutions 0]

Astra,

We preach each and every day. We preach by the example we set and the way we walk out our Christian life day by day. I only approach people when the Lord gives me the unction. That way I know the Lord is at work in my spirit to their spirit. I just talk to them. I tell them that the Lord loves them and has a plan for their life. I ask them how their life is going so far. I ask them if they have a personal relationship with Christ. Most say they believe in God but they do not feel connected to him or do not have any proof that he is involved in their life. That is where I begin. I let the Lord take it from there. Keep in mind that I do a lot of counseling ministry and deliverance ministry so it is mostly one on one and the people come to us. I can usually tell right away because of the way they respond to my interview with them. Almost always the Lord confirms that in my spirit. I suspect and he confirms. From there I just let the Lord take over. I ask them if they would mind if I pray for them. They usually agree. Then I pray as the Lord would lead. Often times I don't remember what the Lord asked me to pray. It is a strange feeling really. I just pray in the Holy Ghost quietly and then I pray aloud whatever he speaks in my ear. When they receive the prayer then they are usually ready to give their lives to Christ.

Just let the Lord be your guide. Remember this very important lesson the Lord showed me. It is not us who bring them to Christ but us who are the vessel that the Lord will use to bring them to Christ. He is the one that speaks. I could not figure out for life of me why I had no success in winning people to Christ and was praying about it and telling the Lord how I would get nervous and scared a little to witness to them. He told me, "let me do the work, you just be the vessel." I got it right away. I was like, awesome! When we remove ourselves from the equation and let the Lord have his way....it all turns out according to his plan for them. Not our idea of God's plan for them. I pray this helps for discernment.

Love in Jesus,

Connie

[Grey Butterfly 0]

Awesome idea :o)

I pray and try to let go and allow God to work and I get in the way and I apologise and I do this whole dance with my three... I am lucky that God showed me early on, when my baby was small and I didn't want to sleep in case she stopped breathing... he showed me then that he had it covered. He never sleeps and I truly let it go and trusted him at that point. I still remember it, and I still try to do it, I do all that I can and trust God for the rest.

In June this year I began a website with a friend (her idea) it was daunting, and it still is mostly just me on there, but I am praying for people and things are moving and God is connecting me with other people who pray too... I had never ever done something like that, nor had I ever wanted to, but it was easy to set up and fun too. It takes longer to establish it, but I'm okay with that cos' I think that the prospect of it "taking off" scares me more than it growing slowly. :o)

Bless you as you dream and begin to plan... and it becomes a reality.

I pray that God will be the wind in your sails and that he will rest his hand over yours on the rudder.

Diane

[astra 0]

Hi Connie, thank you so very much for your explanations and I do understand perfectly everything you said! I do see how we get mixed into the situation and it gets messed up rather than listen to God's voice and guidance and let Him talk to HIS people instead!

I would love to receive training in deliverance too! But the only people I get to talk about Jesus so far are relatives and my co-worker. To my co-worker I just tell about all the wonderful things He is doing for me and others and what the Bible says about the Salvation. And I trust the Lord will do the rest in her heart.

Diane, also thank you for your great encouragement! I have set up countless websites by now and I also find it much fun to do. I had a Ministries website about 8 years ago, but kind of dropped it for some years and just last year I redesigned it and put it up again. When I first accepten Jesus I was wrapped up in lots of religious lies and it held me back for so long. What I was taught was that God is angry with us because of our sins. He is trying to keep us in submission by putting all kinds of afflictions on us.

The saddest part is that so many people think the same way. I am so happy I broke out of it thanks to true preachers of God's Word. So What I want to scream about from the top of the mountains - is that GOD LOVES US and that as soon as we see His true Heart for us - no one would want to stay away from Him.

I guess I get intimidated by the project because it's so much beyond my abilities (not to set up a website, but the prohect itself, if you know what I mean), knowledge and power. I have heard that when it looks too big for us to handle it's definitely from Him! :-)

Last night I had a dream I was pregnant with twins and was about to deliver them. In a hospital room I met with two ladies. One was a doctor and another a nurse. They said they were sent to this hospital from another (bigger) city to help me deliver just so that I would be comfortable and happy. These could be two angels :-)