Raising children has always created stress and challenges for parents, we can read about many of these stories in the Bible, Cain and Able comes to mind. But perhaps nothing causes more stress, anxiety, worry, and despair than having an adult child who is struggling with personal, financial, or even criminal matters. As a chaplain, I am often overwhelmed by the number of soldiers and employees who are struggling with dysfunctional adult children, many of which are still living at home. My heart breaks because I understand the painful road facing these parents, but I also believe in a redeeming God who can set their children free. The most challenging element for these parents is that their children are no longer children, they are grown adults, at least physically. So there is only so much a parent can do. The book of Proverbs has much to say about children, such as "do not withhold correction from a child" (Proverbs 23:13) and "foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him" (Proverbs 22:15). Unfortunately, these scriptures are best applied when a child is a child, not when they are 24 or 30 years of age.
If you are a parent of a child such as I described, please consider these words in which God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statues, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26, 27). Even though this scripture was spoken to Israel, these promises have become reality for all who have received Jesus Christ as their King and Savior. Only when the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside of a person, having believed in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, will they be able to walk in the ways of the Lord, be cleansed from their past, and be set free from their present bondage.
As a parent, pray intentionally and boldly for your child's salvation, protection from the Satan, and deliverance from the bondage of sin, idleness, and bad decisions. Only the Lord can lift them out of their pit and place them upon firm ground, a foundation built upon Christ. Be patient and let the Lord work. Never give up on them!
If you are a parent of a child such as I described, please consider these words in which God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statues, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26, 27). Even though this scripture was spoken to Israel, these promises have become reality for all who have received Jesus Christ as their King and Savior. Only when the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside of a person, having believed in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, will they be able to walk in the ways of the Lord, be cleansed from their past, and be set free from their present bondage.
As a parent, pray intentionally and boldly for your child's salvation, protection from the Satan, and deliverance from the bondage of sin, idleness, and bad decisions. Only the Lord can lift them out of their pit and place them upon firm ground, a foundation built upon Christ. Be patient and let the Lord work. Never give up on them!
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