Children, our Heritage

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. [4] Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. [5] Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate."   Psalm 127:3-5

As God does not slumber or sleep, neither does the enemy of our souls.  Satan is actively seeking to pervert the straight ways of the LORD.  He will not stop his assault upon our children.  Men like Karl Marx know that the way to turn a nation is to indoctrinate the youth through media, subversion of morality, the denial of God and the absolute truth of scripture, and the fracturing of the God-ordained family.  God ordained marriage as a union between one man and one woman and this is under fire today even in kindergarten classrooms.  Children are a heritage from the LORD, but many are convinced that killing a child in the womb through abortion is not crime but convenience.  Satan would like nothing more than to twist and dull the arrows in our quiver so our spiritual warfare will be in vain.

The devil has a lot more time than I do.  He does not expect immediate results and does not seek them.  The longer he can operate unnoticed, the more pronounced the perversion will be in the end.  As tares grow together with the wheat after planting, the damage he does through deceit and lies will be more evident in seasons to come.  Children of God, it is high time that we allow the Holy Spirit to mobilize us to action in teaching our children according to God's truth.  Satan wants to strip us of the godly heritage our children are intended to be for Him and future generations of people on the earth.  No means or method is off-limits for Satan as he schemes and plots the destruction of God and the righteous truth He stands for.  He targets especially those who are young, impressionable, and hold the hope of the future.

Can Satan win?  Not in the end.  It doesn't mean we won't lose good men and women to his devices.  The devil is so proud he believes victory will be his and is dangerous beyond belief.  As a pastor I have seen the collatoral damage caused by enemy attacks.  When the bombs start falling it's not only those in uniform who can die.  More than soldiers are affected in warfare:  families are torn apart, civilians wounded and killed, and infrastructure is destroyed.  Satan has taken aim at our children through music, television, and the internet which are loaded with the potential to decay and rot morality with atomic force.  As parents we must be willing to stand up for godliness and righteousness and call sin what it is:  sin.

Solomon writes "... they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate."  These straight arrows raised up as godly seed of righteousness will not be ashamed of the truth.    Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."  We should never be ashamed of what has the power to bring salvation to all people.  Notice the righteous children "speak with their enemies in the gate."  From this we learn many things:

• The children of righteousness recognize their enemies.  This is only possible through the wisdom and truth that springs through the Holy Spirit, a person whose eyes have been opened by Jesus Christ.
• The children of righteousness guard the gate.  Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."  It is a wise man who guards himself from the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
• Wise children will not abandon the wisdom of their righteous forefathers.  The gate of the city in Bible times would be the place where the elders and people of authority sat.  We are blessed with many forefathers of faith:  Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Jesus Himself.  There are many who have been blessed with godly parents.  I would rather a child be born without limbs than being born into a family that hates God and seeks to turn the hearts of children against Him.  Even in this, however, God receives much glory when He redeems and saves by His grace, mercy, and love!
  
• These righteous children speak with the authority of Jesus Christ.  God tells us the perfect words to say at the right moment.  Titus 2:11-15 says, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, [12] teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, [13] looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. [15] Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."
• The enemy remains the enemy, and the enemy is kept outside.  The devil would love our children to lower themselves to embracing his standards.  Deut. 6:4-7 says:  "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! [5] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. [6] "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

  I have been blessed with two children of whom I am steward for a while.  I will answer to God for the way I have raised them, how I have taught them of God and His statutes, and how I encouraged, nurtured, disciplined, and trained them.  I pray that they are sharpened straight arrows in my quiver, sent by God to do His will, and will not miss the mark.  My children are precious to me, but they are even treasured greater by my Father in heaven for His love is infinite.  Use me to sharpen them Father, and hone them to a sharp point looking toward the day when they are shot out from me they might bring you glory.