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Prophetic Kids

Three Simple But Powerful Ways to Empower Your Kids to Pray More

2/18/2021

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Have you been thinking about how you can get your kids and teens praying more? I'm with you on that.  One of the most rewarding aspects of our faith journey is prayer, and it's only natural that we want our kids to experience that.  After 20 years in youth ministry, there is never a time I'm not thinking, how can I motivate my students to pray more often, pray with sincerity and see the results of their prayers?  While the actual act of praying isn't hard, it can be challenging to master the discipline of a healthy prayer life, especially for teens. 

But maturity plays a part in that. I have found that youth with strong prayer lives revere God and take their faith seriously. Many times, parents will seek counsel from me after years of allowing their kids to backslide, not attend church or to avoid any and all accountability in their relationship with the Lord. I'll be as real with you as I can here--that just won't work. You cannot magically hope for your young ones to have a reliable prayer life where there has been little to no investment into their faith walk as a whole. Prayer stems from faith, and faith from relationship. Is a strong, consistent and effective prayer routine for your kids possible?? Undoubtedly. But they may need some help from you; from your strength, example and participation. 

As parents, coaches or mentors, our example of spiritual discipline, such as prayer, can be just the thing our kids need to see to take a leap of faith themselves. Stay with me on on this, because I do understand that many of you pray fervently and frequently and your kids still aren't showing interest.  I get that. So let's agree that there is more to it than just demonstrating that you can pray. In leading by example, we can hold our youth accountable to routine and responsibility when it comes to their faith disciplines. For example, we show that we practice what we preach by maintaining a lifestyle of prayer and devotion ourselves, and we don't let them off the hook when it comes to developing their own.

There is a book that was very popular in my adolescent years, called, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. The premise is that the simplest, most basic principles of life that we learn as little children are just as effective (if not more) when we become adults. And while this isn't an article on kindergarten do's and don'ts, I think the same principle applies--our basic prayer habits are learned early and quick. Get in your kids face about their prayer habits early, quick and consistently. Consider this admonishment found in Deuteronomy 4:9, "
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,."  Teach diligently and persist; they may push back but fight for them until they are mature enough to maintain their faith disciplines on their own. 

So, in place of just desiring that your kids pray more often, make moves to help improve their entire faith walk. Take a moment to think; what do I know about my kids personality that can help me in this? What are they insecure about? What makes them tick, and what do they look forward to? What are their questions about God, faith and purpose that I can help answer? What can I completely remove from their life that hinders their faith walk, and what can I add? And lastly, perhaps the most important, what am I willing to roll up my sleeves and do with them, to help them get to the spiritual place I know God is calling them into?

1. Their strong prayer life will stem from a strong faith life, in general. Work with them to improve their relationship with God. Do this by setting expectations and not letting up--times with no tech or media--just bible or quiet time. Planned family prayer and devotions, discussions after Sunday service about what they learned and how they'll apply it, etc. Make it a point to come off the sidelines and into the field when it comes to your kids relationship with the Lord. 
2. Pray with them and not only for them. There's not a parent I know that doesn't pray for their kids. But to see measurable, consistent growth, I recommend praying with them. Yes, even with your teens. First, it will reinforce accountability. Second, you'll be able to see and hear where they truly are and how they are progressing. Third, it will allow you to correct, inspire and empower their prayer life into a mature place. 
3. Partner with the Holy Spirit. He knows things. Parents, He knows things about your kids that you don't. I know that you want to see results now and fast--but don't skip this step. Take a moment to sit down with the Holy Spirit and get inside information about what is really going on with your kids. He just might reveal to you that there's this witchcraft book they've hidden in the back of their closet that they read at night when everyone is asleep, or that they're being bullied beyond belief and they haven't told you about it. You might learn that they're struggling with their image to the point that they have been thinking about suicide or He might reveal to you that they don't have a desire to pray because they are not sure God is even real. He knows the things that you need to know in order to truly help your kids turn their faith and prayer life around. 

For more tips, resources and help to empower your kids, follow fb.com/prophetgeneration. 

Dr. Adia Amos, Founder
​KingdomFive


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Interceding for Your Kids!

2/11/2017

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Intercession is one of the most powerful tools you have as a parent or guardian, so don't hesitate to take the lead in breaking the heavens open over your kids.  As they make a press to become who they are in Christ, your wisdom and experience can put the adversities and challenges they'll face at bay. Years ago, a powerful intercessor and worship leader in the city would tell the story of how she warred for her children in prayer day in and day out, never giving the enemy an opportunity to gain traction in their lives. Her children would comment about how they were "soaked" at night from their mom crying out over them, anointing their rooms as they slept! No doubt those kids could say their mom literally "prayed them through". You have the opportunity to anoint your children in a way that no one else can. Use your voice. Decree stability, a strong sense of self, and confidence in who they are. Your prayers may be the difference you've been looking to see. Jesus' prayer in John 17 shows just how significant the guardianship role is. He took ownership over His assignment to the disciples, as the steward of their souls and His obedience secured their future in God's kingdom. He understood that the goal was that they bear fruit and become who God needed them to be. Understand that your work in your children's lives, your time, prayers and investment--is powerful enough to bear fruit too. 
  • Create custom, personal prayer decrees to pray over for your kids. 
  • Set a routine and standard family prayer time, but also individual time with each one of your children. 
  • Handle the issues they face and even the issues you have with them, in prayer. 
  • Partner with God in helping to usher your child into purpose. 
  • Pray that their spirits be enlarged for their Christ identity and His plan for their lives.
  • Be relentless. Don't give up until you see the fruit of your intercession come to pass. 

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Building Your Kids for the Future

1/18/2017

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You can help empower your child's future in the time you spend building who they are today. It's never too early to cast vision, dream big with them or help them discover who they are. I love that kids are natural dreamers and visionaries. You don't have to tell them to "imagine." They see fewer obstacles and entertain much more "possibilities" than adults. They are less tainted, cynical or skeptical. Youth is a good season in their lives to get them thinking about how they will lead their lives in the future, but also what steps they can take today to help make their dreams a reality.
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1. Brainstorm, Dream and Imagine With Them Your kids look up to you. They imitate what you do and they are shaped by how you think. Get engaged in the conversation about their future early and aggressively. Explore with them--their crazy wiles, tangents, stories--everything. Help them brainstorm a million ideas, but as the adult in the relationship pay really close attention to the themes that repeatedly come up in their conversations, the similarities and what they have an affinity towards and are drawn too. You will learn and be able to help steer them in the right direction but just taking that extra moment to listen and observe.
3. Foster emotional maturity now. How your children deal with life and its ups and downs, processing their expectations and learning how to overcome, will show up later in their adult life when their emotional intelligence really counts (either for or against them). Help them process their emotions in a healthy way.
3. Empower a sense of community and caring. The ability to connect with those around you in a positive way is priceless. Make sure their world involves the awareness that they are not the only ones in it. A kid that respects and values relationship and connection grows into an adult that looks for ways to plug in and not isolate; to work with people and through their circumstances, rather than avoiding them. 
4. Talk "Big". Your child's world should involve ideas, themes, and conversations that are outside of their everyday "kid-life." When they think big, they dream big. If their minds are challenged, their character stretched--they will rise to the occasion and reach to become someone greater--a person of significance. Talk to your kids about the issues of the world, the true adversities people face, the responsibilities we have to God, to our nation, to one another. They should have opportunities to think and consider outside of their scope--they will take this kind of thinking with them into adulthood. 
5. Don't simply rely on the "hard-knocks" and disappointments to teach them. Yes, we are shaped by what happens to us--no doubt. A breakup, a broken family, our own mistakes and mishaps. But don't just rely on the natural ups and downs of life to teach your kids how to mature and be ready for adulthood. Teach and demonstrate wisdom in the good moments--the normal times. Illustrate maturity and responsibility through how you live, day-to-day. Let them in on what is to lead and maintain the family, the value of work and earning a living, the importance of sincere worship and being accountable to God and the consequence and/or benefit of the choices we make. 
6. They Can Take It. The environment and mentality that surrounds your child will become what they believe. If you put destiny and purpose on their mind, they will think about and consider the future more naturally. Children adapt to their environment. Provide for them the setting and the resources that will help shape them for tomorrow. If you don't baby them, they will mature.

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Quality God-Time is Key

9/29/2016

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We all want to see our kids succeeding, happy and in sync with God in their own way. Making quality time for "God-moments" in your house is key to seeing that happen. There has to be a God-culture in your family routines and lifestyle. When God is real to you, He will be real to your kids. If He is a ritual to you, if He is a once-a-week "thing" you do--this is who God will be to your kids. Understand that you are the first demonstration of worship and relationship to God for your children. Time with Him in your everyday life moments, referencing Him even when not in prayer, talking about who He is and including Him in the fabric of your family, teaches your kids that He is more than religion; that He is alive. Demonstrate the relationship you want them to have; they will follow you.
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Back-to-School in Style: Power Prayer Decrees for Your Kids

8/19/2016

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It's that time again! School's back in session for so many of our young people and that means new adventures, new fun and new challenges! ​Send your kids off to school this semester with power and a mind to WIN! A productive day begins and ends with prayer.Teach your kids these five power declarations and incorporate them into your prayer time every morning or evening and watch God make a way for them each and every day. 
5 Back-to-School Power Declarations for Every Day
  1. God you are my peace and the Lord of this day. This is the day you have made and I am determined to have joy in you today.
  2. I know that you are with me Lord. I ask you to lead and guide my choices today and help me to hear your voice in every situation I face. 
  3. Lord bless my teachers today. Give them wisdom to understand what I need and give me grace to listen and learn. 
  4. You are the Lord over my relationships. Teach me true friendship and bring people into my life that have the best in mind for me. Show me how to choose good friends and give me a heart to love how you love. 
  5. I commit this day to you completely! Protect me and my school, my bus or car ride and my return home and cover me from any plans of the enemy. You are my rock and my shield God. 
Remember, prayer time is not about the perfect words or the longest time, but sincerity, commitment and devotion. Pray with your kids every day and they will value the power of God's role in their lives.  See below for six bonus prayer scriptures to use in your morning or before-bed devotions. 

Six Morning or Before Bed Scriptures for Devotions or Prayer
  • Isaiah 26: 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed onYou, Because he trusts in You.
  • Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
  • Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
  • Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
  • Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You;
  • Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

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Nurturing Your Kids' Prophetic Purpose

8/10/2016

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As a parent or mentor, you may have asked yourself, 'how can I give my kids the support they need to fulfill what they were born to do? To manifest God's word on their life? What should they be exposed to, and what should I shield them from? Every child is different, so I don't believe there's only one way to nurture purpose. But here's a few key practices I learned along the way to get you moving in the right direction. As a rule, always seek the Lord's voice at every step and trust what He's telling you that your child needs. 
  1. Let God Speak.  There are things that we want for our kids, and then there is what God needs from them. It's up to you to understand the difference, and make sure your will for their future doesn't get in God's way.  Allow Him to speak and release His destiny for them and encourage them to listen for His unique plan for their life. 
  2. Allot dedicated time for the exploration of purpose and destiny (Jeremiah 1; Psalm 139).  There are few things more prophetic than the book that is written of us before time. Knowing God's purpose for us precedes our time and space will help take this conversation with your kids to another level. From an early age,  it's important they understand their lives are appointed and designed and God's not "figuring it out" as we go along. Your child's destiny should not be a guessing game. Yes, they will explore their talents and abilities, and you should encourage them to do so; but their search for purpose and destiny needs to be intentional and focused. Purpose is a battle won more on our knees than through trial and error. War with them in prayer and intercession, diligently seeking God about who He says they are and what they mean to Him. Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations (Jer. 1); Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139)
  3. Focus on Identity first.  Wisdom is the principal thing. So get wisdom, and in all your getting, get understanding.  Purpose starts with wisdom and insight of our identity. Who am I to God? What was I created to do? Who was I created to be?  Wisdom says if I understand who I am, I will make decisions that empower that identity. The fulfillment of purpose lies in you knowing who you are. Empower your children's identity in Christ, their foundation the "who" of what they are in Jesus Christ.
  4. Focus on giving them their best shot. (Proverbs 22).  As a parent, coach or mentor your decisions either give your children their best shot at succeeding in God, or they hinder/stunt their growth in Him. Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22). This is a "best shot" type of verse. You won't always be with them and even when they are in your care, you can't be in every single moment. Equip your kids with a quality God-education. Teach them Christ in a way that enables them to make their own decision to follow Him. Present Christ to your kids and then lead by example. If the demonstration they witness is Christ in you and a pattern of worship and devotion is the standard you set for your home, this will become the line of righteousness that they believe in. Even though they may err or wander for a time, your commitment to train them in the ways of the Lord will act as a breadcrumbs they'll look for when they need to find the way back home.
  5. ​Teach them to pray and seek on their own.  In their relationship with the Lord, it's not only important they learn to pray and pray effectively, its essential. Help them become confident in their ability to hear God's voice, learning to rely on Him to have something to say about every situation they will encounter.  Specifically, the situations and circumstances that will shape their future.  When they become accustomed to seeking God first, they will look for His insight in the things of life that matter most.  Fight the temptation to be the Holy Spirit for them. Empower them to expect that God will give them His plan for their future. 
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Guest Post: Guiding Our Children to Greatness, Prophet Brandon Fleming, Destiny City Christian Center

6/2/2016

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Guest Post:
Prophet Brandon Fleming
Senior Pastor, Destiny City Christian Center
Edmond, OK



Guiding Our Children to Greatness: The Value of the Talent

Children are an incredible blessing from the Lord.  They are precocious, full of curiosity and wonderment; a joy to be around.  I’m sure that anyone who parents, mentors, or works with children is already aware that you’ve been afforded the privilege to shape future generations through your involvement with young people.  To that end, I would like to share with you some wisdom from the Word of God that I believe will help you in your endeavors to brighten the future as you develop young people to affect their world.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable of man who travels to a far country, but not before calling three of his servants to him to distribute oversight of portions of his estate: five talents to one, two talents to another, and one talent to the final servant. Verse 15 makes it clear that the distribution of these talents was not arbitrary, but done so on the basis of the evaluation of each servant’s several abilities.  As the story progresses, we see that each servant takes the talents that they have been given and puts them to use in distinct ways: the servants with five and two talents go into the market and trade with their talents, while the servant with one talent simply goes and hides his master’s money.  When the master returns, he judges the activities of each servant, offering promotions to the first two servants, while condemning the last servant because of his actions of hiding his investment instead of handling it wisely.  

The servant with the one talent lacked the understanding of what his master’s talent could produce.  The servant was called wicked and slothful, not because he was lacking something valuable, but because of what he did with what he possessed.  We cannot let this be the same outcome with the children in our lives.  I believe there is a unique revelation that can be applied to our endeavors in working with young people: teaching them the value of what they possess (talents) and teaching them how to leverage (manage) that investment.
  • Don’t let your child(ren) live under the power of mediocrity!  There have been too many messages communicated to our children that say that being extraordinary is only for an exceptional few.  This is a direct affront to Scripture, which tells us that each of God’s precious creations are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13- 18).  The notion that excellence is given to a select few suggests helplessness in the face of destiny.  Too many of our young people face the feelings of helplessness as it pertains to their lives and we must rescue them from this mindset and deliver to them the “Mind of Christ” (Phil. 2:5).  This mindset tells us that through application of our divine endowment, we can achieve greatness.
  • Some children feel inadequate or unable because they don’t possess what others possess, but that does not mean that they are without value. EVERY child has something to contribute.  Our job is to find it, nurture it, release it, and celebrate it.
  • The Value of Emotions: I believe that there must be more done in the area of teaching children the value of, as well as how to manage emotionality.  Many of the behavioral problems and “acting out” exhibited by our children is due to a lack of appropriate outlet of emotions; the inability to articulate and process feelings is a huge problem for kids (and most adults).  As early as we can, we must start teaching our kids how to recognize, respect, and process their emotions so that they are able to appreciate this wonderful gift so that they do not “bury” these valuable gifts.
  • The Value of Learning: Each child will learn differently, interpret differently, and respond differently.  Instead of attempting to force each child into what we believe to the “mold” of success, it is our duty to take time to evaluate each child’s learning experiences It’s not enough take inventory of what children are taught. Let’s go further and examine how they reiterate material.  Look for what stood out to them. These are the “striking points” for each child; use these to understand how their individual learning experience can be appreciated for the value it may add to the greater capacity of their world.
  • The Value of “Adding Value”: Appreciating children for their strengths, abilities, successes, and areas of excellence helps to solidify similar behavior. Moreover, it also subconsciously instills in each child the ability and the desire to appreciate others for their skills and abilities.  Think of the world we would create if people were celebrated and praised versus torn down? More importantly, think of how much easier it would be to help children apply those same “talents” when they worship God. 
Our children carry great potential! Their God-given purpose has been ordained since their time in the womb, and God has entrusted us with the responsibility to help them uncover and unlock their treasures.  Let’s learn from this parable of the talents: help your child exhume their divine resources. The world will be a better place because of your investment.
 
Yours in grace, 
Prophet Brandon Fleming


Prophet Brandon Fleming is a cutting-edge Prophetic voice called to affect nations with the Word of the Lord. He carries a distinctive and heartfelt passion to equip the Body of Christ to discover God and discover destiny! Prophet Brandon serves as the Senior Pastor of Destiny City Christian Center, a thriving, multi-cultural Apostolic and Prophetic body of worshippers within the greater Oklahoma City/Edmond community founded by the late Dr. Mario Maxwell. His church, which is affectionately known as “Destiny City”, stands as a beacon of God’s glorious transforming power to all those who would seek to encounter Him.

​http://www.destinycity.tv
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Right Place, Right Time: Positioning Your Kids for Purpose

5/10/2016

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Adia Peterson
Founder, KingdomFive! Student Ministries


1 Samuel 2: 24-28
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Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls,[g] one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.
Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there. NKJV
Parent and Mentor: The Most Important Role
As a parent, leader or mentor of a prophetic child, your role in their destiny moment in God is the most important. The fulfillment of Hannah's vow to the Lord, put Samuel in the right place and the right time to receive his visitation from the Lord and begin his journey of walking in the purpose God ordained for him. It could not have been an easy thing to do, sacrificing family time, missing many of his pivotal growing up moments, or putting his key coming-of-age life lessons in someone else's charge. She sowed Samuel's life in trust, and her faithfulness to the promise she gave the Lord, placed him on track to become a great man of God. Even now, generations later, Samuel's legacy speaks for itself.

Mentoring and developing a future giant usually means there will be sacrifices made. There will be one tough call after another as you navigate through the day to day and its demands, making split-hair fine line decisions between the relationship with the Lord your child must maintain and what they must give to everything else. Your decisions about their schedule and activities, how they spend their time, the priority they give the Lord and the quality of their relationship with Him is crucial. As the guardians over their destinies, the Lord will use your leadership in their lives to reinforce His blueprint and plan. Evaluate the role God plays in their everyday, and the level of importance, priority He is given. His place in their lives is paramount, and beyond that their availability to Him. The answer is paramount. Do they have a consistent time to hear and seek Him, and are you enforcing and encouraging it? Take the lead and set the pace for them.
  1. You are the guardian over schedule, activities and time. Make personal time with God a priority and key part of their everyday.
  2. Teach the principles of servanthood early. Make serving the Lord a well-known subject in your house by talking about it positively and frequently! Ask, how can we make ourselves available to the Lord as a family? Find ways you can be involved in ministerial activities together.
  3. Encourage worship and teach prayer. When you teach a man to fish...I don't think I need to finish that one, you get it. Teach your child to pray and pray often. Empower them to seek God for themselves and to wait for Him to answer. Encourage regular worship and devotion and lead by example.
  4. Routinely talk purpose, identity and destiny in your home. Pray with them regarding their unique call from God.
  5. Pray and intercede with them. Your kids need to hear you pray and need to become accustomed to your voice speaking over their future. 
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Building a Strong Prophetic Heart: Teen Mentorship

4/18/2016

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Adia Peterson
KingdomFive! Founder
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? 
Deuteronomy 10:11-13 
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Strong, solid and sound prophetics begin, not with the speaking, but with the heart. Beliefs, attitudes, mindset and character are essential keys to prophetic fortitude.  In fact, the condition of our heart is so important to the Lord, He addresses it in scripture more than 900 times! As you are mentoring and empowering your young giant to serve the Lord, emphasize the importance of growing in strength from the inside out. See Proverbs 20:7 for more clarity on this. Before He strengthens their gifts, He will condition their heart. He will work to ensure they can sustain destiny and bear up under the weight of their calling. Remember Mr. Miyagi from the original ‘Karate Kid’ and his famous command to "Daniel-son"--'Wax-on, wax-off...' What seemed so futile, became the foundation of Daniel’s greatest defense when he was in the fight. He couldn’t become a master until he learned first, the true "heart" of the sport. 

Connecting Heart to Prophetics for Your Teens
…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, Ephesians
Fact: young people are inherently expressive, and are constantly communicating, verbally or non-verbally. They are figuring out their own feelings, establishing their opinions and beliefs and working to distinguish their individual identity. Combine that with a developing prophet or prophetic teen and hashing through all of that takes on an even greater dimension! The question becomes, how do I help them navigate through all that they are feeling, hearing and experiencing?  How can I mentor them to hear accurately, to speak and represent the Lord soundly, and reliably?  

Luke's gospel admonishes that a good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good, and an evil man, evil. For out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth speaks!  There’s a prophetic connection here that I believe is valuable for prophetic mentoring. We know that communication is a major element of effective prophetics but if our words are the fruit--what is the seed? As you are developing your children to be reliable messengers for the Lord, emphasize relationship over expression, character over talent, prayer over preaching, and worship over platform. Everything internal will become the basis and foundation for all they express externally. Keep in mind, however impressive their outward expressions may be, the focus of their mentorship and development should be those things which build and strengthen the heart-the core of their beliefs and faith. Let’s take a look at some quick talking points you can use to work through these principles with your teen. 

  1. Spirit first. For every dream your teens have about how God will use them, or for how they would like to be used in His kingdom, teach them about spiritual strength and health before all of the other principles. Their public success starts with their private commitment to excellence in their relationship with the Lord.  Regular prayer, daily scripture study, worship at home, etc. are all things we know will help our kids grow in God but here’s the reality—we as the parents and leaders have to set a structure for how they will do this. You will have some kids that are very self-motivated, but others will need an abundance of direction and insight. See Daniel 6: 3, Matthew 6:33 for support.
  2. Establish a routine of heart service. Help them evaluate their priorities and establish a routine that gives them stored up interest for a later time. Their constant, regular time with God will give them a treasury of strength to rely on at any moment. If relationship is primary, they will not have to worry about having a dispensation when it’s time to speak or perform for God publicly.  Consider Daniel 6: 10- …he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before His God, as was his custom since early days. And also Proverbs 22:6.
  3. Don’t let matters of the heart go unsettled. We can compartmentalize, yes; and at times we absolutely should to get a job done. But when it comes to being used by God matters of the heart have to be settled. If your teen is struggling with character issues, emotional instabilities (beyond the norm), conflict, unforgiveness, etc. face them head on! Don’t allow their gifts and talents become a mask, hoping that the condition of their heart will just improve itself. Work with them in getting the healing, deliverance and freedom they need in order to move forward.
  4. There’s no shame in working it out. It can be confusing to hear from God that there are inner areas that need work when everything on the outside seems to be functioning just fine. Your teen may not be aware that their heart issues are that big of a deal, particularly if their gift expression is still very much in high demand. Your guidance in helping them give time and attention to character development is invaluable! Make sure they understand there’s no shame in working on who they are and needing to grow and mature in certain areas doesn’t take away from the anointing God has given them. On the other hand though, stress how much allowing heart issues to linger can negatively affect their outward expressions and dispensation from the Lord. 

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Guest Blog: "Raising Jeremiah", Dr. Ulf Spears, Strategic Leadership International, President

4/3/2016

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Raising Jeremiah
Dr. Ulf Spears
When I was a child I heard the voice of God calling me into his kingdom and I received Jesus Christ as my Savior at the age of eight along with being called to ministry at the age of eighteen. I knew that without God in my life I would not be able to make it due to the challenging environment I had already experience in my home and neighborhood. Yet, to my surprise, the call on my life and the challenging environment were the perfect combination to press and fashion my life toward the Lord’s purposes. As I began to move towards those purposes by reading the bible, I realized that I was not the only person called by God’s at a young age; Jeremiah the Prophet was called generations before me and laid a foundation for what I would possibly experience, overcome and accomplish in ministry. With this in mind, here are some training points for parents as they raise young prophets, taken from Jeremiah 1:1-17:
  1. What is the Word of the Lord over your children’s life? In Jeremiah 1:5 God tells Jeremiah about the intimate knowledge He had of him before he was born and how He had set him apart as a Prophet long ago. As parents, this inside knowledge about your kids calling and destiny can prepare you ahead of time for what is to come along with how to overcome it.
  2. Identify and Reduce Doubt and Excuses from your Children’s Calling: Jeremiah 1:6 identifies doubt (disbelief, lack of faith and being unsure) due to their lack of life experience, training and knowledge needed to be successful “…I cannot speak”. In addition, Jeremiah 1:6 highlights excuses as another training topic while raising a young prophet “for I am a youth”.
  3. Implant Obedience Principles in your Children’s life: In Jeremiah 1:7, obedience (to carry out instructions or orders) is uncovered as a point of emphasis when training a young messenger “…for you shall go…whatever I command you”.  Parents can undergird this principle and lay a foundation for obedience to the Lord by teaching them to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1).
  4. Reduce Fear and Train your Children in the Word of God: Jeremiah 1:8 continues by pinpointing fear as another training opportunity “do not be afraid of their faces” and says He would remedy it by the promise of His presence and deliverance. Parents can teach their children to trust in God by getting them acquainted with His word (2 Timothy 1:7) that He has promised to put in the young prophets mouth in verse nine of Jeremiah one.
  5. Instill Submission in your Children in Preparation for Authority: In addition, Jeremiah 1:10 focus on the training point of authority “I have set thee over the nations and kingdoms” and highlight the need for parents to instill submission as a precursor to healthy authority.  
  6. Enroll your Children in Prophetic Training Classes: In chapter 1 of Jeremiah verses 11, 12, 13 God continues to unfold the training points that parents should keep in mind when raising a young prophet which is prophetic vision (supernatural insight, awareness, given by revelation-visions are for guidance and direction to God’s servants) “Jeremiah what do you see?”  Parents are encouraged to enroll their young prophets in training classes, sessions and modules with quality trainers and teachers (Dr. Adia’s Petersons material on training young prophets are recommended for preparation of character, integrity, skill, knowledge and practice Jer. 1:17).
  7. Reduce Intimidation in your Children’s life: Finally, intimidation as seen in Jeremiah 1:17 “do not be dismayed by their faces…” is another training point and parents are a key developer of a healthy, strong and confident soul for the success of their young prophet.

Parents, I believe that if you keep these training points in mind as you raise your young prophet; they will be more prepared to be transferred into the hands of Lord and other trainers for further development. You can do it: Raise Jeremiah according to the word of the Lord.


 About Dr. Ulf Spears
Dr. Spears has worked for over 15 years in the fields of education, nonprofit, business, and leadership development. He serves as the president of Strategic Leadership International, an organization that provides leadership training to leaders and organizations through consulting, coaching, training, and mentoring. Dr. Spears is a speaker and educator providing practical, academic, and spiritual perspectives that address issues affecting human, social, business, and spiritual development. He has a passion for empowering leaders and organizations to be innovative, creative, and proactive industry pacesetters. As a result, he serves in the role of consultant and advisor, providing trainings that challenge, inspire and develop leadership skills, habits, and qualities in the areas of change, strategy, and management.

Dr. Ulf shares about his past, growing up and accepting Christ and how it shaped his future.
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