Guest Post: Guiding Our Children to Greatness, Prophet Brandon Fleming, Destiny City Christian Center

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