Luke 1:80
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Too many parents are trying to break the spirit of their children instead of directing and developing a strong spirit in them so they will be strong enough to stand against compromise. Your child will never learn how to stand against the difficult times of life if you don't develop a strong spirit in them.
One reason John the Baptist could withstand the attacks against him was because his parents developed a strong spirit in him as a child. Imagine the difference in the narrative of John the Baptist had his parents tried to break his spirit instead of directing it and making it strong. Had they broken his spirit, he would not have stood up against the sin of the ruler of his day. Had his parents broken his spirit instead of letting his spirit get stronger, he would have compromised when the religious leaders of his day put pressure on him to change.
God gave your child the spirit they have for you to develop and direct it to become stronger so they can withstand the evil day. We are never to break the spirit that God gave them. You must understand that all Satan does with your child is he takes their spirit and directs it toward wrong when it is your responsibility to teach your child how to take their spirit to use for right. Let me share several ways you can develop a strong spirit in your child so they will serve God without compromise.
First, don’t pamper them when they come on hard times. Hard times are what develop the determination to overcome. If you pamper your child every time they face hard times, you will develop an entitled child that will never learn how to work through hard times.
Second, do not let them whine. When your child begins to whine about difficulties, you must tell them to stop whining and deal with it. I know this sounds strong, but this is how you develop a strong spirit in your child. Whiners don't overcome difficulties; rather, they collapse when difficulties come. You need to teach your child that whining never resolves one issue. My mother used to tell me, “Son, if you don't stop your whining, I will give you a reason to whine.” That sounds strong, but my mother was developing a strong spirit in me so I would withstand hard times and stand against compromise.
Third, do not let children give excuses. Excuses are a sign of a weak spirit. Determination to resolve difficulties is what must replace excuses. If you let your child give excuses, they will always have an excuse when they do wrong, and doing wrong is what brings heartache. Your children must learn that excuses are punishable and that they need to develop the determination to face what excuses are trying to get them to run from. If you allow your children to give excuses, they will give excuses for the rest of their life and never achieve anything for God.
Fourth, do not let children complain. Complaining should never be allowed. Instead of a child complaining about a situation, they should be challenged to figure out a way to change the situation. Complainers have never achieved one great thing in life. Your children must learn that they need to learn how to resolve issues that others complain about, and by doing so, they will rise to the top of achievers.
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