statement our children are dealing with that we must not take lightly. Attune your ears to this “just” statement:
“I just want them to like me.”
This is serious; the underlying meaning is that they are willing
to do whatever is needed to be liked.
James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship
with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
When anyone falls into desiring to “just” wanting others to like
them, then they have lost their power as an influencer and they have become the one being influenced. The person focused on what others think of them is a follower, not a leader.
As parents we have the responsibility to prepare our children to
stand against this lie. It takes our being involved in their lives to see and hear if they are strong enough to fight this battle.
The only thing that can help a child from adopting this desire is
to have a greater desire.
John 15:19 (Jesus said.) “If you belonged to the world, it would
love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
We do not belong to this world. This world is fleeting; short
lived. Explain to children how friends come and go, but the Lord is with them forever. Explain how the world’s fads come and go, but the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. Explain how momentary pleasure can come back to bite, while God’s rewards last through eternity.
In my opinion the most important thing to pass onto our children
is: I John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Refuse to pass on the wimpy God this generation has embraced. Our God is the same God that David trusted when he went against Goliath; the same God that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego trusted to save them from the fiery furnace; the same God that raised Jesus from the dead!!! He is alive and wants to work through us and our children.
Introduce your children to the One True God that is jealous for
their affections. Show them how to live each day with the desire to please Him, the lover of your soul! Encourage them to be God’s man/woman in a godless world. As they go out of your home direct them, “Remember, Whose you are and Who you serve.”