Are Your Children Obedient and Happy? Part 3-Attitude of Mother

What Kind of Attitude In Obedience To God Do We Have?
Please see part 1- Introduction

In the last post on this series: "Are Your Children Obedient and Happy? Part 2-Divine Order)" I talked about Divine Order. God clearly shows us through His divine order how we should set our priorities.

As a godly women, wife and mother, our priorities in obedience are first to God, and then to our own husbands. I would like to talk more about attitude in obedience. This is something we will always need to examine in our hearts, and perhaps always struggle with, but with God's help we will improve as we learn to trust Him.

Our attitude in obedience to God is important. God resists the proud. If our attitude toward obedience to God is wrong, it is always, always, because of pride in our hearts. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:6-7)


We might say, "I want to obey God in everything, I want to serve Him with all my heart." That is good, but when the test of this comes, do you truly follow and obey? Our God tells wives to submit to their own husbands, this is the divine order, How well are we obeying God in this?


What if your husband tells you not to buy processed sweets and candy? You love sweets and candy, and so do your children, what can you do?
I had this happen, it was difficult to say the least. I struggled when I was at the grocery store as we passed the candy counters. Before, I use to pick up a candy bar or some chocolate and eat what I wanted and shared it, but now if I did this I would be.... gulp... disobeying God! Yes, since we have a divine order, God says,"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands." To buy that candy would mean disobeying my husband's wishes, and above that disobeying God!
If I said in my heart, "How ridiculous, he just wants to control me in everything, I don't have to listen to him in something so silly." What would I be doing? Would I be acting like a "daughter of Eve?" .... Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,....

Would it be pride? Yes! Why? Read the rest of the account in Genesis 6.... and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, ...

Eve wanted to be wise like God, she did what she felt like doing.
What about taking the candy off the the counter, buying it and eating it, despite my husbands wishes, how is this pride?
Doing so would be a direct disobedience to God, It is pride that makes me callous and non-thinking. I take the candy, I eat the candy.... I think I know better than God.
Maybe I'm not thinking in my heart, "I know better." but I have an attitude of willfulness, it is my attitude that spurs my rebellion. It is the attitude of the heart that our God is seeing.
This is rebellion, I am deceived... what is more frightening is that the next time I have an opportunity to obey, it will be harder to do so. The more we disobey God and ignore His promptings, the harder our hearts become and spiritually deaf we become.


Well, I am speaking out of experience here. Yes, after a struggle and a determination that I was going to obey my husband in this, I gave in and ate that candy. I was rebellious and my children knew it. Several things happened from a seemingly small thing; my children had less respect for authority, and I became very sick. I knew that the sickness was directly connected with my disobedience and it humbled me to a huge degree. The Lord taught me through that experience that obedience to Him in the seemingly smallest matters is very important to Him. I did confess my sin to God, to my husband and to my children. This experience caused me to feel sober about obeying my husband in the smallest matters. Undesirable consequences are the results of disobedience. My relationship with God depends on my obedience to Him... it is extremely important.

(And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.) (Hebrews 12:5-8)


(Those who are the true followers of God know that I am not talking about "Legalism" here. I am talking to those who are already saved through faith in Jesus Christ our God. Those who have been washed with His blood and believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead. Those who are saved from the wrath of God that was on them because of their sin. Those who know that Jesus took God's punishment and wrath on himself for their sin on the cross and shed his blood and died. Those who believe on Him in their hearts and have repented of their sins. Who have been saved and have become a new creature in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are freed from the bondage of sin and given liberty not to sin! Praise God!!!)
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

We have lessons to learn! We have so MUCH to learn! Are we teachable?

Mothers, your attitude will rub off onto your children. If you are obeying your husband but resent him while you are doing it, your children will see through you and they will feel the same about authority.

There are times when we want to have a good attitude, but find that a wrong attitude suddenly appears when we are not expecting it. If this happens we need to stop and ask ourselves, "Why?"
Examine your heart before God. Ask God to reveal to you why you are irritable, or angry. Ask Him to reveal the pride of your heart, (Yes, pride is always, always, behind a bad attitude! ). Be teachable, if God will show you areas of wrong attitudes of your heart... repent of them and ask Him to help you have His perspective in your thinking. We need to ask Him for a humble and quiet spirit.:

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:8-10)

Dear Mothers, we have been given a very serious and eternal job in raising our children for God. This is not a time to play or be, "flippant". Oh take this task before you seriously, a responsibly before God, it is He to whom you will have to answer. Be serious about your own relationship with Jesus Christ. Seek Him with all your heart, and let Him mold and shape you for His glory.

To conclude my story about sweets and processed sugars.. I learned of other healthy alternatives for sugar... and it started our family onto much healthier eating! Praise God!

To be continued... in part 4

Are Your Children Learning About Purity Before Marriage?

http://www.tobeonevideo.com/

When we raise our children, teaching them to love the Lord Jesus Christ, and to serve Him. When we see the work of God in their lives to bring them to belief in Him, and repentance of sin... all with the heart. ( &10) When we see godliness and love for God in our children, wanting to be holy and separated from the lust and sin of the world. It is cause for us to rejoice greatly and praise God, lifting up hands of thanksgiving to Him for answering prayer and doing such a great work in hearts of the ones that are so very dear to us. When they have grown and they start wondering if God would have them marry, we long for God to guide in this step of life so vital for all eternity, and pray earnestly about it with fear and trembling.

Recently our family watched a video called "To Be One" . It is about three different couples who share their story of how God brought them together for marriage. The video is about keeping pure, accountable, and respectful of authority during courtship. These couples were brought to a place of great blessings and surprise as God worked to bring them to the place of marriage.

Our family was blessed by this video. We rarely watch videos this one is very special and helpful. I would recommend it to godly families that are looking to God for direction for their young people.

Watch the trailer for this video here:

"This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.":

Giving thanks always for all things unto God, even the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she respect her husband.

(Ephesians 5:20-33)

The Influence On Childen From Parents Example.

"Instruction, and advice, and commands will profit little, unless they are backed up by the pattern of your own life. Your children will never believe you are earnest, and really wish them to obey you, as long as your own actions contradict your counsel. Archbishop Tillotson made a wise remark when he said, "To give children good instruction, and a bad example, is but beckoning to them with the head to show them the way to heaven, while we take them by the hand and lead them to hell."

We little know the force and power of example. No one of us can live to himself in this world; we are always influencing those around us, in one way or another, either for good or for evil, either for God or for sin.--- They see our ways, they mark our conduct, they observe our behavior, and what they see us practice, that they may fairly suppose we think right. And never, I believe, does example tell so powerfully as it does in the case of parents and children.

Fathers and mothers, do not forget that children learn more by the eye than they do by the ear. No school will make such deep marks on the character as home. The best of schoolmasters will not imprint on their minds as much as they will pick up at your fireside. Imitation is a far stronger principle with children than memory. What they see has a much stronger effect on their minds than what they are told.

Take care, then, what you do before a child. It is a true proverb, "Who sins before a child, sins double." (OR What parents allow in moderation, children will do in excess. (added from "preachers at home") ) Strive rather to be a living epistle of Christ, such as your families can read, and that plainly too. Be an example of reverence for the Word of God, reverence in prayer, reverence for means of grace, reverence for the Lord's day.----Be an example in words, in temper, in diligence, in temperance, in faith, in charity, in kindness, in humility. Think not your children will practice what they do not see you do. You are their model picture, and they will copy what you are. Your reasoning and your lecturing, your wise commands, and your good advice; all this they may not understand, but they can understand your life.

Children are very quick observers; very quick in seeing through some kinds of hypocrisy, very quick in finding out what you really think and feel, very quick in adopting all your ways and opinions. You will often find as the father, so is the son.

Remember the word that the conqueror Ceasar always used to his soldiers in a battle. He did not say "Go forward," but "Come." So it must be with you in training your children. They will seldom learn habits which they see you despise, or walk in paths in which you do not walk yourself. He that preaches to his children what he does not practice, is working a work that never goes forward. It is like the fabled web of Penelope of old, who wove all day, and unwove all night. Even so, the parent who tries to train without setting a good example is building with one hand, and pulling down with the other."

"The Duties Of Parents" by J.C. Ryle (XIV pages 31 and 32.)

Having Been Away For Awhile

Having been away for awhile due to illness I have missed posting here for a couple of months.
During my time of convalescence, the Lord spoke to me about weakness and faith in Him. His strength is made perfect in weakness: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) I have found in greater depth that God is so very faithful. Those who are His are kept by His power... we cannot keep ourselves, we are far too weak. We cannot make ourselves strong, but He will be our strength if we come to Him in faith and rely on Him. To resign ourselves to His perfect will, to submit ourselves in obedience to Him, to rest and lean on Him is a wonderful and peaceful place to be!
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Dear Mothers, are you resting in Him? Do you know the peace that passes all understanding?

Our children need to see us falling on our knees in prayer, or just speaking out prayer, imploring our God for help and thanking Him for every trial. They need to see the peace of God in their mothers, assured by Him that He is in control. This will make a very worthy and wonderful impact on them. The life we live before them is an example to them... how should they act or live in times of trial? Go to man? Or Go to God?
Oh let us be true and holy women of God... no compromise, no pretending... just true children of the living God, obeying His Word, doing what He says, and let them know Jesus Christ is your strength. We are needy and helpless without Jesus Christ our Lord.

May our sweet Savior bless you today as you raise your children for Him.

I hope to post more soon... Let us keep praising God always!