Growing Up Guided

Psalm 78:4 NKJV

⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.

Encouragement for the Journey

I wrote and posted this in October, 2021:

“My nine-year-old daughter came to me and told me that while she was at the barbershop with her brothers, the barber, who is Christian, was playing and singing Christian music. Then he started playing music that wasn’t Christian and was singing it. She said she didn’t like the other music because of what it said. Then she says to me, “I’m confused. If he’s a Christian, why is he playing that other music?”

Remember the Word of God- “Be holy, as I am holy.” We have to know and understand that both believers and non-believers are watching us, and so is the next generation. Are we teaching them…are we showing them what it looks like to be holy and righteous? We’re confusing them. It’s not just about music. It’s about living holy and being holy. We cannot claim to be zealous for the Lord, but still live in unrighteousness. We can’t claim to be Christian and live as the world lives. This grieves our Father; it does not please Him. 

In our actions, in our words, what we drink, how we dress, how we walk out this life… There should be no compromise. By doing so you’re allowing the enemy access your life, your home, your family, and the church. 

Be holy saints. Choose righteousness and submit to the Lord in every area of your life.”

End post

There is an urgency for us to make a drastic change in how we as Christians live our daily lives. It’s not about us. It is about the children. We must guide the children as they grow. Yet there is so much compromise and confusion amongst the youth.

Why then is this happening? Why is there so much corruption and mixture among this generation? Two reasons stand out:

1- Christians are living compromised. What we permit in our lives influences generations after us. Consider Solomon: by allowing idols into Israel, he set a pattern that affected those who came after him.

1 Kings 11:4-8 NKJV

⁴ For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. ⁸ And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Solomon worshipped God but compromised by marrying foreign women who worshipped idols. Their influence led him and later generations, including his son, the next king, away from God. This passage draws a parallel to today, warning that those who teach and influence children can spread ungodly, worldly beliefs that spiritually harm them.

2- Christians aren’t teaching them about the Lord and what He has done.

Judges 2:8-11 NKJV

⁸ Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. ⁹ And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals

Both Moses and Joshua warned the Israelites to tell the children of the Lord’s commands and mighty deeds- how He saved and loved them, but they didn’t. (See Deuteronomy 6:6-9/ Joshua 4:21-24). There was an emphasis put on telling and reminding the next generation. The Lord warned repeatedly to do so.

Teaching the ways of the Lord is far more important than getting a full ride scholarship or the highest degrees… this is life or death. Not saying those things aren’t important, but they aren’t as important as teaching them the ways of the Lord and how to follow Jesus. That is what saves their souls from hell. Being the best basketball player or smartest in the class does not. We must greatly desire for our children to know and remember what the Lord has done (in the Bible and currently). They will see it in the Word as they read it. They will hear it when we speak of it. They will respond because we show it.

Compromise is the enemy of holiness.

Holiness calls us to be fully set apart for God, not partially or occasionally devoted. When we begin to negotiate with sin—softening our convictions, making small exceptions, or justifying what we know is wrong—we slowly dull our sensitivity to God’s voice and weaken our spiritual integrity. This, in turn, affects the next generation because teaching the ways of the Lord is not important. Every “small” compromise opens the door a little wider to greater disobedience, making it easier to ignore conviction and harder to turn back. To pursue holiness, we must be willing to draw clear lines, even when it’s costly, uncomfortable, or unpopular. It means choosing obedience when no one is watching, refusing to entertain what numbs our conscience, and guarding our hearts from the slow drift that compromise creates. The Bible says to teach them diligently, and we must be passionate about doing so.

We need to ask ourselves some questions…

Should we listen to unholy music and watch unholy shows? No. Why? Because it affects the next generation.

Should we wear clothes that do not cover? No. Why? Because it affects the next generation.

Should we read the Bible, pray, and teach them to do so? Yes. Why? Because it affects the next generation.

Do we listen and watch holy things that point straight to God? Yes. Why? Because EVERYTHING else points away from Him.

Parent, grandparents, teachers, pastors, worship leaders, youth pastors, children’s church ministers… hear what the Lord is saying. No more passive Christianity- it is affecting how we guide the next generation. Our influence should be greater than all other influences, and holiness from us by Holy Spirit will keep our children on a path of righteousness. But we first must be righteous and holy. We should live as if what the Lord says is acceptable, is acceptable, and what the Lord says is not, is not. Period. In a world that often celebrates moral gray areas, genuine holiness stands out not as harsh or self-righteous, but as a steady, uncompromising reflection of God’s purity and love. Holy Spirit is our guide. Victory, peace, joy, safety, identity… it all comes by Him, and this is what this generation needs and is lacking. As Holy Spirit guides us, we guide them. We must be holy as He is holy.

I pray we stop and ask the Lord- What influence and impact am I having on the next generation? Am I guiding and showing them holiness according to Your standards Lord? Am I reading the Word and sharing the truth of the gospel intentionally? I pray we see the importance of not just going through the day-to-day, but of slowing down, sitting with the children/youth, and telling them of His mighty acts. I pray we encourage our children to walk humbly, holy, and righteous before Him and to be the light amongst their peers and family.

Promises for the Journey

Psalm 78:1-8 NLT

¹ O my people, listen to my instructions.
    Open your ears to what I am saying,
²     for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
³     stories we have heard and known,
    stories our ancestors handed down to us.
⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children;
    we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
    about his power and his mighty wonders.
⁵ For he issued his laws to Jacob;
    he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
    to teach them to their children,
⁶ so the next generation might know them—
    even the children not yet born—
    and they in turn will teach their own children.
⁷ So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
    not forgetting his glorious miracles
    and obeying his commands.
⁸ Then they will not be like their ancestors—
    stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,
    refusing to give their hearts to God.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 NKJV

¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.