"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6As mother's, God holds us accountable for the influence we exert. Early training secures habitual walking! Whether you are a first-time mother or a veteran mother, it's never too late to place spiritual deposits into the lives of our children.
Our children’s mentoring begins at birth. When we mentor our offspring, we move in a direction where we’re consistently placing “spiritual deposits” into their lives. Our son’s mind is our focus.
When we deposit cash into our bank accounts, we see those deposits accumulating. Over time, the balance of our bank account increases and when an unforeseen circumstance arises, we have something to fall back onto; we have enough deposits in that account to be able to make a withdrawal and still have a positive balance for a different emergency.
“Spiritual Deposits,” are the “Emotional Deposits” in the personal bank account of our mind. When we are consistently placing deposits into our children’s lives (sometimes small, other times larger) over time, those deposits grow and create a healthy emotional bank account investment in their lives. These practical steps of adding spiritual notes into our children’s lives, gives us a rich return-on-our-investment.
God is amazing! I spent an hour outside with Caleb, and as he was swinging in the sun, I came across these powerful verses; it exemplifies how the enemy of our souls has made the human mind the bull’s-eye of his target – it’s Satan’s scheming nature:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”
Ephesians 6:10-11
The Greek translation for “wiles” is METHODEIA, from which we get our English word method. Satan has a well-thought-through-strategy, time-honored and effective – a plan that works like a charm. The Greek term “wiles” comes from a root word meaning “the mind.” Satan plays mind games with us, and unless we are clued in, he will win!
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
In ancient days, cities were built within thick massive walls. Towers were erected in strategic places within the walls. In times of battle, seasoned men with an understanding of military warfare would position themselves in these stations that towered above the surrounding walls. From these vantage points, they would be able to see the location of the advancing troops and shout their commands in the hope of counteracting the enemy's attack.
In order for the enemy to take the city, three objectives had to be accomplished. First, the wall had to be scaled or penetrated. Second, the towers had to be invaded. Third, the men of military strategy had to be captured. After capturing – or killing – the military leaders, conquering the inhabitants was no big deal.
Doesn’t Satan’s “strong-hold” reveal itself in our humanistic, horizontal natures?
These verses describe the battle in detail; “Pulling down the strong holds,” represents the walls of our mind; they could represent our thought patterns, our reasoning, our traditional practice of thinking, or the rubbish that has filtered into and that has been built in by the enemy for years. For God’s truth to win, those walls in our mind must be penetrated.
God brings a divinely powerful weapon – the Holy Spirit, with His armory of truths from Scripture. Once the Lord breaks through the strong-holds, he encounters, “every high thing that exalteth itself.” These are the mental blocks we have erected against spiritual viewpoints. I have learned that our tendency, when under pressure, is to go back to “every high thing that exalteth itself,” which is our lofty thoughts.
God’s ultimate goal is “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” His plan is to transform the old thoughts of thinking that defeat us, into new thoughts that encourage us. He has to re-pattern our whole way of thinking. The weapons we must use to pull down these strong-holds are God’s weapons, not the worlds.
I have learned that there are 3 powerful principles to put into place which will conquer the strong-holds in our minds;
Memorize, Personalize, and Analyze.
Memorizing is a mental cleansing. My mind must be reconstructed, and the only full-proof way is through memorizing Scripture. I understand this principle does not sound very sophisticated or intellectual, but God’s word is full of powerful ammunition. Dislodging negative, disempowering thought processes, requires aggressive action.
Here are some great strategic assault verses with multiple victorious promises;
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
Personalizing is how I make it real for me! I replace words with “I, me, my, mine” as I come across meaningful statements in the Bible. Like this;
Read Philippians 4:6-8 - Now personalized it as follows:
“[I should not be careful] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving [I need to] let [my] requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all [my] understanding, shall keep [my] heart and [my] mind through Christ Jesus. Finally [Deborah Choma], whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, [I should let my mind] think on these things.”
Analyzing is the “take charge” in our life. I have a propensity to respond defensively. As soon as I catch myself wanting to respond in this way, I think – ‘analyze the situation!’ I ask myself, “Why am I getting so hot and bothered by this?” Is there something I’m afraid of or am I just breaking through some negative long-standing habits – like P-R-I-D-E?
Give your children a vision. “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 once they see a higher plain, they’ll believe it! And then they will begin to behave like it. As a man thinketh…is such a Biblical principle, so obtainable by us all.
Our minds are the problem, not our circumstances. God is multi-dimensional in His thinking. He’s not a tunnel vision God like we tend to be! He’s a real “I can do” God, not an “I can’t.” When He tells us in His word to “get understanding,” He means “get intelligent.”
We can claim a promise with our children. I type a promise out and hang it on our fridge. I read the verse and then simplify it to Caleb’s 4-year old level. Guess what? God’s word is living, and fills our minds and our children’s with the ammunition we need. It’s a simple act, and yet it’s the very key to unlock what lays ahead for our children and their “weapons-of-war” against the enemy.
I like turkeys, but I would prefer to train up an eagle!
I Love You,
Deborah
Our children’s mentoring begins at birth. When we mentor our offspring, we move in a direction where we’re consistently placing “spiritual deposits” into their lives. Our son’s mind is our focus.
When we deposit cash into our bank accounts, we see those deposits accumulating. Over time, the balance of our bank account increases and when an unforeseen circumstance arises, we have something to fall back onto; we have enough deposits in that account to be able to make a withdrawal and still have a positive balance for a different emergency.
“Spiritual Deposits,” are the “Emotional Deposits” in the personal bank account of our mind. When we are consistently placing deposits into our children’s lives (sometimes small, other times larger) over time, those deposits grow and create a healthy emotional bank account investment in their lives. These practical steps of adding spiritual notes into our children’s lives, gives us a rich return-on-our-investment.
God is amazing! I spent an hour outside with Caleb, and as he was swinging in the sun, I came across these powerful verses; it exemplifies how the enemy of our souls has made the human mind the bull’s-eye of his target – it’s Satan’s scheming nature:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”
Ephesians 6:10-11
The Greek translation for “wiles” is METHODEIA, from which we get our English word method. Satan has a well-thought-through-strategy, time-honored and effective – a plan that works like a charm. The Greek term “wiles” comes from a root word meaning “the mind.” Satan plays mind games with us, and unless we are clued in, he will win!
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
In ancient days, cities were built within thick massive walls. Towers were erected in strategic places within the walls. In times of battle, seasoned men with an understanding of military warfare would position themselves in these stations that towered above the surrounding walls. From these vantage points, they would be able to see the location of the advancing troops and shout their commands in the hope of counteracting the enemy's attack.
In order for the enemy to take the city, three objectives had to be accomplished. First, the wall had to be scaled or penetrated. Second, the towers had to be invaded. Third, the men of military strategy had to be captured. After capturing – or killing – the military leaders, conquering the inhabitants was no big deal.
Doesn’t Satan’s “strong-hold” reveal itself in our humanistic, horizontal natures?
These verses describe the battle in detail; “Pulling down the strong holds,” represents the walls of our mind; they could represent our thought patterns, our reasoning, our traditional practice of thinking, or the rubbish that has filtered into and that has been built in by the enemy for years. For God’s truth to win, those walls in our mind must be penetrated.
God brings a divinely powerful weapon – the Holy Spirit, with His armory of truths from Scripture. Once the Lord breaks through the strong-holds, he encounters, “every high thing that exalteth itself.” These are the mental blocks we have erected against spiritual viewpoints. I have learned that our tendency, when under pressure, is to go back to “every high thing that exalteth itself,” which is our lofty thoughts.
God’s ultimate goal is “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” His plan is to transform the old thoughts of thinking that defeat us, into new thoughts that encourage us. He has to re-pattern our whole way of thinking. The weapons we must use to pull down these strong-holds are God’s weapons, not the worlds.
I have learned that there are 3 powerful principles to put into place which will conquer the strong-holds in our minds;
Memorize, Personalize, and Analyze.
Memorizing is a mental cleansing. My mind must be reconstructed, and the only full-proof way is through memorizing Scripture. I understand this principle does not sound very sophisticated or intellectual, but God’s word is full of powerful ammunition. Dislodging negative, disempowering thought processes, requires aggressive action.
Here are some great strategic assault verses with multiple victorious promises;
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
Personalizing is how I make it real for me! I replace words with “I, me, my, mine” as I come across meaningful statements in the Bible. Like this;
Read Philippians 4:6-8 - Now personalized it as follows:
“[I should not be careful] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving [I need to] let [my] requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all [my] understanding, shall keep [my] heart and [my] mind through Christ Jesus. Finally [Deborah Choma], whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, [I should let my mind] think on these things.”
Analyzing is the “take charge” in our life. I have a propensity to respond defensively. As soon as I catch myself wanting to respond in this way, I think – ‘analyze the situation!’ I ask myself, “Why am I getting so hot and bothered by this?” Is there something I’m afraid of or am I just breaking through some negative long-standing habits – like P-R-I-D-E?
Give your children a vision. “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 once they see a higher plain, they’ll believe it! And then they will begin to behave like it. As a man thinketh…is such a Biblical principle, so obtainable by us all.
Our minds are the problem, not our circumstances. God is multi-dimensional in His thinking. He’s not a tunnel vision God like we tend to be! He’s a real “I can do” God, not an “I can’t.” When He tells us in His word to “get understanding,” He means “get intelligent.”
We can claim a promise with our children. I type a promise out and hang it on our fridge. I read the verse and then simplify it to Caleb’s 4-year old level. Guess what? God’s word is living, and fills our minds and our children’s with the ammunition we need. It’s a simple act, and yet it’s the very key to unlock what lays ahead for our children and their “weapons-of-war” against the enemy.
I like turkeys, but I would prefer to train up an eagle!
I Love You,
Deborah
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