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Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Don't feel sorry for or fear for your kids, your grandkids, because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be. God created them and called them for this exact moment in time. Their life wasn't a coincidence or an accident. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about the ultimate goal of Christian parenting. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, Training Ground.

Jack Graham: Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not leave it." I like the way it's stated in The Message: "Point your kids in the right direction, and when they're old, they won't be lost." In so many ways, this is a lost generation, and we pray that our children will not be lost but found in the hand of God.

So mom and dad, you have this great accountability and responsibility before God. It's not behavior modification that we seek first and foremost, but heart transformation. For out of the heart, the scripture says, flow the issues of life. All the issues of life. So I'm calling this message "Training Ground." And where is the training ground? It's in the hearts of your children. That's where we train our children. We aim for their hearts to see God do a work that they would grow up. The goal is that our children would grow up to love God, serve God, and honor him.

God loves your children, our children, and gave to us these gifts that come only from him. Psalm 127: "Children are a heritage, a gift from the Lord." And so we have this great privilege of teaching our children God's word and growing them up in the faith. God has given us all of his word, and the most essential parenting manual and marriage manual of all is the word of God.

And there is a book known as Proverbs, which is really a parenting manual. It was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit from a father to a child, and a parent to a child. The Book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom, and this is what we need in this generation as in every generation: wisdom. The word "wisdom" really describes skillful living. To live life successfully is to live in the wisdom of God, which comes from the word of God.

So I say that when it comes to parenting, it's not so much about the rules—and there need to be some rules in every home and every household, and God has given us his commandments—but beyond the rules are the tools that God gives us in order that we may train our children, as the New Testament says, "in the nurture and admonition," in the training and in the commandments of the Lord.

So I'm going to mention five tools for skillful living, for skillful parenting, so that you can develop and dedicate your children to the Lord. The first tool is reverence. Reverence. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge." And so it is at that first and foundational to all of our childbearing and rearing that we reverence God. That it starts in our own hearts as we're told in the Old Testament, in the Shema, in the book of Deuteronomy.

We're given this great scripture: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart, and you shall teach them," because they're in your heart, "you shall teach them diligently to your children." And how shall we teach them? "You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And then you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes."

Always on your heart, always on your head, in your mind, as you teach your children. And yes, we bring them to church for formal teaching and take them to school for education, but the greatest and most important training that our child can have is with you. When they get up, when they lay down, when they're walking in the way, when you sit down for a meal—this is how we do it.

It is in the normal, natural experience of life that we look for those moments when the child is teachable, when the child is relatable to us in a need in their lives, and so we're able to teach them and train them in the word of God. It's not just "sit down and everybody listen, we're going to talk about the Bible now." No, there's a place for teaching and training of that sort, but to teach and to train them is to do it in a way in which it's just a normal part of your life. It's not an add-on, it's real, and therefore it's in your home.

So many have a hand-me-down religion, Churchianity, rather than Christ in their lives. And therefore what is important, what is vital, what is essential, is that our faith be real in our own hearts and therefore we are able to give it and pass it along to the next generation. So first and foremost, teach your children reverence of God. To honor him, to love him, to serve him. Make it real. And if it's real, it will be relevant to your children. And when they grow up, they will believe and receive.

Now, I need to just say that Proverbs 22:6 is a general principle. It's a proverb. And I know some of you say, "Well, you know, I raised my children to love the Lord, and we did our best, and my children are far from God." Well, number one, don't give up on them. You keep praying for your children. You keep serving the Lord, and God in his way, in his own time—remember a child has their own will, and so you can't always correct the will of a child if that will is broken.

But in general practice, this scripture is saying if you train up your children in this way, then they won't grow up and get lost out there in the world. They will come to Jesus. That is not an ironclad promise, but it is a wonderful principle from God's word. So parents, Christ is not optional in our lives. So Christ and worshipping him and serving him is vital to the spiritual health of your family. That's number one.

But the second thing is teach your child—the second tool, remember it's tools, not rules—the second tool is respect. Teach your children respect. Respect is shown in trust and obedience. Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children, obey your parents, for this is right." To honor your father and your mother is at the heart of the Ten Commandments. And to show respect, teach your children to respect themselves, teach them to respect others, teach them to respect possessions, the things that they have. Teach them to respect their teachers and spiritual leaders.

Teach them respect. Now, I know that disciplining our children, especially when they're teenagers, when they turn about 13 or 14, I know it can be challenging. I heard about one dad and his daughter. They were watching a documentary of all things that came on the television, and it was about death and dying. So they both sat there and watched it.

And the father was so moved by the whole thing about death and dying, he stood up and he said to his 14-year-old daughter, "Sweetheart, whatever you do, live every day like it's your last day." To which the 14-year-old daughter said, "I tried that a little while ago, and I was grounded for two months."

Teach your children to respect themselves, their bodies, their families. We had very few rules in our family, in our home, but among the two primary ones, one was to always tell the truth because if you didn't tell the truth, you were going to be in a lot more trouble for lying. So tell the truth, be honest. And two, respect, and especially I would say to our children, respect your mother. They knew the fastest way to get in trouble with dad was to disrespect their mom.

Teach a child respect. Teach them to respect their country. We've got a lot of disrespectful young people today. Thirdly, teach your children responsibility. That's a skill. This is wisdom. Remember, wisdom is successful living. Teach them responsibility. In Proverbs 6:6: "Go to the ant, O sluggard, consider her ways and be wise." And then he says in verses 10 and 11, "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man."

In other words, work hard, don't be lazy. Again, these are words from a father to a son, from a parent to a child, via God's word. And so teach our children not to live entitled but to be responsible. And give them responsibility because the child who's never given responsibility will never be responsible.

Don't let your children live with a sense of entitlement, but rather to work hard for what they do. That children are to accept responsibility with duties—that is, responsibilities in the home. Don't just give your children everything. Give them an allowance for doing those chores, but let them do the chores. Let them do something. They don't need just to be handed something.

And then decisions. Teach them responsibility in the decisions they make and take responsibility for those decisions. And then dollars. Teach them how to handle money and how to manage money and how to give their money. This means discipline and admonition to keep the commandments of God. Boundaries are needed in a child's life. Responsible boundaries that are clear and consistent. What we need as parents in discipline is to be consistent in applying the discipline. Not flying off the handle and getting angry, but consistently leading our children. Reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.

Train your children to be obedient when they are young, when they are toddlers, and your job will be a lot easier when they're older. Start when they're young. Begin early. Don't let that little toddler rule the roost. Don't let that little child take over the house. You are not your child's friend; you are their parent. And let me just say, if you don't discipline your child, somebody else will have to.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Training Ground. We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting the word CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789.

Every gift given to PowerPoint Ministries before June 30th will be doubled through a $200,000 matching grant. This is a crucial moment as we close out the financial year because your support helps ensure that the truth of Jesus continues reaching people who are searching for something real they can trust. And as our thanks for your gift, we'll send you "The Jesus Discoveries" by Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, a resource designed to strengthen your confidence in the truth of the Gospel. To give your gift and request your copy, text JUNE to 59789. That's JUNE to 59789. And thank you for helping share the truth of Jesus with a searching world. Now, let's get back to today's message, Training Ground.

Jack Graham: The fourth tool is the tool of resilience. There was a mother in the New Testament, the mother of Timothy, which means the fear of the Lord. Her name was Eunice. He had a grandmother by the name of Lois. And Eunice and Lois, these godly women, passed the faith along to Timothy. And as Paul is speaking to Timothy about his family and their impact and influence on his life, he went on to say in verse 7, "But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but love and power and a sound mind." That's all in the context of parenting there.

And so I take that, you know, there's a lot children are afraid and anxious. We're hearing that more and more, if you're keeping up with what's going on with young people today. There's so much anxiety and so much fear. And we, as parents, believers, and followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility to teach our children to be morally and mentally and emotionally strong.

Life is hard, and our goal is not to just protect our children—oh, there's that, to protect our children and do our best to shield them—but really, our goal is not to protect as much as it is to prepare our children for life. To prepare them to stand alone if necessary. To prepare them to be resistant of the undertow of the world and to stand for God, to say no to the crowd.

Have you heard of lawnmower parents? Have you heard of lawnmower parents? You know what a lawnmower parent is? Maybe you've heard of the helicopter parents who hover over too close, but these are lawnmower parents. And we have a generation of them. And a lawnmower parent is a parent who's always knocking down, trying to knock down every obstacle in front of their kids in order to clear a path so that the kids could be successful, a path of success.

And this often becomes micromanaging moms and fix-it dads who run out in front of their kids in order to tear down anything that they think might stop them. I'll give you some illustrations. It's emailing teachers to argue about a child's grade. It's texting a coach about playing time. That's lawnmower parenting. It's trying to set your kids up for an interview for a job when they need to hoof it themselves.

Now, it doesn't mean you can't use your influence, but these lawnmower parents are constantly out in front, trying to knock things down, and God help you if you get in their way. Lawnmowers, you are actually setting your kids up for failure, not success. You are. You're setting them up for weakness and disappointment. It's unhealthy.

Because our goal is to teach our children how to handle struggles, how to take care of their own disappointments. Your children learn how to deal with failure through their adversities and disappointments. This is essential to growing up. So mom and dad, trust God with your kids. Let God work in their lives. Help them to understand what it means to be an overcomer. And whatever you do, don't let them quit every time they want to quit something.

Challenge them to stay with it and to be strong. Let your children grow into resilience, what I like to call "grit." Grace produces grit in a person's life. You want your child to have both grace and grit, determination and perseverance. You want them to grow strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

I read this and saw it online and I thought it's so good. It says, "Don't feel sorry for or fear for your kids, your grandkids, because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be. God created them and called them for this exact moment in time that they are in. Their life wasn't a coincidence or an accident.

Raise them up to know the power they walk in as the children of God. Train them up in the authority of the word. Teach them to walk in faith, knowing that God is in control. Empower them to know they can change the world. Don't teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world, but hopeful that they can do something about it.

Every person in all of history has been placed in this time that they were in because of God's sovereign plan. He knew Daniel could handle the lions' den. He knew David could handle Goliath. He knew Esther could take care of Haman. He knew Peter could handle persecution. He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in life. He created them specifically for it."

So don't fret, don't fear for your children. Prepare them, yes. Get them ready for life's challenges, but don't clear the path for them. Let God clear their path. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean into your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path." Let God clear the pathway for your children. Don't do it for them, unless you want weak, woke kids.

If you want strong, dynamic, world-changing kids, you teach them to be resilient in their faith. You see, when it comes to reading the Bible, I'm glad that I had a family that taught me not just to read about Daniel, but to be a Daniel. Not just to love the story of David, but to go kill some giants myself. Not just to be a Simon Peter lover, but to love Jesus so much that I would stand for him no matter the cost.

This is resilience. So I've said four things, and I'm going to finish with the invitation with the last one. I've said here are the skills that you need to train your children, to train their hearts. Number one is reverence, to love God, and it starts in your own heart. Then respect. Respect the duties, responsibilities, their dollars, their money—teach them how to give, be a giver and not a taker. That's responsibility. Teach them how to manage their money, and so on.

And then teach them respect, teach them responsibility, teach them resilience, and finally, teach them redemption. And by that, I mean salvation in Jesus Christ. Don't expect your kids by luck or chance to come to Jesus or even because you bring them to church. But as a parent, your greatest privilege is to talk to your children about Jesus. About what it means to be saved. The best time for a person to come to faith in Christ is when they're young. And God has given you those children that you would teach them redemption in Jesus Christ.

I close with this. Sally Clarkson wrote it, it's called "The Mission of Motherhood." "I don't just want my kids to be moral. I don't just want them to know all of the biblical rules for behavior. I don't just want them to go through my home with good grades, no drug addictions, and no premarital sex. I want them to leave my home with a hunger and passion to know God personally and to be used by him to accomplish great things in the kingdom." I said at the start of this message, the goal of parenting is not behavior modification but heart transformation. That your children would know and love Jesus and follow him all the days of their lives. So give them redemption's story, give them Jesus.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Training Ground. When you support PowerPoint Ministries, you help share God's word with people around the world through programs just like this one. And as a thanks for your gift this month, we'll send you "The Jesus Discoveries" by Dr. Jeremiah Johnston as our thanks. This powerful resource walks through real historical evidence that points directly to Jesus, helping strengthen your faith and giving you confidence in the truth of God's word.

And right now, every gift given before June 30th will be doubled through a $200,000 matching grant. This is a crucial moment as we close out the financial year because your support helps ensure that PowerPoint Ministries continues reaching people with the Gospel in the months ahead. To give your gift and request your copy, text JUNE to 59789. That's JUNE to 59789.

We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting the word CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: If you're a single parent, maybe you've found yourself so wrapped up in trying to make ends meet, making a living and trying to be both mother and father to your children, and it's so very tough and maybe you're even thinking today, "I don't know if I'm going to make this or not. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get through this. Something's got to give."

Now, I want you to grasp this truth. You can count on the fact that Jesus is there for you. Now, that's more than a religious cliché. It is a Bible truth, it is the truth of the Word of God. Though your spouse may have left you, though your marriage may have broken, he said, "I will never leave or forsake you." He wants to give you strength and he will give you strength. He will enable you to live the life and to do everything in your day to get done what needs to be accomplished for the glory of Christ and as an example for your children.

Maybe you're a parent who's given too much of your time just trying to be a provider. Too much time on your job and you've sacrificed your relationship with Christ and your family. You've not been involved in your church. You're not allowing your church to help make a difference in you and your family. Let me assure you that there's nothing more important for your children than your personal relationship with Christ and setting a godly example for them. They can do without a lot of things that you may be able to provide, but what they can't do without is your faith and your testimony lived before them.

Today, commit yourself and your children to Christ. Go before him and just lay your life down in his presence. Present all of those worries and concerns and those needs and just leave it with him. Giving yourself first to Christ and living by his word will make the difference in your heart and in your home.

So let me pray for you as we close this program today. And I want to pray that God will strengthen you, so join me in this prayer. Lord, how we thank you for your promises, that you are faithful, always faithful to us. I pray especially for single parents today, that they would know your love, that they would experience your grace, that they may live the Christian life as you have commanded them. And Lord, that their children would see Christ in them. I pray with all the needs that they have and all the responsibilities that parents have today, that these wonderful parents might fully surrender to you and find in you the help they need every day to live a godly life and to live a life that pleases you. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Jeremiah Johnston's book, The Jesus Discoveries. Just text JUNE to 59789. And join us again next time when Dr. Graham brings a message about winning the war that is raging against our families. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.