IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Goodness gracious - I have been stuck on Abraham and Isaac, and right now, I can’t seem to move past it. And here’s why: we see several parallels when we look at both of these men and their stories as a father and as a son.

Check this:

Abraham’s wife was barren and so was Isaac’s, but they trusted in the Lord to provide.

Abraham endured a famine and so did Isaac, and then, both came up with a crazy plan.

Abraham lied to Pharaoh and King Abimelech about his wife, Sarah, being his sister, and Isaac lied and did the same, exact thing with Rebekah.

Abraham built altars for the Lord, and his son built one too.

Abraham dug wells and so did his son.

Abraham was blessed and highly favored, and Isaac was too.

It literally blows my mind that through these two men alone, it proves the point of the old saying “like father like son.” Abraham’s obedience and choices affected not just him but his marriage, his household, and his children - proving to us that our every move matters. The way we carry our home, the way we serve our spouse, the way we take care of what God has blessed us with already, and the way we carry our relationship with the Lord - it all matters. Because while we go through our day, little eyes are watching us. While we go about our busy schedules, little eyes are watching our reaction and response. While we work on our marriages, little eyes are watching how we treat our spouse and how we serve our spouse. While we have conversations within our home, little ears are listening. While we come to the house of the Lord, little eyes are watching how we serve others and serve the Lord. While we tackle chores and what we deem as mundane, little eyes are observing how we maintain our homes and tackle the tasks at hand.

PARENTS - we have a mantle and great responsibility that has been placed on our shoulders, and when we don’t take this seriously, we are failing our kids. Our kids replicate what they see, the atmosphere they are exposed to, and these little ones will follow our  footsteps here on earth before they follow the Lord’s.  (DWELL ON THAT FOR A MINUTE) And as they grow, it is our full responsibility to point them to the Lord and His instruction so that they can carry the mantle for their own families. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” To press this further, Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV) tells us, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

To my parents that have been through the ringer with their own family - your children deserve the best version of you. That means, if you have unresolved trauma, bitterness, unforgiveness or unhealed areas in your life, then it is time to address those things and address them with a counselor if need be - because YOUR BABIES NEED YOU. In addition to this, God has wonderful things planned for you and for your babies, but we (as parents), must break through general bondage, set boundaries and walls, call on God to break the yoke, and speak against the enemy of our faith DAILY. Here’s why: when the enemy sneaks into the bloodline, he tries to keep that cycle going for as long as he can. The enemy utilizes depression, abuse, anxiety, lies, shame, guilt, addiction, and manipulation to attack God’s children. Please know too that addiction comes in many different forms, and so, I’m not just talking about drug addiction but lustfulness, people pleasing and idolatry, alcoholism, and gluttony too. Oh, and a fun one - I'm talking about gossip too because we have parents addicted to sharing the tea and sharing it with their children. To add to this, when we have unhealed areas or dwell in the lies of the enemy or if we are making poor decisions, we are actually giving the enemy of our faith a foot hold in our household…What’s awesome though is that we have been given authority through our Lord and Savior to break off the affliction and the trauma that has been passed down from generation to generation, and we don’t have to become what we were surrounded by. There have been MANY days where I have had to stand face to face with the enemy and absolutely ream him because the enemy would love nothing more than to keep me bound and my children bound too. But when I invite the Holy Spirit into my marriage, into my home, and into the lives of my children, then I am inviting the Lord to be my shield and my defense, which sends the enemy running. When I am in the Word, then I am weaponizing myself in His truth and know how to discern what is my flesh, what is the enemy, and what is coming from the Holy Spirit. And guess what?! You can do this too! When we are exercising our spiritual walk in front of our children, they will begin to follow our lead, and they will also learn how to fight when the enemy steps on the scene. And if you haven't read or shown your kids Ephesians 6:10-18, then I challenge you to do this just as soon as possible! Teachers and Sunday school teachers are not responsible for raising/parenting our kids and raising them in the Word - WE ARE.

So, let’s do some examining.

1.)   I want you to take a moment to think about your childhood and what you wished you had. I want you to take a moment, and I want you to think about your grandparents, your parents, and your children. Are you noticing a pattern? What is running through? Are we lacking compassion and affection? Are we lacking encouragement and love? Is there evidence of an addiction or multiple addictions? Is there a toxic pattern that's present?

2.)   Are you showing your babies how to build an altar or showing them how to tear people down? Are you showing them how to run to the Father and kindle that relationship or showing them how to run the opposite direction? Are you showing them how to love others or showing them how to cuss people out when things don’t go your way? Are you showing them how to chug a beer or how to pick up a Bible?

3.)   You may be feeling very overwhelmed or convicted right now, and that’s okay. It’s a lot and a lot to take in, and I want you to know that we aren’t always going to get it right! But we can start fresh today. We can invite Jesus in today. We can start healthy patterns today because God is with us, and He is fighting for us! And He is absolutely here to show us THE way!

Abraham’s children were highly blessed and favored because Abraham decided to run after what God had in store for him, and even though he messed up from time to time, his heart was still in the right posture and place and so were his intentions. And because of that, God made him the Father of many nations, and then, that promise ran through to his children.

You never know what God might have planned for you or for your kiddos, but I can tell you this - HIS PROMISE AND HIS PLANS ARE ALWAYS BETTER…Make sure that you are always running to Him so that your family is too, and please know that Jesus came to this world and carried the cross to show us how to carry our mantle and carry it well.

Love you so much,

Sam

Sam Rivers Jones