Parenting By The Spirit

What a blessing it's been to turn the hearts of our children to the Lord Jesus. After listening to Jim and Sally Hohnberger and reading their books, I've been trying to apply what I learned when disciplining our children. It's had a remarkable affect.

The Fruits of the Spirit
First of all I explained to the children that when self is in control we're selfish, impatient, easily angered, but when Jesus is in control we are patient, thoughtful of others and calm. You should have seen the look on five-year old Joshua's face as he took that bit of information in! It really gave him something to think about.

Christian Discipline
It's a wonder to me that there isn't more emphasis put on practical Christian living. This kind of disciplining doesn't come naturally. Of course we want Jesus to be in charge of our lives. Do we understand how that happens, though?

Surrendering the Will to Christ
Making a moment-by-moment surrender of our wills to His is how we dethrone self and make Jesus our Lord and Master. We need to teach this to our children.

Letting Jesus Take Control
In our morning prayers we've been praying that Jesus would be in control of us. When selfishness and stubborness have asserted themselves, I've been saying, "Who's in charge right now? If Jesus were in charge, you wouldn't be feeling angry. Ask Jesus to take control of this situation." The children have been responding to this in a really positive way. I'm seeing them make that surrender to Christ and it's got me rejoicing!

Turning the Hearts of the Children to Their Parents
It's been an amazing and awesome week. I see the work of God in my children and in my life. Praise the Lord! He is wonderful. He loves us and wants to know us and our children!