A few months ago, Jason came up to our bedroom to share of a nightmare Carter had been experiencing for years. It happen to be the night that he (Carter) finally decided to unload the burden he had been carrying for so long.
This nightmare wasn't about dinosaurs or scary robots. No. This was beyond something a small child could process. The details he was sharing with Jason were precisely what is laid out for us in Revelation (except the poor kid always awoke before Christ came back). This was a whole different realm that he was dealing with and he was doing it on his own. While our hearts were so heavy with the level of fear and intensity that he was experiencing, we were also awakened to the idea that this child was able to be apart of something so spiritual. A gift.
And suddenly we felt completely ill-equipped. Here we have been teaching them how great our God is. We were sending them to Christian school, we were going to church, sharing the things that God was doing in our lives, yet we never expected God to be working just as much in their own. It was a complete wake up call.
We immediately contacted some friends of ours that have older children and have been heavily involved with the encouraging and equipping of their children's spiritual gifts. We knew that they experience such things all the time with their children, but I guess we had been so focussed on making it through the day that we didn't realize that ours had that capability or that they did from infancy.
Not until that night.
I met with her and discussed the situation and it was such a sweet and simple conversation. One that ignited a little pilot flame that has always been burning, but just unable to be reached.
From that point, I spent about two days in prayer. I felt a bit overwhelmed. I want to encourage and equip my children to do everything they have been created to do. You know, they have a lot of capabilities, these kids of ours. Every child has the ability to be a world changer. Who do you think is responsible for giving them the tools to do so? We are.
We are.
And then there it came again, the feeling of being ill-equipped and a little bit overwhelmed as to where to start. :)
But the process has been far from it.
And that's what I would like to share with you. Because the small, simple things that we are learning to do with these children are very much similar to what every adult should be doing if they want to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
I think every time I do one of these posts, my heart races and my stomach turns out of fear of how it can come across. I want you to know that this is written not out of authority or out of know-how. I want to share with you what we have been learning to do with our children, in hopes that we can raise up a generation that will change the world. And that's not being idealistic. It's been promised...
After those few days in prayer, I asked the Lord to show me some of their spiritual gifts. Well, right away we were aware that there is some prophetic giftings with Carter (these can also be called words of knowledge, or encouragement depending on the situation). Do to the nature of his dreams (which he started journaling and we were even more amazed at what the Lord has shown him), it was pretty much a given. It kind of takes your breath away when you read about his opinions on the New Jerusalem. Powerful.
The Lord gave me a few flash backs to when the babies were new. Everett had a natural tendency to lay his hands on them and pray strength and healing over them. At the time we thought it was cute, but now, we're learning it wasn't cute. It was powerful. Ever since we became aware, we take every single opportunity to have him pray over someone. Because his prayers are powerful, and through the Lord's words, he made it known that Everett has the gift of healing. Fevers have been broken, backs healed and flues have been instantly relieved after this small child lays hands on the sick. I understand this can come across crazy. Especially if you're not a believer, but read the Bible. You will see. It's always been a part of his plan.
The other children, while still very young now take time to pray, spend time listening to worship music and spending a few minutes of quiet time with the Lord to develop a relationship with him. The difference between them and us? They have far less traffic in those minds of theirs. Therefore, if the Lord wants to speak to them, they hear him clearly and usually immediately if they are given the chance to recognize that it's him. Try it. Have your child listen to a worship song. Have them ask God to show them a picture or tell them something. They can either color it or share it with you. Most of the time, it's amazing and beautiful and so child like.
Sometimes it's strange and you question where the heck it came from. But that's okay. Encourage it because more often than not, they will hear his voice and learn to create a tunnel between their heart and his. If they can train this young to know his voice, it will be very hard to leave him because it we be comfort and a part of them, as it should be with us.
If you would like to hear his voice, you need to be willing to take risks. That's the way it works. Sometimes that risk is a failure. But how else would you know that it wasn't his voice if you never acted upon it? You don't. So it's a journey. I've had to ask forgiveness for saying the wrong thing, thinking that the Holy Spirit guided me... it happens. But it's all about fine tuning your ears and heart to be able to hear him, just as we do with our children.
It's only been a few months, but the visions and words that they have been sharing with us are so incredibly powerful. Their child-like prayers are effective. It's how it's supposed to be, for all of us!
My encouragement for you...if you would like to hear his voice and it's hard for you to do... spend some time in worship music or the quiet of your room. Tell him to show you something. Maybe you dream a lot... you know the Lord uses dreams all the time because this is the one time that your spirit is awake but your body is sleeping...it's sometimes the only way he can communicate with us because of our ability to tune him out during the day. Pay attention to your dreams, pray about what they mean. Because they usually always have meaning. He works through scripture or through the words of others, but he is always speaking to you. Take the risk of trusting that it's his voice you hear. Act on it...then you will suddenly experience what it means to be "Spirit-led".
As will your children!
During this time (which was a part of our homeschooling decision as mentioned before), the Lord had given us a few verses... I honestly didn't know the relevance of these verses until situation after situation takes place and we see the fruit of it in our children!
Joel 2:28
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."
Isaiah 44:3
"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants."
Deuteronomy 6:6
"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Keep these words in your heart that I am telling you today. Do your best to teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as something special to see on your hand and on your forehead. Write them beside the door of your house and on your gates."
If this tugs at your heart and you're hoping for more information/direction, I highly encourage you to read "Raising Spiritual Children". It's an excellent read and very encouraging regardless if you have children or not.