BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

them to church, so the seeds of the Word continue to go into their hearts and spirits. The enemy will try to drive them away from church, but don't give up. Keep bringing them." This can be tough with extracurricular activities. My two youngest kids are deep into basketball, and their tournaments sometimes fall on Sundays. My wife and I let the coaches know that we are a ministry family. Attending church is a priority for us. That means we sometimes miss games when they fall on Sunday. But we believe Psalm 92:13: "Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God (NKJV)." If we want to set our kids up to flourish, we must get them "planted in the house of the LORD" and refuse to let anything distract us from that priority. Disciplining Habits Most of us are familiar with Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). The word train means "to initiate discipline." We want to discipline our kids. That doesn't only mean responding with negative consequences. It means disciplining their habits. When I was younger, it was the style for young men to let their pants hang so that their underwear showed. That wasn't the standard in our home. I sometimes tried to push the limits, but my mother would call me on it. She'd come up behind me, lift up my shirt and say, "David, can I get you a belt?" I'd try to convince her to let me slide, but she wouldn't have it. "That's not our standard in this house. Pull your pants up." She and my father set a standard for our household and held me to it. I'm not condemning anyone for how their children wear their pants, but I am here to say that we represent the kingdom of God. Things that might be fashionable in this worldly system aren't fit for us in God's system. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ and part of God's royal family. We have a different standard. We also want to train our children in what to say and what not to say. My children have learned not to say, "I'm sick," when they're not feeling well. Instead, they've learned to say, "I'm healed, in Jesus' Name." My wife and I want to teach them to confess the Word instead of facts or feelings. We want them to speak the Word over their circumstances so they develop a taste for the things of God. It's like training children to eat nutritiously. When I was in elementary school, my parents would pack me a lunch with good things like a sandwich, celery and grapes. My friend would show up with his own lunch full of sugary treats and a soda. At first, I did my best to trade. I wanted the junk food, too. Over time, though, I came to appreciate the healthy lunch my parents made for me. They helped me cultivate a taste for better food. It's the same with the things of God. We want to cultivate our children's tastes so that they desire the things of God. We want them to develop a taste for going to church, reading their Bibles, declaring scriptures and praying. Our Goal If you haven't been instilling a Christ- centered belief system in your children, today is the day to start. If they're young, then begin feeding them the Word and creating an atmosphere that supports spiritual growth. Ultimately, our goal is to help our kids have a real relationship with God so that when they get older, they choose Jesus every day. Even if our children aren't walking with the Lord right now, we can keep praying so they'll continue to be pursued by God and their hearts will be open to His message. If our children are still at home, then we can teach them the Word of God and the principles of God, and how to follow Jesus faithfully. It's our responsibility and our privilege to help this next generation continue a legacy of faith! David S. Winston served as the pastor of Go Hard for Christ Youth Ministry at Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Ill. for 15 years. He now assists his father, Dr. Bill Winston, in pastoral ministry at the church. i B V O V : 1 1

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