Priceless Christmas - Teach Them to Make Wise Choices, Part 2

You want your kids to make good decisions.

Are they equipped to stand strong when everyone else is doing it to know, whatever it may be will to them to share for specific ways to help you and your kids make the kind of choices. You be glad to stay with.

Welcome to this Monday edition of living on the judge Chip Ingram chip served as our Bible teacher on this international discipleship program brewing today. Chip continues a series of tasteless Christmas by providing us with some great advice on how to help our kids, grandkids, why you don't get to hear all of today's program encourage you to pick it up later on the chip strips got a powerful application you don't want to mess okay let's get started. If you have a Bible open it down to Romans chapter 12 let's join chip for part two of his message. Teach them to make wise choices. The reason there's commands you have a heavenly father loves your kids so much that he wants those boundaries to be seen as guardrails and protection to give you the very very best see that biblical holiness.

It starts with a high view of God. It starts with he is truth means his word defines truth the commander for our benefit and got ultimate aim is to make us holy name. The parents right underneath that not happy. Okay I me because that's mean the world is just crushing us in saying that you know you're a bad parent.

If your kids are happy all the time. I want my kids to be happy but short term happiness with long-term pain is not a good plan. God says he wants to conform us to the image of his son. The Old Testament roots. You have Exodus 3 and Isaiah 6. Let me encourage you to to probe those passages and and read him and kick him around with your kids and you have Moses at the burning bush in the bushes and consumed in God speaks out of it. And Moses realizes wherever God is is holy ground and Isaiah 10, a national crisis, and things are going down the tube and he goes into the temple, and he begins to pray in that window that we got in Revelation, we get the same picture and there's this inside this temple, there's these angelic beings and their crying out holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty and Isaiah's overwhelmed and he says woe is me and I'm a sinful man with among the sinful people in one of those angelic beings goes over to an altar and picks up: touches his lips and he experiences forgiveness and cleansing that he hears the Godhead speaking who will go for us who will care cases here.

My send me see holiness and a right view of God always starts with up word view high and holy, that leads to an inward view of where we lack desperately in the need for forgiveness and then it leads to an outward view of caring about other people and when those three views happen in your child's heart. I will tell you there will be joy instead of just happiness will be purpose instead of just fulfill passion, do great things in their life.

The picture we have in the Old Testament is Moses, that the picture in the New Testament is Mary you have to be like old and give the 10 Commandments to be holy as a little girl, 15, 16 years old, but she's blameless when the angel speaks to her. She quotes 10, 12, 14 different Old Testament parts of passages someone in Mary's life growing up, taught her about the holiness of God and God's word somehow gotten deeply entrenched in it 15 or 16-year-old girl's life that she just responded be it unto me according to your word, and she began to quote passage after passage after passage about God's purposes and she embraced the New Testament command is very clear and very simple but like the holy one who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. Why, because it's written I am holy.

Therefore you shall be holy.

Could you circle little phrase in all your behavior what God is calling us all your behavior is he want your kids to be as holy and walking with him. His church is when they go to a party on the playing field is doing their schoolwork at work is when they're out doing a hobby when they're on the traveling team and no one is around has when they're at a friend's house and a sleepover and a movie comes on he wants them because of your training and their conscience and their desire to please all their behavior. The Bible says without holiness no one will see the Lord, the Scripture says from Jesus… Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God answers to prayer are directly proportional to a holy life. Isaiah 6618 says if you regard iniquity in your heart. In other words, you know what you're doing is wrong and you know you're off the page says God closes his ears to there's a lot of people that are experiencing his love and his power and his presence in getting answers to prayer. Is there some idea that I can in this compartment, you know, I believe in God and he loves me not forgiven, but in my work life and my hobby life in my viewing life in my money life and my relationship like I do it my way produces death so you won't help your kids make wise decisions.

Are you ready get practical. How can we do this to me just like I mean, get up on Monday morning and slight Wednesday night and you're in the car you know going to this practice of that practice are your sitting and having to cope with one your kids the priceless gift is them learning how to make wise decisions. Now this is not exhaustive, but this will get you going to give you for specific ways to help them learn to make wise decisions number one. Teach them to saturate their minds with the truth, saturate their minds with the truth. The Bible, great books, CDs, videos, Romans 858 says the mindset on the flesh is death. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace for the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God. It's impossible for them to please God. Your kids are to be the product of what goes into their mind. Jesus would say to little bit differently. He was saying to a group of Jews who just believed in John chapter 8. If you abide in my word, and abide doesn't mean you listen to it, doesn't mean you go to church doesn't mean you read the Bible now meant abide means you take in the truth. You see what it means to you and you practice it, and what's the promise if you abide in my words, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. Don't you want your kids free of people pleasing don't you want to free of addictions that want them free to be who they are.you want to be free of peer pressure does want to be free of bowling. That's one of the free discover who God made you to be don't want to be free, not letting with expectations of visible they got a look like this and act like that saturate their minds with the truth. That's when their little you read them Bible stories when they get to be four, five, six and seven you start Scripture memory you you might like it. My wife read every night to our kids. I told him stories. I did the Scripture memory part.

I mean, I can say this now because they're all grown when the person all the way up to junior high. They were reading out loud together mean that the CS Lewis in that whole series and later they want to read token and then it was this book over here when they got to be in the teenage years, unapologetically I knew they needed. They need to read mere Christianity. They need to rent read about apologetics. And here's the book up. I attend back then 10 bucks mental sauté 10 bucks for this book. 15 bucks for that book and you write your report and we go out and talk about. I just thought you and I'm glad for the educational system, but whether it's Christian or secular. I'm the one that stands before God whether my kids get educated and so I had I had a game plan saturate their minds with the truth makes all the difference in the world. We had to every every couple weeks we have some of her grandkids stay overnight and I have a cute little grandson name writer is five and his parents are doing what were talking about him and he's telling me there's a big Christmas program at school here, and I said are you excited about yeah I said what are you guys on the shepherd, but he said I know everybody's part. I said all come on, writer, I do know is five years old. He spunky locate and so you know he's laying down and I told him the story and you know the lights are low and I'm just very talking in a civil tell me then what did the king say and you just got it. You know he's laying on the pops right up and sits up like this white pop-up and then literally goes like this, I see a star in the sky and he starts with it. Any makes this entity and then right after we three Kings of Oreos and not anything that one and then he stops and low and behold and for the next nine minutes he from memory took me through Herod the star, the Kings he had all of Luke chapter 2 his view of God in the sponge of a little boy's mind and heart is being transformed and it will serve him for years ahead, saturate your children at every age. Many of our adult kids. I mean, they usually know every Christmas there to get stuff, but there you probably get the best book we read the last year with a note that says this really meant a lot to us and and they all became readers so very important. Second is encourage them to build relationships with wise and godly people.

This is a great verse to have them memorizing their preteen years. He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of a fool will suffer harm. That's Proverbs 1320 you show me your kids friends.

I will with prophetic accuracy show you your kids future. You know, having some of you preteen years or even some of the younger ones they start hanging out with you notes for five years old and there's one little kid. You note that at the place where they hang out the cusses and hits everybody in your kids you know where you learn these words. He's come home. What's he doing discussing hidden people towards preteens and all the sudden you notice like some your kids all the sunlight out of blue to have this this attitude in your thinking who invaded my daughter's body and only I made here is what I'll tell you, you find out who she's hanging out with school and I will tell you who invaded your daughter's body. You gotta be on top of their associations live school sports. You need to know their password. Your kids need to know early on you. You don't have private worlds. You wouldn't let them say certain things or share certain things in your living room with you sitting there, you need to let them know part of accountability in health and is not trying. Why would any of your kids share certain things I would be comfortable with using and if they are there already gone down a trail of are you ready on Holiness but what is on healthiness and what I find with a lot of parents at all if I confront her.

She goes and she slammed the door and are that's okay I still love you. Your phone plan is gone for the next two weeks. You want your kids to love you a lot. 10 years from now, not today, not tonight, not tomorrow, and that so you got a guard to hang with and by the way please get this is hard, isn't it. I mean, this is really hard because you're the terrible person you've been raised in the last 25 or 30 years, especially young parents we stop using Bible verses and truth. Now you been raised where most all of the Bible has been transformed into psychological lingo.

So instead of your kids instead of I need to help my kids become holy. You need help and be self-actualized and have a good self-esteem and and not be damaged intellectually or emotionally. And so we bought into a whole lot of things it all I want to do is say okay so how is the youth of our nation doing with their super little self-esteem's with everyone who gets a trophy and consequences don't matter and we are to make him happy every day at every time in every way. We never want them to go through the curtain, but we will make everything right and wonderful and give them all that they need so they go to these great schools and get good tests and and have no sense of responsibility or the fear of God and why is it so many of our kids in their sophomore junior year really. When the comeback don't want to go to church to have no interest in spiritual things. But while they were on the traveling team and they got great SAT scores in that.

Have a good connection with you, and you spent your life helping them be happy and successful. Please do not hear that it's wrong to do some of things but please hear that if it was at the neglect of them being holy.

You hit the target game for but happy kids that are narcissistic in their own little world live their life there way the Bible calls them a fool. The fool has said in their heart. There is no God. When your kids live as though what God says doesn't matter.

There a fool and there's choices fools make to produce devastating consequences. So this is serious stuff with little boy named David little boy from price. A very big boy his dad was the head football coach, which is like three notches above the superintendent of schools in Texas and this kid was just bad news. Some he was the most negative influence on my kids and he was. Does anybody here remember who Eddie Haskell was only to beaver still member this guys Eddie Haskell on steroids and he outweighed my kids by hundred pounds big strong kid and a big football player and so 1011 1213 those of the years he's hanging out with my kids and sleepwalking hello Mrs. Ingram, my, you look lovely in that dress.

I'm not getting and then he goes into the garage with my boys and you son of a blankety-blank blank blank hey guys I know where we can get some stuff and you know I catch him and David. Okay, you can't come to her house for week.

My kids knew they could not go to their house. My kids know they can go to houses gives what was available.

There and I'll never forget this about the third time I did so. Doorbell rings and I mean is that the guy and I'm thinking that this may not go well and he's like really big in and just honestly every man sorta has a moment I'm intimidated and among in a minute you know and he said I like to know why my son can't play with your kids where this this this and this. I understand. Is that what I want you to know that your kids been the most positive influence on my boy and I want to know. I will address those things with him as soon as I get home and you know David you know it was. I just wondered you kidding me this kid was just so we let them over and then he would we let them over so we discipline them all the time and love the money he did all kind of stuff. We played all kind of sports we took in places but I just thought you know if there's 5555 people that will ever walk with God.

He was like 56 and this is not an 03, four years ago I get a phone call out of the blue.

Hello are you doing this with you. Would using him for help me so much and not really walk with the Lord and married. Now I'm I'm running the Rangers program for the small boys and some in the Bible every day.

You should check out my Facebook supposed to type hi I saved Teresa yet. This is like salt or palm is a miracle you and now about every six months or so, he'll send me an email or the parents got me on top your associations and you I share that story. I share that story because when you say to your kids, you can't play with them and you feel like you're being judgmental. You are be judgmental about who your kids associate with and to get a little flak to get a little flak. It's the best thing for your kids but you know what it's investing for their kids ever.

Every neighborhood needs these like really fun exciting Christians that have really clear boundaries that people think her little square when the kids go over there is the most fun place to be and people aren't hiding behind electronics in your role on the floor with them and you play games with them and you take him places, but they know around here were not doing that were not plan WW WMW something level VII where everyone blows off each other's head will do that at our house that we don't have at our house will think your you can think what everyone you make your choices and will see where you land will make our choices and will see where we land be holy because I'm holy. The third thing. After teaching to saturate their mind and truth and build great relationships model for them how to seek God for discernment and wisdom model your kids gain wisdom by watching you go after it.

I was that convicted many many many years ago I was.

I write a lot of my prayers on others letters behind my name, but before but when I say letters behind my name.

I think I would if I grew up in today's world they would've made me OCD ADD I got kicked out of kindergarten. I got kicked out of the Boy Scouts of my memories of first grader they had offended ill days had a really big trashcan and the lady would put in the trashcan up to here so would whistle stop I can pay attention and had an easel of the easel and had a little baby tears and she put me under that put a blanket over in the dark. Now you're thinking this is terrible I deserve it all, but what I mean.

So when I some of you think you can consider concentrate when you pray what you think on that I write in a journal, not because I'm holy, just like I can you know that my pens move in my mind thing on the same thing and so you know what on-site I just realized I started looking my prayers for my kids and how many of them will God help them in this help with this test help with this really so many of my prayers were about their success in their happiness and about why don't that's fine but I put a prayer in here that you might want to start praying for your kids. Philippians 192 11. The apostle Paul when he thinks about his spiritual kids.

Here's what he prays.

I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and real insight in order that you might be able to discern between that which is good and that was he's evil so that you will walk in a way that is blameless, having already been filled with the fruit of Jesus Christ and his righteousness start praying that for your kids. God make him wise. God give them a heart for you God-given discernment when there with their friends. God help him to have a reverential awe and at times be just afraid of messing up. God give them a knowledge in their heart and God answers prayers. These are the kind of prayers you know God's will is in Scripture and the night and then bring them into your world. Okay, we have a big decision on its age-appropriate but as early as possible and when appropriate you like give a big decision about a job or what school to go to, should you relocate, bringing them together and then open up the Bible and since here's what God promises so you teach them. Your life is based on promises, not circumstance. The promises of any man lack wisdom any woman lack wisdom that were to be don't know what to do. Ask of God, who gives to all men generously without reproach, and so you say what God promised he would give it to, but we need to seek him and so times.

My kids were small, was unit wheat we don't have a car that works work and ask God for wisdom about what to do another time.

It was should we move or not. So mom and I are were not can eat anything all today and all tomorrow evening that I didn't know what fasting was.

But you know they'll be some food on the table. Now you can join us if you want, but for the next two days working a talk with God and seek his face because he promised that he answers prayer. When you seek him will guess what my kids learn that that's what you do when you don't know what to do right is at the end of the day they don't do what we say. Anyway, they do what we do so model for them what it looks like to see God and then finally, this is a no-brainer and maybe the most difficult.

Teach them to monitor their exposure to the median or back into Romans 12 do not be conformed to this world but be what you guys out of this one out. Transformed how by the renewing of your mind, so that so what they could prove the contest you know what this word means so your kids or the people in your Bible study could experience what God's will is and did you notice it's not hard, difficult, unfruitful, no fun, lousy life. What's it say circle those three words so they might experience the good well pleasing or acceptable will of God, seek they make wise decisions.

They end up with the right make they make wise decisions and up with the right mission to make wise decisions and about the right master and he's for them. He has unlimited power. Our job as parents is to help them make wise decisions. Where are they getting the most information about unwise decisions from the median.

I mean, just imagine if you sit a kid for five or 10 years in front of you know, five or 10 years of reality shows five or 10 years of English or an idol, you're nobody unless you're a star you're nobody unless your and then ask ourselves and and then put something in front of them where they kill people for hours. Why are we surprised when those values come out of their life. Now here's what I want to get did you notice it doesn't say teacher kids what they can and cannot watch what what to say. Teach your kids to monitor their exposure you want your kids when I hit the 14, 15 and 16 of the text we want to go to this in the movie Ulrich in this movie want to buy the ask why, what's it right what he think God wants you to do what's the basis of what's it about.

Have you read the review I want.

I told Mike it's okay you it was it was one that was a little shaky. I want you to pray about it for 24 hours.

You asked God whether he wants you to go there not see don't have to have these power struggles and by the way, sometimes it's not all bad when they want to do something and you know is not the best thing that stuck in a kill. Let them do it and and then don't mail them out. How do you learn to make wise decisions. How did you learn make dumb decisions but make dumb decisions that have bad consequences, and so a wise parent is what you want to do is you want to get them to where they're saying that's not good for me. That's not good for me.

I'm not going to watch that these are my convictions because nothing magical's going to happen if you set all the boundaries. Can you keep it really tight. I will sneak around they could see anything with her friends on the Internet and be when they go away to school. So what you think a little magic lights going out so everything I've ever heard from a parenthetical start to bang out when I can do anything I want with anybody I want seek wisdom is teaching them where they monitor their exposure they come up with ask them how much time you think you should have. How many text you think would be wise ask them, let them set some goals you'd be really interested to ask for the moon but you know as you set some boundaries. Some of you kids are desperate for a mom or dad says no you can't do that so they can turn and blame you with their peers, and you know my parents are just so you know I can't do it, but in their heart of hearts are gone.

Thank you mom thank you dad thank you mom thank you – because I didn't have to stand up to that you gave me the out beat a bad parent, taken in context, we beat be the person that your kids can lean on to say well you know how my parents are they and their friends all yeah I can go to that because if there's ever a day where kids need courageous, godly holy moms and dads who said loving Winston boundaries it's today so teaching to saturate their minds with the truth. Help them build godly relationships with good mentors and then demonstrate how to discover God's wisdom on your journey and then teach them to monitor their input media is at the end of the day to walk on your house sooner or later.

Here's the life message you want to get righteous choices bring life and peace.

Wrong choices bring sin and death. You want your kids when they're going to get in that car you want your kids when that young man says I got a condom, you want your kids when they're making a decision about money. You want your kids and those Windows times to know righteous choices bring life and peace. Wrong choices bring sin you want their heart filled with the sense of God's love and holiness so they choose life. If you're just joining us, you're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram chips message today. Each them to make wise choices from his series, a priceless Christmas in this series chip unpacks five key life skills that tend to make or break us and gives us biblical insight and practical steps for passing on these key skills to our kids or grandkids. Or maybe someone were mentoring in these five messages you learn what God's word says about handling money making wise choices suffering well. Working unto the Lord, and that failure is never final.

As a parent or grandparent you want to give your child every advantage in life. This series a priceless Christmas gives you the tools you need to help your child develop godly character in all of these areas.

So why not order a set of CDs or download the free MP3s as a gift to yourself and your family for an amazing new year of growth in the Lord for discount details just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003, a priceless Christmas.

Get it today will gibber to get your application or just a second, but you were talking about helping our kids make righteous choices. I'm just wondering as we read the news. Look at the trends it seems like the culture is turning farther and farther away from righteous choices when you think that is will Dave I have to tell you we have a crisis in the world, and it's especially apparent in the United States and it's a famine in the land. It's not a physical famine of food. It's a spiritual famine, God's people are anemic and their starving, spiritually, and then when you dig under the surface, you find that there's not a regular reading of the Bible anymore by most Christians.

There's not a regular attendance to a Bible teaching church. There's a lot of churches that have been historically strong, that are changing their their doctrines. I mean core doctrines about what is right what is wrong and there's a lot more about how you feel and and is there entertainment instead of are you studying the Scriptures for yourself unit the ancient prophet said my people perish for lack of knowledge and one of the things that Living on the Edge that is been the hallmark of her ministry is were going to teach the Bible to teach the Scriptures here and right through them in such a way that you know what it says what it means and how to apply it, and what you find is that when people get deep in God's word. Their minds are renewed their lives change.

We can't do that alone, we reach over a million people in this country alone. Every single week. But there's broadcast their apps. There's podcasts. There's television that requires an enormous amount of resources during this match time, I would ask you, would you help us provide the meat of God's word nourishment from the Scriptures that make a difference in people's lives we get literally thousands of emails of people talk to us about what God has done in their life in their families in their churches and in their communities because of just the practical biblical teaching of God's word and we can't do that alone. During this match time. Your gift will be doubled. Would you pray about helping us get God's word in all its power applied specifically in the lives of people all across America.

Thanks so much. What a great challenge will if you want to help us pursue our mission to teach God's word. We'd love to have you join us right now. Like Chip said, thanks to a small group of financial partners.

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That's 1-888-333-6003, or if you prefer to give online or web addresses LivingontheEdge.org. Thank you for praying and doing whatever the Lord leads you to do okay chip let's get to that application. We promised as we wrap up our time together. I talked very specifically about some tools in some ways to help your children make wise choices. But as I taught this I had a number of people, privately come to me and say units really hard for me to talk about making wise choices because my past has some really really big wrong choices and I don't want to talk about those.

I had one man tell me about really alcoholic past and a drug past and he says you and get three kids and I don't want them to know any of those things and here's what I would say to some of you that are saying you know my past is really one. I'm not proud of, and I don't know what to do with that or for some of you that are maybe even thinking to yourself right now. Forget teaching my kids wise choices. I'm in the middle of some really bad choices and the consequences can I just have you lean back for just a minute and say okay, look, number one, your kids are gonna find out about your past and what they need to see is that your trophy of God's grace okay me. We we shared at the appropriate time at the appropriate ages. Some of our biggest mistakes with our kids and and honestly what happens is they realize all you know mom and dad.

You know art is wonderful or this picture that they have because what that produces is this unrealistic expectation that were way better and more holy than the mistakes that they make. And so I think it's really important appropriate ways to share with your kids. Here's some choices I made. Here's where experience God's grace. Here's what I want for you and then for those of you that are living in the midst of some really painful choices and and maybe just outright sin unit. Today's the day to say, Lord. I'm sorry I can't change the past but you can receive forgiveness today and you can repent today and you can you can know that your present course will influence your kids and if you're not willing to do it for you. Do it for them and repent. Get help and I would say you've got to find a game plan a person to help you walk this new path.

The new path that Living on the Edge that I've tried to create is called becoming a Romans 12 Christian we have all kind of resources online books small group material. I don't say any of that to sell anything you need a path and a game plan to know how to move from where you're at, to where you need to be and that's just the best one that I know so God I pray now for those that are just in knots inside they feel condemned, they need grace they need forgiveness and they need a person to help them in a game plan when you show them the next step would give him the grace to take it today.

Romans 12 material Chip just mentioned is from his series true spirituality in true spirituality. Chip helps you discover what an authentic follower of Jesus looks like it's relational grace based faith focused and practical. Several of the true spirituality resources are free, including video and audio just go to LivingontheEdge.org click more, and group studies will join us again tomorrow when we continue our current series courtship and the entire team.

This is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge