Does Age Really Matter?

Warriors Arise: October 6, 2020

At 5:50am this morning, my son turned 18 years old. More than what I post on facebook, I want to personally celebrate him. It is important to celebrate the life of another. In celebrating their birthday, we give them value.

Josiah's birthday was not an accident. It was intentional. I was pregnant with my second baby and we announced on Christmas day. The very next day, I started bleeding. I lost the baby and was devastated. I hadn't planned on having our second child, but I also didn't reject the baby growing inside me when I was told I was pregnant. The doctor didn't run a DNS test because I was unable to get to the doctor for almost a week after I started to bleed. The doctor said there was not need to run the test, what we shared and the sonogram told her that the baby had passed. She told Scott and I to abstain from marital bliss until I had my next period. I run like clockwork, so when the doctor had me scheduled to return in six weeks it was no big deal. However, God had plans we didn't know about.

Arriving at the doctor's office six weeks later, I had not had my period. She was concerned and then ran another test. Sure enough, I was pregnant. Scott and I were shocked! Scott responded to me, "What?! How could this happen! I didn't even get to participate in the fun." Josiah is a miracle.

All we can think is that he must have been a twin. Even though my hormone levels were showing I had miscarried there was already a little baby boy growing inside me. I believe when Josiah gets to heaven he will recognize his twin immediately with the knowing that twins have.

This is when I had to realize God was totally in control. I needed to surrender to His will. This is an ongoing reality for me. There are plenty of Scriptures guiding us in our responsibility and their destiny. We release God's destiny into their life every time we bless them. Age does not matter. We can bless them in the womb; we can bless them when they are 50. We can release God's blessing into their life daily. We have been given the responsibility to release the blessing of God into our children's lives. When you bless your child, while laying hands on them; it seems to multiply the power of the blessing.

Mark 9:36-37 (NKJV) Then He (Jesus) took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

Does this mean if we reject a child, a baby in the womb we are rejecting Jesus? If we bless the baby in the womb and the children we receive not only Jesus but God the Father as well.

Psalms 127:3-5 (NKJV) Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Heritage is property that is or may be inherited, a valued object that has been passed on from a previous generation. With Psalm 127:3 God is passing to us not just something but someone who is valuable to Him. He has given us the baby to groom in His ways, teach the baby of God's value for their life, and in the ways of their heavenly Father. When we do then our children will not allow the enemy into their life but speak to the enemy at the gate a tell him to go away. We teach our children to know God, submit to His ways, resist the devil (send him packing), and the devil will flee (James 4:7). Age does not matter, we teach our children to fight the enemy and send him packing!

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

God has given us the responsibility of training our children in the way they should

go. When looking into this verse, we are to train them as we are going. It is not just during family God-time or church service or Sunday school. We are to train our children in the ways of the Lord when they are with us, as we are doing things together. Sometimes my kids get more understanding of Scripture when I am teaching them God's principles, while we are doing something, in the moment that His principle relates. We teach them to hear God's voice, the way He speaks to them and identify His voice; because God will not contradict Himself. What He says will align itself with Who He is in Scripture. The only way for our children to know the truth is to know the truth. They need the Word of God before them. Then they can identify the lies of the enemy. Age does not matter. We train our children in the ways of God, even when they are older and return for our counsel, we are to give them godly wisdom.

Matthew 19:13-15 (NKJV) Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Jesus blessed the children. He laid hands on them and prayed for them. Those who wanted to refuse the children were rebuked. Jesus wanted His disciples to learn from this experience. They were to embrace the children, release God's blessing into their lives, and pray for them. We are to do no less, from the point of conception and every day of our life. I wonder what the world would be like today if people had understood and actively blessed and prayed for not only their children but all children. Since we cannot change the past, let's be different. Let's be people who bless the children.

Father, the age of my children does not matter. They need me to bless them. They need me to continue to seek You and give them godly wisdom. I bless my children to be filled with Your Holy Spirit. I bless them to receive, embrace and activate in their life the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I bless them with the Love of the Father, knowing He created them for this generation to fulfill the destiny He placed inside of them. I bless them with the joy of the Lord that cannot be contained and will bring delight to all who know them. I bless my children with peace, the peace that will crush satan underneath their feet. I bless my children with peace that surpasses all understanding. When they walk through the valley of death and adversity they will fear no evil for they know their God is with them. I bless my children with long-suffering, they will hold tightly on to the hand of the Lord and persevere through the challenges and adversities in life. They will come out as the victor. I bless my children with kindness. Not only will my children receive the kindness of the Lord but they will extend kindness to those they encounter. They will turn a wayward friend to Jesus. I bless my children with goodness. They will honor others and value each one as God does. I bless my children with faithfulness; each one will develop the ability to be committed to excellent in all they do. They will comprehend the faithfulness of the Lord and walk in His faithfulness. I bless my children with gentleness. Each one will speak with others in a respectful tone and tenderly to those who need love, encouragement, and comfort. I bless my children to have self-control. I pray for them to resist being enticed to over-react, indulge themselves beyond need, and not allow themselves to be baited into an argument. I bless my children with knowledge of the Lord and His ways. I bless my children with wisdom from the Lord and the ability to apply it to their situations. I bless my children to have godly influence with others, speaking encouragement to each one. I bless my children to always seek the face of God, with ears to hear His voice and eyes to see where He is at work. I bless my children with a hunger and thirst for God. I bless my children with the truth, even if they do not know the details. The Spirit of God will lead them in all righteousness. I bless my children to choose God, to choose to walk in His ways, to choose the destiny He has for them. I bless my children to be the light of Jesus to all they encounter. I bless my children to have godly influence with others. I bless my children to walk in Your ways all the days of their lives in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy

My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.