Gatekeepers

Well, this week was / / back to school, and we prayed for the kids and our schools last week, but as I was thinking about it, I realized there just so much more to the process. Sending our children to somewhere we aren’t able to be with them, watch over them or protect them for 6 - 8 hours a day means they are surrounded by information, ideologies and behaviors that we may not endorse or agree with. So, what are we able to do? What can we do? And how do we best protect and help our children not just survive and make it through what can sometimes be a pretty tricky world that we live in, but actually navigate and thrive in whatever situation they find themselves in?

So, today we’re going to talk through what we have available to us, and how we can be the gatekeepers to our homes, our families, and the areas that God has given us influence. Because whether you have kids or not, or are even married or are dating anyone, most of these things are true of your situation. You are a gatekeeper.

I think one of the great misconceptions and lies of the enemy is that there’s nothing we can do. People are who they are and we can’t change them, so we just have to stand back and let them be them. And so when it comes to our children, we need to somehow just do the best we can to shelter them from the world. But that just doesn’t make sense to me.

We have to first recognize that the world is not lost. The world is not done for. The world and its people are still the Lords… Psalm 24:1-2 says, / / The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundations on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.

and Psalm 27:1-3 says, / / The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.

So, When you go outside, take a moment and look around and remind yourself, “all of this world is still God’s!”.... Sure, the world may look dark, I’m not naive. Things may look like they are pretty messed up sometimes. Some people are even begging the Lord to come back out of fear or distress rather than devotion and love for Jesus. Which is another thing I think we get wrong, in my opinion. / / If you ever find yourself wanting to get out of here to get to heaven, turn it around and ask God what you can do to bring heaven to the world around you!

Here’s the reality, for light to shine, darkness kind of has to be present. You don’t need light in an already lit room. But Jesus said in John 8:12, / / “I am the light of the world. If you follow me you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

But he also says of US, in Matthew 5:14, / / “You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

So, what do we do with all of this information? We live in a work that can get pretty dark. We have a savior who is light, who we follow, who becomes the light in us, who through our good deeds shines that light onto those around us and of whom John 1:5 says / / The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

By its very nature light can not be overcome by darkness. As long as the light is shining, darkness can not exist in the same space. Darkness is the absence of light, not something in of itself that can overtake the light. The only thing you can do to get rid of a light is to purposefully extinguish it. And that is done by disconnecting it from its source of power.

Either the fire no longer has something to burn.

The wire is cut off from the electricity.

The battery is dead.

This is why Jesus says, AFTER saying he’s the light of the world, he says, IF YOU FOLLOW ME, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. HE is the source of light. And as long as we are connected to him, following him, the source of light, we will not be overcome by darkness. / / The sacrifice of devotion to Jesus Christ will be the fuel that keeps the fire burning and the light bright in your life!

1 John 4:4 - / / …you belong to God… you have already won a victory… the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

So, we’re going to look at a few things here that we can use in our own lives to navigate our world, but also that we can pray for, model and instill into our children to see them thrive.

First things first - before we even get into things

/ / Do not leave the training of your child in the ways of God to anyone else.

Yes, of course we have kids connect. And no, no one expects you to know everything. BUT, you must take seriously the covenant you have made with God and see the opportunity you have with your family to teach them those things.

/ / By YOUR example, you will always be the greatest teacher your family has.

We saw this in our last series on the Ten Commandments, right? Deuteronomy 6:6-7, / / …YOU must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

/ / Three things there:

YOU must commit… It starts with you committing yourself - which means committing yourself to right understanding of the scripture and committing yourself to the life of following Jesus, who is the living word of God.

Then, you put yourself on repeat with your family. Talk about them often.

And thirdly, put physical reminders around you so you don’t forget.

Listen, there’s a whole world out there right now that wants you to just let your kids decide for themselves what they are, who they are, what they believe and what they will become. And although personal autonomy is obviously good, I don’t want to control my child and force her or make her into something she doesn’t want to be. But the world is not sitting around waiting until they are old enough to reason, and is not giving them good, Godly, biblical, moral reasoning to make those decisions. Instead, we are seeing this pretty heavy pumping out of content constantly geared towards rewiring, retraining and reworking the foundation of biblical, moral and Godly belief.

It is what it is. It’s happening whether you like it or not. So, we no longer have the option, or can afford to sit back and just let someone else be responsible for our kids. We don’t have the option to sit back and think that they will develop a good moral foundation, knowing right from wrong, good from evil, acceptable and unacceptable behavior without us actually actively training them in these things.

I’m not saying it’s all evil. I’m not saying everyone is out to get your kids. Of course not. I have met some absolutely incredible people in our school system as I hang out at Kaylee’s school. Not just her current school, but everywhere from her daycare to where she’s at now. And even from other schools. There are incredible people in the school system. And Kaylee has had some amazing examples in her life, Both from teachers and staff, but also from some incredible friends that are kind and caring.

But what I am saying is that there really is “no too early” to begin helping our children see, and to understand and develop a relationship with God for themselves. There is no “too early” to begin to share with them about God’s ways. There is no “too early” to introduce them to the person of Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Father.

A few weeks ago Kaylee came in to our room in the middle of the night. She had a bad dream, and not just that, but every time she tried to go back to sleep she kept going back into the dream and was afraid to go to sleep. So, up into bed she comes, and we prayed together, we asked Jesus to wash away any icky stuff and then I taught her this simple phrase. “Jesus is Lord of my dreams. Jesus is Lord of my heart. Jesus is Lord of my life.”

It took a bit. But eventually we both fell asleep as I was hearing her, lying next to me, “Jesus is Lord of my dreams....Jesus is Lord of my heart....Jesus is Lord of my life...”

When we got up in the morning she was right as rain and when I asked how she slept she said great.

I could have done all the convincing in the world to mind over matter her, to psychologically direct her, and that probably would have worked, but there is no peace like the peace that Jesus can bring us.

Alright, let’s talk through some things:

/ / 1. You are a Gatekeeper

What do I mean by that? Well, this is multi-faceted and has different levels to it. But we have to recognize our standing, our position, and our authority.

/ / First, you are the gatekeeper of your own life. By gatekeeper I mean that you are / / the one who is ultimately responsible for what comes in and what goes out. You. No one else but You.

Biblically speaking, ancient cities were surrounded by thick, tall walls. In the book of Joshua, which is the story of Israel going into the promised land, right after all of what we’ve just been looking at with God giving them the law, the instructions between slavery & promise. Well, Joshua is the story of them entering into the promise, and they come to a city named Jericho, and Joshua, who is leading the people of Israel sends two spies into the city to scout out the land. They stay in a woman’s home, Rahab, and while they are there the army of Jericho finds out, goes to her house, asks where they are, and she says, “Oh, they were here, but they left earlier, you can probably catch up to them if you leave now.”

And Joshua 2:7 says, / / And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut... And they would do this at night to protect the city from animals or invading armies. Once the gates were shut, nothing else is coming in or going out. They are either trapped inside the city, or they aren’t getting back in to spy if they were outside the city. A great visual for that would be if you watched the Chosen Christmas Special - When they are smuggling Mary Magdalene into what is probably the city of Ephesus to see Mary, the mother of Jesus, she has to hide in the cart, they go up to the gates of the city, the soldiers check the cart don’t see anything and so they let them in.

But, to show how big these walls were, Joshua 2:15 says, / / …since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window.

So, the walls are thick enough to put a house in, and the gates, were meant to keep inside what you want inside, and to keep out what you want kept out.

And so the gates had soldiers were called Gatekeepers. They were put in charge of the door to the city.

So, what do I mean when I say that YOU are the gatekeeper to your own life? / / You are the one who guards the door. You are the one who is responsible for what comes in and what goes out.

And here’s the thing, / / what you allow into your life will effect who you are, and what goes out will show what you’ve become.

Romans 12:2, / / Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world… why? Because that will change you. Paul says, / / instead, let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

The world will teach you one way. The behavior and the customs of this world will teach you something that will then dictate your behavior. So what’s the solution? Instead, let God change the way you think, which will then change your behavior.

1 John 2:15-17 says, / / Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

What we love, the word there is agapao, meaning to love in a social or moral sense, so it means to welcome, or entertain or be fond of someone, to be pleased or find your contentment with something.

These scriptures are essentially saying: / / What you focus on will change who you are...

And what you’ve become, what you have allowed inside your city that has changed who you are, is what your life will produce. Jesus said in Luke 6:43-45, / / “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

Matthew also writes about this in Matthew 7:15-20 and he says it this way at the end, / / “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

So, I’ll say it again, / / what we allow to go into our lives will effect who we are, and our actions and our words will come out of what we’ve become.

Second, / / you are the gatekeeper of your home. And this is why I said regardless of whether you are single, married, with or without children, this applies just as much to you because in your own life and in your own home, you are the gatekeeper.

But, if you are married and especially if you have children, you aren’t just responsible for you anymore, you are the gatekeeper of your home where others are effected by the decisions you make. Think of it this way. What we allow into our lives effects us, changes us, and so / / what you allow into your home will influence the others in your home...

/ / First, what behavior are you modeling? This should challenge our own personal behavior:

What do we listen to that our kids are listening to along side us?

What do we watch that our kids overhear, or see out of the corner of their eyes, or even sit and watch with us?

How do we talk, the language we use?

And how do we talk about people?

Because we all know, if we do it in front of them, we’re essentially saying it’s ok for them to do it too.

/ / Second, what behavior are we allowing? What do we allow others in our home to do?

What do we allow our children to watch, listen to, or to read?

As parents we have to become comfortable with our kids not always liking our decisions. I’ve had Kaylee say that I don’t love her because if I would let her do the thing she’s wanting to do. “Don’t you want me to be happy? Don’t you love me?” “I do, and it’s because I love you that I’m making this decision. I’m not trying to be your friend right now. I’m trying to be your parent, a gatekeeper of this home to protect you.”

Listen, they might not get it, they might not like it. And that’s ok.

Thirdly, if you have children, / / you are the gatekeeper to their life.

Parenting is essentially navigating the transition of power over a long drawn out period of time. There is a level of authority that comes with children that eventually we pass on to them, and they are able to make their own decisions and it’s part of our role as parents to help teach them how to make good decisions. But there is a season and a time that differs for each case, that they just don’t know how to make the decision. And if they were making the decision in that moment they would make a decision that would harm them.

I read this during our last series, Paul says in Romans 7:7, / / It was the law that showed me my sin. I would have never known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”

Boundaries give us a compass, a direction to walk. Without boundaries we would be lost. And personally, I think we are all born with a moral understanding, you see it in the smallest of children, but like I’ve said the world isn’t concerned with a biblical world-view or a Godly moral standing because it doesn’t believe like you believe. And if you want your children to grow up believing in a God who loves them, and gave us some really fantastic instructions that will lead us to life, rather than death, then you have to help them see those. Remember Deuteronomy 6, Teach them over and over again. Talk about them at night and in the morning. Write them on the walls of your house.

Psalm 1:1-3 says, / / Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

So let’s rewrite that for our homes, for our children, our spouses, for those in our care, for your grandchildren, your great grandchildren.

/ / Do you want your household to prosper, and your children to grow and thrive in all they do?

Do you want them to have confidence and strength in the Lord, showing results of their love and following of Jesus Christ?

Then ensure your home is filled with the truth of God and the instruction of the Lord. Give them the right path to follow. Give them the good news to believe. Talk about His truth and share it over and over again with them.

And the fourth area of our lives where we are a / / gatekeeper is the realm of influence God has given us.

I fully believe that outside of our home we carry something, and this goes right back up to the beginning where I quoted scripture that the earth is the Lord’s. Do not forget that. The earth and all that is in it are still the Lords. Darkness may be trying to spread, but it’s only going to be really able to do that if it can convince the light to back out of the room! If Jesus compares you to a city on a hill that cannot be unseen, everyone sees it, then wherever you go, if you are filled and spilling over with the light of Jesus Christ, you are a beacon of hope. And when people, who are in darkness see the light, and recognize what they need is light, they will come find you!

Kelley this week was able to have incredible conversations with people at the school simply because she was there, and is a beacon. People are attracted to light. Especially if they are hurting in the darkness. I kind of take it as a mission when I walk into my daughter’s school, to carry and exude as much grace and peace as possible because, and especially this past week being the first week of school, tensions were high, kids are rowdy, parents are late and teachers are stressed… Administration has done all they can, but then when you add 5-6-700 kids to the building, or in the case of high schools a couple thousand - there are just unknowns, there are issues that walk in with those kids.

Here’s the thing, I think we’ve been sold the lie that has made us all too willing to recognize that people walk into places with their issues, but all too quick to forget we walk in with our peace.

You can walk into a place and change the atmosphere because the one who creates atmosphere is alive inside of you.

The peace you carry IS the peace someone in that place needs.

The love you carry IS the love someone has been waiting for.

The joy you carry IS what will break the heaviness in the places you walk into.

The hope you have IS the hope people in desperate situations need.

And if you are open to it, you will have opportunity. In Matthew 5 when Jesus says we’re a city on a hill, so let your light shine, he finishes with this, / / In the same way, [as a light cannot be hidden anymore than a city on a hill can be hidden] let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

The opportunity to do good for someone, whether that is in action or in word, in prayer or in presence, could very well be the thing they need to see a God who loves them more than anything and more than we ever could.

And in those areas that God gives us influence I believe we become a gatekeeper. Whether that is at your child’s school, your workplace, your school, doesn’t matter - where you’ve been placed by God you have influence to bring.

So, walk into your workplace - you don’t have to start shouting in tongues or praying out loud for all hear, but you sure can begin to pray and bless the place. I always get so confused when people get upset that they’re trying to remove prayer from the school, like you have some sort of power to remove what’s inside of me when I walk in. The Holy Spirit doesn’t stop at those doors. The Power of the risen Savior doesn’t stop at those doors. The Love of our Father doesn’t stop at those doors. You are powerful, a walking, talking, breathing representation of the Trinity of God. You better believe you don’t need permission to speak words of life, to shut down gossip, to be the word of peace or love someone needs. You can be voice of reason that puts people back on track, the calm in the midst of someones storm. You can pray in your heart, in your head, under your breath, bring heaven down and walk right into the darkest of situations and be the light that tells it to go.

Begin to see yourself differently. You are not weak. You know how guys who dedicate their lives to working out walk… How do you know someone does crossfit? They’ve already told you...ok, 1 Timothy 4:8 says this, / / Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.

I may not be able to walk into a place like the body builder yet, but it doesn’t matter where I go, I walk into the grocery store and spiritually that is how I see myself - I remind myself the people in that place need what I have, and I walk in authority.

Walk into your child’s school and begin to bless the teachers, bless the other kids, speak life, speak courage, hope and peace. Bless the teachers, the administration, the principal. Don’t give in to the stress around you but instead exude strength and purpose.

Prepare YOUR life to be the blessing that someone needs!

You are a gatekeeper.

/ / 2. You are the BEST teacher

And really, we could say it this way, / / You are the most INFLUENTIAL teacher.

Like I started with, don’t wait for someone else to teach your kids the right thing, cuz it may not happen. And don’t wait for your kids to learn the wrong thing from someone else before you have the chance to teach them what is right.

On issues of morality, godliness, truth and justice, be the one who brings truth to your children.

Here’s the thing, and we can go right back to Deuteronomy 6 for this, it says first that we must commit OUR way to following the instruction of the Lord.

So, be the one who teaches, but understand this, the best way you can teach, actually, I would say, the reality of parenting is this, / / “Our children will do what we do more often than simply doing what we say...”

The excuse of “DO what I say, not what I do...” just doesn’t cut it. And we all know, when we see behavior in children it’s almost 100% of the time because they learned it from the people they are closest to. You may not think they are watching. They are. You may not think they are picking it up. They are.

/ / What you allow, they will think is allowed.

/ / What you do, they will think is ok to do.

/ / What you say, they will think is ok to say.

/ / How you treat people, including them, they will think it’s ok to treat people that way.

/ / How you talk about people, they will think it’s ok to talk about people that way.

How many times have Kelley and I looked at each other and said, “Where did she learn that?” and sometimes we have to be super honest with ourselves and say, “Oh right, we did that…we’ve modeled that for her. Our actions have said to her, it’s ok to do it this way.”

And sometimes, but very rarely does the, “Ya, but we’re the parents” excuse actually hold any water...

Sure, there are some times where we have to explain that adults do things that kids aren’t yet ready to do, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

/ / What you model for your children will be the greatest teacher they have.

Proverbs 22:6 says, / / Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

If we think about that one, as parents we can’t direct our children on the path if we’re not also on that path.

I can’t even describe to you how many times Kelley or I have said, “How many times do we have to tell you the same thing?”

Instruction takes time, instruction takes discipline, and by that I mean the discipline of consistency.

This is what is called observational learning, vs traditional learning by using books & lectures. And it’s been observed that the younger the person observing, the more impact it has, and the position you have in the persons life will impact it as well.

But even at any age, one of the great “self-help” observations is that we are a product of our environment, and it’s been said we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.

Now of course that can’t be an absolute. There are going to be times where that is not true, and there is of course a sliding scale of influence when it comes to the people in our lives. We may be forced, by way of work or another reason to be around particular people all the time but they may not have the same influence as others in our lives.

The point is this. People influence people. And when it come to our children, whether we want to be or not, we will influence their behavior and their beliefs. That is a big responsibility.

Ephesians 6:4 says, / / Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Jesus actually said in Matthew 18:6, / / ..if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.

God takes very seriously the modeling of behavior that teaches others to do the same.

/ / 3. You are your child’s greatest prayer warrior

There’s not a whole lot in the bible directly related to praying for our children. But there is a lot about prayer, and there is a lot about right family relationships. Put those two together and we should be praying for our children constantly.

I’ll never forget, when I was living in Toronto, which is about 4 hours from where my parents live, I was driving to go visit them and I had left really late, it was something like 2 or 3 in the morning, I can’t remember the time exactly, but I fell asleep at the wheel, and woke up as soon as I hit the shoulder and was able to right myself. At the time, I DID notice the time on the clock. I got home, went to bed and when I got up the next morning, was talking to my mom and she mentioned she had woken up in the middle of the night, and just felt she need to pray for me. Immediately started praying protection, and here I am. The time she woke up and prayed was the exact time I woke up and righted myself on the road.

I’ll never forget that. Prayer is powerful. And I think mom’s have a special place in the heart of Jesus when they pray for their children.

And don’t just pray for your children when they aren’t around, or when something is going wrong. Although, yes, definitely pray for them during those times. But, just like we need to model our behavior and following Jesus for our children, model prayer for them as well. Pray with them. Pray when they are around. Pray when they get hurt. Pray when they have bad dreams. Pray when they have problems at school.

Prayer shows humility and our humility in relying on God gives permission to our children to be humble and rely on Him also.

This isn’t always easy. For a long while when we would say to Kaylee, “Let’s pray.” She would say, “Why? Jesus doesn’t do anything for me...” That doesn’t mean we gave up. And we don’t just shut it down and say, “Yes he does..” or “Don’t say that..” We get honest, and humble, and talk about the times prayer was important to us, and where God met us in it.

Where someone might say, “Well that was lucky...” I recognize there’s a very good chance, like, 100% that God is behind certain things in my life. And so I share those things with her. Be open and transparent with your kids about what you believe God is doing in your life, and be open and transparent with them about your prayer life. I’m sure you’ve been frustrated too, so why do you still believe?

Don’t wait for someone else to tell them God isn’t real, or God doesn’t answer prayer. Tell them He is real and He does answer prayer and talk to them about where you have seen that in your life. And if you don’t have those stories, then start praying yourself. And start asking God to show you where He’s been faithful in your life.

Here’s another big one, / / actively and openly bless your children. Out loud. With them. Lay hands on them. Bless them.

Speak life over them. Speak scripture over them. Speak the words of Jesus over them. Declare God’s protection and favor. His mercy and compassion.

In Mark 10:13-16 it says, / / One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

And Jesus is alive inside of you, and the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is alive inside of you, so when you lay your hands on your children, envision that same power and that same presence and the love of God being poured into them through your life.

Encourage them to pray with you. We can help them get used to speaking the name of Jesus. IF you aren’t comfortable with it, why would they be?

Help them get comfortable with asking God to help them. To ask the Holy Spirit to be with them, to comfort them when they are sad, to speak to them and guide them. Here’s the thing, they are never too young. Yes, we need to teach them like children, but that’s the point, we need to teach them!

Not only can they handle it, they can grasp it deeply!

/ / 4. Invite & Release

By release I don’t mean release them and let them go, although at some age we have to be more hands off than hands on. But by invite & release I mean this.

/ / Invite God into every process.

When it comes to being the gatekeeper of your life, of your home, in the areas God has given you influence, and in your family, invite God into that process.

In this last year and a half in my journey in recovery, I’ve realized that it was BECAUSE I hadn’t been inviting God into that area of my life that I had such a problem in that area of my life, and so now I’m learning how to hand that part over to God. How to trust him in the process. How to rely on Him for what I need.

One of the biggest revelations I’ve had in recognizing addiction in my life when it comes to food is the power of the question “why?”. When I walk into the kitchen and I’m on the hunt for something, and I ask myself “why?” - wow, it triggers all sorts of things, because usually there isn’t a good answer, but the problem is, I’ve never asked why in the first place, I just did. I just gave in to the rule of this thing in my life. Jesus said it in John 8:34, / / “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” and Paul says in Romans 6:6, / / We are no longer slaves to sin. And in vs 14, he says, Sin is no longer your master… But he also encourages us in vs 12, Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.

So, we are free, yet we must live free. And so I’m learning in the midst of this to invite God into that process. As soon as I ask “Why?” and realize there is either no real answer, or at least no good answer, or the answer is, “because I want it.” “because I need it.” “because I need comfort.” “because I’m bored.” etc…whatever the reason is - the end result is that the sin, or missing the mark, is trying to control my action. If sin is less about a bad action that makes us bad, and more about missing the mark that God has placed for us to experience the life he has for us, then asking God to help us hit that mark would be a smart thing to do.

Yes, of course we ask for forgiveness, but don’t stop there, ask for help, ask for guidance, invite God into the process so that you DO hit the mark, so that you DO live by His ways, rather than being enticed and coerced into sin and missing the mark.

The same goes for your household. / / Invite God into the running of your household.

We’ve talked about this before, when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray and he said, / / “Your kingdom come, your will be done...” What he’s saying is, “God, let your authority be the authority in this place… Let what you desire be what happens here...” And that means after asking that, we have to be attentive to his leading, because it may require us to do or NOT do something.

If we say, “God, let your authority be the authority in this place...” and then we feel like He’s saying, “Ok, get rid of this in your life, it’s holding you back.” Then if we truly want His authority to have power, we have to give way to that authority.

/ / Invite God into every process...

Live your life by asking God to lead your life.

Lead your house by asking God to lead your house.

Lead your family by asking God to lead your family.

Invite God into situations, frustrations, conflict, worry and anxiety…

/ / ...And then release.

Let God be God in your life. Let Him do what only He can do. Yes, be attentive to His leading and His voice and do what you must, but don’t overdo. Don’t try to be God yourself. It’s a common mistake.

We ask God for help, and then try to help ourselves.

We ask God to provide, and then go into worry mode trying to figure out how we are supposed to provide for ourselves.

We ask God to heal, and then allow worry to overcome us in our sickness.

This is why in the world of recovery the Serenity Prayer has become such a cornerstone prayer for people. God, give me the grace to accept with serenity the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

We can’t helicopter our kids all day everyday. It doesn’t work like that. So we must do what we can when they are with us, lead them, guide them, teach them and pray for them as much as we can, and then invite God into the process and release them INTO His care, to do what we could never do.

Bless their school.

Bless their friends.

Bless their teachers.

Bless the administration.

Get involved to the level you are capable. Walk into the school and let what is in you and on you impact that space. Don’t walk in as a victim to the circumstances around you, but as one with the authority and power of God inside you.

Jesus, when he sent out the disciples to minister, said in Matthew 10:11-13, / / Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand...

To me, that means when we walk into a place, we can release something that can remain and impact that place. Scripture says look for a worthy person and stay at their house. Well, we’ve all chosen this place to be, and we’ve picked a school we think is worthy of having our children at it. And so your kids are there. Leave all that you can leave with them in the way of God’s presence and love and blessing!

I was at Kaylee’s school the other day and was just finishing up a project I had done for them, and had some music going and was just singing and worshiping and one of the new teachers came by and we got talking, he’s a follower of Jesus, another teacher came by and just kind of snuck in and said, “I love that y’all are talking like this. I’m a believer too.”… A few days before that there was a teacher sharing with Kelley that she was in pain, and Kelley was able to pray with her and lay hands on her.

This past week was stressful, in so many ways, for so many people. And Kelley and I saw hurt and pain in almost every direction we looked. But in the midst of that we were able to release peace, God’s love, pray for people AND practically help people as well. We were able to get some school supplies to a couple more families that needed them, we were able to help people with food and direct people to resource they needed.

You are a gatekeeper, and God has given you areas of influence. First in your home, then in these areas you are in. Whether that is your workplace, your children’s school, wherever you go. Remember, the world is the Lord’s, so there is no place your feet land that is not already His!

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20, / / …we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”...

If the world is His, and if we are His ambassadors, then everywhere we go we walk in His authority. Jesus Christ has all authority and we walk with Him - and in Luke 10:19 he said to his disciples, / / “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy...”

Don’t think you are weak and don’t think there is nothing you can do. It’s exactly the opposite. You are powerful. You have authority. And Ephesians 2:10 says, / / For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, SO WE CAN DO the good things he planned for us long ago.

Just like Jesus said, You’re a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, so let your light shine, through your good deeds, so that people will praise your heavenly Father.

You are the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual gatekeeper to your life and your home!