Prophetically Praying Parents: Session 3, Part 1

0:00 You pray it and he can answer it. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. God will put the prayer in your heart to pray so that he can answer it. Goes into the hearts of the people, doesn't return void, it produces results. Okay, well it's good to be here again. Good to have you. We have been on assignment. Yes. God's been at work. Amen. Amen, we've been learning how to pray for our children. But specifically today, I'm gonna go ahead and open up with our text. It's Psalms 127, verse three and four.

0:42 Says, behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. And we're gonna talk today about what a praying parent can do. So we're just gonna go ahead and jump right in. So how do we pray for our children? In other words, where do we begin? First of all, we must know his general will. Yes. Yes. Right? We must know his general will. Hosea 4.6 says, my people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge.

1:27 And I think that's why many families are destroyed. Many things are happening because we don't have knowledge of how to pray for our children. But what I love about what we're doing here is that Romans 10, 17 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And as far as I know, we're gonna get into a little bit of faith today. Okay, so where do we begin? We must know his general will. Number one, 1 Timothy 2, 4 says, I would that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. It's God's will that all of your children are taught by him and that their peace is undisturbed.

2:15 It's his will that they be saved. Acts 16, 31 says, believe in the Lord and you will be saved and your household. So you can stand on this promise. This is the promise of God and all the promises of God are yes and amen. And you can stand on this word and say, no, devil, no. All of my children will be saved and great will be the peace and undisturbed composure of my children. The scripture says he sent his word and he healed them and delivered them from the destruction of the enemy. So we thank God for the word of God that his word doesn't return void, that it will produce and accomplish what it's been sent forth to do.

2:59 Amen. Okay. So believe in the Lord and you will be saved and your household. Romans 1, 16 says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first the Jew, then to the Gentile. So the gospel is the power of God onto salvation. That word salvation is soteria and it means healing, deliverance, safety and soundness. So if you have any questions about any of these things in regard to the rising generations that are in the earth, this is God's will.

3:46 It says will that they be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. It's his will that they be healed in their body. It's his will that they be delivered from the evil one. It's his will that they be safe when they go to school. It's his will that they have a sound and well-balanced mind. So there's just, everything is right here, to know his general will. And we know that 1 John 2 says, beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers. So God's will is that they prosper and that they're in health even as their soul prospers.

4:29 So we've got all the bases covered here, amen? Here's some more promises to encourage. I said in my book, Contend, stirring the hearts and destinies of our children in prayer. We have, I think it's like 65 promises in the very back of the book. So there's a promise that meets the need for your children. As a matter of fact, we're gonna get into it, it's coming up in my spirit now. When you pray for your children, find a scripture that meets their need. Yeah. And agree with the word of God. And that's what you present before the throne room of grace. Don't pray the problem over and over and over again.

5:13 Right. Intercession, it's repetition praying, oh, opportunity praying with opportunity. Pray the promises of God that are yes and amen. Pray the word of God. Don't pray the problem over and over and over again. That's just digging yourself into unbelief. It's just, it's really, let not that man think he'll receive anything from the Lord. Pray the answer. The answer is the word of God. Now it's okay to acknowledge the problem because we all know as prophetically praying parents or grandparents, we think, a lot of us think a lot. And we're gonna talk about this as time goes on. But as you watch over your family in the spirit, sometimes you pick up on things or you just know things in your head.

6:00 And so it's hard sometimes as parents not to be concerned or worried, but we don't wanna pray worried prayers. Right. This is not in my notes right now. We don't wanna pray worried prayers. We wanna pray the word of God mixed with faith. And that's what produces results on the behalf of your children. Don't pray worried prayers. We can acknowledge the problem because all right, Lord, you know what's going on, da, da, da, da, whatever, but pray the answer. Okay. So here's some more scriptures. Proverbs 22, six says, train up a child in the way that he should go. And when he's old, he will not depart from it.

6:41 So some of you who have kids, young people, however old they are, we're talking about the babies that are born out all the way up to the millennials. You raised them in church. They were raised in church. They sat through worship services and they go off to college. And all of a sudden they're out partying and hanging out with their friends and doing things that you didn't teach them to do. Right. Okay. But here's the deal. The deal is this. When you train up a child in the ways that they should go, when you put the word of God in their hearts, the word of God and all the things that they've received throughout all their forming years is going to come up and it's going to invade their mind and their soul and they will not be able to depart from what they've been taught.

7:28 I am so excited this morning. Okay. Isaiah 54, 13. Here's another, a promise. I'm only gonna give you a couple. I'm not gonna give you all 65. All of your children shall be taught by the Lord. We already said it, but here's the reference. And great shall be the peace of your children. All of your children. Not just the two children. Every single one of your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace and the undisturbed composure of your children. And let me just say this. That one child that some of you have that gives you the most trouble. Hello. She's an angel. She's right there. She's a true angel.

8:09 She's an angel. She's even got a halo on her head. But that one, let me tell you. That one, I would have to say, is probably marked by God and set apart by God for the work of the ministry. And has some kind of gifting that the enemy is afraid of them developing in their life. That's right. Are you listening? Just remember, we said it before. We'll say it again. We're sin abounds. Grace does so much more about. That child needs more and more and more grace. But as parents, sometimes I think we need to say, give me grace.

8:50 Give me grace to raise this child. Amen? Well, he said, I didn't know what I just heard in my spirit. My grace is sufficient for you. That's right. Thank you. Right? So we've got the grace that we need. And here's another thing. We've got the wisdom that we need to raise these children. And if we lack wisdom or we don't know what to do or how to answer their question or what exactly they need, we can pray and ask God for wisdom and he'll give it to us abundantly. Or we can read a book about raising kids. Yeah. I actually recommend several books in my book, contend, because I feel like, I don't feel, I know, I feel like it's not just all prayer.

9:35 Oh, sure. You gotta raise your kids' rights. You gotta understand their love language. You gotta understand, you know, the things, what kind of personality that they have. Because it really helps to help you develop a well-rounded child. You have to understand that, you know, we can't be always preoccupied and our kids don't have eye contact with us and our intention. Otherwise, that kid is gonna think they're not loved. So, yes, I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in prayer. But I think we also need to be a little more practical at times, amen? Amen. Okay, Philippians 1, 6 says, being confident of this, that he who has begun a good work, let's say in the rising generations, will carry on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

10:29 Now, lastly, Isaiah 49, 25. Aren't you glad that I give a lot of scripture? Yes. Because this is what builds your faith. My son said to me one time, he said, Mommy, you know, I love that kids still call me Mommy. You know, that's a New Jersey thing. Did you guys know that? I'm not from here originally. It's a New Jersey Mommy is a New Jersey thing. Yeah, it's cute. I like it. But I don't know why I said that. Oh, my son said, Mommy, he said, you know what I like about your ministry? I go, what? He goes, you give a lot of scripture. And I said, you know, sometimes I think that's what we need. You know, I think storytelling is good. I think it's their windows to our messages. But giving scripture really lays that foundation.

11:12 Amen. Isaiah 49, 25 says, I will contend with those who contend with you and your children, I will save. Amen. Hallelujah. I love this one. Your children, I will save. Okay. Now knowing his will builds confidence in prayer. Everyone say that. Knowing his will builds confidence in prayer. Verse John five, 14 and 15 says, this is the confidence that we have in approaching God. If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

11:56 And if we know he hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have what we have asked of him. So when you pray the will of God and the word of God, it will build your confidence in prayer. I've asked according to the will of God. And number two, when you know he hears you, you know you have the petitions you desire of him. Some people think, well, I don't think God hears me because when I pray, you know, it just feels like my words are going out and hitting the back wall and coming back and hitting. It doesn't, you can't be moved by what you feel. God said in his word, my eyes will be open and my ears attentive under the prayers that are made in this place.

12:37 So when you pray for the rising generations, know that he hears you. Yes. And know that when you pray the word of God, that you will have the petitions you desire of him. I hesitated because he's talking to me and I'm trying to finish my sentence. It's very interesting how that works. Yes. Listen, let me just explain something to you. Sometimes when you pray for your children, things get worse before things get better. Right. Yeah, the words always test it. So why does it get worse at times before it gets better? Well, two things, or it could be one or another or both.

13:21 Number one, you begin to pray for your children then the Holy Spirit, his ministry is to convict and convince them of their need for Jesus. I think that's John 16 or John 14, right? He's convicting them, you're praying. So you're releasing the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So he starts to hover around them and they're doing whatever they're doing and they're convicted and they're convinced of their need for Jesus. They sense a pull. I remember when I was in the process of getting saved because it took about a year, I could literally feel a pull. I was always really sensitive to the things of the Spirit. Some of you and some of you that are listening as a child, you would understand what I'm talking about.

14:05 So I can remember the pull of something dark pulling me and then something this way pulling me. There was actually, I could actually remember being in my car then having this sense of there's some kind of war going on over my life. And it was either yield to this side or yield to that side. Well, you can't serve both. You have to give Jesus Christ absolute Lordship. But a lot of times they get worse because they're convicted. And when you get convicted, you're not happy drinking and hanging out the bars anymore and hanging out with your friends or doing whatever they're doing. Because the Holy Spirit beginning to shine the light on their hearts by revelation, that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and that no man goes to the Father except through him.

14:54 And Jesus is shining the light saying, this is not gonna satisfy you, you need me. I'm the author and the finisher of your faith. You need me to be happy. So their souls are troubled and their souls are being convicted. Or number two, the devil, it's just the devil. The devil doesn't wanna give up his stronghold. So he's fighting. He's, yes, yeah, we don't rest, there's always such a spirit of revelation in this church. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood. We're wrestling against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world. So the enemy, if he's got his hand on their life, he doesn't wanna give up.

15:37 And he's not gonna give up easily or quickly. That's why you've got to keep on praying. This art of intercession, keep praying, keep bringing them before the throne of God, one hand on them, one hand on God, and keep praying for them. We're gonna talk about this next week. I'm gonna talk a lot about praying in the Holy Ghost and the power it produces. So the devil just doesn't wanna give up his stronghold over their life. So what happens? Well, how many of you remember the story of the little boy that had the demon and Jesus came and cast the devil out of the little boy and he commanded the evil spirit to leave. He had to leave. There was just no, the devil had to leave.

16:17 That's it, you gotta go, you gotta go. This is my child, you gotta go. You can't have my child, you gotta go. No weapon formed against my child will prosper. You gotta go. So the enemy starts to get like, what, what, what? Does that praying parent really mean what she says? Or he says, what, what? And so finally when you're just, you're steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of prayer and intercession on the behalf of your kids, eventually the devil's gotta go. Right. Are you listening? So it's like when Jesus cast the devil out of that little boy, the Bible says, he knew he had to go, but the Bible says he tore him and then he left.

17:01 So he put up a stake, put up a fight. See parents, caregivers, the devil wants you to quit praying. He wants you to throw up your hands and go, I heard all kinds of teaching on praying for the rising generations or praying for my kids and my grandkids and it's just not working. Let me just, let me just say this, prayer opens up the door for God to work. That's right. We have not because we ask not. When you ask and you pray and you stand and you watch, God will work and the devil has to flee. There's no question about it. That's why I read you that example of the John Ramirez testimony. You mean he said there were the places that he went where there was praying parents or people, he, there was quote, no accomplishment.

17:48 He couldn't do what he desired to do in the witchcraft realm and in the word curses. So don't underestimate the power of your prayers. That's right. Don't think, well, you know, maybe you're a new Christian and you, you're just getting a hold of this. Don't underestimate, you have scripture. I have scriptures in my book. You have everything you need to have a successful prayer life. And here's another thing. Don't think it's too late for your child and you should have started when they were babies. It's never too late. It's never too late. You can start right where you are right now. It is never too late. Are you with me?

18:29 Okay. So knowing his will will increase your faith. What is faith? Hebrews 11, one, amplified. Now faith, you know what I like about faith? Faith is now. That's right. Right. You know, here's another thing. Faith is not only now, faith is of the heart. And faith is a spiritual force that goes out into the realm of the spirit and it produces results. It is a spiritual force. Okay. So now faith is the assurance, the title deed, the confirmation of things hoped for divinely, listen, guaranteed.

19:18 All my children will be taught of the Lord. Great will be the peace and the undisturbed composure of my children. Divinely guaranteed. That scripture is divinely guaranteed on the behalf of your children. And the evidence of things not seen, the conviction of their reality, faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. So faith is certain and isn't concerned about the circumstances, actions, words, or behavior of our children. Yeah. But instead looks at the promises of God for our children.

20:00 I'm not moved by what I see. I'm not moved by what I hear. Your child may come home and curse at you and carry on and be high and all that. You just can't be moved. Yeah, set boundaries, obviously. Be a parent, but don't be moved by what they say. Don't be moved by how they're acting. Don't be moved. You just be moved by what you be moved on what the word of God has to say about your children. James 1.6 says, but when you ask, you must believe. Yeah. And not doubt. I have no doubt that all my children are taught of the Lord and greatest is their peace.

20:41 Do they sometimes have these little hills and valleys? Yes, but I don't doubt. I'm not gonna doubt. I'm gonna stand. Our children, the rising generations are counting on us to stand in the gap for them. Amen. Because we are like the errands and the herds on their behalf. We're holding up their arms and they need our support. I don't wanna go back over that, but they need our support because there's so much war in the earth today. Yeah. Isaiah 61 through five says that there's darkness, gross darkness is covering the earth, but we know the light of God is also rising. But my friends, these young people, the rising generations, there's never been a time like this time.

21:29 Gone are the days of catching lightning bugs, putting them in a jar and shaking them and hanging out in the backyard. Oh yeah, right now. I know the poor lightning bug. I can't believe I did that. Okay, they're living in a completely different world. So they're depending on us. But when we ask, we must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. I'm gonna, I was gonna get into this later, but I'll get into it now. When you pray for your child or your children or whoever, it's very important to watch what you say about them, even under your breath when you're by yourself and you're frustrated.

22:14 Yeah. Hello. Right. Hello. That's the book I'm gonna write right here. Okay, because life and death are in the power of the tongue. Notice John Ramirez said, he said, he said he would go over cities and neighborhoods and areas, he would put what kind of curses? Word. Word curses. The power of the tongue. It is a creative force. So after you've prayed and you stood and you've interceded and done everything you know to do, watch what you say. Yeah.

22:54 Watch what you tell your girlfriends when you call them or your friends over dinner as couples. Watch what you say. You know, my child is doing da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. It's okay to acknowledge things, but don't make it a practice of digging a hole of unbelief and nullifying your prayers. There you go. That's good. Yes. Say la. Say la. Think about it. Right. Right? So think about Daniel chapter 10, right? Daniel chapter 10. Daniel set himself to seek the Lord. You're gonna set yourself. I'm actually gonna do it this week. I'm setting myself to have prayer.

23:36 My prayer target's gonna be praying for my kids. I'm gonna put a picture, their picture, I have a picture of all five of them. I have a daughter and one son. I'm gonna put them on the table and I'm gonna make a time that I'm gonna pray this week every day and I'm gonna walk the floors. I'm gonna look at that picture or hold that picture as a point of contact and I'm gonna pray for my kids. I'm gonna pray things in English and then I'm gonna pray for them in the Holy Ghost. So I'm gonna set myself to pray for them. Yeah. Okay? Now Daniel set himself to seek the Lord and he prayed. And the Bible says he was in the presence of God 21 days. Okay?

24:17 But the angel and their answer was dispatched right away. How many know the story? I'm not getting into it, go look it up. Daniel chapter 10. You'll see it, it's right there. It's a principle. And the angel or the, I think that an angel visited him and said, Daniel, oh man, greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you. So the answer was already on its way. But there was all this hindrance in the atmosphere. And thank God Daniel didn't give up. Thank God Daniel didn't start speaking. I guess God doesn't hear me. I guess my prayers aren't working. He didn't say that.

24:57 He remained steadfast. He remained immovable. He remained where he knew in faith. Yeah. Okay, now that's the Old Testament. How much more under the New Testament? The promises of God are yes and amen. Yes. We have a better covenant based upon better promises. Right. So the angel said, Daniel, you're a man greatly beloved. He says, understand. He said, listen, I have come because of your words. What's the point? The point is watch what you say and confess out of your mouth after you prayed for your kids. I've done it. We've all done it. Have we done it?

25:38 Yes. I don't know about you, but I talk to myself. Do you talk to yourself? Am I the only one who talks to myself? Sometimes I've got children. Sometimes I don't. I talk to myself. We all do it. Right? Sometimes I'll by myself in my house and if something's going on with my kids, I find myself talking to myself out loud. And then I gotta watch because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So if we're worried or concerned about our children, if we're not careful, we'll speak things out of our mouth even when we're by ourselves or in the car and we'll nullify our prayers. Yeah. That's good preaching. Glory be to God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Yes, it is. Amen.

26:22 Matthew 14, 22 through 23. Peter stepped out of the boat in faith, but he began to look at the circumstances or the wind and he got into fear. Don't get into fear. And remember this, delay is not denial. Right. Delay is not denial. God made a promise to Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. But let me tell you, this is what Abraham did. He considered not the circumstances, he considered not his body now dead, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. But the Bible says he was strong in faith. Yes.

27:03 He didn't give up hope. He knew that faith and hope went together. It was the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. If God had promised it, he was going to perform it. He stayed in faith, delay is not denial. And it took 25 years for that promise to be fulfilled. Right. So remember, delay is not denial. Okay, so how does a parent pray? Are you ready? That was all the intro. Okay, 1 Corinthians 14, 15. It says, I can quote it. It says, I will pray with the spirit.

27:45 I will pray with the understanding also. So in launching how to pray for our children, we pray in the spirit, which is tongues, which we'll talk about next week, which is a powerful prayer. And we also pray with our understanding. And we said it, take their need to the word of God. That's what you present before the throne of God. Right. So we pray with our understanding. We agree with the word and not the problem. We find the promise that meets their need. We agree with his word and we present his word before the throne of grace. See, here's in my notes.

28:27 Don't pray the problem over and over. Don't pray worried prayers. Yeah. Right. Right. Isaiah 55, 11 says that the word of God, when you pray the word of God, the word of God goes forth, then it does not return void, but it prospers everywhere it sends. That's right. When you pray the scripture over your young people, and what's actually happening is, it's creating an atmosphere around them that they can't see and you can't see. Number two, Jeremiah 1, 12. God said, you pray my word? I am ready to perform my word. Psalms 107, verse 20 says, he sent his word.

29:11 And he did what? He healed them. Right. And delivered them from their destruction. Matthew 8, 8, remember the servant? He came to Jesus and he said, speak a word and my servant will be healed. Just speak the word. See, this is the beauty of prayer. Though we're, I think it's Colossians 2, though we're absent from them in the natural, in the flesh, the Bible says, we could be present with them in the spirit. That's right. And when you're praying the word of God over them, that word of God is creating an atmosphere for them. That's right. New Agers call it energy. It's creating a Holy Ghost energy. Right. .