CHAPTER 2 - GLORIFYING THE LORD
Glorifying the Lord and Master, not self - the vessel!
Second contrast - The world always says your baby or your child. People say all the time I Want a girl or I Want a boy. This is another example of how the world will always exalt man. The problem with exalting man in the world system is that it leaves out God. Psalm 118:8 and 6 tell us - It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. The Lord is on my side; (statement) I will not fear. (Question) What can man do unto to me? (Answer) Nothing! If we only look at the child or baby as ours (Mother and Father) or if we are only interested in our will or what we want we are exalting self, which is selfishness. If we look at that word slowly we can catch what it really means * self-ish-ness = self (I will, Me, My way, self consciousness) ish (a present tense fact) -ness (state or quality of being, amplifies the subject it is added to). So what self-ish-ness really means is that - My self is of quality and needs to be recognized. Now you know friend that is not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God doesn't have a problem with man being exalted with Him and by Him but definitely not over Him. If you desire a boy or a girl ask the Lord what His Will is first then accept His will over yours. If you ask the Lord for a boy like Hannah did in 1 Samuel 1:1-28 and 2:1-11 also examine her reason for the boy which was for the Lord's use. God gives His people the desires of their heart as long as their desires are His desires. God is not opposed to you having either a boy or a girl or both as long as His will and purpose is established first. We must keep the right attitude of being thankful for what He gives us, not what we think we should get from God. God will certainly bless you if you do things His Way. The Lord is in no wise obligated to bless our wants, but He is obligated to bless His Way, His Son Jesus Christ the Righteous. Jesus stated in Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:36 and Luke 22:42 - Not my will be done, but thine will be done (The will of the Father be done). Let us look at the Word of God so you can see what The Lord said about this. Mark 8:34 - And when He (Jesus) had called the people unto him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself (deny your way over God’s way), and take up his cross (your cross would be carrying out what the Lord told you to do, the light burden He put on your heart-remember His yoke is easy and His burden is light), and follow me (Jesus is going to lead you and help you do it by His Word with the Holy Spirit). For whosoever will save his life (Wills in their soul and establishes in their mind to do things their own way) shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life (his way of selfish carnal worldly thinking) for My sake and the gospel's (His Word), the same shall save it (by receiving the revelation that Jesus is your Loving Friend, The Way, The Truth and your Life). Matthew 16:24-27 and Luke 9:23-26 states the same thing for two other witness. We know since Jesus our Savior, our Lord, our Master said this and it is recorded in three of the Gospels it must be important and it should be observed. Luke 14:11 and 18:14 states this truth this way - For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. I told you God didn't have a problem with you being exalted. We must recognize that we are exalted with Him over the world's system, the way of darkness, the ways of doubtful thinking and over the troubles and fears of the devil. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His Great Love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened (made us alive) together (not apart) with Christ (by grace you are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; (Notice God uses together and with to truly show us that we can do nothing apart or without Him.-John 15:5) That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His Grace in His kindness toward us (healing, deliverance from pain, peace of mind, comfort of soul, life, joy, love, prosperity, etc......) through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved (Not you are going to be saved, but rather you are, right now because now faith is. This is why you are right now healed, blessed, delivered from pain and sorrows according to the Word of God by grace through faith in God.) Through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. This amplifies the fact that we need to be less conscious of self and more conscious of God and His working with us confirming His Word with the signs of full manifestation of His promises in our lives.-Mark 16:20 We must let Ephesians 2:4-9 become a part of our everyday consciousness so that we will acknowledge God in all our ways then He will direct our path into His Above Only Victorious Way.-Proverb 3:5,6 His Way is His Word, when we are persistent and patience doers of the word we receive the promises of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that, “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us”. Now that we have seen the Word of God on not looking at self let us also look at what the Word of God says about the children. Someone might say, "You're not going to tell me that the baby and children I have aren't mine are you?" No and Yes! The same someone then states, "I don't understand what you are talking about." You will if you can understand the way God thinks, and you can most assuredly understand God because you have the mind of Christ.-1 Corinthians 2:16 You have a natural body that has authority in this earth. In this earth your name gives you legal rights and privileges in this natural world. When you give birth to a natural flesh and blood body that part is your child until you give the boy or girl over to the Lord. God states clearly in His Word that there are His Children (Children of Light, Christians) and there are children of disobedience (Children of the flesh.-Ephesians 2:2 and 5:6, Colossians 3:6 and Romans 9:8 This is why when you are Christ conscious you open your heart and mind up to revelations from God. For God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Man is a three part being - spirit, soul and body!-1 Thessalonians 5:23
You are a spirit - first and primarily! You as a spirit possess a soul (your will, your mind and your emotions) - secondarily. Also, you as a spirit live in a physical earthly body. The man and woman (father and mother) give the child a natural body but that body does not manifest itself unless God has already given the baby a spirit. For the spirit must have a body to live in before it can be made known in this earth. Remember how God made Adam and then breathed into the body of Adam the breath of life after that Adam became a living soul.-Genesis 2:7 Remember in The Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:20-25 and Luke 1:26-31) that God told Mary, “Thou shalt bring forth a son (she would, not God - for God already had a son spiritually speaking) and thou shall call His name JESUS”. Read it for yourself so you can grasp the depth and meaning of the Love of God and the Word of God. So what came first the body or the spirit? Obviously the spirit, the Son of God, The Son of God already existed before the natural man Jesus the son of Mary came into existence. Look at how God did it. God said, “Thou shalt have a son!” God spoke and then the manifestation came because Mary believed God's word which is spirit and life (John 6:63), Then the Word of God became flesh and dwelt here in this earth among us (and we beheld His glory (His Spirit), the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.-John 1:14 This is the immaculate conception. The Man - Christ Jesus and the Son of God - Jesus Christ!-1 Timothy 2:5 and Mark 1:1 He is a Spirit He lived in a physical body (God-The Father, The Word and The Holy Spirit with Mary, together as one to bring to pass the purpose and will of the Father God). You are a spirit you have a soul you live in a physical body, therefore 1 John 4:17 can state, “As He is so are you in this world”. This is why you must always think of yourself as a three part creation - First spirit, then soul, after that body. The baby that comes from the natural man and woman is a spirit that has a soul and we see the natural body. We must train the baby in love and truth to minister to their spirit. In the natural we can comfort and help the child with natural things. We live in this earth so we can always help the child with things pertaining to the earth. However the child should know who they are. They are a child of God-First and primarily. When we build into our children a knowledge of God's Word and demonstrations of love and joy and peace, then we help the child to see God. For God is Love! Let us take a look at God's Word so you will know that I am not just giving you good advice but something much more stronger and everlasting, God's Truth! The Truth of God (knowledge) understood and lived (acted upon) will always produce fruit (love, joy, peace, healing, wisdom, prosperity, .....God's Kingdom). Hebrews 12:9-11 confirms what you just read - Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they (the natural parent) verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (literally - as it seem good to them to chasten our flesh), be He for our (the real you, the spirit) profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised by it. Keep that in mind when you as the parent have to apply chastisement, it is grievous to the child at that time but if you apply it with love based on the word of God afterward the child will gain understanding and the fruits of righteousness will be increased in the family. Simply put righteousness is the right standard of living. The Holy Bible states in 1 Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus Christ is our righteousness, in other words Jesus Christ is your standard of life. We ought to live as Jesus lived. For He is the Way, the Truth and the Guiding Light. This is why God said we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus because we as Christians (Heavenly Ambassadors) on this earth are the standard of living to the world. For we are in this world but we are not of this world. For we are of Christ and live in Him and move in Him and have our being in Him. John 4:24 told us that God is a Spirit and they (The Christian) that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Simply put raise the children up in the Spirit of Love (The Love of God, for God is Love) with the Word of God by faith in God's goodness to perform that which He Promised in Proverbs 22:6.
Train up a child in the way (the Standard of Righteousness) and when he is old he will not depart from it (The Way, Jesus Christ).
Notice God said when he is old we know God couldn't of been referring to the inner man (the spirit) because our born again spirit never gets old. 2 Corinthians 4:16 states though our outward man (the physical body) perish, yet the inward man (your spirit man) is renewed day by day. God is telling us to train the child's natural body in goodness, righteousness, holiness and Godliness. Our parenting should be directed toward the child knowingly yielding their physical body to the Holy Spirit of God. Once we have trained the child to recognize God and how to walk in the Spirit instead of in the flesh, then the child can be led of the Spirit of God. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God those are the sons and daughters of God.-Romans 8:14 The child must know they should be governed by God, not man. God's way (The Way) of training a child consists of training the spirit. We see this in Ephesians 6:1,4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.
Notice God said the children should obey you in the Lord. In other words the child should see you obeying God and then they will obey you because everything is in divine order. First God (spirit first) through the parents (husband and wife, or a single parent) to the children. When we speak the Words of God in the Spirit of Love the child will begin to grow in knowledge of God and they will become more familiar with the Love of God. They will begin to see God in you (Christ Jesus) speaking to them. They will perceive and know the Light of God shining through your natural body.
Therefore let your light shine, let the Love of God show Himself through you, be a vessel of God overflowing with His Goodness and Mercy. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that - strong meat; belongeth to them that are full age (developed in Christ, familiar with The Way of God in Love with Jesus by outward showings of His Grace), even those who by reason of use (you as the parent have to walk in the Spirit before you can expect the child to walk in God's Spirit) have their senses exercised to discern (judge between) both good (God) and evil (ungodliness). Ephesians 6:3 tells us to bring the children up in the nurture (The Love of God) and admonition (The Word of God) of the Lord. We do this with the help and comfort of God's Holy Spirit, surely God's grace is sufficient for us! Look at what the Lord told the Israelite parents to do concerning their children which were God's children - Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart (First-the spirit), and with all thy soul (Secondly-the will, the mind and the emotions), and with all thy might (thirdly-the physical body). And These Words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart (with the heart man believeth unto righteousness with the mouth confession is made unto salvation-Romans 10:10); and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.-Deuteronomy 6:4-9 God didn't ask the parents to do this, He told them to do this because it is right. This is the only way the children can have faith in their Father God. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.-Romans 10:17 Proverbs 6:20-23 also shows us the importance of the Word of God - My son, keep thy father's commandments (The Word of God), and forsake not the law of thy mother (The Law of Love): Bind them (both, not one or the other, but rather one, unity, together, for the Lord our God is One) continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it (They - The Word and Spirit) shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it (They shall) keep thee; and when thou awakest, it (they) shall talk with thee; For the commandment (The Word) Is A Lamp, And The Law (love) is light, and reproofs of instruction (guidance by the Spirit) are the way of life. Did you notice The Lord said the Word would lead you. Romans 8:14 tells us as many as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons (children) of God, therefore we can conclude that the Word of God works with the Spirit of God to bring into manifestation the Promises of the Father. When you are led by the Word of God in Love that is being led by the Spirit, for God is one. The Holy Spirit working with the Word of God in perfect unity is shown in John 14:25,26.
These things have I spoken unto you, being present with you. But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remember, whatever I have said unto you.
Now Jesus is presently with us in our heart, our spirit, in the form of God's Word and the Holy Spirit brings the Living Word of God to our consciousness (to enlightened our mind) so that we will know what to do, what to think on, what to say and how to act. We must be doers of the word then the word can work for us and through us. This is the primary reason why we must have the Word as our first priority, the Word of God must be number one in our life. When the word is abiding (living) in us then the Spirit is able to bring the word to our mind for every situation and against all contrary circumstances. Once we are conscious of the Word then we can speak it out in faith and confidence and joy because we know what God's will is (His Word is His Will) and we know God is able to perform that which He promised. Once we have spoken we have placed God on the scene to subdue anything that is not in-line with His Word. The Word of God will prevail once given consistence place in us (our heart, our mind and over our body, overflowing to penetrate and dominate the atmosphere around us. The Word always comes first then the conformation of God’s Word by the Spirit of God. Psalms 107:20 shows us this order
He (The Father) sent His Word (Jesus, the Word of God), and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Even in Genesis chapter 1 we notice repeatedly that God said and then it was done. Look and Psalm 33:8,9 Let all the earth fear (reverence and trust) the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him (Worship Him). For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. Even in the New Covenant God sent Jesus, The Living Word made manifested in the flesh, to save and restore us. Jesus Christ told us what to do and how to do it, then The Holy Spirit was given unto man to help bring to past that which the Lord spoke and speaks. John 16:12-14 - I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, The Spirit of Truth, is come (now, today, dwelling in your reborn spirit), He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me (The Word); for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. The Holy Spirit gives the written word of God life in us, so that when we read the Holy Bible it is not just mere idle words but rather the Truth, the Promise of God, Alive and working in us and for us. Remember Proverbs 6:20-23 told us that the word will keep us when we sleep, awake us in the morning, and talk with us during the day. The Word can do this because He is Alive and dwelling in us, Yes Believer, Jesus is Alive and doing well. I stated John 14:23 again to show you how important it is to keep the word working in you so the word can place you over the troubles of the world and into His Abundant Life.
Jesus answered, and said unto him,If a man love Me, he will keep My Words; and My Father will Love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
God will manifest His Presence and His Promises to us from His Word by faith which work by Love.-Galatians 5:6 Once we have done that we have done our part, then God is faithful to do His part, which He has already done in Christ. Since God told us to do this He is not going to tell us to do something different for our children which are His children too. We must train the child with God, the whole child - spirit, soul and body. Having this attitude (mind renewed by the word of God) will ascend you and your family to their rightful position in Christ. In that position you have committed the whole care of the children over to the Lord. In that position you know that the natural body which came from you to the child really belongs to God. We train it to the best of our abilities so the soul of the child will know not to fulfill the lust of the flesh but rather yield to the Spirit of God. We do our part as parents because God told us to train up the child by being obedient to His Word and following the instructions He gives us by The Holy Spirit, everything else God will do, or should I say God has done! God is the only one who can (and will) impart spiritual fruit into the child (Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance according to Galatians 5:22,23). We can help them in natural things and laws but God is the One who gives them the understanding and wisdom they need to excel in this world. You know friend as well as I do that when a baby first comes into this natural world (born of the flesh) they are body ruled. They want everything now and they will cry if they don't get what they want right away, sometimes they will cry because they don't know what else to do. As we minister to the child over time we start to see (recognize, perceive) God's spiritual fruit being developed in their life (patience, understanding, good behavior, kindness, etc.....) once we see that we encourage (water the fruit) the demonstration of God's behavior by praising the child for being good. We as parents should not focus on the bad things (the fleshly things) the natural child may do but rather on the good things they do (and shall do) from their heart (their spirit). We praise God that His child that He told us to train up are (not going to be, but rather now are because now faith is) wise, healthy, whole and prosperous (no matter what they are acting like or what the circumstances look like). This is why we walk by faith not by sight.-2 Corinthians 5:7 The Romans 8:5-9 calls this being spiritually (God's kingdom) minded which is Life (Jesus on the scene) and Peace (spiritual fruit). For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal (natural) mind is enmity (an enemy) against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be. So, then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Why because faith is what pleases God and faith is the substance of things hoped for (the promise of God's word), the evidence of things not seen (in the natural).-Hebrews 11:1,6 Having this mind is the mind of Christ, once you cast all of your cares over on Him because He cares tenderly, affectionately and efficiently for you. When you do this you will have the supernatural peace of God that passes all earthly understanding! I tell you, believer, this revelation changed my life, when I cast all my cares, worries, concerns on Him that left me with liberty, peace, and joy. Once I looked at the child and said with my mouth (continually confessed) that the children we train are not mine but God's I became stronger. I confessed out loud, "the wife I am married to is God's daughter." That is God’s truth and His truth made me free. Angela confessed, “The house we live in is the Lord's house and this body in which I and the child (the real me, my spirit, the inner man of the heart) lives in is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore we have divine protection. Angela and I finally realized that we died that Christ might live in us. I realized that I have nothing and everything that I thought I owned belongs to God. He is Lord I am His steward, His servant, His vessel striving to project His glory in this earth. All we do is praise Him and ask Him what to do and follow His leading of His Spirit by the guidelines of His Word. Life is so much more easier when we do things God's way (The Way of God’s Word). This obedience is found in Psalms 138:8 - The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endures forever: and Psalm 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer (allow) the righteous to be moved. Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (His Spirit) upon you, and learn of Me (His Word); for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy (gentle prompting of The Spirit), and My burden (His Word) is light. John 15:5 - I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit (Love, joy, peace, etc.....); for without Me ye can do nothing. Colossians 3:1-4 If ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (you do it, not God) on things which are above (spiritually minded), not on things on the earth (natural people, physical pain or morning sickness, financial trouble). For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Philippians 3:7-9 - But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (refused), that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness (nothing of my own doing), which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; and 1 Peter 5:6,7 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God (God's grace), that He (The Word of God-The Word does the work) may exalt you in due time, (by doing this) Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you. Doing this daily puts us into God's will where the promises of His Word are manifested. Now friend I could glory in the child and say things like my child did this and that. I could say as a parent, “I taught my children this and that or I made my children do this and that”. However if I exalt my works or even the works of the children then I would be a hypocrite for telling you not to exalt self. We are not suppose to praise the good works of our own hands. No friend, I would much rather Praise God for His children and what He is doing for them and through them with us. I consider the children we raise up as God's children and I know what God has started He will finish. Jesus is the beginning and the end, the first and last, the alpha and the omega, for He is the ultimate all-in-all, the fullness of Him that fills all things. When you take I (or you, or yours, or ownership) out of the picture, "What reason do you have to be concerned, or upset, or worried?" You can walk in the peace of God daily with Love as your foundation and faith in God’s Word as your confession, because God’s Perfect Love casts out all fear. This is how we as the Body of Christ become victorious and more than conquerors through Him that loves us. A person might say, "Eric, I thought you said that the physical body of the child comes from the parents and the spirit of the child is from God?" and I would answer that with, "Yes, I did." Then the same person might say, "but now you are saying that you consider all of the child God's (spirit, soul and body)." and I would answer again, "Yes, I do." Then I would say friend, "The parent can take care and concern for the child by considering the body of the child theirs, their child (or children), my boy, my baby, my girl, if they want to. I will still love them the same and praise God with them. However, as for Me, I dedicated my children to the Lord once (baby dedicated, christening, giving the child back to God), after I did that they were (and are) no longer mine but His. I will never take them back because I know God is a better and wiser Father than I am, I know God will provide for His children when I can't, I know God is the best companion my wife could have. I know God is everything to me and should be everything to the child. I can't sleep with the children all the time, but God can. I could force the child to do this or that, but God's Love will lead them to do this and that. Doing things God’s way is always better. Yes, we know as parents there will be times when we have to make our children do certain things that is called training, but we should always try to do our training God’s Way. God’s Way is consistency and genuine compassion that always speaks to the child in truth and love. God’s Way believes for the best concerning the child and has total confidence in the child to do what is right. The Lord does not worry about His children He believes the best about them and He believes the best for them. I could take care and concern about the present state and future of the child, but God has already considered His children blessed and overcomers. Since The Lord already thought about His children in a positive light why should I be concerned. No friend I can rest and sleep at night with a confident knowing that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or think.-Ephesians 3:20 This is why I rest in the 23 Psalm by confessing it and proclaiming it out loud. - Yes, The Lord is my Shepherd I do not want He makes me to lie down in green pasture (a good land, the land of promise), He leads me (by His Word and Spirit) besides the still waters (waters of peace), He restores my soul. Yes though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (opposing circumstances and troubles), I will fear no evil (because perfect love casts out fear), for thou (God) art with me. Thy rod (the rod of God's word) and Thy staff (the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Comforter) they (both, together, in unity) comfort me. Thou prepares a table (of plenty) before me in the presence of mine enemies (unbelief, doubt, gainsayers), my cup runs over (this vessel overflow with God's Love). Surely Goodness (God's promises) and Mercy (God's healing power) shall follow me all the days of my life, and will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (because the Word said so). Because this scripture is a reality in our life we are in peace, worry free, burden free, carefree, blessed and enjoying life. If a need comes up I confess Philippians 4:19 which states my God (Our God) shall supply all your need (yours and mine) according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. In other words God shall supply and provide for you according to His Word. Our part is to be careful for nothing and with definite request and supplications make our request made known onto God (Our prayer) and the peace (the confirmation that it is done) that passes all understanding shall keep our heart and mind through Christ Jesus. We seek God's Word and believe His Promises to us, then confess His Word as done (decree them in our lives) to establish and dominate all situations that oppose His Word. God delivers the fulfillment of His Word and establishes our heart and mind in His Peace. Yes, dear friend as a covenant Child of God we can and shall walk in God's peace in these times. Peace and blessings and God's whole kingdom is presently and forever available to the believer and doer of the Word. Some one might wonder can you backup what you do with the word. Certainly, yes, in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established.-2 Corinthians 13:1
First witness - 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,19,20
.........Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost who is in you, whom ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in (by obeying the Spirit) your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Now you see why I said only a Christian can walk in this revelation, this Light, this liberty, this reality, this love, yes, His Love.
Second witness - Ephesians 5:30
For we are members of His body (All of us, children included), of His flesh, and of His bones.
Third witness - Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God (at baby dedication and christening you are presenting the child unto God, holy, acceptable) which is your reasonable service.
Fourth witness - 1 Corinthians 7:14
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else were your children unclean, but now are they holy.
Fifth witness - Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage from the Lord; are the fruit of the womb is His reward.
There are many more witness but I gave you more than three, now it is up to you how you look at the children (as partly your's, or wholly God's). Even a covenant itself is based upon the fact that everything I have is yours and everything you own is mine, how much is Jesus the mediator of this better Covenant (The New Covenant), which was (already done) established upon better promises.-Hebrews 8:6 I will to (purpose and fix my mind to) look at the children as God's children. Question, Is not God One? Yes! Are we not One Spirit and One Body? Certainly! Therefore, dear love one, I would ask you to do the same thing. Let the Lord have your children, chasten them as the Lord tells you to, love them with the Love of God. Give them your time and attention as God gave us His mercy and affection. Be led of the compassion of God and whenever you give discipline to the body of the child give also instruction to the spirit of the child by God's Word, then the soul of the child can gain understanding. When you acknowledge the children as God's children you won't love them any less, but you will consistently re-affirm the immutable fact that God is their Father and He (The Lord) loves them. Follow me in this prayer right now in faith, release the cares and concerns and worries that come with ownership, but are done away with in stewardship.
Dear Loving Father, I love you and I realize that you love all children. I will walk in your peace and show my love for you by obeying your word. I have cast all my inner cares and concerns and fears over to you, because you told me to and I know in my heart that you are better able to handle them, and I decree right now that you will handle them, all of them by your power and your might in the Awesome Name of Jesus. I will trust you Father, I believe your Word Father, Help me Holy Spirit to keep this mind every day, every hour, every moment for I will obey you because I am yours and I will show your love to the children by demonstrating your Holy and Living Word!-In Jesus Name. Amen!
Now all cares and concerns are gone, their God's now. We have peace and we can praise and thank God for His complete deliverance. For Jesus is our Deliverer. Amen. Now we have that fact established in our lives. We can move on to the next issue of exposing the darkness of the deceiver by the Light of God's Word. The other two subjects are major this subject is the minor one. Once you realize who's you are and who you serve and what you are in Him you will have no problem at all keeping Satan under foot. The only power he has is false power because he is false, God is the real power and you have God and God has you! What can separate you from the Love of God? I am persuaded by the Word of God, nothing! Who is able to take you out of the Father's hand? No one! Therefore we hath great peace and joy knowing that this is the battle of God’s Word and I proclaim the victory because Jesus has already defeated the enemy of our souls.
For as a man thinks (believes) in his heart so is he, because in believing we confess and in confessing we do and in doing we receive. Refer to Proverb 23:7 and Romans 10:10