Are You a Spiritually Intelligent Parent?预览

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. Acts 2:14-18 (NKJV)

Truth 3: The baptism of the Holy Spirit is also for little children.

Spiritually intelligent parents acknowledge that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is also for their children. Hence, they introduce their children to the Holy Spirit early in life and model what living Spirit-filled looks like. It is this truth that makes transgenerational faith possible. In line with Proverbs 22:6, which says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it,” social science studies show that early childhood experiences have a life-long impact on humans. That’s one reason the enemy is relentless in orchestrating child abuse and exposing little children to false ideologies. When our children discover early in life that they can interact with God and make a difference in the world with the power of the Holy Spirit, being a Christian becomes a relational experience. Hence, the truth that Christianity is rooted in a relationship with God becomes a subconscious belief and an experience that drives their lifelong perception of their faith. They can also confidently say, “My God and the God of my mother (or father).”

Based on my experience and observation, children who do not experience the power of the Holy Spirit and receive His help in understanding the Bible early in life usually feel helpless when confronted with challenges that require supernatural intervention (and most challenges do). Hence, witchcraft practices entice them, and they may dabble in new age or occultic practices, ultimately leading to some mental health challenges or departure from Christianity.

Christianity becomes an exciting spiritual adventure for our children when we introduce them to the Holy Spirit early in life and guide them to lean on him daily. My eldest son is almost six years old. He received Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Spirit a little before age 4. With his Holy Spirit-empowered prayer language and understanding of God’s Word, he is learning to master negative emotions, interpret his dreams, engage in effective intercession and evangelism, etc. And he is not alone. There are many little ones baptized with the Holy Spirit and power. They are living Matthew 11:25 and Matthew 21:16 (AMP):

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God’s will and purpose]. Matthew 11:25 (AMP)

and they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus replied to them, “Yes; have you never read [in the Scripture], ‘OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED and PROVIDED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?” Matthew 21:16 (AMP)

The Holy Spirit wants to empower our children to be like Daniel and His friends, whose spirituality influenced their capacity to excel academically, serve as government officials, and rule over sorcerers. Let's get it right early by introducing our children to the Holy Spirit as early as possible.

I hope you were enlightened. Learn more about becoming a spiritually intelligent parent here.