Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”
God clearly describes the importance of young generation (children and youth) in His plan. God wants them to know Him and the wonders of His Word; He longs to pour out His Spirit upon them. And with the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be a weapon to silence the enemy – the devil and the deceits of these end times.
But in reality, the devil tries to deceive the young generation. He runs faster than us. Ever since they were young, they have been deceived through movies, music, comics, and interesting games in their gadgets. The power of the weapon they possess within them become rusty bullets, and at the end, they are the ones who are silenced.
According to Samsung’s Survey The Asian Parent Insight (2014), 98% of parents in Southeast Asia allow their children to use gadgets. This survey was done among 2500 parents, from Jakarta, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Ironically, 67% of the gadgets used by the children belong to their parents.
The devil is smart in targeting the young generation to be enticed by the world. If the devil has targeted them early in their young years, why do we only care about their spiritual condition when they are older? That is too late! We only have a short amount of time to help them be conquerors and worthy before the Lord, so that Joel 2:28 may be fulfilled. The role of parents is needed in order for them to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
We need the Church and the parents to take roles together to help the young generation grow spiritually. The role of parents in spiritual growth is very vital. The responsibilities of parents to pass on the spiritual inheritance to their children can be done in a few ways:
- Use authority: Parents have the authority to discipline their children. Use that authority to:
– Ask them to go to church
– Limit their gadget use
– Direct them to live holy
- Build a family altar: Involve them in a family altar. Pray and worship the Lord together daily and teach them about the Word of God and spiritual values.
- Read the Bible: Accompany them to do this every day. For older children, remind them to do it faithfully and discuss it together in a family altar.
Parents are called by the Lord as warriors to direct the young generation to be right on target. If not now, when will you go forward?
Source : Article from GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta