Join Lori as she shares three items to help you as you parent your children unto the Lord.
Well Hey friends, it's Lori Joiner, Your discipleship Coach! I am beyond thrilled to share with you this next episode of Season 3-Discipleship coach Kids Edition. And, before I dive in, I have some very exciting news!
I have just bought $500 of new podcast equipment so that…drumroll, please…I can start to interview other moms to find out what they do to raise their children unto the Lord. The Kid’s edition of this podcast has gone so well, that I decided it would be so amazing and helpful to learn from moms from all different stages of life and ages of kids.
We will be hearing from single moms, homeschool moms, moms of adult children, grandmothers, of all different backgrounds and issues so that together we can help each other, encourage each other, and spur each other on in this endeavor!
But, before I jump in today, I need to talk briefly about how I need your help.
If you are listening to this podcast I am asking you to help me get the word out. When all this equipment showed up this past Friday at my doorstep I was a bit intimidated. I was like-is this even going to work? Do people even care what I am trying to communicate?
I am not trying to get sympathy here, it is really what I thought. I was like, if I don’t open it I could still return it. I am moving forward, a bit timidly, but I am going to give it a shot. But I need you with me. I need your help.
I really need you to be with me in this. I need you with me in a few different ways:
1. I need you to tell your family, friends, and all social media platforms you have about this podcast. No one knows to search for Lori Joiner or Your Discipleship Coach on Apple Podcast or Spotify. I am not that big yet, so unless you share this, it remains just us. You can go to the show, click 'share link', and just text it to people or copy the link and put it on your facebook page to get the word out.
And here is the deal-I am MORE THAN HAPPY to help us-but our kids need more than that. They will marry other people-wouldn’t you want to know that their parents had put some of these principles in place with their kids? Our kids will one day have college roommates, have co-workers, have neighbors-wouldn’t it be great if their parents, who are raising these kids right now, could hear some of this material and be praying for their own kids, sharing the gospel message with their kids, explaining to their kids that it is ok to be different-that we are set apart, we are the Lords special people-as well as all the other topics I have taught on this semester? So the number one way you can help me is to get the word out.
2. Next, subscribe to the show, and leave it a 5-start review. As people type in different searches, they will see 5 start ratings and hundreds of subscribers and glowing comments and think, “Ok, I guess I will give this a listen.” Only you can do this. I am only one person, but you can place this podcast on the map by subscribing, leaving a 5-star review. Please take a few minutes to do that right now. You can even pause me here and do this.
Here are step-by-step instructions on leaving a rating or review in Apple Podcasts from your phone or iPad.
1. Open the Podcast app
2. Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (i.e., “your Discipleship Coach) into the search field
3. Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes)
4. Scroll down past the first few episodes until you see Ratings & Reviews
5. Click “Write a Review” underneath reviews from other listeners. You’ll then have the option to rate this podcast on a 5-star scale, (you can rate without writing if you’d prefer).
I have some big dreams for this podcast, future topics, and products we may produce, but I can’t do it alone. I need you.
Today, I am commenting on a number of different topics that were items I wanted to cover this season at some point but each of them were not a large enough topic to have a dedicated entire podcast. I am putting them all together here today!
So this week Your Discipleship Coach Kids edition tips are…Prayer, Repetition, and Encouragement to you the parent!!!
I started this season, on episode one, talking about praying for your kids out loud each day. I talked at length about why do to this on multiple levels. I wanted to share a few more of the things I pray for my sons and you can use them as well to pray for your kids if you’d like.
I regularly pray for my son’s future spouse, in front of them. “Oh Lord, I pray that you would bring a godly wife into Josh’s life. That she would be a god-fearing woman who loves you with her whole heart.”
I pray for my kid’s friends in front of them, “Oh Lord, would bring Godly men and women into Josh and Jake’s lives to always point them to you. I pray that their friends would be goldy influences on them and that they would be godly influences on others.
I pray for their future careers, “Oh Lord, I pray Josh and Jake would know their calling in life early and be able to have focus in their lives. I pray you put them in situations where they can expand and grow the God-given gifts and talents you have placed in them and that they would have divine appointments and open doors to great careers where they can provide for their families and have a significant influence for you. I pray that they would walk closely with you to be able to walk into the good works you prepared in advance for them to walk in. I pray that everything they do would prosper and succeed for their benefit and for your glory.
I even pray for their future children-Deuteronomy 5:10 says, “That God lavishes his love on those who love him and obey his commands even for a thousand generations” So I pray, “Oh Lord, I pray Josh and Jake would walk with you, love you with their whole heart and obey your commands so that my grandchildren and their children and grandchildren could be lavished with your love and blessings.
So keep praying for your kids. Out loud each day. Ask God to give you wisdom and insight as to what to pray, and feel free to use what I say as a guide in the meantime.
Next I want to move to repetition. Repetition is a good thing. You are explaining things to your kids monthly, yearly, in an ongoing way. For example-I pray regularly for my sons to live long lives and to lay up much treasure in Heaven for God’s glory. And if you happened to listen to the podcast I dedicated to praying over your kids daily and out loud you will recall I do this when I am waking my children up each day. So I am not going to pray this over them only once as they may not have been awake!
Or if they were, they were thinking about what they were going to have for breakfast or a quiz that was coming up on that day or track try-outs.
So, it is OK to have things you are regularly praying for your children over and over and over. When my sons were in preschool, I was praying for them to be protected and to come home safe to their pillows. When my sons were in elementary, I prayed the same thing daily. Now that they are in junior high-the same thing. What do you think I will be praying for them in high school and college-that each night-they would lay their head on their pillows in safety, abundant health, and peace.
My boys will remember that they had a mom (and a dad) praying over them, covering them with prayers. They will remember their mom prayed that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit, covered with the blood of Christ, and delivered home safely each night.
So please embrace repetition-it is ok. And not just with our prayers-with our teachings as well. I am teaching my sons how to have an eternal perspective at each age and each stage. They may not be fully grasping it now, but over time it will sink in.
For example, two weeks ago I drove my boys to see my dad in East Texas. We passed by a cemetery. I said boys-do you see that cemetery? All those people had one shot on each! One shot to live for God and to walk into the good works he had prepared in advance for them to do. One shot to live for Christ and further the Great Commission. Their turn is over-we still have ours. You have one shot to be God’s man in this generation, one shot to live a life of shining your light for Christ.
Now I have taught them to have an eternal perspective for years, but why not double click on that when I can? I promise you, passing by that cemetery won’t be the last time I remind them that an eternal perspective is better than a temporal one.
Finally, an encouragement to mom’s and dad’s listening.
Never forget that our children are our main disciples. The Bible puts their spiritual development in our hands. Don’t leave this up to someone at the church. Don’t think they will just pick up stuff along the way. It does not have to be fancy. You could simply teach them what you are reading in the Bible. When my boys wake up early, they come upstairs and see my sitting at my desk reading my Bible-I do this before they wake up.
Josh, my 14-year-old came upstairs and I said, “Josh, I was just reading in Deuteronomy about how blessed the Israelite people were in Duet chapter 2:7.” And that is what I hope for you my son! That God would be with you and bless you!
Taking ownership of your child’s spiritual development does not have to be scary, or complicated. You can do it!
Just put the basics in place.
1. Pray for your kids each day out loud what you would hope someone would pray for you.
2. Read the Bible and teach your children and grandchildren what you are reading.
3. Plug into a great church with a solid biblical children’s ministry. Volunteer in the kid’s ministry so you can know what is being taught and can either learn yourself or remind and reteach the items during the week in your children’s lives.
4. Go to a Christian bookstore or look for online Christian resources and buy them and read them and read them to your kids.
You can do this. Don’t be intimated by not having enough time, not knowing enough. You have God on your side, leading and directing you. You can do this and I am always here to help!
Ok, so there you have it-Keep praying for your kids outloud, Keep teaching them the same basic concepts and keep praying the same prayers-its is OK to repeat. And finally-you can do this-it does not have to be fancy, use car time, breakfast time, waking up in the morning to point your kids to the Lord.
Just a reminder-Please make sure you have subscribed to this podcast so that you do not miss any upcoming episodes. Also, if you have enjoyed these episodes, please leave me a 5-star rating and heartfelt review. And finally, please point people to this podcast by sharing on your social media sites and actually texting the show to your friends and family. Encourage them to listen to this entire season 3 starting with episode one. They can always be able to go to my website and hear all past episodes, or listen on Apple podcast and Spotify.
If you have been particularly touched by an episode, please let me know by navigating to my website LoriJoinerMinistries.org and clicking the “contact Lori” tab and dropping me a note!
Let me pray!