THE CHILDREN
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this
little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall
receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones
which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about
his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:4-6).
Current events are opening everyone’s eyes to human
trafficking. Just think, children who were taken when they were babies or three
or four years old never even got to find out what a real family is. Their lives
were taken over by deprivation, torture, and slavery. Rescue teams are saving
hundreds and thousands of children who have been so brutally oppressed by these
depraved human beings.
The children are being rescued, but some have grown up
underground, and they can only handle the increased oxygen in the air above
ground with the help from ventilators and other such machines. And their minds
and hearts will need tremendous healing. They need our daily prayers. Also, we
need to pray that God will work in people who are in the medical fields, that
they will be inspired to get the specialized training to help with the recovery
process of these shattered souls.
If you have children yourself, I know you pray for them
daily, probably at least twice a day. Keep it up!
A while back, I
rented the movie “Wonder Woman” and had to turn it off after the first few
minutes of mythology. The premise was that every child is born good. But
according to the Bible, that’s not true.
When Jesus was
born onto the earth, it was only the second time in history that a baby was
born without sin. If even one other child was born without sin, the Bible
wouldn’t have said in Luke 2:10-11, “I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to ALL people. For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
It’s not a
pleasant fact nor thrilling to know that when you look at that beautiful,
precious baby, sin is a very present reality that will manifest in time. For years
and years, I didn’t realize the bigger significance of a baby dedication. I’ve
done a few, and they’ve surprised me.
In the dedication I did for one of my best
friend’s three-year-old child, God had me write down a prophecy He wanted spoken
over the boy. I thought it was odd until the boy started fussing when the
prophecy began. His parents couldn’t calm him. But I had the prophecy written
in front of me and I read it louder and louder over the squealing and
squawking. Had I not obeyed the command to write the prophecy down, I could
have been distracted, and God’s words over him might not have been delivered
accurately.
I used to think, “Why baptize or dedicate a child?
They aren’t able to understand.” But now I see that most children are going to
be faced with difficult adult choices at a very young age before they are
equipped with the proper godly weapons and tools to deal with those problems.
I talked to a woman who told me about an incident
that happened to her at age four. Her parents went off to do something, and
they took her to the babysitter. The babysitter had her boyfriend over, and the
young girl was terrified. At that moment, she perceived that nobody was going
to take care of her. She determined, at age four, to take charge of her own
destiny and fight for her survival. How many of us have a similar story or know
someone who has?
Children are faced with situations they don’t have
the mental or emotional maturity to handle. If they are taught about Jesus at a
young age, they could do better, but without Jesus, it’s like bringing an
electrician’s tools to a painting job.
A baby dedication with a God-given prophecy over
the child is a form of protection for a child who has no idea of the
circumstances he or she will face. In those early childhood incidents, life
choices are made that influence similar circumstances as age and experience
naturally increase.
As churches change and fewer people go to a
physical building to hear Bible teachings, let’s not forget about the benefits
of some of the old Biblical traditions.
Your baby is born with sin in the blood. Protect
the little one with a dedication by a trusted spiritual brother or sister. Or
do it yourself. Get a book about it, as a guide, not a rule. Then ask the Lord
to lead you.
You’ll be so surprised and blessed by what the
Lord will show you.
Jesus loves children. His blessing on them is
still an important aspect of Christian family life. Don’t block your children
from the touch of Jesus. It would be doing them a great disservice.
Mark 10:13-16 is God’s Word on this vital aspect
of life:
“They brought young children to him [Jesus], that
he should touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased,
and said unto them, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall
not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.’
“And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon
them, and blessed them.”
It’s never too late. Start now. Even if your
children are older and you tell them you want to pray over them because the
Bible says to do it, they’ll either think you’re nuts, or they’ll be curious
and say okay.
Jesus was born a perfect child, without sin. We
are not. Jesus said, let me touch the little ones. Let’s allow Jesus to touch
our little ones as well, with the love of God in our touch. Dedicate them
early; hear the words of prophecy over them, and begin early to teach them
God’s ways to answer and conquer life’s difficulties.
And let’s
continue to pray for the parents, siblings, and friends of those children who
have been taken.
Love, Carolyn
(the painting above is a reproduction painting I
did for a Catholic church here in Las Vegas in 2005)
Important books
and booklets showing how Bible principles apply to everyday life.
