AGE GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT...

AGE GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT...

Hello Friends, 

I hope your last month and a bit has been going beautifully. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather and longer days. Well, beautiful weather unless you are in Alberta! I am really trying not to complain too much about extended winters we are graced with in this side of Canada. My man so wisely puts it, "How can you love Alberta and Hate winter?" I would like to believe that I have moved closer to being content with winters on the Hate to Love spectrum of this season. Give me 9 more years, I will be much closer to liking it :) 

I was thinking a lot about how one preacher said: "Kids do not receive a Junior Holy Spirit!" This statement not only was very biblical but also very intriguing. The reason I say this is because the culture I come from and I am sure most eastern cultures put so much emphasis on the respecting elders that it heavily invades spiritual things as well.  Don't misunderstand, we are for sure called to honour and respect others including elders. But track with me on this train of thought.

Let me explain. Let us say a super young person has a revelation of Jesus Christ, encounters the Holy Spirit in a massive way, and continues to grow and walk in faith with the Lord. Then there is an older person who has similar experiences. Sadly, some congregations would automatically disregard the young person solely because of his/her age group. I don't think that is how the Lord would have it!

We have so many examples, in the Bible, of how the Lord used young people in major ways.  To list a few:

1) David: David, before he was ever King David, was a young kid that shepherded his father's flock. He was also the same kid that killed Goliath!

2) Jeremiah: The same prophet that wrote the famous Jeremiah 29:11, was so young when he was called into Ministry! 

3) Daniel and the 3 Hebrew Boys: These 4 Jewish youngsters stood firm for their faith. They were young and yet the Lord used them mightly. 

4) Joseph: Joseph was only 13 when his brothers sold him into slavery. At that age, he had already seen dreams and visions from the Lord! He had also already occupied various leadership positions by the time he became 30!

5) Timothy: Timothy was called to lead a people. Apostle Paul proclaimed him to be one of a kind! Moreover, Paul warned Timothy to not shrink back because of peoples' attitude towards him, specifically because he was young!  

6) Stephen: The Bible speaks so highly of the young Stephen. In acts, before he was stoned to death, Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit he boldly proclaimed Jesus as Lord. 

I am sure there are many more prominent examples of young biblical heroes. I bring all of this up to encourage youth leaders/pastors, parents, or even anyone who has young people around them to remember that the young kids also have a full-sized HOLY SPIRIT! That these young people are able to do so much for the kingdom as led an empowered by the HIM! 

I would encourage you to not limit the depth of your child's understanding of his/her faith because of the age group he/she is in. In fact, if you see your young one being curious about things of the Bible provide opportunities for them to learn. One testimony Jen Johnson, from Bethel Church, shared about how her then super young daughter received a word of knowledge and prayed for a lady at a grocery store has stricken a cord in my heart! It encourages me and challenges me so so much!

Please don't misunderstand! I am not saying there isn't wisdom that comes through lived experience.  I am however saying, the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is the same one that can be in a younger or older Christian. Don't underestimate a Child's faith fueled by the Holy Spirit!

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

Stay Blessed<3