Help the Next Gen Win (Bob Merritt)

Questions

• Pray and invite God into this time with Him.

• Do you have kids (or pets) that don’t listen to you or just want to do their own thing? 

• Read Proverbs 22:15. 

• When you were a kid, did you ever feel that way towards your parents? You were sick of being told what to do and just wanted to do your own thing? 

• Read Proverbs 10:1.

• When you were a kid, who was your greatest influence? Was it your parents? As the greatest influence for your children, what are you doing to help them grow into good humans? 

• Kids follow what they see. Are you living in the way that you want your kids to live? 

• Read Proverbs 20:7. 

• What are you modeling for your kids in the areas of faith, honesty, sexual morality, spending, and anger? What’s your attitude toward work? How is alcohol handled? 

• Read Deuteronomy 6:5-6.

• If you don’t follow these things that God wants us to do, do you think your kids will follow them either? 

• When you were a kid, did you ever wonder if you mattered to anyone? If anyone cared about you? Do your kids know they matter to you? Do you tell them regularly that they matter to you, that you love them, that God loves them? 

• Read Ephesians 2:10. 

• Do you believe that you are God’s masterpiece? If you don’t believe that about yourself, how can you believe that about your kids? 

• If you don’t have kids, these principles still apply to you. How can you live a life close to God if you’re doing things that go against His wishes for us?

Spiritual Practice

Reflection: Take a deep breath and reflect on the questions you just answered. Think about your children, or if you don’t have children think about how you felt as a child. Think about the type of people you want your kids to be, or the type of person you want to be yourself. Think about the ways you can start living differently to positively influence your kids and the next generation. Make a relationship with God a priority for you, and hopefully your kids will follow you. 

Prayer: Spend time in prayer with God. Thank Him for the blessing of your children. If you don’t have kids, thank Him for helping you grow into the human being that you are. Ask Him to help you live your life in a way that would positively impact your children and the next generation in general. Thank Him for creating you in His image and making you exactly the way He wants you to be.