Deuteronomy 32:46,
“These are not just idle words, [The Bible].  They are your life…”

Rey Cooke, Mom of 4 adult girls. Her topic: Talking about Controversial Issues with your Kids

It’s not comfortable.

No one really wants to talk about it.

But as Moms, raising children in 2016, we MUST talk to our kids about issues such as:

• pre-marital sex
• homosexual/transgender issues
• clothing choices
• not wanting anything to do with a parent’s faith

We need to be proactive – not reactive.  We need to have personal convictions, based upon the Truth of God’s Word.  We need to establish open dialog with our children.  We must begin talking to them early.

Why?

Because we cannot put our kids in an airtight container and shelter them.

The television and movie industry, (even Disney), and the media have taken the liberty of pushing it’s agenda on our children.  Therefore, we must respond by giving our children Truth.

Absolute Truth

We must teach our children that the Bible is God’s absolute Truth.  He is our ultimate authority.  His Word is to be our moral compass.  (Despite the culture we live in has NO moral compass.)  The Bible is to be our handbook for living.  By obeying it,  blessings come.  (Deut. 32:47)

Not only that, but our kids need to see us living the Truths found in God’s word.  Therefore, we must stand firm in our convictions despite the culture around us.  This goes for pre-marital sex.  This goes for being people of integrity even when lying would be easier.  (Example:  going out to dinner and lying about your child’s age in order to get the Kid’s Meal price.  This shows our kids that it’s okay lie.)

Homosexual Agenda

I love the way Rey put it: the modern church has fallen into a ditch by embracing one of two stances on this issue: pounding Truth without love OR loving WITHOUT sharing Truth.

Jesus had dinner with known “sinners”, prostitutes, and drunkards.  Jesus was filled with mercy and love, but He ALWAYS shared truth.  For example – the woman caught in adultery.  He stood by her when all the religious people wanted to stone her.  After they walked away, Jesus stood with her.   But before leaving, He told her very clearly, “Go and sin no more.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Rey emphasized that Scripture indicates that homosexual behavior is no different in God’s eyes than being greedy or being a drunk or a swindler.

So when Rey’s daughter walked in two girls from youth group making out at one of the girl’s houses, (Yes.  I said making out)  Rey shared absolute Truth with her daughter…    That homosexual behavior is sin in God’s eyes.  (Romans 1:26-32, Leviticus 19:22)   As any shocked mother could easily do, she told her daughter not to hang out with those girls anymore.

However in hindsight,  she wished she would have told her daughter they could be friends, but she would have to gently confront the unrighteous behavior with Truth.  (I love how open and honest all of our speakers were.)

Today’s Clothing Choices

We also talked about clothing choices girls are making today.  Rey shared that what some girls wear today, are what hookers wore in the 1950’s.   She encouraged us to teach our children to dress modestly.  However, we must realize that modesty starts with what their moms wear…

When your child rejects God

It’s painful to watch our children reject Jesus, but Rey shared that sometimes kids have to go through hard things in order to find God for themselves.  Our goal is for our children to have a relationship with God on their own.  For their faith to be their own.  We must love our children through these hard seasons.  We must pray and fast.  We should ask other women, whom we know are connecting to Jesus, to pray along with us.

Our prodigal kids or teenagers need to see the love of Christ – like the prodigal child experienced the love of his father.

When someone asked if she should FORCE her teenage boy to attend a Bible study he didn’t want to attend – even resented his mother for making him go.  The advice was given to NOT force him to go.   To re-think that decision with the boy’s father.  However, church should be a non-negotiable.

Click HERE to download speaker notes

Save the Date for our next Forum – Saturday, October 8th
Marriage Forum
Details to be released soon