Are you Believing God or the Doctor?
The day my daughter was born should have been one of the most joyful moments in my life. However, this moment of joy was clouded with fear and shame. The story I am about to share with you has been something only myself, my husband and a few other people know about. But I feel led to share this story because it is a real life example of how the devil is after our children. And he not only wants to steal from them, but he desires to destroy their purpose and prevent them from receiving salvation and kill them completely.
My daughter was born just after midnight. And I want to say it was around 8am that there were three specialists in my hospital room telling me that my daughter’s blood test came back positive for HIV. With my husband sitting next to me, I began to cry. I told them this couldn’t be true but one of the doctors claimed to be an Infectious Disease doctor for over 30 years and has never seen a blood test come back incorrect. I was told that I must stop breast feeding & that my daughter must be put on HIV medication immediately if I wanted to save her life. At first I refused to stop breast feeding my only daughter & I told them I would not allow her to take any medication. I was told I was making a poor decision and I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the hospital without agreeing to giving her the medication.
My mind was filled with confusion and my heart was filled with shame. The doctors made me feel like my husband had cheated on me or that I was some kind of intravenous drug user. And every nurse and doctor that came in my room looked at me like I was a piece of trash who didn’t deserve to have this newborn baby girl. That night my husband went home to sleep, I didn’t mind because I just wanted to be alone. I needed to get my thoughts together and bring this to the Lord. As soon as my husband left I called my sister and told her what was going on. Her words gave me the strength I needed to fight in the spirit. I knew this was not a battle of flesh and blood, but this was a spiritual battle for my daughter’s soul.
So after I hung up with my sister, I cried out to my Savior. And I began to pray and declare God’s word over my daughter. I began to speak life over her. I began to speak the Truth over her. And as I did I started to believe it. And I felt the weight of deception lift off of me. That spirit of premature death left my room and left my daughter. I refused to come in agreement with this lie from the enemy that my daughter had this disease. I breast fed my daughter when no one was looking and she took one dose of the medication which caused her face to turn bright red with spots. But on the 5th day my medical record came through from my previous doctor and it proved that I did not have HIV and we were allowed to leave the hospital with the condition that I would continue to give my daughter the medication and follow up with treatment.
And when we followed up with our doctors a few days later, the results of both of our blood tests came back negative for HIV. But this birthday of my precious baby girl, this unexpected & painful ordeal was a testament to God’s goodness and mercy. It proved that what the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good. It proved that we as mothers have been given all authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the devil. And nothing shall by any means harm us or our children. This is the authority has been given to us by Jesus. And He is the one who delivered us from the evil one. No diagnosis, no doctor, no deception or weapon formed against you or your family will prosper in Jesus name.
So with that story, I have to share with you the four points God gave to me about parenting as a Christian mother. We are not of this world, we don’t raise our kids the way the world does. We raise our kids according to God’s word.
Don’t be a passive parent
Pay attention to what your child watches & listens to. Set boundaries and stick to them. Put your foot down. Remind them of their role as child and your role as parent. You are not a friend and you are not a foe. Your job is to discipline and correct their behavior when needed. Your job is to provide structure and stability. Your job as a Christian mother is to keep them on the narrow path.
For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. - Proverbs 3:12
Teach your children to guard their heart
The enemy wants to steal the identity of your children. His agenda is to get into their minds so he can lie to them. And if he can lie to them, He can make them believe they are unworthy of purpose, they are not called to the kingdom, that their life doesn’t matter, and that no one would miss them if they are gone. The devil does not stop at stealing the identity of your children, but he wishes to destroy the will of God for their lives and eventually kill them. Depression, anxiety and suicide are too common in young people. And as a Christian mother, your job is to teach them to guard their heart.
Guard your heart above all else, because everything you do flows from it. - Proverbs 4:23.
Train them up in the way they should go
Training up a child requires leading by example. A child pays attention to what you are doing more than what you are saying. If you want your child to read their bible consistently, you must demonstrate reading your bible consistently. If you want your child to have manners & not use foul language, you should use manners and not use foul language. Your child needs you to be their leader, so they know what to follow.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6
Love your children unconditionally
Loving your children unconditionally means to show grace, when they don’t deserve it. It means to be respectful in the way you treat them. It means to be kind even when you don’t feel like it. Loving your children unconditionally means that they can come to you for the truth and with the truth and know that you will never reject them. That no matter what the situation is, you will always accept them. If you don’t love your child with an unconditional love, they will go searching for love in the world, and what they will find is lust. They will find pain, hurt, trauma, disrespect, deception, they will find a counterfeit love that will end up destroying their self worth. Loving unconditionally will not be easy. It will take practice. But if you surrender this area to the Lord, He will be your guide. And His grace will be upon you to love your child unconditionally.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. - 1 John 4:16
John 10:10- The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
We all need a little encouragement sometimes. I have a few resources available to help you in your faith journey. And if you're ready to grow deeper in your relationship with God & take the step in mentorship, the women at Esther Co are ready to serve you!
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