TOPIC: Parents As Good Shepherds (1)
MEMORY VERSE
Proverbs 27:23 – “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.”
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE
Parents with the Shepherd’s heart are willing to lay down their lives for their
PROPHETIC WORD
The God of Israel will make you a dependable shepherd to your children, in the name of Jesus.
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Take praise and worship songs as led by the Holy Spirit.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zech 9-11; Revelation 1; Psalm 140:1-5
FIRE SCRIPTURE
2 Peter 1:5-10
MFM Daily Devotional – 9th December 2022 OUTLINE
Parents are expected to live and act as good shepherds to their children. They are to be committed to the physical and spiritual well-being of their children. It is their responsibility to raise them in line with God’s standards, spend quality time with them, find those who stray and bring them back to the flock as well as guide and protect them. Dear parent, are you fulfilling your responsibility to raise your children in discipline and admonition of God as enshrined in Ephesians 6:4?
Nowadays, children are faced with an onslaught of satanic agenda and propaganda as well as with their own imperfect inclinations (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 John 2:16). Five things are vital for you to shepherd your children – know them, feed them, guide them, protect them, and defend them. Let us look at each of these one after the other.
As a parent, being a good shepherd to your children requires that you make yourself available and approachable to them. You should spend quality time with them and patiently listen to them (James 1:19). Good shepherds who desire to please God in parenting will create time for this, no matter how busy they may be. By so doing, you will fulfil the Bible’s demand in Proverbs 27: 23, “Know well the appearance of your flock.” Also, by so doing, you will ascertain who is healthy (physically and spiritually) and who is not and give the appropriate help.
Also, as a parent, you shepherd your children by feeding them physically and spiritually. Sometimes, a sheep strays from the flock when it is attracted by green grass. In a similar way, a child could drift away on a spiritually dangerous path, being tempted by harmful association or degrading entertainment (Proverbs 13:20). It is your responsibility, as a parent, to prevent such a situation from developing. You must identify your children’s weak spots and correct them.
Also, identify and help them to strengthen their Christian qualities or values (2 Peter 1:5-8). The regular period for family worship is an excellent time to do that. Ensure that all your children participate in and contribute to the family worship. Feeding your children spiritual, particularly by means of family worship, is a primary way that you can be a good shepherd.
MFM Daily Devotional – 9th December 2022 PRAYER POINTS
MORNING
1. Father, make me a good shepherd to my children, in the name of Jesus.
2. Father, make me an exemplary parent, in the name of Jesus.
3. O God, help me to see anything lacking in my parenting and to correct it, in the name of Jesus.
EVENING
4. Satanic wolves will not devour my children, in the name of Jesus.
5. Father, help me to raise spiritually healthy children, in the name of Jesus.
6. Father, make me a shepherd who is always spiritually awake, in the name of Jesus.
7. My Father, watch over my entire family, in the name of Jesus.
READ: Our Daily Bread – 9th December 2022 ODB Devotional for Friday
MFM Daily Devotional – 9th December 2022 Mountain Top Life ©2022 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries Worldwide).
