It's good to be back together again after our
little ones are off to Kids Church. We're hoping
that they'll have a wonderful time as well in
Tiny Town. and in all the classes they have prepared
for them. Once again, my name is Keisha Wellington,
and it is such a pleasure, such a joy, to be
able to stand here this morning to bring the
Word of God and to share the Word of God with
you. But before we get into the Word, as a representative
of the state office here in Pennsylvania, one
of our initiatives in our girls' ministry department,
as we go to different churches and we worship
with them, we love to celebrate what God is doing
in and through the youth of your church. church.
So this morning we want to say a big thank you
to Pastor Alyssa. If you will just join me by
putting your hands together. Let's celebrate.
We celebrate her and all that God is doing in
her and through her as she pours into the youth
of this church here at LifeHouse. Now, it is
also our joy to celebrate one of your young ladies
here with you this morning. I asked Pastor Alyssa
and her team to help us identify one of the young
ladies in our youth ministry, and we want to
celebrate Little Miss Chloe Krieger. Now just
in case you don't know who Chloe is she's 10
years old. She's very sweet and respectful and
she does have a heart to serve. She helps her
four younger siblings and volunteers in Tiny
Town right here. Pastor Alyssa shared that she's
also a very active listener, and she also provides
great feedback whenever they participate together
in class. So I want to invite Chloe to come on
down because I have a special little treat for
you. We want to celebrate you, Chloe. We want
to say thank God for all that you're doing. We
love you. We appreciate you and keep on shining
bright for Jesus. Amen. Let's celebrate Chloe
once again. Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's
Day to all of our mothers in the room this morning.
As Pastor Dixie shared earlier, sometimes it's
not always the most joyous day for some. Because
we have those who have lost their mothers or
gone on to glory. And with that, we want to cherish
and we want to honor all of our mothers who are
no longer with us. To all of our grieving mothers
and our mothers in waiting. And I didn't know
I was going to cry, but here I am. We want to
let you know that God sees you and he loves you.
And we're praying for you. Today, I'm honored
to bring God's word and to encourage everyone
here today that as mothers, we have an assignment.
And this assignment is to pass on our faith from
one generation to the next with strength, authority,
and guidance that God provides. Now, we all love
our children. And I'm yet to meet a mother who
doesn't want the best for their children. Amen?
And so our responsibility is to remind our sons
and our daughters that they have purpose and
that the promises of God are still available
to them. The Bible says that they are like arrows
in our hands, right? And it is our God -given
assignment to point them in the right direction.
So very briefly, I want to share with you on
the topic today. Pass it on. Prior to leaving
Illinois, but when we transitioned here to Pennsylvania,
I took about a month. And I went to social media
to take some time to just reflect on all that
God did over the past eight years at our local
church while serving our state as youth director
with my husband. So on Facebook, I would just
post pictures of like when our children were
first born, when we first brought them to church.
We would have pictures of little children who
are now teenagers that grew up in our ministry.
We would post pictures and videos of times like
when Desmond got dumped with a whole bunch of
water for losing at VBS. That was really fun.
And there are so many memories. And every picture
came with a tagline, remember when. But nothing
beat that. Nothing was better than that until
the Sunday morning, our last Sunday at our local
church. And our pastor's wife brought us a box.
And inside that box, it was filled with endless
pictures. cards, notes from our parents, the
parents of our kids in the ministry, all saying
thank you for the time that we had together.
And on top of the box, it was labeled, remember
when. And as a result of that, I know for sure
that is a treasure that I will forever cherish.
Now, when we think of treasures, we think of
things that have value, things that have worth,
things that we want to protect. But what does
the Bible say about treasures? In Matthew chapter
6, 19 through 21, it says, do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth where moth and
vermin destroy and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven where moth and vermin do not destroy
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also. So when we think of our children,
what are our true treasures? And in the Bible,
Psalms 127, 3 through 5, and we're going to see
that on the screen right now. It says, don't
you see that children are God's best gift? The
fruit of the womb, his generous legacy. Oh, how
blessed you are, parents, with your quivers full
of children. So our true treasures here on earth
are not the things that we receive and the accolades
and the celebrations. No, it is truly the gems
that God has blessed us with to love and to raise.
So the question is this, what's going to outlive
all of our treasures here on earth? Our traditions,
our legacy, our family name, our financial securities,
all that we put in place to bless our children
and to help them to be successful. What's going
to outlive all of that? It's the word of God
and our faith in him. Matthew 24, 35 says, heaven
and earth will disappear. It will pass away,
but my word will last forever. Speaking of remember
when, I don't know how many of you grew up in
like what we call the old school church, but
I did. And when I think of a church mother, I
think of those ladies who usually sit on the
front row. Does anyone know what I'm talking
about? And they have the white, beautiful hats.
The white attire from head to toe, white stockings,
white gloves, white fan, the whole enchilada,
right? But one of the things I loved about these
church mothers is they always had like something
in their purse for you, whether it's a napkin.
or a peppermint, whatever you may need. But more
importantly, they always had a word of encouragement
in their mouths. These were the mothers that
would come down to the altars with you, and they
would pray you through whatever situation you
were going through. Not only that, but the moment
you walk into church, they could kind of look
at you and have that spirit of discernment. And
tell whether you've been living right or not.
So we always want to make sure before we come
in, we're like, okay, God, forgive us of everything
we've done because mother so -and -so is going
to tell us. She's going to call us. She's going
to read out our mail, right? So as I look around
today, I ask the Lord the same thing. God, where
are those church mothers? Where are those women
who would go to battle for you? Where are those
women who will stay right there at the altar?
They would weep. They would cry. They would pour
out their all for you. And then the Lord kind
of reminds me. me that you're the church mother
now, right? We're growing. We are growing in
the Lord. Our children are growing up. We have
a responsibility now to pass on the same passion,
to see our children grow in the faith and the
knowledge of who Jesus Christ is. So with that
in mind, here's what I want to bring to you today.
Three main points. What do we do with this responsibility?
Our first point is this. First, we want to pass
on our faith. Through our presence. Being present
in the lives of our children is one of the most
impactful and powerful ways we can show them
that we love them. And we can guide them in knowing
who they are and whose they are. Our presence
at times speaks more volume than actual words
of love and encouragement, right? It's more than
just sitting next to them or just being there.
But it's actually being there emotionally as
well as physically. I love the story in the Bible
about Naomi. And some of you may know the story.
Naomi, she got married to a man named Elimelech
and they settled in the land of Moab. And while
there, she had two sons. Those two sons got married.
And so she had two daughters -in -law, Oprah
and Ruth. And what happened was there was a famine
in the land. And 10 years after marriage, she
lost both of her sons. She lost her husband and
she lost her two sons. So all she had left. were
her two daughters -in -law. So it came to a point
where she decided to go back to Judah, her hometown,
so that she'd be able to provide for herself.
And she said to her daughters -in -law, you know,
I don't have any more sons for you to marry,
so you might as well go on and live your life
and go find new life, go back to your families.
And Orpah thought about it. She kissed her mother
-in -law and she said goodbye. But Ruth was adamant.
She said, I'm not leaving you. I'm going to stay
with you. Here's what the Bible says in Ruth
chapter 3 verses 6, excuse me, Ruth chapter 1,
16 to 17. It says, don't force me to leave you.
This is Ruth talking to her mother -in -law,
Naomi. Don't make me go home. Where you go, I
go. Where you live, I live. Your people will
be my people and your God is my God. Where you
die, I'll die, and that is where I'll be buried.
So help me, God, not even death itself is going
to come between us. Now you have to pause and
think, what kind of impact did Naomi have on
Ruth for her to have this adamant plea about
not leaving her mother -in -law? So it tells
us a lot that presence does matter, right? It
matters being with your children, your daughters,
your daughters -in -law. It doesn't matter. The
presence of a mother is very, very impactful
in the life of their children. I love the way
how Naomi says, listen, I'm not going to go back.
I'm going to give up my family, their lowercase
gods, their lifestyle, and I'm going to pursue
the true and living God with my mother -in -law.
Naomi and that's exactly what she did but before
we can truly impact our children we also have
to immerse ourselves in the presence of God the
strength The strength of your personal relationship
with God daily is very, very true because we've
heard this so many times. Children live what
they learn and they learn what they live. So
what a difference it will make when we take the
time to make sure we're standing right before
God, we're living right before God. And in turn,
that will impact our children as well. Now, as
the youngest of 12 siblings, same mom, same dad,
we grew up together in a home where when I was
five years old, my mom passed away. So my dad,
he was a pastor, he was a farmer, and he was
a very skilled mason. So he built a lot of things
and homes with his hands. And one of the things
I fondly remember, it would be on Sunday mornings
after dad worked from Monday through Saturdays,
before we went off to church on Sundays, every
morning we would hear this little hymn coming
out of his room. And he would sing hymns. Those
songs like, it's so sweet to trust in Jesus.
And that was our cue to wake up. Just to take
him at his word. You better hurry up before he's
done. Just to rest upon his promise. Everybody
come let's meet in the living room. Just to know
the step of the Lord. Every Sunday morning. And
we would gather as a family. We would have worship
time. With us kids, someone had to pray. Someone
had to read the scripture. Someone had to share
what the scripture meant. And it's just interesting
to me that. Even though my dad, he didn't have
much. And even in his passing, he didn't leave
us much of an earthly legacy. But he died the
richest man in the world. Why? Because he left
us a godly heritage that we passed on to our
children. And in the future, our prayer is that
it will go on to our children's children. I'm
grateful for my husband, Desmond, and I. These
are the things that have forever been imprinted
in our hearts. Where even now, we aim to have
Bible study with... our little children. We have
a three -year -old Gianna, and we have a six
-year -old Declan, and we make it a point to
take time to say, God, we thank you for these
things today. We make it a point to pray and
to have a devotional every day before we go to
bed. Now, why is that important? It's important
because it is God's will for us to pass on our
faith to our children. We can't just say it,
but we actually have to do it in practice. Now,
it's going to look different for everyone. no
doubt. But as long as we take that step forward
to say, you know what? My faith won't die with
me. I want to see my children and my children's
children grow in the faith and in the knowledge
of who Jesus is and all that he's done for us.
Amen? I love the verse that takes us back to,
that says, what does it profit a man to gain
the whole world and lose his soul? We don't ever
want to be the believers that we do everything
else for our children. We set them up. We prepare
them for the future. They're involved in sports.
They're involved in all these great things. But
at the end of the day, every one of us, we have
to stand before the Lord. And it would be my
greatest joy to know that I've left that legacy
with my children as they're growing. So I'm thankful
for my dad and all that he did for us as we were
growing up. We've also heard it said, hey, do
what I say and not what I do, right? Or because
I said so, I've been guilty of that too. I've
done that a lot. But just in case you don't know
this, this generation of children, they don't
fall for that. They don't. They watch you very
closely and they will call, am I right about
it? They will call you out when you say something,
but you're doing something else. They'll say,
hey mom, but you said this, but here you are
doing this. So we have to be very mindful of
what we do and not just what we say. With all
the influences and the influencers that our children
now have at the tip of their fingers and in the
palm of their hands, our presence as moms matter
more than you will ever know. Who's the loudest
voice in your child's life? Something to think
about. Who has the most impact and the most influence
in your children's life? So the question is,
where do I start? Our goal is to definitely spend
time with our family each and every day. Talk
about the things that are going on. Listen and
learn. Address their concerns and their needs.
Definitely get into the word and pray with your
families. Our children need to know that our
God is good, our God is faithful, and our God
forgives. Because even when we fall down as adults,
when we mess up, we make mistakes, our children
need to see that we serve a God who's redemptive.
He forgives and he restores. So this is a part
of life's journey that we need to show our children
that God is able to heal and strengthen us as
we go through life's journey each and every day.
So not only do we want to pass on our faith through
our presence, but what about our proclamations?
Let's talk about that for a second. As quickly
as we build our children up through meaningful
investments of our time and our presence, we
want to propel them into purposeful living and
a promising future. Guess what? We can easily
chip away at their progress with our proclamations
and the words we say. Not just us, but think
about the people who have a say in their lives.
People who have an impact in the way that they're
living and they're being brought up. What is
being spoken over your children today? Proverbs
18, 21 says, words kill, words give life. They're
either poison or fruit. You choose. Our children
need to know that just because someone says something
about them, it doesn't define who they are. They
need to know that this world will come at them.
But as long as they have an understanding of
and a firm foundation in the word of God, what
he says trumps everything else. Amen. Being present
with our children, especially when they're young
and dependent like our two who are three and
six, is one thing because they hear it every
day. Oh, you're so beautiful. You're so smart.
We love you. You can do hard things. You know,
those words of encouragement. But you may have
adult kids and it's a lot different because they're
not right there with you. Maybe you came to the
faith as a Christian after your kids were grown
or they were living on their own. But there really
is no distance in prayer. And there is power
in the conversations we have with our children
even now. Now, there's a story in the Bible.
It's the story of a centurion. And I'm going
to share this passage with you very quickly.
And here's what it says in Matthew 8, 5 through
10 and 13. It says, when Jesus had entered Capernaum,
a centurion came to him asking him for help.
Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed,
suffering terribly. Jesus said, shall I come
and heal him? The centurion replied, Lord, I
do not deserve to have you come under my roof,
but just say the word and my servant will be
healed. For I myself am a man under authority
with soldiers under me. I tell this one to go
and he goes. I tell this one to come and he comes.
I say to my servant, do this and he does it.
And when Jesus heard this, he was amazed. You
want to know how to amaze Jesus? Let's hear about
it. He said to those who were following him,
truly, I tell you, I have not found anyone in
Israel with such great faith. Then Jesus said
to the centurion, go, let it be done just as
you have believed it would. And his servant was
healed at that moment. Now, after looking at
the passage, we find ourselves as Christians
and as godly parents, we have the same authority
through Jesus Christ over the spiritual well
-being of our children. Our level of faith in
God can be the difference between our family's
success and our family's surrender. Now, what's
interesting about these verses, this passage
about the centurion is in the verses above, it
tells the story of where Jesus touched. a leper,
and he was healed. And the passage or the verses
below tells the story of how Jesus touched Peter's
mother -in -law, and she had a fever, and instantly
she was better, she was up, and she was making
everybody some food, right? But right between
those two passages, we find the story of the
centurion and the servant. No physical contact,
no physical presence. But the faith of the centurion
and the power of Jesus' word is what healed the
servant. We've got to know the power of the word
of God. It can change the course of any situation
in our lives at any given time. And those words
we speak over our children from the womb all
the way through adulthood, it matters. The word
provides protection over their minds, their hearts,
their souls, and it serves as a shield and a
weapon against the attacks of the enemy. The
word of God helps to shape their identity, their
self -esteem, their belief systems. Now, we may
know the word of God, but do our children know
the word of God? Do they know how to speak life
over themselves as well? I've heard it so many
times as you probably have around your house.
I can't do this or I don't know how. And, you
know, you hear it all the time. But something
within me serves me to say, hey, let's change
the way we say that. Say, I don't know yet or
I think I'm going to try. I can do hard things.
This is something we pour into our children daily.
Why? Because our words matter. Our proclamation
makes a difference. Now, we want to be like David
and have our whole family say, like it says in
Psalm 1914, let the words of my mouth. and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in your
sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. So
on the next slide, I have a little QR code there.
And what it is, it has 40 powerful blesses that
we can pray over our children. If you want to,
you can scan that, or we do actually have some
printed copies out in the square. You're free
to pick that up and take that home and start
praying over your children, pass it on to someone
who may need that word of encouragement as well.
But before we do that, I want us to take some
time to proclaim some things over our children
can we take some time to do that here's what
we're going to proclaim each and every day first
of all I proclaim that no weapon formed against
our children shall prosper our children will
be able to stand in the evil days clothed in
the full armor of God I proclaim that God will
provide for every one of their needs according
to his riches and glory. I proclaim peace over
their minds, their bodies, and their spirits.
Our children are blessed. Our children are loved
and favored by God. Our children are validated
and affirmed by God's word, not by man's applause.
Their steps are ordered by God, and whatever
they put their hands to will prosper. Our children
will not miss their calling and purpose in this
life. And our children will not just survive,
they will thrive. So speak that not only over
your children, but your future children as well.
Because the word of God is powerful. It's not
limited to time and space. It transcends every
aspect and area of our life. So speak those words.
Not only that, but let's teach our children to
open up their mouths and say these words. When
they feel sick, they can simply say, by his stripes
I am healed and I am strong in the power of the
Lord. When they feel afraid, remind them to say,
hey, I am covered. by the blood of Jesus, yes?
And his angels will protect me wherever I go.
When the enemy tries to throw confusion at our
children, teach them to say, I know who I am
in Christ Jesus because my identity is found
in him. And finally, when they feel down or when
they have fallen down, remind them that they
are victorious through Jesus. They are what we
call more than a conqueror. They will overcome
because greater is he that is in us than he that's
in this world. So mamas, keep on praying. Keep
on speaking life over your children. Because
we must pass our faith on to the next generation.
Not only with our presence, but with the words
we speak and the words that they speak for themselves.
And then lastly, we want to pass on our faith
through our position. In the book of Daniel,
chapter 3, there were three Hebrew boys who found
themselves in a very tricky situation or position
where they either had to spare their lives by
bowing down to this idol the king had created
at the sound of the music, or they could defy
his wishes and stand but be thrown into a fiery
furnace. Now, one of the things I love about
these boys is that regardless of what the outcome
was, their faith and their reverence for the
true and living God did not falter. They stood
strong. And verse 17 in Daniel chapter 3 says,
if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the
God we serve is able to deliver us from it. And
he will deliver us from your majesty's hand.
Even if he doesn't. How many of you want to raise
some even if he doesn't generation? Amen. Even
if he doesn't, we want you to know, your majesty,
that we will not serve your gods or worship the
images of gold that you have set up. They refuse
to compromise. They were not going to let their
faith falter. And I know their mamas were very
proud of them that day. I know I would have been
if I was their mom. Now, fast forward to 2025.
Here's where we're living now. We are raising
children in a world that has raised several idols,
all in the name of freedom and rights, individuality.
I can do me, you know, and inclusion. The Bible
says that all that is in this world is the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life. And there are those subtle demonic practices
and influences. These new age experiences, they're
really grappling at the heels of our children
every single day. They tried to infiltrate our
homes through our streaming platforms. I mean,
I can't barely turn on the television today without
having to do the mommy filter first at times
and say, okay, you can watch that one now, you
know? It's on our streaming platforms. It's on
our apps. It's in the books that our children
are reading. I'll tell you this real quickly.
My son, he's an avid reader. He's six years old,
and he's reading on what we would say like a
third grade level, and he will devour books after
books after books. And I know that he loves graphic
novels. And for some reason, I decided to get
him The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Don't stone me,
okay? But before I found out that it was not
the best book in the world, and even through
the process, I would peek in every now and again
and say, what are they talking about now? What
are they doing now? But what I've learned is
even those little subtle ways, you have to be
present with your children and you have to have
conversations. I'm not saying the book is all
horrible, but it's definitely not all good. Choice
words sometimes, the way they treat other people
in the novel. We had to sit down and say, all
right, son, now that you're done with the whole
12 books. What did you think about it? And out
of his own mouth, he said. Some were good and
some were bad. And in my spirit, I'm like, thank
you, Jesus. He has a spirit of discernment. Okay,
good. Let's start there. And then we're like,
okay, so what did you think about how they were
talking to each other, their conversations? And
we started talking about appropriate words, inappropriate
words. And it's just so interesting. When he
was done, he was like, mom, can I get some more?
Can I get some more? And I got onto Amazon and
I was just about to purchase like a whole nother
set. And I believe it was the spirit of God said,
no, you are his. You are his watchman. You are
his warrior. So those little subtle things that
you let slide under, it can grow in him without
even knowing that's not of God. And I took all
the books out of my cart, and now we're reading
a whole new series called The Investigators.
I'm giving a little plug for them, okay? It's
really, really cool. It's about gators who are
investigating all these great things. So needless
to say, we do have that responsibility. We have
to be very careful about what our children see,
what they hear. and what they experience in this
life. These different mediums of influences,
they are truly racing to impact our children
in a way that is anti -Christ and anti -godliness.
But I'm truly grateful for the mamas who stand
on those battle lines day after day, praying
for your children. and also practicing the faith
with your children, living that life before them.
I'm thankful for the mamas who are intentional
about what their children take in and also what
they put out. They may not like it, obviously.
I don't have teenagers yet, but I've been around
teenagers enough to know sometimes they don't
like the boundaries that we set, but it is not
our responsibility to turn a blind eye to those
things that we know can be detrimental to their
spiritual growth. They have been entrusted to
us. to train them up in the way they should go.
So we must state our position and be spiritual
warriors and watchmen for our family. Let's continue
to be vigilant in prayer, discerning God's word,
actively guarding our families against spiritual
dangers. I love the verse in Joshua 24, 15, where
he says, as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord. There are so many benefits and blessings
for children who walk in obedience to God's word.
Proverbs 3, 1 through 2 says, My son, do not
forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your
heart, for they will prolong your life for many
years and bring you peace and prosperity. Romans
14, 17 through 18 says, God's kingdom isn't a
matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness
sake. It's what God does with your life. As he
sets it right, puts it together and completes
it with joy. Your task is to single -mindedly
serve Christ. Do that and you will kill two birds
with one stone. Pleasing your God above and proving
your worth to the people around you. Our children
need to know that they're valuable and they're
worthy. And it's not set by the standard of the
earth or the earth that we live in rather. But
it's set by our heavenly father who gave his
son. And he took our place so we can walk in
righteousness, peace, and joy in his Holy Spirit.
If we don't pass on our faith through our victorious
position given to us by the cross of Jesus Christ,
We will raise a generation that will not know
the Lord who did all these wonderful things for
us. They won't understand the mighty hands of
the Lord and all that he did and all that he's
doing. If we don't pass on our faith through
our proclamations, the words that we say of who
God is and who he says we are, then we're at
risk for raising a biblically illiterate generation,
right? Who will be defenseless against the attacks
and the wiles of the enemy. And if we don't pass
on our faith through our presence, guiding them
by our godly examples, then church, what legacy
are we leaving for our treasures, God's best
gifts to us? No doubt raising children is hard.
In terms of all the work and the sacrifice that
we put in, right? Raising children in an ungodly
world is even harder. And raising children in
an ungodly world and watching them make decisions
that is opposite of their upbringing, I can imagine
has to be the hardest. But the good news is we
are not doing this alone. We have a heavenly
father who loves us and loves our children far
more than we could ever love them. The fact is,
while children are God's gifts to us, they truly
belong to him. He has given us his spirit and
his word to raise them and show them that he
is the way, he is the truth, and he's the life.
Amen. So as the worship team is coming, and we're
going to come to a close. As Christians, we're
all running a race. And when we think of our
families, I love to think of it as a relay race.
This race is not about... Excuse me. This race
is about persevering through generations, striving
for a prize, which is eternal life with our Savior,
and having faith in him to walk with us in life
daily. Now, if you've never really seen the analogy
or heard the analogy of a relay race, let me
just quickly walk you through it. There are four
runners in a relay race, four legs we call them.
The first leg. is where your faith starts now
your family's faith may have started with your
grandparents or your parents maybe with you and
the bottom line is this it doesn't matter where
you start just as long as you start it's not
easy always getting off that starting block as
a runner we used to run as well Desmond and myself
we used to run in high school don't ask me what
happened because that's another story for another
time but It's not easy getting off that starting
block, but it takes a lot of discipline and self
-control. And if there's anything we're going
to pass on to our children, let it be our faith.
So the first leg is all about starting. The second
leg, the second leg is about enduring. You may
have a powerful shot out of that starting block
and you're going, but about 10 seconds into it,
you start to lose your breath. Don't lose your
breath. Keep a pace. Endure. Persevere, right?
We have to learn how to teach our children how
to face difficulties. I have experienced the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,
thank God. I have so many testimonies of what
God has done. But we've got to tell our children,
hey, maybe God gave me that experience so you
don't have to go through it. Learn from my experience.
Let me tell you what the word of God says. That
way you don't have to face these difficulties
by yourself. God has given parents to children
for that reason. So that's our second leg, learn
to endure, persevere. But then we get to the
third leg. The third leg is what we know as the
weakest runner of the four. Now, as a mom, you
may have entered this morning feeling anything
but joy or peace about being here for Mother's
Day. Maybe you felt like you dropped the baton
somewhere along the line, whether it was in receiving
it or passing it on. I want to encourage you
this morning. Lift your head up. You're not disqualified
from this race. Your children are not disqualified
from this race. Lift your head up and keep on
going. It may happen again, but don't stop. Pick
the baton up and keep on going. I love what the
scripture says here. It says in Matthew 24, 13,
staying with it. That's what God requires. Stay
with it to the end. You won't be sorry and you
will be saved. Paul says in Philippians 3, 13
and 14, I'm not saying that I have this all together,
that I made it, but I am well on my way reaching
out for Christ who has so wondrously reached
out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong. By no
means do I count myself an expert in all of this.
But I've got my eyes on the goal where God is
beckoning us onward to Jesus. I'm off and I'm
running and I'm not turning back. Come on, look
at someone next to you and say, don't turn back.
Keep on going. Keep your eyes on the prize. Keep
your eyes on the goal and keep on going. So we
have our first leg, our starter. We have our
second leg, the ones who are persevering. And
we get to our third leg. Maybe you feel like
you've been weak, but God is here this morning
to remind you that it's not in your strength
that you're raising our children, raising our
children. It's in his strength and in his power
that we're going to be able to keep this line
of faith and this faith walk with our children,
teaching them God's word each and every day.
But then we get to the fourth leg, the anchor
leg. This leg is the fastest runner in the race.
My God, let our children be faster, be stronger,
be bolder, be firm, be passionate about the things
of God. As we continue to pass on our faith to
them, let them stand firm. Let them not be wavering,
but let them be relentless in going after God,
pursuing him with all their hearts, and chasing
after him until he returns. Amen? Will you stand
with me as we get ready to close? I hope that
today's message somewhat encouraged your hearts.
And once again, mothers, thank you all for staying
on that prayer line. If you walk away with anything,
just remember, don't give up the race. The race
is not about who's fastest. It's for those who
endure to the end. We must do our job in passing
on our faith to our children and our children's
children. So as we get ready to pray, if you...
If you know someone or if your family just needs,
just receive that word of encouragement today.
I would like to invite you to come down to the
altars and receive one of these batons. I have
a lot for everyone. And take these home with
you. Let it be a reminder that each and every
day we're passing on our faith to the next generation.
Maybe you know of a family who's not in church.
They're not saved yet. And you want to encourage
them with these words of encouragement as well.
I would like for all of us to come on down. And
one of the things I love about LifeHouse, you
all always say what? Don't do life alone. So
will you come down to the altar, church family?
Let's pray together. Receive one of these batons.
And we're going to ask God to help us on this
life journey as we follow after him and as we
teach our children and the generations to come
to follow after him and to pass on our faith
for the years to come. Will you come at this
time and let's get ready to pray. Thank you,
Jesus. Thank you, God, for your word today. Thank
you, God, that we can rejoice that we serve a
heavenly father who loves us and cares for us.
Thank you, God, that in this life's journey,
we're not doing it alone. Thank you, God, for
the generations that went before us in the faith,
teaching us your word, living by example. and
showing us the hope that Jesus brings. Our prayer
today, oh God, is that we will not give up. We
will not lose faith, but we will keep our eyes,
oh God, fixed on you as you have given us this
assignment to raise our children and our children's
children. God, we need your anointing to be able
to stand in the days like these, oh God, the
evil days as the Bible calls them. But God, we
should not be afraid because we're not doing
it, Lord, in our own might, in our own power,
but it's by your spirit each and every day. So
God, we pray for all of these families as they
come forward. Help us, oh God, to be one big
family where we are our sister's keepers. We
encourage our brothers. We encourage our mothers
in the Lord and showing them that God's way is
perfect. God's way is right. God's way is peace.
And I pray, Lord, that you will encourage, Lord,
someone's heart today. Let them know they have
not failed. You have not given up on them. But
instead, God, you are helping them through life's
journey, through life's race. They can keep their
eyes set on you, God. Give them the power and
the grace to start if they haven't started. It's
not too late. Help us, oh God, to spend time
in your word so our children can grow up to know
you for who you are. We love you, Heavenly Father.
We thank you for the greatest gift you've given
us, our children. And now we just pray a special
blessing over each and every heart in this room.
We pray, Father God, over these batons. We ask,
oh God, as we pick them up and take them home
today, help us, Lord, to never stop passing on
our faith. Help us, oh God, to walk. by faith
each and every day, knowing that you will see
us through life's highs and life's lows. And
I thank you, O God, for all that you're doing
even right now in this generation. We believe,
O God, that this will be a generation that will
cry out in the wilderness, prepare the way of
the Lord for your return, O God. It's coming
soon. So let our hearts be in a place, O God,
to live for you, to love you, and to serve you.
Until the day, God, we see you face to face.
We bless you, Lord. We honor you. We say thank
you for this beautiful Mother's Day. Thank you,
Father God, for those who pour out into our children
each and every day so that we can live and enjoy
and be a blessing to those who are around us
through the goodness of God. Let's worship the
Lord together with this song. And then you are
free to take a baton with you on your way back
to your seats. And I want to say Happy Mother's
Day to everyone once again. God bless you. We
love you. Stay encouraged in the Lord. Amen.
Thank you for tuning in to this message from
Lifehouse Church. We pray that you were impacted
powerfully by this message. If you have been
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