Religion or Relationship?

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

I woke up one morning and these words were in my spirit. Religion or relationship? 

As I pondered the words in my heart, I began to evaluate my own self and my children to find out what we have been studying. You see, like myself, my children have been in church for approximately seven years and in those years we learned a multitude of traditions and rituals but as my children got older and I looked at them, it was becoming harder and harder for them to do what I was expecting them to do. 

We were taught the traditions of men, jumping and dancing and spinning around in church and shouting and praising and so we happily adapted to those teachings. Now my children seem so disconnected from all theses things. Even when they were in church it was becoming progressively harder for them to do certain things that were 'expected' of them. Pretty soon, I started looking at them like the church would look at anyone who was standing in the midst of all the 'praising' but was not moving a muscle, "Oh they must have a spirit on them." or "They are really disconnected from God." And so I found myself in the "judgment seat", judging, convicting and crucifying my children because they were not obeying the "LAWS" of church going. 

Now don't get me wrong I love to praise and worship the Lord, but my worship cannot be turned on and off by some organ player and choir director. My worship comes from within and is directed by the move of the Holy Spirit who lives within me and therefore it is not confined to fifteen minutes on a Sunday morning or on cue by the worship leader. So as I was freed from the traditions of men, It was my desire to free my children as well. 

In our morning bible study time I have been led by the Lord to become intentional with teaching them the characteristics of "relationship"  as opposed to the traditions of men found in "religion." I stopped pressuring them to get into what was known as "praise mode" because one should not be made to worship, but worship should be cultivated through time spent with the Lord and reading and receiving HIS word - only then, will worship be manifested as the product of relationship with CHRIST. 

When we have illuminated the characteristics of a true relationship spiritually with Christ, then it becomes easier for us to cultivate healthy and long lasting, genuine relationships with other human beings. Remember, everything that we see on this earth is just a shadow of what has already taken place in the spirit realm. Therefore, if you see legalism and religion in your earthly life commitments, then it's only a reflection on the legalistic religious interaction you are having with GOD. 

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

And in vain they worship Me, 
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.(Matthew 15:9)

What are you teaching God's children, RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP?

Do you see the signs?

John 20: ³⁰ And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: ³¹ But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

When I started this "home schooling" blog, I was determined to make it as good as the other blogs out there. This was going to be one of those top notch blogs that gives you all the perfect schedules for homeschooling. 

This blog was going to have every important link that you needed and it was going to surely bring you success in your homeschooling. This blog was going to be another fabulous blog with all the right pictures and all the right words and millions were going to love it and it would let the world know how awesome and capable God was, and how wonderful it was homeschooling my five children. This blog set out to be phenomenal.

The more I struggled to make my writing "fit in" the more it stuck out. I felt like Saul before he became Paul. I felt the Holy Spirit asking me why was I kicking against HIM. The more I struggled to make this blog mimic some other blog that I had seen, the more it would take on it's own shape and form. I decided to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me. I don't blog every day, but as I am led by the Holy Spirit, I write. 

I see the church mourning Jesus as if He were still dead and as they mourn the dead, its as if they have forgotten that He rose from the dead and gave us back the power that the devil stole from us. HE sent HIS HOLY SPIRIT to help us to live in HIM and through HIM - but it seems, we have forgotten.

So no, this blog might not bring you the success in the area of homeschooling that you might have expected but it can and will bring you to a clearer understanding of the power that comes with having a relationship with Jesus the Christ, Son of the living God.

As the home schooling days go by, I see several signs.  I look at the different signs and I can tell what is in the atmosphere. I cried out to the Holy Spirit, "Let me see your power, I need to see you power working." As the days went by, I started seeing things that I had not been able to see before. 

The teaching that had become so hard and such a struggle, suddenly started flowing and as I looked around I saw routines being followed for bed time. 

During the day I saw work being completed in a timely manner. Then as I looked a little deeper, I saw peace flowing over my home, I heard less arguing and fussing, I saw more working together and I heard more laughter - and that's when I realized, all these things were signs. 

I saw the signs that told me the peace of God was upon my children, I saw the sign that told me the Holy Spirit reigned over my home.

I saw the sing that reminded me to rest as HE works in me and through me. I saw the sign that told me, HE calmed the storm in my heart, that HE healed a place that was broken, that HE restored that which had been taken away and that HE has given back all that was stolen from me. 

I saw peace in the midst of the storm, I saw confidence in the midst of challenges, I saw hope and light in the midst of despair and darkness. I saw the signs. 

So I blog, not to replicate other blogs, not to produce the typical homeschooling blog that I thought I was going to do. But I blog to show the SIGNS of the POWER of the Holy Spirit at work, in me, in my home, in my children, in my husband, in my marriage, in the Kingdom Of God that is within me, in everything I do. 

Thank you Abba, Father for allowing me to see the signs. 

The Holy Spirit is not written in a curriculum to be followed like routine, HE is the power that lies within me, because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, so as you look at yourself and your busy home school schedules, tell me, what signs do you see? 

Do you see signs of REST in the Holy Spirit or do you see the tell tale signs of stress from the pressures of the world.

 
John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Experiencing the SWORD

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

As the homeschooling days roll along sometimes discouragement sets in. Some days, the children are downright zoned out and other days, everything is right on target. Well yesterday I was having one of my own melt down days and suddenly, all I could see was everything wrong. So I picked up my notebook and bible and was going into some quiet time. Just then my husband beckoned me to watch a movie with him about a book that he had just finished reading to the children. I resisted for a minute. I had other things to do, but I sat down with him and we started watching the movie. It was awesome, the story of Ruby Bridges.

Needless to say, after I saw the perseverance and dexterity in that mom in the movie, I was worse off than I was before. I fussed the children into their beds because I was upset with myself and couldn't wait to be alone with my self. I was planning a party, so that I can whine and cry and beat my self up for how incapable I was. Boy oh boy, that's a lot of "I" but yes, as I swooped down on the floor in front of my room door, I don't know why there, I started crying and writing  in my book. I wrote about the horrible and incapable person that I was, (comparing myself to the mom in the movie, who seemed to have it all together). I started telling Jesus how incompetent I was and I started listing all the things that were wrong with me and the way I was doing things, I highlighted all my short comings and was asking Jesus to help me.
HE allowed me to vent for a few seconds and as I was about to have the pity party of all pity parties and just completely melt down I realized something.

I recognized that two different things were happening to me at the same time. My flesh was weeping, and criticizing but as I wrote on the pages all the negative things about myself, my spirit was singing, "Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you Lord"  I stopped writing as I heard the singing in my spirit and I started singing. As I picked up the pen again, I was reminded about the power that is in the name of Jesus and that it was not used only to cast out demons and bad spirits but it is also used to claim all the blessings to which we are entitled, through Jesus' finished work on the cross. I started claiming my blessings and every good thing that the Word says about me. When I was done, I realized what had happened, the Word had been made manifest in my life once again.  "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.                                                                                                          
 It happened so fast and I was truly overwhelmed. I had just experienced the separation of my soul and spirit and it was awesome. I got up off that floor and celebrated the victory - not yet seeing the manifestations of the things I confessed but already knowing that greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world. In other words, the Holy Spirit that dwells in me is greater than the physical body that I dwell in.OH! Glory be to God. I am loving this season of my life.

So today, I have learned a life lesson that I can share with my children as we continue to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and watch as all other things are added unto us. The Holy Spirit is our helper and a present help in times of trouble.
I got up off that floor, strong and empowered and I opened my mouth and confessed out loud all that was written on that paper and I receive it in the mighty, powerful, capable, ever living name of JESUS the Christ.
THANK YOU LORD, Thank You Lord, I just want to thank You Lord. 

Joy

"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5

I looked at the clock, it said 1:34 a.m. as I rubbed sleepy eyes on my way back from the bathroom. I have kept a vigil all night and now it seemed like daylight would never come. I looked at my baby sleeping but not so soundly I could see the discomfort in her breathing but one verse kept resounding in my spirit. "Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning." I knew that if I could just, if we could just make it through the night, she would be okay.

Somehow it seems like the biggest struggles takes place late in the midnight hour. I kept holding onto the knowledge that Jesus died for her healing and we were already seeing tremendous progress. Her breathing had regulated to a more relaxed pace and the mucus that was so stubborn started moving. As she coughed the mucus would come out and it brought relief for her and myself. I kept on thanking God for her healing and the next look at the clock was 3:00 a.m. She got up and I carried her to the bathroom. Between sleep and wake she said, "Mommy can I please get some grapes?" I laughed and told her she would get it in the morning. Before, she was not eating or drinking any thing much. This was progress.

The next glance at the clock ushered in 5:40 a.m. and I was glad. As I glanced over to her, the knowledge that we had made it through the night and the joy that came in the morning was overwhelming - but more than that, Gods word had proven itself true once again. You see, there were many nights that my family had spent out side in the freezing cold, rushing one or the other to the hospital because they had "symptoms " of one thing or the other - but my God is a healer and HE healed my babies.

His word remains true no matter what it looks like and even when it feels really bad, His word reigns over every other word. Ah...the spoken word, it becomes the written word, which becomes the manifested word. That's life in the Kingdom of God. Thank you Abba Father, thank you Jesus, Amen.

Peace 2

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Today's Life Lesson was nothing short of amazing. I taught a little bit of grammar earlier on in the day but by the end of the day my "grammar" would turn out to be the lesson of the day -  the words that came out of my mouth was teaching a lesson that would last a lifetime.

My baby girl Azariah, started coughing a few days ago. As I listened to this mucus build up on her chest and her watery eyes running, the sniffling and the discomfort, I went into normal "mommy" mode - prayers, honey, lime,garlic, soup, juice and crackers. The more I gave her the worse it seemed to get. The more I prayed and declared the more she coughed. I realized that the battle was deeper than I thought. As the day went by, a little bit of questioning and second thought started creeping in and I was inquiring of the Lord what to do. I felt myself becoming overwhelmed as my baby kept on coughing.

I slowed down for a minute and I as I was doing the dishes at the sink, I started thanking Jesus and just giving HIM praise. I sat beside her and explained to her, that she was healed and that all she had to do was thank Jesus for her healing. As she pushed past the discomfort in her chest and the mucus in her nose, she started murmuring the words, "Thank you Jesus, thank you for my healing". I told her, it doesn't matter what it looks like or feel like, it's a lie and Jesus already paid the price for her healing. She pressed on with confidence, "Thank you Jesus for my healing." her little voice whispered.

I went outside to get diapers and as I was approaching the pharmacy, I had a thought forming in my head. As soon as the thought started forming, the Holy Spirit counteracted it with these words "I bore all your sickness and diseases". It was at that moment I experienced the peace which passes all understanding and I knew my baby was going to be all right. I continued into the store giving thanks and praises to God. "Thank you Abba Father", I said, "Thank you Jesus". I started nailing every sickness and disease to the cross, I took it off my baby and nailed it on the cross where the finished work of Jesus bore all our iniquities, all our sickness and all our diseases.

The thought in my head was - Lord, why don't you put this sickness on me, take it off of her and put it on me. That thought was trying to put me in the place of Jesus but the Holy Spirit taught me that it was not for me to bare and that Jesus bore all our diseases already and that healing was complete as long as I believed she is healed. Wow, what peace filled my heart and mind and all I could do was praise. I did not have to carry the burden.

So I started out teaching about different types of words, and learned that the words that I spoke had enormous power and the Holy Spirit kept my mouth from speaking something that was not in the will of God for my life. I am truly grateful for lessons learned today.

As I am typing this, the children are watching the story of Joseph and I can her my baby girl singing along, she has peace as well - all my  children shall be taught by the lord and great shall be the peace of my children. (Isaiah 54:13) This is the promise of the Lord and the inheritance of the children of God. I am grateful.

Peace...

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Today as I am writing, I'm reflecting on an incident that took place in my home and it forced me to give deep thought to my reaction. My nephew came to spend a day with his grandma and our children. My husband and I were away for the weekend and grandma baby sat. On our return home, every thing seemed to have gone okay and then, the tricks of the enemy that took place over the weekend, slowly unraveled. By night fall I found out that I had a broken laptop thanks to my nephew, over exposure that was uncouth for a ten year old to demonstrate and language that was certainly not permitted in our home by the said visitor.  Boy oh boy, it seemed that all the rest and relaxation of the past three days was wiped out in one swipe and we had the video to prove all of this.  All at once fear overcame me and I reacted. It was loud and harsh and my two were made to understand once and for all, what was totally unacceptable in our home - but so was my behavior.

Sitting back in reflection of my behavior, I saw the manifestation of fear - the Holy Spirit gently reminded me, "I did not give you the spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind". Boy oh boy! I totally blew it. Now I had to search out the source of this fear.
What I found was, deep within, was a little girl that was so afraid because no one came to help her and so fear grew up with her.  Then, I saw the woman who overcame the odds but still lived with the fear that now it may happen to her children - that was the woman who reacted in anger and frustration.
As my teacher, the Holy Spirit continued to guide me, I remembered the promise that my Heavenly Father made to me in Isaiah 54:13, "...all your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children..." The peace which passes all understanding, that is also for me. The peace that my savior Jesus gave to me, not as the world gives... and that peace comes from the fact that I am counted in the beloved and so are you. Being counted in the beloved resounds in a deep love that cannot be described but can only be experience personally.

Today as you continue to train up Gods children walk in the peace that comes from above. Don't allow the trials of life to overtake you - and as I am doing now, release your self and your children from the grip of fear and cling to the unconditional peaceful love of our Father.

Today I decree and declare that I fear not because the perfect love of my heavenly Father casts out fear because fear involves torment and in Christ there is no torment but peace like a river. I cast off the spirit of fear and I clothe myself in the spirit of peace, love, joy and righteousness and power in the Holy Spirit. I will not pass on the spirit of fear to my children because they also are counted in the beloved and abide in the shadow of the almighty in Jesus name Amen!

I sat down with my two in prayer and repentance, forgiving and asking for forgiveness, receiving then giving  love unconditional from above, as I hugged my babies there is peace that all is well in the name of Jesus. Life lessons were learned and hurdles were overcome. One computer broken but a breakthrough was reached from paralyzing fear. Thank you Abba Father, You continue to love and nurture me and I am truly grateful.

1 John 4:18 
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Not conformation...only transformation

...and do not be conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...Romans 12:2

The flesh or my carnal mind keep pressing on me to make this blog like every other blog about homeschooling but I can't by the grace of God, and because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, I, nor this blog will not be conformed to this world and the traditional forms of homeschooling blogs but we are being transformed by the renewing of of minds and in the process, we hope to help to renew your mind.

In writing about homeschooling I have tried to keep it on "school" but I have come to realize that I cannot tell about our school experiences.You see in the midst of "schooling" I found LIFE! I found out that "Training up my children in the way they should go had little or nothing to do with a "curriculum" as we know it. I found out that living was our classroom and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. Its been three years and I have struggled to bring some sort of ritualistic order to what we call homeschooling and as I fought and fought against life in the spirit I found myself more and more frustrated and buried in guilt. It was that same feeling I had when my children were in public school, as I daily walked my children to school and then sat in the parent teachers room and watched and the masses going through the ritual of what was deemed an absolute must -- go to school and learn.

I stepped out on faith that September of 2010 because my heart couldn't take it any more. So now here I am and again, my spirit is pushed against the grain. You see, the academics is of no value if it is not structured or geared toward building up the kingdom of God. "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his own soul? (Mark 8:36). Slow down for one minute and think about the souls of millions of our babies at stake as we feed them into the treadmill of the world to be processed and conformed to life in the kingdom of darkness.

We are earnest Christians, determined to give our children the best, we continue to march to the beat of the enemy as we ignore the Holy Spirit's prompting to go against the grain and flow with the Spirit of our Father. Daily we ignore or forget the instructions given to us by Paul as he wrote from the Roman prison " I beseech you brethren...be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2) If our minds are renewed, then our children's minds will be renewed as well.

As my family and I continue in our "life lessons" I am learning more and more to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He teaches me, to train them up, and as He teaches them to live for Him. How great is our God. Thank you Abba, Father. (Proverbs 22:6, Isaiah 54:13) "Train up a child in the way they should go...all your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children..."
Amen.

BE ENCOURAGED!

Without faith...

...it is impossible to please GOD.(Hebrews 11:6)

As it draws near to the end of the school year for 2012 - 2013, reflections are certainly in order. This school year was not without it's trials but the hand of God brought us to the other side.

I recall September 2010 when I started homeschooling. I was in a boat without any physical help or  support. I know what the Lord had laid on my heart to do but I saw nothing physical that was going to help me move along.  All I had was a conviction in my heart to "Train up my children in the way they should go." and that was the WORD that I stood on.

There was great fear in my heart, fear of failing, fear of failing my children, fear of what people might say and think, fear of not having any support from friends and family. Yes, there were many great fears - but my greatest fear was the Fear of the Lord. More than any thing else in this world, my desire was to please God.

I ventured out into uncharted waters, with the Lord on my side. I started out thinking, I can do this, I ended up finding out, NO, I can't, NOT WITHOUT JESUS. I can do all things (BUT ONLY) through Christ who continues daily to strengthen me and that was my first lesson - to myself.  When I learned this lesson, I began to see God working in and through my children.

As we are getting ready to end our third year, I look back with gladness, joy and peace in my heart.  I am glad that I took the leap when I did.  I am at peace with myself because I know God is doing what only HE can do for me and my family and I am grateful for all that HE is doing and will continue to do.

In September 2010, I could not see three years down the road, but today I am grateful for the things that The Lord is doing with me, for me and through me! HE gets all the glory on this homeschooling journey. For we walk by faith and not by sight,(2 Corinthians 5:7) and without faith, it is impossible to please God.

I just want to encourage parents, to seek the will of God for your life and your children's lives. Trust HIM to take you through and take you to your destiny.  Jesus died on the cross for us and He rose again so that we may have the power to overcome. The Holy spirit is our teacher and our guide. Jesus said He would not leave us comfortless but that He would send a helper, (JOHN 15:26). That helper is the Holy Spirit and if you are in Christ,  you are never alone.
Be encouraged!!

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

I will trust in the Lord...

It is better to trust in the LORD, than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8

On this journey, I have been learning to TRUST IN THE LORD for all my homeschooling needs. Even before venturing into home schooling, I had always felt that I needed to contribute something to our household budget. Well such desires have led me down quite some interesting roads.  I've done everything from Avon to Melaleuca, I've been approached by Amway, I've signed up for Usbourne books, Primerica, NLC, and the list goes on. All of which have proven to be NOT the thing for me.  So I decided to leave the pursuit of making extra money and just focus on training up my children.

As I advanced into the Kingdom of God, my mindset started changing and eventually I was not chasing down an extra income. In seeking first the kingdom of God, I now saw the urgent need to pour into our little children, the Love of Jesus.  I saw the urgency for us to sweep them up before the enemy has a chance to bury them in sin and destruction. I have come to realize that in infancy is where thousands of spirits get transferred into our babies, whether it be through some traumatic experience or worldly music or just life it self.  Infancy is the stage where these babies are so vulnerable because they have zero resistance and incapable of fighting for them selves so they are taken advantage of and overpowered by the evil that's around them and these spirits grow up with them.

I said all that to say that sometimes in our pursuit for the "finer" things in this life, we forget the things that are important to God and we forget the things that we need for life eternal, like our souls and the souls of those around us. When my quest for money was over, only then was God able to move me into the place that He has for me. God has now allowed me to tutor two babies, a three and four year old. As we work on our ABC's and 123's we also talk and learn about Jesus. We read regular books and the Bible as well. The four year old has asked Jesus into her heart so that she could take Him home with her. She asked me if God could come to her house. How awesome is that.

Now I want you to get the full picture here. God has given me the awesome task of educating HIS babies, not only do I get paid to do this but I just walk upstairs and I'm at my location, for two hours a day I get to love on these babies, teach, train and set in order. How awesome is my God. You see, now that I am not seeking money, money has found me. As I continue to seek first the kingdom of God and it's righteousness, everything else is being added to me. These two are just the beginning I'm sure and all that I am doing is TRUSTING God every step of the way.

The money from this divine assignment is good to have but this assignment is not about money. There is a an array of people that I am encountering and God is just moving through their lives. I listen for HIS voice as the Holy Spirit leads me to pray for, to uplift and enlighten and most of all, to lead to Christ. In the process, He is also teaching my children and molding them into HIS plans for their lives. I'm in awe of the Lord and all that He has done, is doing and will continue to do in my life and my family's life. To God be all the glory for the great things He has done.

Proverbs 3:5-6

King James Version (KJV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Training and Teaching

Releasing the false burden of teaching from my shoulders....

I know that sounds a little strange but yes, I had to learn how to release myself of the false burden of teaching.  God told me to train and He was going to teach. The training I'm required to do is simple, live according to the word in front of my children and they will mimic what they see me do and then trust God enough, to release them into His hands so that HE, through His Holy Spirit can teach them.
As I am led by the Holy Spirit to do what is pleasing in the eyes of God, I am setting up a picture for my children to look at and learn how to function in this world, and in that leading, I surrender them over to their creator and He allows His spirit to touch their hearts and guide them into the obedience that comes only through Jesus Christ.
In other words, they will follow me as I follow Christ and the Holy Spirit does the teaching.
1 Cor 2: ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

^{1 John 2:27} But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

I'll use this example; the WI-Fi bill was due over the weekend and so I forgot because we were in church all day Sunday. On  Monday there was no WI-Fi but the desk top, which is connected by the same Internet company was fully functional so, I was led by the flesh, to turn on the wifi and just "see if it works." Guess what, it did! I felt my heart race in my chest because here was an opportunity to just get some free Internet right ??? WRONG. As I clicked on the Google icon, it went through, then I clicked on face book and it brought me to the log in page and I typed in my email address. Right at that minute, the Holy Spirit brought the word integrity to my mind. Thank you Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 10:13, God always makes a way of escape - Integrity, is what you do when nobody is looking. Who is going to know that I'm sneaking some free Internet???? I was going to know and the Spirit of the Most High God that dwells within me would not allow me to go another step further. I quickly closed out and I said, "Thank you Lord, that was a test."
When my daughter got up I shared with her the fact the we had connection with the wifi even though the bill was not paid, she was excited and ran to put it on.  I told her not to do it but she said she just wanted to "check it out for herself", same thoughts I had. She logged on the computer and guess what, it was not working at all.  How is that possible when it was working a few minutes ago? I asked her if she thought it was a test for me?? She said, "YUP, it probably was". So my test, has now become her lesson and an example to her of how to take the way of escape that God always provides for us. I train by doing the right things and the Holy Spirit teaches by setting up the right lessons that they need. Well guess what, I took the way of escape and I passed the test. Now I was able to share with my daughter the word integrity - what you do when no one is looking. So as I "train up the child," and allow the Holy Spirit to "teach them", I am trusting in the promise that God gave me - when they grow old, they shall not depart. They will not depart from God, His Word or the moral principles  they were taught, that are pleasing to God. So today I decree and declare that I believe the Word of God and it shall be so in my children's lives as it is written. In Jesus name Amen.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Training and Teaching...Part 1

^{Proverbs 22:6} Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Since I started this blog, I've been dealing mostly with the financial aspect of homeschooling in terms of it being totally possible and affordable for any person despite your income bracket. As you know, when I started homeschooling I lived in the NYCHA projects in the south Bronx. My family and I boldly stepped into this arena together as I pressed into the call that God placed on my life to train up HIS children in the way they should go. Well today I sense a shift from the Holy Spirit and so I am going to allow myself to be led. There is another part of homeschooling that I am going to address today and that is the "training up" part.  So far in this blog we have sternly acknowledged that God is our sole provider and supplier of all our needs in the tangible things that we need to survive life in general and homeschooling as well. Now we have to address the spiritual growth of our children and the training that they require.

In communion with my Heavenly Father He made two things clear to me, He established HIS role in the lives of these children and my role in the lives of these children. This is what I learned, my instruction is to: 

Proverbs 22:6 - train up my children in the way that they should go...

In obedience to that instruction, HE (GOD) promised that ..."when they get older, they shall not depart."

Depart from what? From HIM(God) nor from the moral and spiritual lessons that they learned during their childhood years.

The second thing God made clear to me was that, HE (GOD) would teach all my children and HE also promised that they would have great peace. Isaiah 54:13 - All your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children. 
John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God."

Therefore my job is simply to train up my children in the way they should go and the Lord will teach them the things they should know and with this dynamic combination in place, they shall not depart from the Word or from God or from the moral and spiritual lessons that they have been taught.

In my next post I will go into detail as to how this worked for me.  Peace.