…You must influence them; do not let them influence you! (Jeremiah 15:19)
Being an influencer for the kingdom of God doesn’t come without its costs or implications. For some, it has meant sacrificing their lives and comfort, but it is always a worthy sacrifice. Whenever I think about how others might question such heavy sacrifices or God’s decisions, I remember God’s word to Isaiah, reiterated by Paul in Romans: “Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have the right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?” (Romans 9:20-21, Isaiah 29:16).
The quicker you come to terms with the supremacy of God and stop fighting His choices, the better it will be for you. This means reaching the point Jesus came to when He said, “The Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).
It means arriving at the place where you can say, like Paul, “The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
There Is No Middle Ground
There is no middle ground—you are either for God, or you are not.
Revelation 3:15 reveals how God views believers who are neither hot nor cold. It’s as if they are Christians for the shelf, neither shining nor dim, neither flavorful nor sour, just bland. God says, “You are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)
We weren’t converted just to wait until we die and go to heaven. Jesus said in John 17:15-18, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one… As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”
This means, Jesus wants us to come to Him and bring many others along with us.
The world understands this concept so well that it continually creates avenues, structures, activities, and things designed to capture our children early on in life. It knows that the earlier you can influence a person, the more likely that influence will last throughout their life. The world understands that some individuals carry such global impact that influencing one person can affect millions. So, by capturing just 20 such individuals, they have effectively reached a billion others. But we thank God that He frustrates the devices of the wicked so that their plans cannot be carried out. (Job 5:12)
Over the next few days, we will explore the lives of men and women who influenced God through their choices, lifestyles, and decisions. As we reflect on these individuals, it’s important to remember that they didn’t simply appear out of nowhere. They were shaped by the people around them, their upbringing, the way they were taught God’s ways and precepts, and the spiritual environment that influenced them.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
The whole purpose of King Nebuchadnezzar’s command to Ashpenaz to bring some young men from Judah’s royal family was to train them in the ways of Babylon. He wanted to influence them by immersing them in Babylonian culture and its practices. The king instructed his chief of staff: “Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.”
Once their training (you can say, once Ashpenaz had finished influencing them) was complete, they would be deemed ready to serve in the royal court.
Unknown to Nebuchadnezzar, among those young men were four who had so thoroughly learned the ways of God that they could not be influenced by the Babylonian culture and traditions. They stood firm for God and refused to be swayed by Babylon. They understood that even something as simple as the Babylonian food could defile them.
Who Trained These Boys in the Way of God So Much That They Could Stand Their Ground for Him?
Parents
Personally, this is why I am an avid believer in children starting school later, especially when they must attend schools with mixed religious backgrounds rather than a small, close-knit group of friends coming together to homeschool their children. Unfortunately, homeschooling isn’t an option many can afford in Nigeria. It’s far more practical for most of us to send our children to already established and trusted schools.
However, in doing so, you relinquish a great deal of control over who teaches your children and what they hear or are exposed to. You also have little control over who influences them. So why not give them a strong foundation before sending them out into such environments? Providing them with a good start, spiritually, emotionally, and morally—can make all the difference.
How About You Delay Schooling Enough to Mark Them for Life?
There were many times I felt pressured to send my first son to school earlier than I planned. I received numerous calls from people who were genuinely concerned about why he hadn’t started school when he was a little over one year old. Every time I told them he would begin at three, they were bewildered. It was hard for them to understand, and honestly, I didn’t always have the energy to explain my decision.
At one point, I buckled under the pressure and sent him to school twice before he turned three. But I just didn’t feel at peace about it. One to two weeks after resumption, he would stop going, and the teachers would call, worried about why they hadn’t seen Ezekiel. I would come up with the flimsiest of excuses until I was ready to fully send him off at the age of three.
Please don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to say that sending children to school at one or two years old is a bad thing. In fact, it may be the best decision for some children, parents, and guardians. The key is being in alignment with God’s will for you and your child. What matters most is ensuring your decisions are led by God’s guidance and wisdom for your specific circumstances.
The Few Years of Sacrifice are Worth it
If you can dedicate those first few years to investing in your child’s spiritual growth, I assure you, it is worth it. If you intentionally pour God’s Word and prayers into them during those first three to four years before they begin school, you’ll be giving them a solid foundation and head start in life. However, this requires active, consistent training and tutelage in God’s Word.
You may wonder, How am I supposed to do this with a 1–4-year-old child? The answer is simple: you don’t wait until they’re two, three, or four, you begin while they are still in your womb.
Though they may seem like babies to us, their spirits are not babies. They are capable of hosting God’s presence and understanding His Word, even in the womb. Scientifically, a fetus can begin to pick up sounds as early as 13 weeks of gestation. By the 23rd week, they not only respond to voices but can also recognize them!
When they’re born, don’t stop. Speak God’s Word over them, pray for them, and read Scripture aloud to their hearing. These early investments in their spiritual lives will yield lifelong dividends.
Tuning Their Ears to God’s Frequency
This is how you prepare their hearts to recognize and respond to God’s voice—by making them predisposed to His sounds. Children may not immediately respond or even seem like they’re paying attention, but with them, the effect of what you do is cumulative. Most things don’t happen in a single day, but rest assured, they are watching your every move and listening more than you think.
- Make it a priority to have daily family devotions with them.
- Read God’s Word aloud and teach them Bible stories with as much enthusiasm and excitement as you can muster.
- Ask them to pray for you, even if it sounds like gibberish. Respond with a loud and dramatic “Amen!” because their Father in heaven understands every word they’re saying.
- Share communion with them daily. Break bread and drink the wine together, explaining as simply as possible the meaning of Jesus’ body and blood.
- Cultivate your home with songs of worship and sermons that edify. Let these sounds saturate their environment.
- Reduce screen time and exposure to secular programs for children. You should be in as much control as possible over what they hear, listen to, and see. This helps shape their worldview and keeps them from being influenced by things that may not align with your values. In our home, we keep a folder on a flash drive containing children’s content that we’ve personally watched and certified as appropriate. We rarely let our children watch content directly from YouTube or operate our devices. They don’t have their own devices, and we don’t plan on getting them any. More than half the time you visit our home, the TV is off.
Most importantly, trust God’s promise that if you train a child in the way they should go, when they grow, they will not depart from it. Trust in His guidance and know that He is faithful to lead them along the right path. (Proverbs 22:6)
The key is consistency, doing these things daily. This is how you register God’s truth and presence in their spirits, laying a foundation for them to morph into the men and women of God you’re raising them to be.
After all, this is the whole point of having children. It’s not just about increasing the number of humans on earth; it’s ultimately about raising godly seed for God. Malachi 2:15 clearly states God’s desire for a godly union: He wants godly children from it.
Our role is to teach them the culture and traditions of God, the way of the Lord, so that when they leave the safety and protection of our homes, they are so well-trained and grounded that they shine as lights in the darkness. They become salt that transforms the flavor of their world and cities whose God is the living God.
