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Speaking prophetic words into the lives of children is powerful, and invoking the blessings of God may have far reaching effects. Sometimes the children may not even be your own…
I had a dear, dear friend who knew the significance of speaking faith and life into the heart of a young person. To completely comprehend this incident, I feel I must reveal a little bit about the character of the individual. My friend was married, with no children of her own (she graciously raised her step children as though they were her own, and they loved her as ‘mother’). She was a joy…in every sense of the word, and loved life, her family, and her God. Her talents were vast. Did you ever know anyone with a distinctive ‘flair‘? That was my friend. A gifted artist, her Sunday School class stood out above the norm, and even her great cooking exhibited this artistic ability. It seemed like everything she did, every project had her name written on it, followed by the word ‘perfection‘.
A job was never left half done…she faithfully completed every task, and it was not just done well…it was done right! Whenever her pastor called, which was often, she was ready and willing. Her unique sense of humor would show up just when I needed it most, and made for delightful company…her laugh was infectious.
The outward gifts and talents, however, could not begin to compare to the inner beauty that shown from a deep and sincere consecration to God. An intercessor, many was the time she pulled my wandering soul from the pit of destruction, and never seemed to grow weary of doing so. After lo these many years, I can still hear her voice, encouraging me to become. Our last conversation showed her sensitivity and love for me, as she wept while we discussed the direction in which the Spirit of God was leading me. There are not words to express my deep gratefulness and love for the way that she gave of herself to someone who felt so unworthy of such giving.
My friend had been ill for quite some time. The way of life leads to death, and it was evident that if God did not intervene, we were going to lose her. But, as is often the case with this type of disease, just when it seemed like it was over, she would rally, continuing the fight.
It was after one such battle that she was able to be in service on a Sunday night. I was not present with her during this difficult time, living many miles away, but can only imagine that there were times that she may not have felt up to being there, yet was there anyway. Despite pain and fatigue, I know my friend was consistently faithful.
On this particular Sunday night, the service was over, and souls were on the altar. This precious Saint of God saw a young teenaged girl praying, and kneeling beside her, began to deposit her spirit into the girl. She began to bequeath to her the talents and abilities that she was blessed with. I’m not exactly certain if one can transfer their anointing this way, but Crystal bestowed into this young girl her “divine giftedness.”
It wasn’t long after, maybe a few months, and my friend was gone. Life goes on, however, and the young girl is today a married woman, full of strength and godly character, with a child of her own. Would she have had this without that powerful woman speaking faith and gifts into her life? Perhaps, for she has always displayed a unique consecration for one so young, and is beautiful and talented in her own right. Yet I somehow believe that she has a little of my friend’s spirit in her spirit.
I believe that as Elijah passed the mantle of anointing to Elisha, so this woman passed her mantle, enabling the young woman to exceed beyond…to places in the realm of the Spirit that her mentor could not even fathom. I believe that God filled my friend up, sent her out to be a lifelong blessing, emptied her out, and took her home. One of the last great things she probably ever did was pour herself into the life of another.
When our life has ended, will it be said that we spoke life into our children? Did we encourage them to seek after God’s will for their lives? Did we bless them, on a daily basis, with words that instilled faith and trust in a God who sees and knows all, or were the children rushed out the door in the morning, without a prayer or reassuring word? For those of us who are childless, did we seek to bless the children in our lives (nieces, nephews, church kids), or did we seek for their love and favor with gifts and ‘things’, neglecting to show them the Way? Did we consistently tell them how blessed they were, or how bad they were?
The words our children receive from us will stay with them forever. They will remember words of defeat and feelings of worthlessness. The hateful yelling and fear will remain as real as the moment they first experienced it, and they may blame us for their problems, as well they should. By the same token, they can receive blessings, growing to maturity rich in self confidence and victory, understanding that they were born to fly, soaring like an eagle, living life as God ordained it to be.
The choice of what they remember and the lessons they learn is not left to the child…the choice is ours alone to make.
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