Protect Your Child I

‘Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell’ Prov.23:14 [KJV].

You protect your children by disciplining them. Some people say when the Bible says the rod it is not referring to flogging rather it is referring to admonishing. The rod is the rod. The same Bible says foolishness abounds in the heart of a child but the rod of correction will chase it far away. If I wasn’t flogged perhaps I would be doing something else today. My mother, God bless her, insisted on and enforced discipline. The truth is that if you spare the rod, you will spoil the child. Fathers these days don’t want to flog their children. You have to because it is your covenant responsibility. Don’t leave a child to him/herself; it is your duty to protect the child by creating boundaries. There are patents that are more concerned about the child liking them than the destiny of the child. There is a time for everything and the formative stage is for you to be a father and not a friend to your child.

The foundation of this actually is that we have to do it the way God does it. The Bible says God disciplines the child He delights in [Heb.12:6]. So delight must come before discipline. You cannot abandon your children, not spend time with them, not bond with them, no relationship with them but show up to flog them. That will not work because they will perceive you as a bully. The Bible says that God chastises the child He accepts. So acceptance must come before chastisement. You have to spend time to build a relationship before you earn the right to flog the child. So that when you flog the child, he/she knows that they must have stepped out of line. And even amidst disciplinary measures, the child knows that you have their interest at heart.

Culture is formed by what is rewarded and what is punished. If a child does something good and it goes unrewarded, the child will not repeat it. If he does something bad and it goes unpunished, the child will repeat it. Children are experts at pushing their boundaries. So when they have done something that is bad and you don’t punish it, guess what they would do? They will push it further.

Prayer: Father, give me the grace to follow examples You have set down for me as a parent and the wisdom to protect my children through discipline, in Jesus Name.