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What is The Key for Lasting Spiritual Revival?

Spiritual revivals are often characterized by relatively short lived excitement about the Lord. Then the excitement fades and the revival fades with it. God has showed me that there is going to be a real spiritual revival in the future and we need to be preparing for it. An important question for us to ask is: What is the key for lasting spiritual revival that goes from generation to generation?

One of the Godliest kings in the Bible was King Hezekiah. Hezekiah brought about a great spiritual revival and reformation in Judah. God tells us this about him: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he cleaved to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.” (2 Kings 18:3-6) But even though Hezekiah was such a very Godly man and brought about a great spiritual revival, his son Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings Judah ever had. God tells us that Manasseh sacrificed his son to an idol, dealt with evil spirits and wizards, and he seduced his people to do more evil than the nations that God destroyed before the children of Israel possessed the land.

Why did the spiritual revival that Hezekiah led his people into come so quickly to an end? It was because Hezekiah was only focusing on what happened in his own lifetime and did not train and teach the next generation how to be men and women after God’s heart after he was gone. God gave Hezekiah a prophecy that in the future, Judah would be carried into exile in Babylon. Hezekiah’s response shows his short shortsightedness. He said “’Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.’ And he said, ‘Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?’” (2 Kings 20:19) Hezekiah was not concerned about the spiritual falling away of the next generations, all that he was interested in was that good times and truth were in his days. Remember that Hezekiah was one of the Godliest kings Judah ever had and yet he made a very serious mistake and as a result, an untold multitude of people are in hell because of his mistake.

Today, there are many churches and many Christian parents who are making the very same mistake that Hezekiah made. The focus of many is to get their children saved and then they view their job as over. Many churches are focusing on church growth and getting people to make a decision for Christ, but many in the next generation are not serving the Lord. For years I have wondered why some very Godly men including some great evangelists have children and grandchildren who are not serving the Lord. Hezekiah’s attitude towards the following generations explains one of the reasons why many Godly parents have wayward children.

A number of years ago God warned me in a dream that we needed to leave the Godly conservative church that we were members of and that if we stayed the cost would be greater than what we were willing to pay in losing some of our children spiritually. A high percentage of the young people who had grown up in that church were no longer serving the Lord, or were nominal Christians attending other churches. Very few were committed Christians. We followed God’s guidance and left that congregation. God did not reveal to me the full cost of staying in that church until five years later when I found a newspaper clipping in my wife’s grandparents’ family Bible. This article revealed the true cost if two out of five of each generation did not serve the Lord. The result is very sobering.

For simplicity’s sake we will assume that each descendant has five children. In each Christian family only two of the children end up being non-Christians and three continue the spiritual “revival”. We will assume that all non-Christians do not become Christians and none of their descendants become Christians. In reality, none of these assumptions will be accurate. Some will not get married, and some will have fewer children. Some Christian homes might lose all their children and there will be those who grew up in a non-Christian home that will become Christians. However, the results show the seriousness of only losing a few children in each generation to the Lord. Many Christians today live with a shortsighted focus assuming that Christ will return in our lifetime. Many churches would view a 60% success rate with their young people as a good success rate. However, if Jesus does not return for another 200 years the following is what the statistics would look like:

 ChristiansNon-Christians
1st GenerationMy Wife and I 
2nd Generation32
3rd Generation916
4th Generation2798
5th Generation81544
6th Generation2432882
7th Generation72914,896
8th Generation2,18775,938
Total Descendants3,27994,376
 3% Christian97% Non-Christian

For me, this cost of 97% of my descendants going to Hell is much greater than I am willing to pay. It would sadden my heart to lose two of my precious children in Hell, but it is even worse to consider that 94,376 or 97% of my descendants would spend eternity in Hell. A 60% success rate actually results in a 97% failure rate!

The true cost of losing less than half of the children in each generation into a lake of fire applies not only to the family but also to the church. The actual cost in the lives of those in future generations is too great. Brothers and sisters, keeping most of the children in our family or in our church in Christ’s kingdom is not enough. We need to aim for a 100% success rate. We need to keep all the children in Christ’s Kingdom and lose none of them to Satan’s kingdom. We need to focus on bringing all new believers to maturity in Christ and help them so that all their descendants become men and women after God’s heart. That is the key to lasting spiritual revival.

Understanding the true cost of losing only a few children to Satan helps us understand why God hates divorce so much. God desires that we have Godly descendants. In Malachi 2:15 God tells us “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.” Divorce not only destroys a family, it also affects all of the descendants as well. That is why Satan pushed so hard to get divorce and remarriage accepted in the church today. Destruction of the family unit is a major battlefield that many Christians are allowing Satan to win.

Fortunately, the future does not have to be hopeless. God has a key for lasting spiritual revival that is passed from generation to generation. We can begin at any point in our failures as parents, grandparents, or as a pastor to make a change that changes the results for future generations.

Are you looking for something more than just the same old concepts, interpretations, explanations, and perspectives you have heard regurgitated over and over again? This website will give you some new insights and things to think about. You may not agree with everything you read, but Biblical Research Reports will stimulate your thinking. Our goal is to help you to formulate in your own mind what is Jesus’ truth as you look at the research we share on the various subjects facing the Church.

The Importance of Turning Fathers’ Hearts to Their Children

God sent John the Baptist to prepare people for lasting spiritual revival. Jesus’ ministry lasted only three years. At the end of those three years, the spiritual revival that began has continued for two thousand years. What God said that John the Baptist would do to prepare the people for Jesus was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Many Christian leaders have pooh-poohed the biological church growth among conservative groups and have put their focus on reaching unchurched people, not realizing that for lasting spiritual revival we need evangelism and we also need to keep the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those brought in through evangelism and of those who are already Christians.

Many fathers feel inadequate in knowing how to turn the hearts of their children to them. They need tools to enable them to do so, and to know how to train their children in the ways of the Lord. A father’s heart being turned to his children means that he has a deep heart desire to see each child grow up to be a man or a woman after Jesus’ heart. He will make personal and financial sacrifices to make sure that each child and grandchild will remain faithful to following what Jesus has told us to do, the rest of their life.

Scripture showing the importance of turning fathers’ hearts to their children.

Deuteronomy 32:46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, the fathers need to be shown that teaching their children to keep Christ’s commands is important because it is their children’s life and will prolong their children’s days. Most parents see the need to take care of their children if they are sick, they need to see that the spiritual well being of their children is even more important.

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

  • The fear of the Lord and knowledge of God comes when the heart of the child is turned toward his father and he listens to his father’s instruction. The church has attempted to achieve the same results and have bypassed the father and are training the children in the church. The result is that the hearts of the children are turned to their peers and Bible literacy has steadily declined. For lasting spiritual revival, this needs to change.

Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

  • This passage is a parallel to the command in the Ten Commandments to honor your father and mother. The result is a longer life and success in life. This is an important reason for the hearts of the children to be turned toward their father.

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

  • Turning the hearts of the fathers to the children is the key to lasting spiritual revival. The fathers train their children and grandchildren to follow the Bible and not follow the world. The spiritual revival is not lost in one generation.
  • John the Baptist’s job was to prepare the people for lasting spiritual revival, so the church would continue after Jesus went back to heaven, by turning the hearts of the fathers to their children and the heart of the children to their fathers.

Matthew 18:2-7 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, (3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. (6) But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (7) Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!

  • In order for an adult to humble himself as a child, he needs to recognize that little children are as important in the church as the adults. The adults are not any more important than the children.
  • The seriousness of offending a child and causing them to stray from Christ is very great in God’s sight.

Matthew 18:10-14 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. (11) For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. (12) How think ye? if a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? (13) And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. (14) Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

  • The church has historically discouraged children from joining the church because they are too young. The church can help turn the hearts of the fathers to their children by putting a higher value on the souls of children. We need to go after a “lost” young person and bring them back to Christ.
  • Children must not be separated from the rest of the church service because they are young. It is despising a child to think that they cannot understand. Children have a much greater capacity for spiritual understanding than what many adults realize.
  • A father needs to recognize that it is not the will of God that any of his children should be lost. Therefore if a father does anything that allows the child to go astray, the father is not doing God’s will; especially if the father does not do everything in his power to bring the child back to the Lord.
  • When a man’s child turns his back on the Lord, that father needs to leave everything else and seek to bring back that child. Even if it means leaving work for a month or more or go to another state or country.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

  • Part of getting people ready to receive the Lord is to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. This can be done only by the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • Malachi 2:15-16 “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. (16) For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.”
  • God’s desire is that a father and mother will have Godly descendants. The turning of the hearts of the fathers to their children begins by the father loving and showing affection to his children’s mother. Divorce is very destructive to the family and to having Godly descendants. Divorce is not just a sin against one’s spouse but sin that affects a man’s descendants for many generations. The church in turning the hearts of the fathers to their children needs to preach that divorce and remarriage is sin.
  • Evangelism needs to be more than getting a person to make a commitment to Christ. God’s wants us to also help that new convert turn their heart to their children so that they will help their children and grandchildren come to the Lord. In evangelism we need to get our focus off of only focusing on the individual and see the bigger picture that each individual has a potential influence on all their descendants. Each person will have thousands of descendants if Christ does not return soon. That is why it is so important to turn the hearts of the father’s to their children.
  • The church has missed the importance of turning the hearts of the fathers to their children and has pooh-poohed biological growth in churches. Sunday school, youth groups, divorce and remarriage, mothers and fathers working away from home, and rock music, have all contributed to turning the hearts of the fathers away from their children and the children’s hearts away from their fathers.

Luke 9:48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

  • Jesus said that developing a relationship with Him means that we will also turn our hearts toward children and receive them because He wants us to.

Mark 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

  • Jesus used a young child as an example for the apostles. Children are the ones that are being shoved into children’s church, children’s Sunday school, and the nursery to keep them out of the church. We need to welcome children into church services, “for of such are the kingdom of Heaven.”
  • “Receive one of such children in my name” — To recognize the importance of training a child in the commands of Christ and to grow up to be a man or woman after Jesus’ heart, and putting that training into practice..
  • Turning our hearts toward children means to recognize the eternal existence of their soul and the utmost importance of training their thinking and actions in the ways of the Lord while they are young and receptive and helping them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Mark 10:13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. (14) But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. (16) And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

  • Jesus loves little children. We need to follow his example.
  • It is wrong to view children as less important then the adults, and that they should not be part of the worship service so that the adults can have “more quality time” in the worship service.
  • It is wrong to forbid a child to be part of a worship service. They need to be there because they are part of Christ’s kingdom also. Their love for Jesus is necessary for lasting spiritual revival.
  • A father needs to bless his children like Jesus did. It tells us exactly how Jesus blessed them. Jesus held the child and then laid his hands on them and blessed them.
  • The turning of a father’s heart to his children means that the father will want to have the children near him and to touch them. Both being near, and touch convey the message of love and acceptance to children.
  • A father represents God to his children. If a father wants his children to be drawn to God, he must find ways to draw them to his heart.

1Timothy 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

  • It is important that the hearts of fathers be turned to their children so that they can become Godly and effective leaders in continuing spiritual revival — it must occur first in their own home.

Turning the Hearts of the Fathers to Their Children is Important for Lasting Spiritual Revival.

Exodus 13:8 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, [This is done] because of that [which] the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. 9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

  • Turning the fathers’ hearts to their children means helping fathers prioritize the importance of the spiritual training of their children and grandchildren and helping fathers see the utmost importance of showing their children that God is real and how He worked in the father’s life.
  • A father needs to see his responsibility to do the spiritual training of his children. Men tend to either take full responsibility or none. One of the detriments of the church taking the responsibility for the spiritual training of the children is that fathers have tended to continue to neglect their responsibility for the spiritual training. Sunday school was started because fathers were not training their children, and children were ignorant of spiritual things. The mistake that was made, and that is continuing to be made, is taking over the fathers’ responsibility rather than turning the hearts of the fathers to their children. Sunday school, Christian school, youth groups etc. tend to turn the hearts of children to their peers rather than to their fathers.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: (2) That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. (3) Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. (4) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (5) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

  • Parents are to teach the commands of the Lord to their children.
  • Teaching seems to be vital for turning the hearts of the fathers to the children. God tells fathers over and over to teach their children.
  • To turn the hearts of fathers to their children we need to show them God’s commands to fathers to teach their children Christ’s commands. We need to encourage fathers to teach their children and we need to provide them with helps and tools to accomplish the training. (sign on your hand, frontlets between thine eyes, and written on the posts of thy house and on thy gates.)

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it [to] the right hand or [to] the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.

  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, the fathers need to be encouraged to be strong and very courageous to train their children. Many fathers are afraid of their teenagers or afraid that if they lay down rules for their teenagers that they will push the children away. The result is that many fathers allow ungodly dress, rock music, wrong attitudes, actions, and objects into their homes because they do not have the backbone to say, “No.”
  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, they need to be encouraged to meditate on God’s Word day and night so that they will observe to do all that is commanded in it and will lead their children to observe to do all that God has commanded.

Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit. 13 [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

  • A father needs to know the joy of his salvation. Children’s hearts are drawn to a father with a joyful heart.
  • We need to show fathers the joy they receive when they follow God’s ways and turn their hearts to their children and the resulting reward of having their children’s hearts turned toward them. We need to teach them with a joyful spirit so they will want what we have. They will need to see our family interact with joy.
  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children and children to their fathers, the fathers need to be excited about following Christ and keeping His commands. They need to have joy in living the Christian life.
  • When children see their father live joyfully with their mother, it draws their hearts toward both rather than pitting the child’s heart between the parents.
  • Parents need to enjoy their children and not view them as a drag or something in the way of having a good time for just the mother and father. When the parents have trained their children properly, so that the children aren’t brats, the parents will be able to be more joyful about their children. The children will actually be fun to have around.

Psalm 78:1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide [them] from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6 That the generation to come might know [them, even] the children [which] should be born; [who] should arise and declare [them] to their children: 7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation [that] set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children the fathers need to teach their children and grandchildren. The children need to hear what God has done in the past so they can see the power of God and know God is real and so they keep His commands.
  • To not tell the grandchildren and great grandchildren what God has done is the same thing as hiding it from them.
  • Fathers need to teach their children and grandchildren what God has done. The result is:
    • They set their hope in God.
    • They don’t forget the works of God.
    • They keep His commandments.
    • They are not stubborn and rebellious.
  • In turning the hearts of fathers to their children, the fathers need to be told again and again to teach their children what God has done and tell the fathers the benefits of doing so. The fathers know what they should do, but they need someone to tell them again and again.
  • Fathers need to be shown that things are not hopeless with their children; that the children can be taught not to be stubborn and rebellious – v.8
  • Fathers need to be shown that they can change the next generation, and make it a Godly generation. Teach them how to do it.

Psalm 144:7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; 8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood. 9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery [and] an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. 10 [It is he] that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. 11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood: 12 That our sons [may be] as plants grown up in their youth; [that] our daughters [may be] as corner stones, polished [after] the similitude of a palace:

  • In turning the hearts of the children to their fathers, other children and young people need to be removed from influencing one’s own children negatively and taking their hearts. Removing competing influences is something that the father needs have a desire to do.
  • A father MUST guard his children from destructive influences if he wants to have their hearts. He needs to keep them away from lying, silly-talking children who could easily influence his own children for bad. One major way of guarding them is homeschooling.
  • In order for the father to have his heart turned to his children, he needs to rid himself of other people who are ungodly and who have wrong influences on his children. In other words, get rid of the TV!

Proverbs 29:15-17 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. (16) When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. (17) Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

  • For a father to turn his heart to his children, he needs to spank them and rebuke them to give the children wisdom. The reason being is the benefit for the parents. Usually we think of it as a benefit for the child. But this passages states that a correctly trained child will give his parents rest and they will delight in the child. That is turning the heart of the parents to the children. The opposite also happens. A child left to do as he pleases brings shame to his parents. When parents are ashamed of their child, the result is that the embarrassment turns the parents’ hearts away from the child.
  • To turn the hearts of fathers to their children, the fathers need to be taught how to correctly spank and train their children. The children need to act with wisdom especially in their teenage years so that their father can delight in the children and his heart be turned toward them.

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

  • It takes someone else to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children; it doesn’t happen automatically.
  • Note that the verse mentions turning the hearts of the fathers to the children before turning the hearts of the children to their fathers. I believe the one will almost automatically follow the other in this order.
  • Sunday school, graded education, and youth groups, split up the family and turn the hearts of the children to their peers rather than to their fathers.
  • In our experience, when I as their father worked at home, my heart became more turned to my children than when I was away 10-12 hours a day.
  • The church has to be active in turning the hearts of the fathers to their children if we are to see spiritual revival that will last. Unfortunately, the church has been active in dividing up the family and putting the fathers in one group and the children and youth into groups by themselves.

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, the fathers need to recognize that it is the father that has the primary responsibility for the spiritual training of his children; not the mother, not the church, and not the Sunday School teacher.
  • Nurture – tutorage, that is, education or training; by implication disciplinary correction: – chastening, chastisement, instruction, nurture.
  • For a father’s heart to be turned to his children and their hearts turned toward him, he must not provoke his children to anger. If he does he needs to go to his children and ask their forgiveness.

Hebrews 12:6-11 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, fathers need to be taught how to properly discipline their children by spanking them and giving the child instruction of how to do the right thing the next time. This is a very important key in turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. If proper discipline is not carried out, the hearts will not be bonded together

What a Father Does Whose Heart is Turned Toward His Children

This section also addresses how a father turns his children’s hearts to himself

Genesis 18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

  • A father who’s heart is turned to his children will command them to keep the way of the Lord and to do justice and judgment.
  • It is not merely telling one’s children about God’s commands but commanding the children to obey God.
  • We need to show fathers the far reaching eternal effects of training their children in the ways of the Lord or neglecting to do so and show the contrast between the two generations down the line.
  • Fathers need a vision of achieving lasting revival in their families.

Exodus 10:2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I [am] the LORD.

  • Fathers and grandfathers should write down the things that God has done for them. When the children see the things that God did for their father, it not only gives them a greater ambition to follow God, it elevates their father in their minds, because they see that he is a “mighty man of God”. It makes him more of a hero for his children, and children’s hearts are drawn to heroic men.
  • In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, fathers and grandfathers need to be instructed to tell all their descendants all the things that God has done during their lifetime. The fathers need to see the importance of their descendants knowing how God is real today and not just a historical figure.

Deuteronomy 11:19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

  • A father needs to be with his children and take them with him when he goes somewhere in the car. This passage addresses using the normal activities of the day, meal times, travel, getting up, and going to bed as opportunities for the father to teach his children. Quality time is normal activities put to good use.
  • God implies here that parents are to be with their children most of the day.
  • A key part of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children is that the fathers need to be around their children for a good part of the day. The average American father spends only a few minutes each day talking with each child. A lot of fathers are only with their children from the time they get home from work until the time the children go to bed — a period of only a few hours. For many it is even less than that. It is hard for two hearts (the father’s and the child’s) to be drawn together when they are only together for such a short period of time each week. Fathers need to have a home business where they can be with their children.
  • Fathers need to eat meals with their children.

Job 12:12 With the ancient [is] wisdom; and in length of days understanding. 13 With him [is] wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

  • Children need to be with their parents — their parents have more wisdom and experience. When the father works alongside his children, not only are their hearts drawn together, but the father guides the children as to how to do what they’re doing, and shares his experience with his children. Working is also a good time for fathers and children to interact and share and talk about the things that are on their hearts. It is bonding for a father and a child to talk together about a heart issue.

Psalm 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.

  • A father’s heart is turned to his children and grandchildren when he wants to show them God’s power and that God is real.
  • A father needs to ask God to help him in actively turning his heart to his children.
  • A father needs to show God’s strength and power to everyone, to all his future descendants, that are to come. Most of my ancestors left no record of God’s strength and power that they saw in their lifetime. Most of what is left of their time on earth is a name, a date of birth and the day they died, and that does not inspire any of their descendants to turn their heart to the Lord.

Proverbs 3:11-13 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding

  • A father who loves and delights in his child will not merely punish the child, he will discipline the child; that is, he will teach and instruct the child in the way he should go at the time of discipline.
  • A father who does not discipline (punish and also teach and instruct) his child, does not truly love his child or delight in him.

Proverbs 4:3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only [beloved] in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

  • It is important for a father to start when a child is very young (tender) and tell the child to listen to his commands and give the child the benefits of keeping the commands. When a child does not understand why a command is important, it is easier for someone else to come and turn the child’s heart to follow them and to disobey the father’s command.
  • A child’s heart will be turned to his father when he sees that his father wants to help him attain the best in life and that is why the father gives him commands to keep.

Proverbs 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

  • God says over and over, “My son,” which means, “Builder of the family name.” In particular, sons, the builders of the family name, need to be trained by their father in spiritual matters.
  • A father needs to tell his children to be attentive and listen to what he says.
  • The father needs to tell his children the benefit to their lives of listening to what he tells them.

Proverbs 5:1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, [and] bow thine ear to my understanding: 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and [that] thy lips may keep knowledge.

  • A father in turning the hearts of his children to himself needs to tell them over and over to listen to what he is saying, to help them have a learner’s heart.
  • The father needs to tell his children over and over the benefit to their lives of listening to what he tells them.

Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life:

  • The turning of the hearts of the father to his children means that he will give his children commands that he expects them to follow. He will explain to the children the reason why they must keep his commands. Many fathers whose hearts are not turned to their children do not give their children very much guidance in the way of commands and explaining the reason for the commands.
  • This verse shows us how everything is supposed to fit together. The father is the one who gives the commandments in the home. He sets the standard and basis for the principles of how the children are to be raised. The mother’s job is to instruct her children specifically how to follow those commandments. The children are to listen and obey. The result is a happy, secure, Godly home. In this manner, the mother supports her husband’s authority instead of competing for or usurping his authority.
  • Turning the hearts of the children to their father is to get the children to want to remember and do their father’s commands. A child whose heart is not turned toward his father will not want to keep his father’s commands. A rebellious child has no interest in keeping his father’s commands.
  • If a child has trouble remembering a command, a solution might be to give him or her a written reminder that the child would, for example, pin to his sleeve or the like. It might be a way of helping a child to remember.

Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

  • In turning the hearts of the children to their father, the children need to be told over and over the importance of keeping his command, and instructions. They need to be told that there are benefits that will make them better persons as they become adults and that will improve their life and help them be successful.
  • The father needs to help his children remember the commands that he gives them so that they will not forget. This passage repeats the instruction to remember the commands six times. This gives us an illustration of how a father should teach his children. Important instructions need to be stated six times. Each time state the instruction a little differently so that the children get the full understanding of the command.
  • In turning the hearts of the children to their father, the father needs to help the children have a desire to have wisdom and understanding. Then they will want to hear and keep the commands that the father gives them because they will understand the value of their father’s commands.
  • A father must not compromise rules to try to draw nearer to his children and to try to get them to like him. If he does so, the children will see that the rules don’t really matter. A father must make rules for his home that will benefit his children if he wants to draw their hearts to himself. If the children see that their father truly has their good at heart, and that his commands are meant to help them obey God and to be successful in life, it will draw their hearts together. However, if the father bends the rules in an attempt to get closer to his children, it actually tells them that the rules he is breaking were not really for their good.

Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him quickly.

  • A father whose heart is turned toward his children will spank them, if possible, at the time of the offense. He will not delay the spanking if he can, because he knows that a child does not like to have a spanking waiting for him later.
  • In order to turn a child’s heart to himself, a father needs to administer loving discipline when his child needs it. Letting children do whatever they want to will turn them into rebellious, hardly-lovable wrecks.

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

  • A father’s heart needs to be turned to his children so that he personally will train his children in the way they should go. A father whose heart is not turned toward his children looks to others, the church, and Christian school to do the bulk of the training.

Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

  • The father and the son need to work together. How else can a son observe the ways of his father?
  • A father needs to command his children to give him their heart and not assume, or hope, that they will give it to him. The father needs to take the initiative to get his children’s hearts. He needs to take the initiative to develop a relationship with his children so he can have their hearts. It is much like courtship. No young man can hope to win a young lady’s heart if he only spends a couple minutes now and then talking with her. But that is what many fathers do and wonder why they do not have their children’s hearts.

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

  • Jesus provides a picture of great tenderness with little children. Fathers can show little children their love and God’s love by holding them and by treating them tenderly.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

  • Fathers who get angry with their children drive a wedge between the children and himself. Children don’t want to give their hearts to someone who is often mad at them. Instead, they will tend to give their hearts to someone who seems to care. It may very well be someone that the father would never allow to be a friend to his child in a million years.
  • A father turns the hearts of his children to him by giving them hope, not discouragement. Then when they are discouraged or have a problem they know they can go to their father for encouragement and answers. When the father gives discouragement, the children feel that they can’t go to him because he will make them feel even more discouraged.
  • One of the ways that fathers provoke their children to anger is in the way the father treats their mother. It is important that the father shows love to his wife and treats her lovingly and speaks kindly about and to her. This will turn the hearts of the children to their father.

Hindrances to a Father’s Heart not being Turned Toward His Children

Psalm 49:6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever:) 9 That he should still live forever, and not see corruption. 10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. 12 Nevertheless man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.

  • Fathers tend to put their focus on their job and making money and neglect the real priorities, the souls of their children. In turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, fathers need to see the foolishness of a life focus on accumulating wealth in light of eternity. They need to see that the souls of their children are more important than owning a house or other property. The house will not continue forever like the soul of the child will.
  • A focus on a job or career, and making money is one of the biggest hindrances that fathers have in not turning their hearts to their children. Fathers tend to be too busy with their work and other interests when their children are young to develop the needed bonding with the children. Therefore this is one area that it is important that a father change his thinking and actions.
  • We need to remind Christian men not to immediately look at working at home as an impossibility. They need to ask God what He wants them to do and then trust God to be faithful to provide. They will acquire stories to pass on of how God provides.

Helping Grandpa “Grow Up” So That There Is Lasting Spiritual Revival

A man who is a grandpa is still growing up. We usually think of a man who is an adult as grown up. However, each person as they enter a new phase in life has new responsibilities that they have never had before, and they have to learn how to carry them out. Many men have failed in each of these new responsibilities. When a man becomes a dad, he has one chance to be a good dad. He will not have any more “litters” of children to do better with the next set. He has no experience—he is still growing up. Then the children grow up and become adults. They think like adults and the dad has to learn how to really relate to an adult generation that is younger than he is. Again, many men have failed in properly learning how to really understand and relate to the younger generation.

But a man is still not finished growing up. He becomes a grandpa. He has never been successful as a grandpa before. He needs to learn a how to carry out a God given responsibility that he has never had before and many men are missing the benefits of properly carrying out that responsibility. God has given each grandpa the responsibility to tell his grandchildren the things that God has taught him and the testimonies of how God has worked in his life. Grandpas are a key to passing the faith to the third generation and seeing that there is lasting spiritual revival.

Both of my grandfathers were Christians. One was a song leader and one was a preacher. Both have passed away without carrying out their God given grandfather responsibility. I know very little about each of them when it comes to spiritual things. I know very little about what God taught them and how God worked in their life. I know a lot more about things that are of much lesser importance. If I go back one more generation, I know even less. There is a name, a date of birth, who they married, the names of their children, and when they died. That is all I know. What lessons did God teach them? Were they committed Christians or just Sunday Christians? Was there anything that they learned that would be beneficial for me in my Christian life? I’ll never know. I have a Godly heritage, or so I am told, but my grandpas and great grandpas failed to share God’s power with my generation. I wish they had prayed this prayer given to us in Psalms 71:18 “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.”

A grandpa sharing with his grandchildren the ways that he has seen God work in his lifetime, and the proofs that God has given to him that God is real and can be trusted, is a very powerful testimony for Jesus that no one else can match. Grandchildren can argue opinions on spiritual matters, beliefs, Biblical interpretation and application; but they can’t argue a personal testimony. The stories that are written down of how God answered prayer, how He worked supernaturally, how He taught grandpa a spiritual truth, how he gave grandpa specific direction, etc. will be read by many succeeding generations. These testimonies from within one’s very own family have much more significance than the testimony of anyone else. Each time it is read it will show God’s power to a very important person to you – a grandson, a great, great granddaughter, etc.

Exodus 10:2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.

  • A grandpa telling his grandchildren what God did is important not only for the grandchildren but also for the grandpa himself. By telling the stories, it helps each one to remember what God did.
  • Telling the third generation of what we have seen God do is important for lasting spiritual revival.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

  • God reveals the deep spiritual truths of His Word to us. These are special treasures that God wants us to remember, and pass them down as special family treasures from one generation to the next forever. It is therefore important that they are written down and special instruction be given that they be passed on to the next generation. Imagine the Godly heritage that you would have if your ancestors in each of the preceding generations had done this and each generation had added the things that God had taught them. It would provide some fascinating reading and would be a powerful testimony to each descendant that God is real.

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

  • Imagine the fascinating reading if you had writings from your great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents of the ways that they had seen God work in their life and in events in their day that they had personally seen. It would be like a best seller book, a paper that you couldn’t put down until you had read it all, because it would be a part of you – your family. That is what God is commanding us to do. “Lest you forget the things that you have seen” of the power of God, tell them to your children and grandchildren. Leave your future descendants with the testimonies of answers to prayer, God’s provision, God’s protection, and the things that God has taught you. The little events of God’s working are as important as the big ones. Your testimonies are important for spiritual revival that lasts many generations.
The book Cornmeal Samaritan

One such fascinating story is that of my wife’s great, great, great, great grandfather named Joshua Yoder. It was during a time when there was a lot of racial hatred for the American Indians. In the early spring of 1824, it snowed 36 inches. Concerned about 6 elderly Indians who had a camp about two miles from his home and would starve, Joshua filled a sack with cornmeal. He then waded waist deep in the snow carrying the corn meal two miles to deliver it to the Indians. In the spring, two of the old Indians whom Joshua had helped came to thank him for the food he had given them. As a thank you gift they gave him six arrowheads, one for each Indian the cornmeal had spared.

The story is told in a children’s book titled Cornmeal Samaritan. It is available from Christian Light Publishers: https://christianlight.org/cornmeal-samaritan

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

  • God has given grandparents the responsibility to help their grandchildren live a longer life – “That thy days may be prolonged” (v.2). This passage is addressing the Old Testament Law which has been superceded by the New Testament and no longer applies in the same way to the Christian. However the same principle applies to teaching God’s commands that He has given to us in the New Testament. These are the commands that tell us how to live out the Christian life and put it into practice. They answer the question, “What would Jesus do” in this situation. Commands such as: “Love your neighbor as yourself”, “Love your enemy”, “Abstain from all appearance of evil”, “Fight the good fight of faith”, “Lie not one to another”, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers”, “Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul”, “Flee fornication”, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging”, and “Judge not, that ye be not judged”. This is only a handful of over 500 such commands in the New Testament.
  • For lasting spiritual revival, God instructs grandparents to be actively involved in the spiritual training of their grandchildren. Do not let your children with the full responsibility. The spiritual training is much more powerful, effective and long lasting if grandpa and grandma are also doing the teaching and training. Make it clear that what you are teaching them is God’s commands or instruction rather than your personal opinion. Tell the grandchildren “God says we are not to tell lies” rather than say “It is not nice to tell lies”.

Joel 1:1-3 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

  • God specifically addresses this passage to men who are grandpas. It is important for a grandpa to tell the next generations the significant events of God working in his lifetime, especially events that are unique and extraordinary. An older man has the perspective of living many years and can better understand the significance of how God worked in a particular situation. A grandpa is better able to see the cause and effect sequences of people or society’s sins and then God’s judgment. These things need to be told to the next generations so that they do not keep repeating the same sins and mistakes that the previous generation made. This is important for lasting spiritual revival. Unfortunately in the Old Testament, the Israelites did not teach their children as they should have and the next generation did not learn from the sins of the previous generations and continued to commit the same stupid sins. God wants a grandpa to teach the next generations to learn from the punishment of sin and not repeat it.

Genesis 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

  • When God chose Abraham to start a nation that would serve God for many generations, He did so because God knew that Abraham would command his children and grandchildren to keep the way of the Lord. Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons kept the way of the Lord even though there were not any other Godly people or churches to worship with. Joshua was another man who commanded his family and grandchildren to serve the Lord and keep God’s commands. Joshua was an old man, about ready to die, when he said the following: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) It is important for a grandfather to command his grandchildren to be men and women after God’s heart and serve Him all their lives. A grandfather has a significant impact on a grandchild’s life when he gives that kind of instruction. If a man has been a good grandpa, the grandchild does not want to displease grandpa, and grandpa’s instruction will have at least some affect on the choices and decisions that a grandchild makes.

Psalms 78:1-8 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

  • There is an inheritance that God wants every man to pass on to his children, grandchildren, and future generations that is more important than money, property, or things. God wants each grandpa to pass on a family history of testimonies of how God worked, how God provided, God’s judgment, and the secrets of God’s Word that were revealed to their father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc. This is what a Godly heritage is all about. It is what makes for a lasting spiritual revival.
  • When these things are told as part of the family history, it makes God real to that young grandchild or great-grandchild. They see God as being real in their family, not just to some distant person in the Bible or to a few “great” man like George Mueller who lived long ago. God tells us that telling these testimonies of how God worked in their own family, will have a significant impact on that child growing up and serving God all their life and passing the faith on to their offspring. This is the secret to a Godly family that will be Godly for many generations. Are you willing to go to the trouble of recording those testimonies by writing them down so that your descendants for many generations will serve the Lord?

Jeremiah 35:6-10 But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever: 7 Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. 8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; 9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: 10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

  • This story is significant because Jonadab was not their immediate father—he lived about three hundred years before this event! His commands were passed down from generation to generation and were followed. If only Hezekiah would have left this type of legacy with his descendants. The history of Israel would be totally different. Jonadab and his family give us an example that lasting spiritual revival can occur if the father follows God’s Word and passes it down to each descendant.

As a grandpa or grandma, you are still growing up. You still have a responsibility in child training and in passing on the things that the Lord has taught you over the years. Only God knows how many more days you have left on this earth. Don’t forget, as my grandparents did, to pray this prayer: “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” (Psalms 71:18)

God desires lasting spiritual revival in our families. There are too many lives at stake to live just for peace and truth in our days like Hezekiah’s focus. If you have lost a son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandchild, niece or nephew to Satan’s camp go after them. If they are growing cold spiritually, go after them—it is not too late. You have not lost the battle until they die. It is not only their soul that is important but the potential of thousands of their descendants as well. Write down the things that God has done in your lifetime to show God’s power to all that is to come. The key for lasting spiritual revival is to turn your heart toward your children and to turn their heart toward you. Live like Christ will return at any moment and at the same time live like Christ will not return for another 200 years. To live only for the moment has the potential to be spiritually disastrous for thousands in your family and tens of thousands in your church.

The key for lasting spiritual revival does not require us to be a great evangelist or a great preacher and yet the results in souls won for the Lord can be as great or greater. God has given each of us the responsibility and the ability to be a lasting influence on our descendants and bring about lasting spiritual revival. Be a man after God’s heart and lead all your family in placing their full trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why Biblical Research Reports uses the KJV

When I started in-depth Bible research, I was using the NIV translation. I was not prepared for the deception and misguiding information that I found coming from Christian scholars. I did extensive research into Bible translations and into the Greek manuscripts themselves that the various versions are translated from.

I soon realized that the most significant subject facing the Church today is the Bible, what version is used and preached from, the Greek text it is translated from, and the way it is translated. Every Christian doctrine is based on the Bible. The way the Bible reads, the words that it has and the words that it does not have, the way the Greek words are translated or poorly translated, all affect the beliefs and teachings of the Church. At one point I thought that most translations of the Bible were basically the same except for the modernization of the old English in the KJV. This is not the case. Most of the modern translations do not have everything that the KJV does, as a result of changes in the Greek texts from which they are translated. In addition, significant changes have to be made in each new Bible version in order to copyright it. As a result of that research, I switched to the KJV. To read more about my Bible translation research check out these Research Reports:

Evidence the NIV is Not the Best Bible Translation

Evidence the NIV is not the best Bible translation (Condensed)

What is the Best Bible Translation?

I highly recommend the powerful, Free E-Sword Bible program for your computer, cell phone or other mobile device. Make sure you also download the free Treasury of Scripture Knowledge – cross references for each Bible verse to other verses on the same subject. For a cross reference database that is much larger and more complete consider purchasing The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury (in the dictionary category).

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