Influences That Kill Potential Part 1

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Hello and welcome to Keeping It Young podcast,

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conversations about marriage, family and ministry life.

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I'm Dave and I'm Bethlehem and we are

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the youngs.

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We're so glad you've joined us today.

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We are continuing in our study in Proverbs.

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Yes, we are.

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And we are right in the middle of

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a very busy summer of ministry and what

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a great summer it has been.

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We've had camps this summer, family camps, teen

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camps, couples conferences, family camp.

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It's just been a crazy busy summer and

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a very good summer.

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And so we're kicking off here now already

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going into July.

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The summer's flying.

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It always goes so fast and then it's

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almost time to start thinking about school again.

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Let's not use that word yet.

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We're still at least a month and a

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half away for us.

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We start later in August.

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I know some schools start earlier and earlier

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it seems and so it may already be

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time for some of you to start that

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school shopping, school supplies, school clothing, all of

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that stuff.

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But hey, it's still July.

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Let's do summer.

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Yes, let's stay in summer.

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But hope you've been enjoying our series and

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we have really enjoyed hearing from several of

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you along the way.

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We've gotten just basic and a lot of

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thank you.

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That was good.

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But we've also gotten several questions.

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We had a question recently from a mom

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who had some questions about her sons and

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they're fighting with each other.

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That was a good question.

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And just others like that.

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So obviously you can reach out to us

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at any time and we always love hearing

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from you.

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And if it's just a comment or if

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it is a question and we do our

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very best to answer those and I say

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yet again, if you've sent us a message

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and you haven't heard from us, chances are

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we have lost the message or did not

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get it.

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And we don't have any way of, you

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know, knowing if we don't get it.

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We just don't know.

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So please reach out if we can help

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you in some way or if you're, you

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know, thinking it through and want more, you

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know, just want to follow up.

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We are not offended.

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Please follow up.

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Yes.

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And sometimes we'll have a day where we

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get, you know, 35 or 40 or, you

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know, up to a hundred different emails.

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So it might've been that we saw it,

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answered a ton of others and somehow it

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got shuffled way down the line and we

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just never saw it again.

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Please, please reach out to us.

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Does that happen?

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Yes, it does.

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It does.

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So anyway, we are so happy you've joined

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us today and we do hope you're enjoying

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the happy life and happy family series.

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And of course we started with an intro

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just to kind of tell you where we

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were going and then we talked about what

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do you have to have?

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What is Solomon teaching us?

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If I'm going to have a happy life

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and a happy family, what do I have

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to emphasize?

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And we learned that we have to emphasize

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righteousness.

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Seems like forever ago that we taught that

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one.

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It does.

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And we learned that we have to emphasize

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diligence.

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We talked about emphasizing the blessings of God

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and we talked about emphasizing integrity.

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And then last week we spent just a

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few minutes on the value of our words.

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Yes.

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And really we could have done more with

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that one.

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That is one that just, the New Testament

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gives an entire chapter, James 3 to our

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tongue, our words.

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Ephesians chapter 4, which is addressing Christianity and

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which shows up almost in every family couples

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conference we do.

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That particular passage has a lot to say

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about our words.

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So don't underestimate the value of the tongue,

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the power of words to strengthen the family,

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to direct the family, to make.

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Really it's amazing how words can just take

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normal things in life and make life sweeter

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and make life happier.

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So today we're going to begin a new

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emphasis here that we found in the book

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of Proverbs.

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And this is such an important one we

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feel for our society and for the family

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in general that there's no way we can

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do it in just one recording.

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So this will be at least two parts,

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maybe three.

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So kind of a mini series within a

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series.

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So we're going to talk about the word

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influence.

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And if we're going to have a happy

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life and a happy family, we have to

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emphasize the value of godly and good influences.

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And we have to protect our children and

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ourselves from wicked, wrong, and lousy influences.

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And Proverbs 13, 20 is a verse that

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really kind of kicks us off for it.

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So why don't you find that for us

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and read Proverbs, actually it's 13, 17, isn't

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it?

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Or is it 20?

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It's 20, I'm right.

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There we go.

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I was right the first time, should have

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stayed with my first thought there.

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All right, let's read Proverbs 13, verse 20.

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It says, he that walketh with wise men

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shall be wise, but a companion of fools

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shall be destroyed.

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Now that's a great verse.

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And how many times have we quoted that

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to our children?

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Oh, so many times.

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So many, many, many, many times.

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And it's a truth that shows up in

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other passages as well.

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You want to be turning to Proverbs chapter

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one because you do see in the very

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first chapter in Proverbs, he does emphasize the

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idea of influence.

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And so Bethany is going to turn over

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there and read for us verses 11 through

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19.

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It's a little bit longer reading, but take

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the time to listen to this.

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This idea of influence shows up immediately in

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chapter one as Solomon is encouraging, instructing, and

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directing his son.

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All right, verses 11 through 19.

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I think the thought actually begins in verse

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10, so if you don't mind, I'll start

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there.

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My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou

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not.

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If they say, come with us, let us

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lay wait for blood.

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Let us lurk privily for the innocent without

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cause.

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Let us swallow them up alive as the

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grave and whole as those that go down

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into the pit.

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We shall find all precious substance.

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We shall fill our houses with spoil, cast

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in thy lot among us.

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Let us all have one purse.

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My son, walk not thou in the way

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with them.

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Refrain thy foot from their path, for their

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feet run to evil and make haste to

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shed blood.

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Surely in vain the net is spread in

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the sight of any bird, and they lay

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wait for their own blood.

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They lurk privily for their own lives.

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So are the ways of everyone that is

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greedy of gain, which taketh away the life

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of the owners thereof.

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Those are some pretty heavy words, aren't they?

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Yes, they are.

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Some very heavy words.

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And he starts here just with a reminder.

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You were right about verse 10.

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My son, if sinners entice you, consent not.

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In other words, don't allow wrong influences to

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damage you.

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And he describes why, and he tells you,

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here's what they'll say to you, and here's

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their plan.

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And then he gives the command, my son,

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walk not in the way with them.

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Refrain thy foot from their path.

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What a very powerful command there.

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And then he goes back again to explaining

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why their feet run to evil.

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They make haste to shed blood.

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And he gives that little illustration about, you

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know, they put out a net to catch

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a little bird.

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The bird has no idea.

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So it is possible, moms and dads, that

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your children will not see.

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The point here is that our children often

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do not see the power of negative influences.

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Right, they don't even see them as a

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negative influence.

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Yeah, they just, they have no idea.

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And we are called of God.

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Moms and dads, you are called of God

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to be very aware of the net of

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wrong influence.

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And you're to protect your children from that.

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So this is such an important truth.

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He just kind of closes it out here,

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just reminding us the wrong influence will do

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so much damage to your life and to

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your family.

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And what a powerful truth.

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Let me read Proverbs chapter 9 and verse

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6, because in this passage here, as many

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of you remember, if you've been with us

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through Proverbs, chapter 9 is the chapter about

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wisdom versus folly.

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And it's where he describes wisdom as this

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beautiful mansion and folly as this shack beside

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of the road.

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And yet both have the same goal.

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Wisdom is saying, you can come after me.

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You can live with me.

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You can live in my house.

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You can eat my food.

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I'll take care of you.

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Folly is saying the same thing.

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No, come after me.

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And he compares it to a wise woman

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versus a foolish woman.

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And so there's obviously all kinds of nuances

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of truth there.

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But here's what he says in chapter 9

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is wisdom is speaking to his son.

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Wisdom says, forsake the foolish and live and

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go in the way of understanding.

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And he's just a little reminder right there,

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just in one verse, what he said in

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chapter 1.

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We have to be willing to say, wait,

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that is a wrong influence in my life.

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And if I don't get that out, the

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opposite of live is die.

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If I have the wrong influence, it's going

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to kill all kinds of things in my

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life.

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It'll kill my relationships.

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And haven't we seen that?

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We've seen wrong influences damage marriages and parents

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and children and especially teenagers.

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Yes.

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Moms and dads, teens, this is especially important

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message for you that are raising teenagers.

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And if you are a teenager, wrong influences

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in your life will ruin all kinds of

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00:08:22,130 --> 00:08:22,990
things in your life.

278
00:08:22,990 --> 00:08:24,950
Well, it really doesn't matter what age you

279
00:08:24,950 --> 00:08:27,010
are, wrong influences in your life, you should

280
00:08:27,010 --> 00:08:29,170
be starting when they're little, being careful of

281
00:08:29,170 --> 00:08:32,030
the influences, ramping it up maybe during the

282
00:08:32,030 --> 00:08:32,549
teen years.

283
00:08:32,809 --> 00:08:34,850
But even us as adults, don't we have

284
00:08:34,850 --> 00:08:36,570
to be careful about the wrong influences?

285
00:08:36,890 --> 00:08:38,530
And probably more so than ever before.

286
00:08:38,970 --> 00:08:41,789
Because wrong influences now are so subtle because

287
00:08:41,789 --> 00:08:43,650
we have the internet and we have social

288
00:08:43,650 --> 00:08:46,530
media and we have influencers and just over

289
00:08:46,530 --> 00:08:47,070
and over again.

290
00:08:47,230 --> 00:08:49,690
And we have, you know, thousands of books

291
00:08:49,690 --> 00:08:50,850
you can buy on Amazon.

292
00:08:50,850 --> 00:08:53,010
So influences, movies, how many movies are there?

293
00:08:53,050 --> 00:08:54,090
How many reels are there?

294
00:08:54,230 --> 00:08:56,270
Someone said that the YouTube videos right now,

295
00:08:56,390 --> 00:08:58,930
if you watched every video on YouTube back

296
00:08:58,930 --> 00:09:00,650
to back, it would take, if I remember

297
00:09:00,650 --> 00:09:03,770
correctly, 14 million years to watch everything on

298
00:09:03,770 --> 00:09:04,010
YouTube.

299
00:09:04,350 --> 00:09:06,590
And it just, there's a plethora of really

300
00:09:06,590 --> 00:09:08,570
good stuff in our society, but there's a

301
00:09:08,570 --> 00:09:10,870
plethora of really wrong stuff.

302
00:09:11,350 --> 00:09:14,030
Well, and there's also a plethora of just

303
00:09:14,030 --> 00:09:16,430
a little bit of truth packed in with

304
00:09:16,430 --> 00:09:17,410
a whole lot of lies.

305
00:09:17,550 --> 00:09:18,690
So it takes so much wisdom.

306
00:09:18,730 --> 00:09:18,950
Yes.

307
00:09:18,950 --> 00:09:19,990
I want to thank God for James chapter

308
00:09:19,990 --> 00:09:22,010
one and moms and dads here may be

309
00:09:22,010 --> 00:09:24,450
a great, this, this probably among other, you

310
00:09:24,450 --> 00:09:26,090
know, out of all of them may be

311
00:09:26,090 --> 00:09:27,810
one of the most important areas to say,

312
00:09:27,870 --> 00:09:28,590
Lord, I need wisdom.

313
00:09:28,730 --> 00:09:30,750
Because if any man lacks wisdom, the Bible

314
00:09:30,750 --> 00:09:32,350
says, let him ask of God who gives

315
00:09:32,350 --> 00:09:34,890
to all men liberally and upbraideth not.

316
00:09:35,010 --> 00:09:36,310
So we need wisdom here.

317
00:09:36,410 --> 00:09:38,650
How do we navigate the waters of all

318
00:09:38,650 --> 00:09:40,730
the negative influences and the generation we live

319
00:09:40,730 --> 00:09:40,890
in?

320
00:09:40,950 --> 00:09:42,150
Well, we need wisdom from God.

321
00:09:42,310 --> 00:09:43,650
We have to be very alert.

322
00:09:43,810 --> 00:09:45,730
We have to always be thinking and studying

323
00:09:45,730 --> 00:09:47,610
and aware more than ever before.

324
00:09:47,610 --> 00:09:48,750
Moms and dads have to be aware.

325
00:09:49,050 --> 00:09:49,910
So what do you do?

326
00:09:50,010 --> 00:09:51,310
Do you just lock all the doors and

327
00:09:51,310 --> 00:09:53,190
keep your kids inside all the time and

328
00:09:53,190 --> 00:09:55,670
they're never, ever exposed to any media or

329
00:09:55,670 --> 00:09:56,430
other people?

330
00:09:56,930 --> 00:09:58,250
That's a very good question.

331
00:09:58,390 --> 00:10:00,710
We would start by saying that we do

332
00:10:00,710 --> 00:10:02,930
have to emphasize the blessings and dangers of

333
00:10:02,930 --> 00:10:03,290
influence.

334
00:10:03,390 --> 00:10:04,530
That's the whole point we want to make

335
00:10:04,530 --> 00:10:04,870
to you.

336
00:10:05,270 --> 00:10:08,250
Psalm one is another passage that talks about

337
00:10:08,250 --> 00:10:09,890
this subject and warns us.

338
00:10:09,970 --> 00:10:10,550
Remember that one?

339
00:10:10,690 --> 00:10:10,890
Right.

340
00:10:11,290 --> 00:10:12,310
And do you want to read that to

341
00:10:12,310 --> 00:10:12,430
us?

342
00:10:12,630 --> 00:10:14,430
Blessed is the man that walketh not in

343
00:10:14,430 --> 00:10:16,910
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in

344
00:10:16,910 --> 00:10:18,810
the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the

345
00:10:18,810 --> 00:10:21,630
seat of the scornful, but his delight is

346
00:10:21,630 --> 00:10:23,350
in the law of the Lord and in

347
00:10:23,350 --> 00:10:25,930
his law, doth he meditate day and night.

348
00:10:26,050 --> 00:10:28,130
He's given us just two parallels there are

349
00:10:28,130 --> 00:10:30,530
two opposing options there.

350
00:10:30,610 --> 00:10:32,370
I can be influenced by that which is

351
00:10:32,370 --> 00:10:34,170
wrong, or I can be influenced by that

352
00:10:34,170 --> 00:10:34,710
which is right.

353
00:10:34,970 --> 00:10:36,190
And what a wonderful truth.

354
00:10:36,430 --> 00:10:38,130
Now let's go back to the Proverbs 1320.

355
00:10:38,270 --> 00:10:39,890
He that walketh with wise men shall be

356
00:10:39,890 --> 00:10:42,150
wise, but a companion of fools shall be

357
00:10:42,150 --> 00:10:42,650
destroyed.

358
00:10:42,650 --> 00:10:44,750
And a couple of words here to talk

359
00:10:44,750 --> 00:10:45,870
about the word walk.

360
00:10:45,890 --> 00:10:47,570
And what does the word walk mean?

361
00:10:47,710 --> 00:10:49,050
To walk with means what?

362
00:10:49,290 --> 00:10:51,550
It means to go with, to proceed with,

363
00:10:51,570 --> 00:10:53,190
to die or live with.

364
00:10:53,710 --> 00:10:54,070
I love that.

365
00:10:54,090 --> 00:10:54,630
That's pretty powerful.

366
00:10:55,070 --> 00:10:55,310
Yes.

367
00:10:55,370 --> 00:10:56,150
The word walk.

368
00:10:56,290 --> 00:10:58,290
He that walks with wise men, he that

369
00:10:58,290 --> 00:11:01,770
goes with, proceeds with, dies or lives with

370
00:11:01,770 --> 00:11:03,430
shall be wise.

371
00:11:03,630 --> 00:11:05,550
And on the other hand, he that goes

372
00:11:05,550 --> 00:11:08,830
with, proceeds with, dies or lives with that

373
00:11:08,830 --> 00:11:11,250
which is foolish, you'll be destroyed.

374
00:11:11,250 --> 00:11:13,470
And it brings up the word companion because

375
00:11:13,470 --> 00:11:14,790
the idea of a companion is in this

376
00:11:14,790 --> 00:11:16,870
passage, he that walketh with wise men shall

377
00:11:16,870 --> 00:11:17,350
be wise.

378
00:11:17,650 --> 00:11:19,330
The idea of here is that this word

379
00:11:19,330 --> 00:11:21,830
companion, it means to pasture with as in

380
00:11:21,830 --> 00:11:22,250
a flock.

381
00:11:23,190 --> 00:11:25,970
You're all out to pasture companioning together.

382
00:11:26,210 --> 00:11:27,410
You get out there, it's like like a

383
00:11:27,410 --> 00:11:28,730
flock and you see, you know, a flock

384
00:11:28,730 --> 00:11:30,470
of sheep in a field, hundreds of them

385
00:11:30,470 --> 00:11:32,370
in a field or, or a herd of

386
00:11:32,370 --> 00:11:32,710
cattle.

387
00:11:32,770 --> 00:11:33,630
It's that idea.

388
00:11:33,990 --> 00:11:36,030
It also has the idea of to shepherd

389
00:11:36,030 --> 00:11:37,330
or to have charge of.

390
00:11:37,330 --> 00:11:39,810
When you allow an influence in your life,

391
00:11:39,930 --> 00:11:43,030
that influence is shepherding you and has charge

392
00:11:43,030 --> 00:11:45,390
of your thinking and eventually of your direction.

393
00:11:45,810 --> 00:11:47,370
And this is such a powerful truth.

394
00:11:47,470 --> 00:11:47,970
To teach.

395
00:11:48,190 --> 00:11:49,550
It has the idea of to teach or

396
00:11:49,550 --> 00:11:51,750
to impart knowledge and ideas to.

397
00:11:52,350 --> 00:11:54,110
And someone else said it has the, just

398
00:11:54,110 --> 00:11:55,810
simply the idea of to associate with.

399
00:11:56,110 --> 00:11:58,810
When I allow myself the, the association of

400
00:11:58,810 --> 00:12:01,530
that which is right, then I'm being shepherded

401
00:12:01,530 --> 00:12:02,410
to think right.

402
00:12:02,410 --> 00:12:04,830
I'm allowing the thing in my life to

403
00:12:04,830 --> 00:12:06,670
have charge over my life is actually a

404
00:12:06,670 --> 00:12:07,410
positive thing.

405
00:12:07,650 --> 00:12:09,130
But if I allow things in my life

406
00:12:09,130 --> 00:12:11,330
that are wrong and they have charge and

407
00:12:11,330 --> 00:12:14,290
they're imparting knowledge and they're imparting ideas and

408
00:12:14,290 --> 00:12:16,810
they are teaching me and I'm associated with

409
00:12:16,810 --> 00:12:18,990
those things, the Bible promises us an outcome

410
00:12:18,990 --> 00:12:19,850
on both sides.

411
00:12:20,110 --> 00:12:20,230
Right.

412
00:12:20,310 --> 00:12:21,730
And don't you think that's where we need

413
00:12:21,730 --> 00:12:23,870
to really get a hold of this verse

414
00:12:23,870 --> 00:12:24,530
as parents?

415
00:12:24,530 --> 00:12:26,770
Because so many times we think of an

416
00:12:26,770 --> 00:12:28,490
influence, a companion.

417
00:12:29,170 --> 00:12:32,050
We don't think of them in the realm

418
00:12:32,050 --> 00:12:32,990
of being an influence.

419
00:12:32,990 --> 00:12:34,590
First of all, we just think they're a

420
00:12:34,590 --> 00:12:34,910
companion.

421
00:12:35,470 --> 00:12:36,390
They're just a friend.

422
00:12:36,910 --> 00:12:39,770
And then we only think of that word

423
00:12:39,770 --> 00:12:43,270
companion in the definition of to associate with.

424
00:12:43,530 --> 00:12:45,890
We don't think of that companion as someone

425
00:12:45,890 --> 00:12:47,490
who is shepherding our child.

426
00:12:47,770 --> 00:12:50,090
We don't think of that companion as someone

427
00:12:50,090 --> 00:12:52,690
who is teaching our child, but that's where

428
00:12:52,690 --> 00:12:54,670
we really need to grasp a hold of

429
00:12:54,670 --> 00:12:55,130
this first.

430
00:12:55,310 --> 00:12:55,450
Yeah.

431
00:12:55,490 --> 00:12:56,730
And we'll come back to this later.

432
00:12:56,730 --> 00:12:58,370
But in an article that I read just

433
00:12:58,370 --> 00:12:59,770
recently, and I'll be sharing with you a

434
00:12:59,770 --> 00:13:01,950
little bit later, an author said these words,

435
00:13:02,010 --> 00:13:03,730
and I'm just going to quote it right

436
00:13:03,730 --> 00:13:03,990
here.

437
00:13:04,410 --> 00:13:07,390
If our teenager is on social media four

438
00:13:07,390 --> 00:13:09,670
to 10 hours a day, that's the average

439
00:13:09,670 --> 00:13:11,730
social media use among teenagers.

440
00:13:12,130 --> 00:13:14,030
If a teen, if your teen is on

441
00:13:14,030 --> 00:13:15,810
social media four to 10 hours a day,

442
00:13:16,050 --> 00:13:19,970
that pretty much means somebody else is raising

443
00:13:19,970 --> 00:13:20,770
your teenager.

444
00:13:21,130 --> 00:13:22,790
And that just, that just shocked me to

445
00:13:22,790 --> 00:13:23,810
think of it in that terms, but it's

446
00:13:23,810 --> 00:13:24,170
the truth.

447
00:13:24,270 --> 00:13:25,430
That's what Proverbs was saying.

448
00:13:25,430 --> 00:13:26,290
What is this?

449
00:13:26,370 --> 00:13:29,010
You know, 2,500, 3,000 years ago,

450
00:13:29,370 --> 00:13:31,850
Solomon is saying to us, the influences in

451
00:13:31,850 --> 00:13:34,030
your life will influence you.

452
00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:36,250
And the more the influence, the greater the

453
00:13:36,250 --> 00:13:38,390
influence and the more time that you just,

454
00:13:38,510 --> 00:13:40,670
it goes very clearly what the Bible is

455
00:13:40,670 --> 00:13:41,290
trying to say to here.

456
00:13:41,450 --> 00:13:42,870
There's another word in the text we have

457
00:13:42,870 --> 00:13:45,130
to, to discuss though, because as he that

458
00:13:45,130 --> 00:13:46,970
walketh with wise men shall be wise.

459
00:13:47,230 --> 00:13:48,790
So he talks there about the idea of

460
00:13:48,790 --> 00:13:51,750
walking and companioning with, but then he says

461
00:13:51,750 --> 00:13:53,830
he that walketh with wise men shall be

462
00:13:53,830 --> 00:13:56,730
wise, but a companion of fools shall be

463
00:13:56,730 --> 00:13:57,770
destroyed.

464
00:13:58,690 --> 00:14:00,950
And that word has an interesting definition too.

465
00:14:01,030 --> 00:14:02,090
It really means two things.

466
00:14:02,530 --> 00:14:05,250
It means to cry out in distress, literally

467
00:14:05,250 --> 00:14:07,390
the idea of to split the ears.

468
00:14:07,970 --> 00:14:09,630
The idea of being destroyed here is a

469
00:14:09,630 --> 00:14:14,010
person who, who, who screams in agony and

470
00:14:14,010 --> 00:14:14,410
pain.

471
00:14:14,730 --> 00:14:15,870
It's a very powerful word.

472
00:14:15,970 --> 00:14:18,050
It means to mar by breaking.

473
00:14:18,050 --> 00:14:20,010
And this, this one, this one is just

474
00:14:20,010 --> 00:14:21,950
so, it really kind of hurts my heart

475
00:14:21,950 --> 00:14:24,770
because in our 31 years of ministry, it

476
00:14:24,770 --> 00:14:27,850
always hurts to see a young man or

477
00:14:27,850 --> 00:14:30,250
a young lady who has allowed a wrong

478
00:14:30,250 --> 00:14:33,490
friend, a wrong influence, a wrong idea.

479
00:14:33,730 --> 00:14:35,970
It always hurts to see them broken by

480
00:14:35,970 --> 00:14:36,150
it.

481
00:14:36,410 --> 00:14:38,750
And haven't we seen that so many times

482
00:14:38,750 --> 00:14:41,250
we've seen young, young people who were so

483
00:14:41,250 --> 00:14:44,510
promising, who had so much opportunity, so much

484
00:14:44,510 --> 00:14:46,770
influence, so much, and this is a Christian

485
00:14:46,770 --> 00:14:48,390
school word, so much potential.

486
00:14:48,650 --> 00:14:50,190
We use that word all the time in

487
00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:50,810
Christian education.

488
00:14:51,130 --> 00:14:53,610
These young people have so much potential, but

489
00:14:53,610 --> 00:14:56,710
a wrong influence destroys all of that because

490
00:14:56,710 --> 00:14:57,670
it leaves them broken.

491
00:14:58,290 --> 00:14:59,750
And it just, it's a powerful word.

492
00:15:00,190 --> 00:15:02,870
Proverbs 4.23 alludes to this idea of

493
00:15:02,870 --> 00:15:04,970
the blessings and dangers where the Bible says,

494
00:15:05,230 --> 00:15:07,610
keep your heart with all diligence for out

495
00:15:07,610 --> 00:15:09,530
of it are the issues of life.

496
00:15:09,690 --> 00:15:11,450
You've got to always be on guard.

497
00:15:11,810 --> 00:15:13,190
And so here's a couple of things Beth

498
00:15:13,190 --> 00:15:14,230
and I want to say to you as

499
00:15:14,230 --> 00:15:16,130
we have the rest of our time today.

500
00:15:16,510 --> 00:15:17,230
Think about this.

501
00:15:17,410 --> 00:15:21,390
The best influences are those that impart righteousness

502
00:15:21,390 --> 00:15:23,010
and wisdom.

503
00:15:23,310 --> 00:15:25,790
The best influences in your life and in

504
00:15:25,790 --> 00:15:27,630
my life are those that impart to us

505
00:15:27,630 --> 00:15:30,730
righteousness and wisdom, and the best influences in

506
00:15:30,730 --> 00:15:33,330
our children's life are those that impart righteousness

507
00:15:33,330 --> 00:15:34,050
and wisdom.

508
00:15:34,690 --> 00:15:36,130
And I thought of at least four areas,

509
00:15:36,250 --> 00:15:37,610
I'd be curious if our audience can think

510
00:15:37,610 --> 00:15:39,330
of more, but we have at least four

511
00:15:39,330 --> 00:15:39,770
areas.

512
00:15:40,050 --> 00:15:43,150
Obviously the point Solomon is making is parents.

513
00:15:43,670 --> 00:15:46,330
Moms and dads are to impart righteousness and

514
00:15:46,330 --> 00:15:47,450
wisdom to their children.

515
00:15:47,530 --> 00:15:49,190
What does Proverbs 13.1 say?

516
00:15:49,610 --> 00:15:52,250
The chapter begins with a wise son heareth

517
00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:55,470
his father's instruction, but a scorner heareth not

518
00:15:55,470 --> 00:15:56,050
rebuke.

519
00:15:56,170 --> 00:15:57,390
Notice it starts with a dad.

520
00:15:57,550 --> 00:15:59,530
This chapter that has in it the idea

521
00:15:59,530 --> 00:16:02,650
of influence starts with saying to a son,

522
00:16:02,790 --> 00:16:04,910
son, if you're wise, you will hear dad's

523
00:16:04,910 --> 00:16:05,530
instruction.

524
00:16:06,050 --> 00:16:08,290
And what that tells us dads and by

525
00:16:08,290 --> 00:16:10,970
application moms, what it tells us is that

526
00:16:10,970 --> 00:16:13,670
parents have phenomenal influence in their children's life.

527
00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:15,210
And what we know is that it can

528
00:16:15,210 --> 00:16:16,430
be a good influence and it can also

529
00:16:16,430 --> 00:16:17,290
be a bad influence.

530
00:16:17,430 --> 00:16:19,750
We have seen parents who were horrible influences

531
00:16:19,750 --> 00:16:22,570
in their children's life and damaged their children

532
00:16:22,570 --> 00:16:24,290
for years to come and sometimes for a

533
00:16:24,290 --> 00:16:24,550
lifetime.

534
00:16:24,850 --> 00:16:26,690
But the idea of Solomon here is that

535
00:16:26,690 --> 00:16:29,490
the best influences is a mom and dad.

536
00:16:29,550 --> 00:16:31,070
The best influence is a mom and dad

537
00:16:31,070 --> 00:16:33,690
that impart righteousness and wisdom to their children.

538
00:16:33,950 --> 00:16:35,630
And what all is involved in that for

539
00:16:35,630 --> 00:16:38,090
crying out loud, there's a whole sermon here.

540
00:16:38,090 --> 00:16:42,690
It's training, teaching, talking hours of influence.

541
00:16:42,990 --> 00:16:44,890
How do parents influence just without going into

542
00:16:44,890 --> 00:16:47,070
huge detail, you know, the, those who are

543
00:16:47,070 --> 00:16:48,490
listening, they're raising little ones.

544
00:16:48,570 --> 00:16:50,150
How do you, how do you start taking

545
00:16:50,150 --> 00:16:52,250
steps to give wise influence to a little

546
00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:52,470
one?

547
00:16:52,910 --> 00:16:55,990
Well, don't buy the philosophy of our world

548
00:16:55,990 --> 00:17:00,770
that you should allow your child to learn

549
00:17:00,770 --> 00:17:01,890
on their own.

550
00:17:02,010 --> 00:17:03,670
There are some things that they will learn

551
00:17:03,670 --> 00:17:05,810
on their own, but you certainly, you know,

552
00:17:05,810 --> 00:17:08,310
I think every parent would be compassionate enough

553
00:17:08,310 --> 00:17:10,270
to not want their child to learn on

554
00:17:10,270 --> 00:17:12,470
their own in touching a hot stove or

555
00:17:12,470 --> 00:17:13,190
a hot iron.

556
00:17:13,430 --> 00:17:15,810
And so you would direct your child there.

557
00:17:15,910 --> 00:17:17,290
You would teach them, you would train them.

558
00:17:17,349 --> 00:17:18,730
You'd say, no, don't touch that.

559
00:17:18,790 --> 00:17:19,290
It hurts.

560
00:17:20,470 --> 00:17:23,510
So don't stop there though, with the parenting,

561
00:17:23,650 --> 00:17:25,950
with the little ones, we do have to

562
00:17:25,950 --> 00:17:30,650
embrace biblical philosophy of you are put in

563
00:17:30,650 --> 00:17:32,910
that child's life to train them.

564
00:17:32,910 --> 00:17:34,930
You are put in that child's life to

565
00:17:34,930 --> 00:17:35,830
direct them.

566
00:17:36,290 --> 00:17:38,290
So be the influence right away.

567
00:17:38,730 --> 00:17:40,550
We just got a message from some very

568
00:17:40,550 --> 00:17:43,710
young parents who were asking for some advice

569
00:17:43,710 --> 00:17:46,550
just about training their infant in sleeping.

570
00:17:47,230 --> 00:17:49,410
And there are some practical things that you

571
00:17:49,410 --> 00:17:51,530
can, you can do there, but even starting

572
00:17:51,530 --> 00:17:54,590
even as an infant in directing that child's

573
00:17:54,590 --> 00:17:56,510
heart to the way you want them to

574
00:17:56,510 --> 00:17:56,750
go.

575
00:17:56,970 --> 00:17:58,770
Do you want that child to lay still

576
00:17:58,770 --> 00:18:00,530
while you change their diaper?

577
00:18:00,730 --> 00:18:02,130
Well, then you are the parent.

578
00:18:02,130 --> 00:18:04,470
You direct that instead of saying, well, they

579
00:18:04,470 --> 00:18:05,370
don't really like it.

580
00:18:05,410 --> 00:18:07,450
They don't want to lay still and I

581
00:18:07,450 --> 00:18:09,670
don't want to, you know, cause them any

582
00:18:09,670 --> 00:18:13,110
difficulty or distress and having to lay still.

583
00:18:13,210 --> 00:18:14,450
So you just fight with your baby.

584
00:18:14,490 --> 00:18:14,870
Why?

585
00:18:15,090 --> 00:18:15,750
Why do that?

586
00:18:16,050 --> 00:18:18,230
So direct them right away as a parent,

587
00:18:18,310 --> 00:18:21,310
just taking all the practical steps, but then

588
00:18:21,310 --> 00:18:24,190
just those spiritual steps as well, right from

589
00:18:24,190 --> 00:18:26,710
the very beginning, quoting verses to them, teaching

590
00:18:26,710 --> 00:18:28,950
them the Bible stories, taking them to church,

591
00:18:29,070 --> 00:18:32,790
making sure that they have biblical influence in

592
00:18:32,790 --> 00:18:35,210
their life from you as the parent, not

593
00:18:35,210 --> 00:18:37,910
just passing it off to the Christian school

594
00:18:37,910 --> 00:18:40,370
or to the grandparents or to the church

595
00:18:40,370 --> 00:18:42,390
or to the Sunday school teacher.

596
00:18:42,570 --> 00:18:44,410
You as the parent have that influence.

597
00:18:44,730 --> 00:18:44,830
Sure.

598
00:18:44,970 --> 00:18:46,350
And there's so many other things that we

599
00:18:46,350 --> 00:18:47,770
could say there too, that, you know, have,

600
00:18:47,950 --> 00:18:49,490
have a time of reading the Bible to

601
00:18:49,490 --> 00:18:52,130
them and teaching them Bible truth and talking

602
00:18:52,130 --> 00:18:53,010
through issues.

603
00:18:53,010 --> 00:18:55,010
When you're watching TV with your children, there's

604
00:18:55,010 --> 00:18:57,070
any number of opportunities to pause it and

605
00:18:57,070 --> 00:18:58,650
say, what do you think about what just

606
00:18:58,650 --> 00:18:59,370
happened right there?

607
00:18:59,370 --> 00:19:01,730
And the Bible commands us to do that

608
00:19:01,730 --> 00:19:03,730
in Deuteronomy chapter six, where to talk about

609
00:19:03,730 --> 00:19:05,310
the word of God, when we're sitting in

610
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:07,550
the house, when we are sitting at the

611
00:19:07,550 --> 00:19:09,830
table, when we are just, you know, sitting

612
00:19:09,830 --> 00:19:12,450
around sharing, you know, sharing or watching TV

613
00:19:12,450 --> 00:19:14,970
or laughing at a video, we are to

614
00:19:14,970 --> 00:19:16,950
make the influence positive.

615
00:19:17,230 --> 00:19:18,950
If we don't, the world will make the

616
00:19:18,950 --> 00:19:19,690
influence negative.

617
00:19:20,050 --> 00:19:21,750
Well, I think too, I don't know, in

618
00:19:21,750 --> 00:19:23,650
our culture, I feel like Christian parents are

619
00:19:23,650 --> 00:19:25,990
abdicating in one of two ways.

620
00:19:25,990 --> 00:19:29,510
Either they are accepting a faulty philosophy.

621
00:19:30,070 --> 00:19:31,570
And can I just say again, the gentle

622
00:19:31,570 --> 00:19:34,950
parenting philosophy of just leave the child to

623
00:19:34,950 --> 00:19:35,530
themselves.

624
00:19:35,930 --> 00:19:37,450
They will eventually come around.

625
00:19:37,830 --> 00:19:41,170
We are already seeing secular sociologists are saying

626
00:19:41,170 --> 00:19:42,590
this is not working.

627
00:19:42,710 --> 00:19:44,670
A child left to themselves, as the Bible

628
00:19:44,670 --> 00:19:46,470
says, brings his mother to shame.

629
00:19:47,030 --> 00:19:51,270
So people are either in Christianity adopting worldly

630
00:19:51,270 --> 00:19:55,770
philosophies of parenting or they're abdicating because, and

631
00:19:55,770 --> 00:19:58,750
I can identify with this one, they're tired.

632
00:19:59,550 --> 00:20:01,590
They are, they have been busy all day

633
00:20:01,590 --> 00:20:01,990
long.

634
00:20:02,490 --> 00:20:04,450
And so then to come in in the

635
00:20:04,450 --> 00:20:06,910
evenings and your children are around you at

636
00:20:06,910 --> 00:20:08,290
the table, what do you want to do?

637
00:20:08,370 --> 00:20:09,530
You just want to get it done.

638
00:20:09,770 --> 00:20:10,890
Okay, everybody eat.

639
00:20:11,090 --> 00:20:12,210
Okay, everybody do homework.

640
00:20:12,410 --> 00:20:14,330
Okay, everybody get ready for bed.

641
00:20:14,430 --> 00:20:16,310
Okay, everybody in bed so mom and dad

642
00:20:16,310 --> 00:20:17,070
can just crash.

643
00:20:17,530 --> 00:20:21,930
And to have those heartfelt conversations, your teenager

644
00:20:21,930 --> 00:20:23,510
coming in and they love to come in

645
00:20:23,510 --> 00:20:25,490
late, late at night and talk about heavy

646
00:20:25,490 --> 00:20:25,970
things.

647
00:20:26,350 --> 00:20:29,030
You're tired, you don't want to influence them

648
00:20:29,030 --> 00:20:29,810
in righteousness.

649
00:20:30,190 --> 00:20:31,870
And so many times as a Christian parent,

650
00:20:31,970 --> 00:20:33,930
we can say, well, they have a youth

651
00:20:33,930 --> 00:20:34,370
pastor.

652
00:20:34,610 --> 00:20:35,910
They have a youth pastor's wife.

653
00:20:35,970 --> 00:20:37,110
They have Sunday school teachers.

654
00:20:37,230 --> 00:20:38,470
They go to Christian school.

655
00:20:38,510 --> 00:20:39,650
Or we homeschool.

656
00:20:39,890 --> 00:20:42,230
Surely I don't need to put this extra

657
00:20:42,230 --> 00:20:43,090
effort in.

658
00:20:43,570 --> 00:20:45,010
But we do as parents.

659
00:20:45,110 --> 00:20:46,670
We have to put in that extra effort.

660
00:20:47,030 --> 00:20:48,070
Yeah, that's so, so good.

661
00:20:48,550 --> 00:20:50,070
And if you've got teenagers, you know moms

662
00:20:50,070 --> 00:20:53,150
and dads, teens are often in our culture

663
00:20:53,150 --> 00:20:56,510
expected to have friends and girlfriends and boyfriends

664
00:20:56,510 --> 00:20:58,450
and teams and coaches.

665
00:20:59,270 --> 00:21:00,550
And we always have to be aware when

666
00:21:00,550 --> 00:21:03,390
those are good influences, what a blessing.

667
00:21:03,770 --> 00:21:05,570
But when they are leading our children's hearts

668
00:21:05,570 --> 00:21:07,530
away from God and in the direction of

669
00:21:07,530 --> 00:21:09,910
unrighteousness, what a curse they are to the

670
00:21:09,910 --> 00:21:10,230
family.

671
00:21:10,510 --> 00:21:11,890
So the point we're making is that the

672
00:21:11,890 --> 00:21:14,890
best influences are those that impart righteousness and

673
00:21:14,890 --> 00:21:15,290
wisdom.

674
00:21:15,630 --> 00:21:17,330
And we think parents can do that.

675
00:21:17,430 --> 00:21:19,110
I believe laws can do that when we

676
00:21:19,110 --> 00:21:20,830
make proper rules for our children.

677
00:21:20,830 --> 00:21:23,330
And you know, I heard a podcast recently

678
00:21:23,330 --> 00:21:25,590
in which the author, who is actually a

679
00:21:25,590 --> 00:21:29,190
secular psychiatrist, he said the most successful people

680
00:21:29,190 --> 00:21:32,670
in our generation are those from very conservative

681
00:21:32,670 --> 00:21:33,410
homes.

682
00:21:33,950 --> 00:21:35,870
And the question was asked of him, why

683
00:21:35,870 --> 00:21:36,830
do you think that is so?

684
00:21:37,430 --> 00:21:40,790
And he said it is because conservative homes

685
00:21:40,790 --> 00:21:44,570
have clear expectations for their children and clear

686
00:21:44,570 --> 00:21:47,110
limitations and follow through on those.

687
00:21:47,110 --> 00:21:49,450
And somehow, and he said, I don't know

688
00:21:49,450 --> 00:21:51,570
that we fully understand this, which I kind

689
00:21:51,570 --> 00:21:53,210
of chuckled at because I believe the Bible,

690
00:21:53,370 --> 00:21:55,250
therefore I feel like I fully understand it.

691
00:21:55,450 --> 00:21:57,470
But he said, and he had an earned

692
00:21:57,470 --> 00:21:58,450
doctorate in psychiatry.

693
00:21:58,690 --> 00:22:01,490
He said, for some reasons we don't understand

694
00:22:01,490 --> 00:22:04,370
when our young people are raised with proper

695
00:22:04,370 --> 00:22:07,810
laws and restrictions and clear expectations, they are

696
00:22:07,810 --> 00:22:11,030
happier, they are more fulfilled and they tend

697
00:22:11,030 --> 00:22:13,850
to be more successful than their friends and

698
00:22:13,850 --> 00:22:14,110
peers.

699
00:22:14,110 --> 00:22:16,510
And I thought, here's just another reminder of

700
00:22:16,510 --> 00:22:17,150
where we are today.

701
00:22:17,710 --> 00:22:20,610
It matters that influences in your life and

702
00:22:20,610 --> 00:22:22,970
your children's are those that impart righteousness and

703
00:22:22,970 --> 00:22:23,330
wisdom.

704
00:22:23,970 --> 00:22:25,370
And Bethany and I, as we close today,

705
00:22:25,470 --> 00:22:27,670
can we maybe just zero in on one

706
00:22:27,670 --> 00:22:28,290
more truth here?

707
00:22:28,710 --> 00:22:30,370
We believe with all of our heart that

708
00:22:30,370 --> 00:22:33,110
adults are better influences than peers.

709
00:22:33,270 --> 00:22:35,130
This is probably one of the most startling

710
00:22:35,130 --> 00:22:37,710
things we would say to some people, because

711
00:22:37,710 --> 00:22:40,710
especially in the teenage world of our day,

712
00:22:41,370 --> 00:22:44,310
the idea is that teenagers are to be

713
00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:44,810
teenagers.

714
00:22:45,090 --> 00:22:46,570
Adults are to stay out of their life.

715
00:22:46,890 --> 00:22:46,990
Right.

716
00:22:47,090 --> 00:22:49,390
And it's such an unpopular opinion to say

717
00:22:49,390 --> 00:22:54,530
your teenager needs really godly adult influence.

718
00:22:54,850 --> 00:22:54,990
Yeah.

719
00:22:55,030 --> 00:22:56,210
And you can see it in the way

720
00:22:56,210 --> 00:22:57,530
even teens respond to adults.

721
00:22:57,670 --> 00:23:00,490
I have met so many teenagers that to

722
00:23:00,490 --> 00:23:02,310
say hello to them is a bother to

723
00:23:02,310 --> 00:23:02,550
them.

724
00:23:02,570 --> 00:23:04,590
And it's obvious they look at you like

725
00:23:04,590 --> 00:23:06,890
you're speaking French or they look really bothered.

726
00:23:06,890 --> 00:23:08,450
Sometimes they just don't hide their emotions.

727
00:23:08,830 --> 00:23:10,570
The emotion they're showing is, who do you

728
00:23:10,570 --> 00:23:11,610
think you are speaking to me?

729
00:23:11,850 --> 00:23:13,510
You're like an old boomer or whatever, you

730
00:23:13,510 --> 00:23:15,070
know, you can know all their thinking, obviously.

731
00:23:15,690 --> 00:23:17,010
But Bethany and I have found with our

732
00:23:17,010 --> 00:23:20,150
own children that adults were better influences than

733
00:23:20,150 --> 00:23:20,470
peers.

734
00:23:20,630 --> 00:23:21,870
Now, it's not wrong to have friends.

735
00:23:22,050 --> 00:23:23,670
Each of our children had really good friends.

736
00:23:23,750 --> 00:23:25,770
And by the way, our children's best friends

737
00:23:25,770 --> 00:23:26,930
were their siblings.

738
00:23:27,330 --> 00:23:29,410
Our boys' best friends were each other and

739
00:23:29,410 --> 00:23:31,570
our boys were best friends with their sisters.

740
00:23:32,410 --> 00:23:35,150
Adults are better influences than peers, even though

741
00:23:35,150 --> 00:23:36,690
it's okay to have friends that are their

742
00:23:36,690 --> 00:23:36,990
age.

743
00:23:36,990 --> 00:23:37,110
Yeah.

744
00:23:37,250 --> 00:23:38,890
So we're not saying that your children should

745
00:23:38,890 --> 00:23:41,090
not have peer friends.

746
00:23:41,090 --> 00:23:43,710
We're just saying, don't swallow the lie that,

747
00:23:43,870 --> 00:23:46,630
oh my goodness, if my child, especially my

748
00:23:46,630 --> 00:23:50,450
teenager just isn't reveling in all of the

749
00:23:50,450 --> 00:23:55,250
teenage friendships and I'm forcing upon them time

750
00:23:55,250 --> 00:23:57,750
with their grandparents or time with their youth

751
00:23:57,750 --> 00:24:01,990
pastor or time with us, that's just making

752
00:24:01,990 --> 00:24:03,630
them miss out on so much.

753
00:24:03,710 --> 00:24:04,470
No, it's not.

754
00:24:04,590 --> 00:24:05,330
It's not at all.

755
00:24:05,330 --> 00:24:05,630
It's not at all.

756
00:24:05,630 --> 00:24:05,730
Absolutely.

757
00:24:05,830 --> 00:24:07,450
And by the idea of adults, we mean

758
00:24:07,450 --> 00:24:10,170
that literally, literally adults, but we also mean

759
00:24:10,170 --> 00:24:11,550
that literally in the idea of wisdom.

760
00:24:12,290 --> 00:24:14,750
When your child has hours of TikTok influence

761
00:24:14,750 --> 00:24:17,270
from influencers who have no experience, no wisdom,

762
00:24:17,390 --> 00:24:19,670
no discernment, no direction, in fact, they're wicked

763
00:24:19,670 --> 00:24:22,130
and evil and wrong, then we're damaging our

764
00:24:22,130 --> 00:24:22,410
children.

765
00:24:22,790 --> 00:24:25,850
So adult influences are better than peer influences.

766
00:24:26,350 --> 00:24:28,130
And just in a practical sense, I think

767
00:24:28,130 --> 00:24:30,450
that's true in generations gone by, grandparents had

768
00:24:30,450 --> 00:24:33,010
massive influence in the young people's lives, aunts,

769
00:24:33,210 --> 00:24:33,590
uncles.

770
00:24:34,090 --> 00:24:37,070
In generations gone by, the most powerful influences

771
00:24:37,070 --> 00:24:38,670
in any young person's life would have been

772
00:24:38,670 --> 00:24:42,770
mom, dad, and grandfather, grandmother on both sides,

773
00:24:43,050 --> 00:24:44,170
as well as aunts and uncles.

774
00:24:44,270 --> 00:24:45,490
And I know I was just thinking about

775
00:24:45,490 --> 00:24:47,670
our children because of our travels and all,

776
00:24:48,110 --> 00:24:49,850
we're not as much around my dad.

777
00:24:49,990 --> 00:24:51,590
But is it not true that when you

778
00:24:51,590 --> 00:24:54,150
get around our children, you will often hear

779
00:24:54,150 --> 00:24:56,910
stories about Papaw said, Papaw said, Memaw said,

780
00:24:57,010 --> 00:24:59,590
Papaw said, and even your dad, your dad.

781
00:24:59,590 --> 00:25:00,550
We were a little bit closer to your

782
00:25:00,550 --> 00:25:01,630
dad because we were based out of his

783
00:25:01,630 --> 00:25:01,930
church.

784
00:25:02,070 --> 00:25:03,270
So we did see your mom and dad

785
00:25:03,270 --> 00:25:03,530
more.

786
00:25:04,150 --> 00:25:06,830
But there are things our children will say

787
00:25:06,830 --> 00:25:09,590
automatically now because your dad said it.

788
00:25:09,750 --> 00:25:11,790
And I'm thinking right off about our children's

789
00:25:11,790 --> 00:25:12,390
view of alcohol.

790
00:25:12,910 --> 00:25:13,310
Yes.

791
00:25:13,630 --> 00:25:14,370
Do you know what I mean?

792
00:25:14,510 --> 00:25:14,970
I do.

793
00:25:15,310 --> 00:25:17,950
And Bethany's dad, one time, well, more than

794
00:25:17,950 --> 00:25:19,370
one time, every time he would see an

795
00:25:19,370 --> 00:25:22,390
alcohol sign or a commercial, he had something

796
00:25:22,390 --> 00:25:25,090
he would say to our children that was

797
00:25:25,090 --> 00:25:26,270
funny to our children.

798
00:25:26,870 --> 00:25:27,770
Dad never laughed.

799
00:25:27,850 --> 00:25:28,570
He just said it.

800
00:25:28,630 --> 00:25:28,850
Right.

801
00:25:29,390 --> 00:25:31,070
And if you want to know, you have

802
00:25:31,070 --> 00:25:31,510
to write us.

803
00:25:31,650 --> 00:25:31,790
Yes.

804
00:25:31,830 --> 00:25:34,550
It was a vivid word picture for them

805
00:25:34,550 --> 00:25:37,790
about what alcohol truly is.

806
00:25:38,550 --> 00:25:40,430
So our children to this day will see

807
00:25:40,430 --> 00:25:42,190
that and they'll be, well, as Papa said,

808
00:25:42,650 --> 00:25:44,590
and they quote that, but what a powerful

809
00:25:44,590 --> 00:25:46,150
influence in the hearts of our children.

810
00:25:46,270 --> 00:25:46,430
Yes.

811
00:25:46,490 --> 00:25:50,050
So if you have godly parents in your

812
00:25:50,050 --> 00:25:53,270
life, parents, then let your children be around

813
00:25:53,270 --> 00:25:53,910
their grandparents.

814
00:25:54,210 --> 00:25:55,810
Let them be influenced by them.

815
00:25:55,810 --> 00:25:58,410
If you have godly siblings, then let your

816
00:25:58,410 --> 00:25:59,970
children be influenced by them.

817
00:26:00,190 --> 00:26:02,850
And grandparents step in their grandparents, spend time

818
00:26:02,850 --> 00:26:04,430
with your little ones, spend time with the

819
00:26:04,430 --> 00:26:06,670
teenagers, write them, text them, talk to them,

820
00:26:06,770 --> 00:26:08,510
take them places, do things with them.

821
00:26:08,830 --> 00:26:11,510
It is important that we help our young

822
00:26:11,510 --> 00:26:13,650
people to be influenced by adults.

823
00:26:13,770 --> 00:26:15,150
And there was a couple of others that

824
00:26:15,150 --> 00:26:16,110
really impacted our children.

825
00:26:16,210 --> 00:26:17,930
We travel with a lot of young evangelists

826
00:26:17,930 --> 00:26:19,330
who influenced our kids, right?

827
00:26:19,730 --> 00:26:21,990
We had youth pastors that we would meet

828
00:26:21,990 --> 00:26:22,630
in our meetings.

829
00:26:22,630 --> 00:26:25,310
There are several youth pastors that still stand

830
00:26:25,310 --> 00:26:27,990
out to our children because they spent some

831
00:26:27,990 --> 00:26:30,330
time with our children and influenced them positively.

832
00:26:30,690 --> 00:26:30,790
Yes.

833
00:26:31,130 --> 00:26:32,190
And even some pastors.

834
00:26:32,230 --> 00:26:35,270
I'm thinking of the one pastor and I

835
00:26:35,270 --> 00:26:40,210
wouldn't call any names, John Flanders, but we

836
00:26:40,210 --> 00:26:41,790
shall call him John Flanders because that is

837
00:26:41,790 --> 00:26:42,710
in fact his name.

838
00:26:43,010 --> 00:26:44,730
But Pastor Flanders, we were in his church

839
00:26:44,730 --> 00:26:46,930
in Michigan some years ago and I was

840
00:26:46,930 --> 00:26:49,770
teaching geometry and he came in and would

841
00:26:49,770 --> 00:26:51,210
sit at the table in the fellowship hall

842
00:26:51,210 --> 00:26:53,830
where I was teaching geometry and several times

843
00:26:53,830 --> 00:26:55,430
through the week laughed and leaned over and

844
00:26:55,430 --> 00:26:57,110
said to our children, I have never used

845
00:26:57,110 --> 00:26:57,370
that.

846
00:26:57,630 --> 00:26:58,670
I have never used that.

847
00:26:58,710 --> 00:27:01,490
So was this a wise, righteous, godly influence

848
00:27:01,490 --> 00:27:02,190
in our children's lives?

849
00:27:02,190 --> 00:27:02,930
No, that's a good question.

850
00:27:03,030 --> 00:27:04,270
But our children remember that.

851
00:27:05,010 --> 00:27:07,590
Brother Flanders is a wise, godly man.

852
00:27:07,650 --> 00:27:07,810
Yes.

853
00:27:07,850 --> 00:27:09,210
And it was just a humor.

854
00:27:09,330 --> 00:27:11,710
So our children took what was a challenging

855
00:27:11,710 --> 00:27:13,690
concept and laugh about it.

856
00:27:13,810 --> 00:27:15,690
They remembered it in the sense of humor.

857
00:27:16,010 --> 00:27:18,250
So there was bosses and work relationships.

858
00:27:18,250 --> 00:27:20,030
We think about the Chick-fil-A where

859
00:27:20,030 --> 00:27:21,750
our children worked and how a boss would

860
00:27:21,750 --> 00:27:23,190
influence our son or our daughter.

861
00:27:23,910 --> 00:27:25,430
So moms and dads, I'm just reminding you

862
00:27:25,430 --> 00:27:27,450
that adults are better influences than peers.

863
00:27:27,530 --> 00:27:28,230
Now we're out of time.

864
00:27:28,590 --> 00:27:30,910
This first session has flown, but here's what

865
00:27:30,910 --> 00:27:31,710
we're talking about.

866
00:27:31,990 --> 00:27:34,390
We're talking about having a happy life and

867
00:27:34,390 --> 00:27:35,130
a happy family.

868
00:27:35,430 --> 00:27:36,770
What do we learn from Proverbs?

869
00:27:36,910 --> 00:27:40,330
Well, we're learning in this particular session and

870
00:27:40,330 --> 00:27:42,830
these next couple of episodes that if we're

871
00:27:42,830 --> 00:27:44,390
going to have a happy life, a happy

872
00:27:44,390 --> 00:27:49,350
family, we have to emphasize godly influences and

873
00:27:49,350 --> 00:27:51,570
we have to protect ourselves and our families

874
00:27:51,570 --> 00:27:52,990
from wicked influences.

875
00:27:53,430 --> 00:27:54,030
Any final thought?

876
00:27:54,290 --> 00:27:56,430
I would say don't let that make you

877
00:27:56,430 --> 00:27:59,030
afraid of this culture.

878
00:27:59,250 --> 00:28:01,390
Yes, there are a lot of bad influences,

879
00:28:01,590 --> 00:28:02,690
but there's a lot of good.

880
00:28:02,970 --> 00:28:03,350
Absolutely.

881
00:28:03,830 --> 00:28:05,250
Well, thanks for joining us today and I

882
00:28:05,250 --> 00:28:06,910
hope you'll join us next week and we'll

883
00:28:06,910 --> 00:28:09,890
continue talking together about influences.

884
00:28:09,890 --> 00:28:11,990
Have a great week and in the meantime,

885
00:28:12,210 --> 00:28:14,650
remember to serve the Lord with gladness.

886
00:28:15,690 --> 00:28:18,110
The Keeping It Young podcast is a Backs

887
00:28:18,110 --> 00:28:19,310
Five Media production.