AdventureLand Newsletter 2-12

Tapping Into All You Need

By Kari Papst

So, dear parent, I have no expertise to offer really. I have some schooling and a bit of wisdom, most of which was learned through life experience taught in the school of trial and error, failure, and oh so many mistakes. But God…………that is the encouragement I joyfully offer you today.

       The Lord provided for me a mentor at age 12. Her name is Dottie, and she taught me to read, memorize, meditate on and to test God’s Word. You see, in the Bible it states in Romans 10: 17 that faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God. A more contemporary version, The Message Bible, puts it this way:

But how can people call for help If they don't know who to trust?

And how can they know who to have faith in

If they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted?

The point is, before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word (the Bible) is shared, there's nothing to listen to.

    There is no substitute, nothing else that builds faith apart from God’s Word. It is alive; a living organism that has been breathed out from God to us and is useful in showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, and training us to live God's way.

     As the painful troubles and trials of my life have come, some of course were consequences due to my choices. However they rose up in my life, it was facing these difficult adversities and hardships head-on, standing up, being brave and courageous with faith in God whereby God moved me through to the other side. When we are tempted to sin or when fear or troubles come, the Holy Spirit prompts our mind with the Truth and promises in the Bible which we have memorized and meditated on. This provides real power from God to trust and believe, living above our circumstances. It was a lovely woman who taught me to read, memorize, meditate and test God’s Word whereby God built faith in my heart and life.

     This was the one thing I wanted to pass on to my girls, if anything at all. When they were little, even when they couldn’t understand it all, we memorized God’s Word. We learned really fun songs and played games that were God’s Word. We learned a verse for every letter of the alphabet. You can learn verses to the rhythm of jumping rope or bouncing a ball. It’s fun. Kids are so able to memorize when they’re little. Just think of the movie lines and quotes they know; it’s incredible their capacity for storing information and data. It will never be that great ever again as when they’re young. The Donut Man, for example , offers many CDs of fun, catchy bible packed songs written especially for kids. My kids loved him and still remember the songs today.

     Deuteronomy 6: 4 – 7 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  

         Dear parent, there is no instruction, no wisdom you can give your child which is greater than helping them put God’s Word into their hearts and minds. By doing so you are providing for them the tools for life and Godliness. You can do it. God help you do it. I pray you will.