From Cradle to Crown – Part I

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by Yveatte Moore

We recently studied Proverbs 31:21 from the perspective of motherhood. In it I shared the most important lesson the Lord taught me in the years I was raising my two children. Now I’d like to expound on that and share with you the specific obstacles the Lord showed me were blocking His best blessings. In Part I, we’ll discuss the first obstacle.

Obstacle #1 – Fear

Mothers tend to worry over their children. We worry about their safety, their health, their learning abilities and their future in general. We worry about what they are going to do, and we worry about what they are not doing.

I was very diligent in praying over my children using a wonderful prayer book (The Power of a Praying Mom by Stormie Omartian), but I still fretted over them. The “what if” melody played constantly in the background of my mind. Would they do well in school? Would they make friends? What if they get sick? What if they get hurt? The list can go on forever, no matter their age.

As I shared in the Commentary of Proverbs 31:21, God pointed out to me that my fear was blocking the flow of blessings He had in store for them. Fear separates, but faith invites. The Bible says perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

God helped me understand that my worry and fear was rooted in doubt. I read the promises of God in the Bible, but my faith wasn’t big enough to stand in them and claim them for my family.

James 1:6

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

A mother’s love is fierce, and she will do anything to protect her children. When God revealed to me that my doubt and fear were hindering my family from the abundant blessings He wanted for them, I made a decision that in Christ I would embark on a journey to grow my faith big enough to take hold of every gift God had prepared for my family.

God Wants Abundance for Us

God showed me that His desire for abundance for my family was far greater than mine (John 10:10). I didn’t have to wonder if He would bless and protect them. He already made every blessing and protection available to us. The cross proved it. I just wasn’t strong enough in my faith to believe it, or spiritually strong enough to take hold of it.

What a heartbreak for Father God, to see His children live in mediocrity because of the smallness of our faith, because of our ignorance and disregard for His Word. I wanted so much more for my children and for their children. I made a commitment to study His Word so I could discover the riches of His grace, and with His help take hold of abundance.

I prayed that we would not let the death of Jesus be in vain, that we would believe and receive everything Christ died to give us.

A Mind Renewed

It has been a gradual process, but my fear has dwindled and my faith has increased. It is an ongoing journey to renew our minds in the Word of God. I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and therefore I have Christ-like thoughts about my children. The mind of Christ does not contain fear. In Him, there is peace, for Jesus Christ is peace (Ephesians 2:14).

We can’t just pray for the things we want for our children. We must grow our faith big enough to take hold of what He has already made available to us from the riches of His grace. He calls us to participate in the process. God doesn’t just drop gifts out of the sky. He gave us His Son. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We must follow Him and discover the riches of His grace His way.

What about you? What do you want for your family, for your children and grandchildren? What kind of spiritual inheritance will you leave for them? Oh, let’s not leave any gift unopened.

Romans 8:32

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

He is willing to give us all the things we want, and He wants to do so. It’s us He is waiting on. How big can we believe?

Along my journey of faith, Christ continually urges me to think bigger and believe bigger. My husband and I have seen some wonderful blessings take place upon our children over the years, and we continue to see them overcome the obstacles of life and persevere. We have seen tremendous growth in them spiritually and personally. We have seen strongholds broken and the love of God break through.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Fear is the enemy of our souls. It blocks faith, peace and the blessings of God. Ask the Lord for awareness. He will help you conquer and overcome worry with the shield of faith. Use the Word of God. It is your sword against fear, and against every other obstacle that blocks the flow of abundance.

Our children can go from the cradle to wearing the crown of life God has in store for them (James 1:12). As mothers, we have a huge part to play in their development, spiritually and otherwise. What a responsibility and oh, what a privilege!

We will look at Obstacle #2 in Part II of From Cradle to Crown.

 

Bible Verses and Commentaries about Marriage