Hear What Their Sensitivity is Saying

Posted on June 15, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

One of the greatest gifts that can be given is the gift of listening.

In today’s frenetic world, it’s a pearl of high price. These pearls, however, are treasures. It’s very worthwhile for us to stop and to listen that we may uncover these treasures in our children.

There are times that our children are speaking from their spirits and we don’t have any physical words to hear from them, but what we are “hearing” in our spirit (also our gut inclinations).

Thad* screamed, with unnerving regularity, when his parents drove to town to buy groceries. They knew something was going on, but weren’t sure what, or how to deal with it. Thus, the family endured his screams on that highway stretch for about two years (about age 2 to 4). As a matter of survival, they traded grocery shopping as much as possible. One parent staying with Thad at home while the other drove to town. They also had to employ this method for doctor’s appointments. In fact, there were few places the family could attend without some extreme reaction from Thad.

Some years later, when Thad’s communication was fully developed, he told them that he thoroughly detested that stretch of road due to the demons he saw there. Surprised that he’d seen them, his parents weren’t thoroughly shocked because they did know that something they couldn’t explain was going on with Thad. He was a really sweet, strong and sensitive child who wasn’t fighting them, but who did seem to be in crisis in many public places. They were thankful that they’d done what they could—which was to reduce their public life—in order to help him make it through that period.

One of Father’s gifts to people is discernment. That means that infants and children can see, feel, and/or detect the presence of defilement, darkness and demons. If you’ve done clean up work through repentance on behalf of your family and/or the Father chose to give them a special gift, then that increases their ability to also see, feel, and/or detect the presence of Father’s angels and His hosts.

It’s also the Father’s gift and His good will that we be sensitive spiritually. Infants are born this way, and children have this precious spiritual sensitivity as well. They do have eyes to see and ears to hear, as Jesus often exhorted the adults. Let us, as parents, learn to recognize and nurture these gifts. These prepare our children to do well in a world filled with darkness—as they can tell the difference between light and darkness, no matter what the appearance is.

www.hopestreams.net (39)

At age three, Gerald* suddenly spoke in the car, “wreck.” His dad snapped to attention, and said, “No, there will be no wreck.” It wasn’t even a particularly crowded road the family traveled. A few minutes later, a car careened through a lane, overcompensating after leaving one of the businesses whose parking lots fed into the road. No one was sure if they’d lost control, or had lost focus. However, no wreck happened.

To circle back around to Thad, there is a better way to live.

First, if you notice any similarities from these true stories to your child or grandchild,  recognize they have discernment and it’s working well. Bless it. Bless their sensitivity.

They are your alarm bells. Your warning sign. Also, your training ground.

Second, I offer these prayers to assist you:

The Lord Jesus Christ’s authority to align your family.

“I bring our spirit, souls and bodies under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Sometimes, this alone clears out the space.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s authority to rule over the darkness present anywhere.

“I take Christ’s authority over any darkness here and command it nullified. Your kingdom come, Father, Your will be done on earth and here as it is in Heaven. Host, clear out this space. Angels, make grace and space. I release Your anointing.”

*names have been changed.

By Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

 

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strength and Sensitivity of Spirit

Posted on June 8, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

Children, tweens and teens, who’ve received nurture to their spirits, have a great inner strength and resolve. This strength is very good as it’s a sign of inner health by being able to stand solid in oneself. It’s also very good as it’s the opposite of weakness and infirmity which makes us susceptible to the Father’s enemy (yes His grace is sufficient in our weakness, but it’s always His will to strengthen, heal, and fill those weak places). Further, it’s very good because the Father wants and needs people of all ages strong enough to stand up with Him–and that takes strength to be able to stand alone with Him when necessary.

What this means for parents is that the children have a strong will, strong mind, strong emotions. It’s a sign of health, and it’s very good.

What it is not is easy.

Maybe you haven’t even nurtured your child’s spirit in the womb or as a young child and you’re concerned about their inner strength and spiritual health. Father did. He nurtured the spirits of Samson, Samuel, David and John the Baptist as babies in the womb and children. Children are designed by Father with a high and close connection to Him. To read more about that connection, click here.

Jesus said that the angels of children always see Father’s face—which means that angels are on attentive alert to the Father’s direction for those children (Matthew 18:10). He also said that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these:  children (Luke 18:16).

They sense, feel, hear, understand, receive from Father and are permeable by the spiritual realm. They are sensitive to the spiritual realm of darkness too—and to best protect them it’s imperative to get our homes clean spiritually (which may include tossing or destroying certain physical items) and to pray for our families daily.

www.hopestreams.net (37)

On the good side, they receive and respond to the Father, Son and Spirit and the angelic realm. As you’re going about your physical day, they will say the most profound things. Words, concepts, compassionate and/or wise interactions that are light years above their physical age level startle us, sometimes, as parents.

John*, between ages 2 and 3, told his mom that this was the day to go to his grandmother’s house to work and pray in the prayer garden she was developing. At his pre-school age, they had the freedom to do so, and it was a highly blessed time where the Spirit of the Lord met the family. John sensed the door open in time correctly.

Chris*, between ages 5 and 6, described the angel of his brother running down the hall. He’d gone to look in his other sibling’s room to see where his brother was headed. Unexpectedly, he saw the boy, dressed and appearing the same age and in the same clothes as his brother, leap up to the high window in the vaulted room, disappearing from the house.

Sam* shocked his family the day his dad and mom were discussing the possibility of a situation in their lives being an attack of the Father’s ancient enemy. At 5 years old, Sam said it wasn’t possible. There were too many angels around their house for the enemy to get in, he said matter-of-factually. Instantly, his mom remembered the Scripture, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them” (Psalm 34:7).

In those moments, they are speaking from their spirit, interacting from above, where is their rightful home, just as it is yours.

It is wisdom to take seriously what the children are saying. Yes, they are imaginative and creative, and if they’ve been filled up on silly words, silly or unclean programming and/or games, they will have that “plaque” build up. Yes, take that into consideration.

However, when they begin speaking about the Heavenly Father, His angels, profound things, things they haven’t learned, drop what you are doing, and pay attention. Take note. In fact, let them talk and give your full attention, and then write it down and date it.

Thank them for sharing with you what they received from the Heavenly Father. Then, let them go about their play or day.

You do want them to feel safe, that you are available and attentive, that what they are saying is important, and to nurture that relationship with their Heavenly Father.

You do not want them to feel or believe that they need to accentuate, exaggerate, or drum up spiritual things to be able to connect with you or please you. Be aware of this:  Your children are sensitive to you, too, and you are their first mission on earth. And that mission is to love you with the Heavenly Father’s love.

Early on in my experience of nurturing and protecting my children spirit first, the Father impressed this wisdom which has guided many of my husband and my decisions. It has shielded us from a great deal of unwanted trouble.

“Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:11

When your children share these precious, profound pictures, images, words, spiritual messages and experiences with you, it is private information. Not public. It’s human nature to want to share joy. Share your joy with your Heavenly Father, with your spouse, with your trusted spiritual friend or mentor.

However, using discretion to avoid sharing the spiritual treasures they’ve shared builds credibility with the Heavenly Father who allowed you a sneak-peak into His work with your child who is His child. It also builds credibility with your child, proving they have a safe place that’s trustworthy with you.

Be like Mary. Protect your children’s spirits (and hearts) as she did Jesus with discretion by not sharing what they said publically. Treasure these things in your heart. If Mary had a journal available, she would have journaled. We do—so treasure them in your heart, and write them down in your journal!

*Names have been changed.

By Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spiritual Hygiene

Posted on June 2, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

“We’ve gotta wash that Christian fellowship off our hands,” laughed my dad as we’d drive home after church, following his jovial and personable interactions with crowds at every service.

Physically speaking, founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, changed history for patients by providing them a future by helping them escape death resulting through lack of hygiene. She sparked a global movement through the medical field, when she modeled, demanded, and then taught that physical hygiene—including washing hands, instruments and linens be routine.

Centuries before Father raised the standard of physical hygiene and caring, principled nursing through Nightingale, He’d commanded His people to wash their hands after returning from the marketplace and before eating under running water (not stagnant). That simple physical action alone coupled with the Father’s eternal covenant with Israel, and Father’s dietary (eat clean foods) and sanitation instructions (place the latrine outside the camp and cover it), caused the Jews to be amazingly immune from the Bubonic plague that swept Europe in the 1300s.  (Please note, plagues are covered in Psalm 91. Praying Psalm 91 is the top-tier protection prayer strategy for your family, your work, and your assignments.)

Jesus said, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean” (John 13:10). Jesus referred to the bath as receiving Him as Lord and Savior. However, we get dirty daily, so we frequently need to get cleaned up.

This principle of cleaning up applies spiritually as well. It’s spiritual hygiene.

www.hopestreams.net (30).jpg

Here are some instances where spiritual hygiene is necessary

  1. Social interaction can transmit spiritual dirt as surely as the physical hand-shaking my dad had us wash off our hands.
  2. For intercessors, you’re in constant spiritual dirt. There’s lots of pulling out unclean roots (sin and its repentance) in the garden of life for our families, our assignments and strategic or emergency situations. That’s in addition to social interaction, or even dirt from the grocery store, your office, and church settings.
  3. Further, as an intercessor, you’re spiritually sensitive. Your sensitivity increases as you grow in the gift. So, you may not be officially in intercession mode, you may be at a family or church gathering, when you suddenly feel drained. Or you feel drained upon returning home.

It took a long time for me to learn this, but this truth will save you time and trouble:

We don’t turn ON our gifts in spiritual settings (such as church, intercessory gatherings, prophetic meetings, etc.) and turn them OFF in daily life. We are ON in the spiritual realm at all times. For instance, we know to be on guard and on cleansing duty when we’re on a big assignment, or even at an emergency situation, but daily life needs that attention as well in order to stay living the abundant life Christ paid for. This doesn’t mean that you have to work all the time, exerting yourself in your gift as you would if you were serving on church or ministry staff 24/7. It does mean that you need to be aware, even in places (grocery store, work, family gatherings, church attendance, etc.) where you normally wouldn’t be expecting to be aware.

The good news is that He is always with us. Holy Spirit helps us gain new habits and remember what He’s taught us.

The Father led my husband to initiate spiritual hygiene for our family. We pray this daily, but now we no longer wait till the end of the day, but pray it after almost everything—treating each interaction—family, church, grocery store, work—as marketplace and use the principle to “wash our hands” after contact.

It has created such a marked change of spiritual cleanliness that our son now initiates this prayer on his own and in the case of our having overlooked it.

Before I leave you with this spiritual hygiene prayer, I’d like to offer this prayer for you:

“Father, thank You for training us how to use our gifts, and how to live the abundant life that Jesus paid such a high price for. Please cause us each to remember what You want us to remember and forget what You want us to forget. Give us grace in the learning curve, and grace to walk out the new You are teaching us. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.”

Spiritual Hygiene Prayer

“Father, please cleanse our (name family members) eyes, ears, nose, mouth, heart, hands, senses and gates, spirit, soul and body, from all social, physical, involvement and sin. Wash us within and without with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Separate us from everything that attached to us that will not bow its knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Angels, gather them up and take them under guard to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Separate us from any snake, scorpion or spider. Let Your fire fall on them. Burn, and go to the pit. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, amen.”

by Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

Posted in Body of Christ, Intercessors | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Give Me a BREAK!

Posted on May 26, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

The most demanding, unpaid job, without holidays or vacations, on the planet is parenting!

It’s also the most rewarding, and yields the highest (eternal and generational) return on investment. What a whiplash! What a challenge!

Parents need a reliable, trustworthy, affordable daily babysitter. Both for our own daily sanity and for our children to learn as separate from us.

Unfortunately, many easily accessible babysitters are adding to our troubles.

What we’ve leaned on to help our children, to give ourselves some space, or simply fill the time is a root cause of their acting out.

It is. . .drumroll. . .

www.hopestreams.net (29)Media and technology.

Young children are highly sensitive and open in their minds, wills, emotions, and in their spirits. They are learning sponges which is wonderful, but it’s also harmful if they are filled in these spaces (minds, wills, emotions and spirits) with defilement or pointless (dare I say “stupid”) programming.

There’s the obvious witchcraft and darkness which infiltrates so much programming and is accessible on our technological devices.

May I draw your attention to a more subtle form of defilement?

By defilement, I’m referring to anything that assaults the purity of our children on any level. Adults have many layers of filters for, and thus often don’t catch, what profoundly impacts children in their precious state of innocence and God-given purity. These include, but aren’t limited to: common rudeness, unsavory language, emotionally gripping, or intense scenes.

Even when you, as the parent, are filtering their media and technology, they may still act out. That is because of how long they have spent on media/technology.

It actually impacts their brain and their spirit. The sound waves agitate their spirit, while the colors, sounds, motion, and activity grip them emotionally. Thus habits are formed, and they act out: 1. having been defiled and not having language for it 2. having spent too much time on it 3. having formed a habit or pattern which is a level of addiction.

What is a parent to do?

If your child is very young, start these good patterns for you and them now! If there’s already water under the bridge, it is redeemable.

Recognize you need time out to attend to your own needs. Breathe. As you adjust, take the time not just to do more work, but to do something that attends to your own needs, spiritual, mental, emotional and/or physical. I say “or” because you may only be able to attend to one level of needs at a time.

Repent for the defilement you allowed from these unreliable babysitters. Most, if not all, of us have allowed our children to see and hear media and take too much time on technological devices. Ask the Father to cleanse them with the Lord Jesus Christ’s precious blood, heal those places, rebuild them, and fill them with His Holy Spirit to restore them to their full purity and innocence.

Ask for the fire of God to burn up everything inside you, your children, your house that is not of Him that was allowed in through those media/technology gates, and to purify all that is Him.

Set limits for yourself and them. It’s not about rules—but about spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health for you and your children. The King James Version speaks of one of the fruit of the Spirit being “temperance,” Galatians 5:22. That’s known as “self-control” in the New International Version; it’s the ability to know when to stop, to be able to control desires and passions rather than their controlling you.

May I pray for you?

Father, I thank you for these parents and their children. Give them grace by the power of Your Holy Spirit to be connected with Your Spirit so that they have the ability to control the flow of their desires and passions rather than their desires and passions controlling them. Holy Spirit, give them grace to live with limits, and desire what it truly good, so that they can have the full abundant life that Jesus paid for, and time and energy available to be and to do what You have called them to, in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Choose healthful media, just as you try to choose healthful food. Here are some healthful suggestions.

  1. Audio Bible. Sound is so important. Whether they can read or not, listening to the Bible an hour a day gives you the break you need as it simultaneously builds their spirit health and strength. I do suggest that you edit it, as some of the Scriptures are intense and our children will take those to heart in their purity and innocence just as they would the defilement on media. If you haven’t implemented this already, you will be amazed at how easily and quickly their personal spiritual growth accelerates simply from listening to the Word! An excellent side effect is that it increases their mental processing and understanding as well.
  2. Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood. The old episodes are available and are still relevant. His heart for their tender state really shines through. (Google this. Episodes are on Amazon Prime and PBSkids.)
  3. Veggie Tales, especially the early episodes (I don’t recommend “Where’s God when I’m Scared” for young children.)
  4. Let’s Wade In. Our family specifically created Let’s Wade In to address the needs for parents to have a reliable, trustworthy source to turn to in media-ville, and for children, tweens and teens to be built up in their relationship with the Father and trained to go with God, go for the gold in the race of their own lives.
  5. Engage, a course filled with experts and solid practical advice hosted by Kirk Cameron, 5 practical lessons for raising your kids in a social media generation.

For older tweens and teens, as you pray through this, and make changes on how you use media and technology, Father will help you. Sometimes, like Amy Grant sings, “It takes a little time to get the Titanic turned around.”

But, I leave you with one last thought. You pay the electric bill. The plug can mysteriously be disconnected to your Internet source at certain times of day, and you don’t have to know why when they ask. 🙂 That can begin the physical weaning process.

In the meantime, Father grant each one greater grace for we live in a time filled with greater sin. We thank You in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

by Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bounce Back from “Bad” Behavior

Posted on May 17, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  Even when we nurture our child’s spirit, stay tuned in, and deal with generational issues, sometimes our child has an unusual change in behavior for no apparent reason.

In John 13:10, Jesus said, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.”   Jesus referred to the “bath” as receiving Him as Lord and Savior.  However, as we know, we can get dirty from going outside, so we frequently need to get cleaned up.  This principle of cleaning up after going outside applies spiritually as well. 

Social interaction can “transmit” spiritual dirt.  Also, once our home is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ and cleansed of anything associated with witchcraft, it is possible that some “dirt” may still come in with the groceries, mail, or an object that seems innocent, and that causes the children to act out. For more information on cleansing and protecting homes from spiritual darkness, I recommend Chuck Pierce’s book Protecting Your Home from Spiritual Darkness.

cd-front-outside-cover-resize_edited-2

For example, Andrew* really enjoyed a video game which his spiritually sensitive parents had approved.  They detected no witchcraft in it.  So, innocently enough, Andrew’s parents bought him a shirt which featured the “star” of that video game.  Shortly thereafter, Andrew and his siblings exhibited an unusual change in their behavior.  The children were drawn to play that game nonstop, acting pensive when their parents refused to let them.  Andrew and his siblings began to speak disrespectfully to their dad and blatantly refused to share toys with each other.

This behavior stood in contrast to their usual manner of relating.  The parents back-tracked the behavior change, and realized that this unusual pattern correlated to the shirt they purchased for Andrew (although it did not contain anything overtly sinful or occultic).  Conferring together, they privately spoke to Andrew about the meaning of idols, explaining that an idol can be anything to which we give our full attention and priorities.  The parents gently mentioned that a video game can be an idol (as can any thing).  They explained the change in behavior they witnessed in Andrew since purchasing the shirt.  They apologized to him for buying the shirt and threw it away, explaining to him that they had made a mistake which needed to be made right.  Together, Andrew and his parents decided to shelve that particular video game.  Quickly, Andrew and his siblings returned to normal, respectful behavior.

Another cause for a sudden change in behavior–or acting out–is social interaction.  Spending time at school, playing at a friend or family member’s house, going shopping, or out around people where there is social contact can sometimes transmit “dirt” to our children (and ourselves as well).

If your children (tweens or teens) are in a bad mood or acting out, take note. Where were they recently? If they’ve just been around people (even via social media or phone), they’ve just received “dirt” from social interactions which is the root of their acting out or up. In those cases, we can ask the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse the whole family from all social interaction, contact, and any involvement with sin and to restore peace and order to our family’s spirits and home.

In fact, we no longer wait for our children to act out from social interaction. We use a version of this prayer at least once a day.

Cleansing Prayer

“Father,  please cleanse our (name family members) eyes, ears, nose, mouth, heart, hands, senses and gates, spirit, soul and body, from all social, physical, involvement and sin. Wash us within and without with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Send Your angels to remove from us anything that will not bow its knee to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and take them under guard to His feet for His jurisdiction. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, amen.”

* Names have been changed.

(excerpt from Perfect Peace by Crystal Wade, copyright 2010)

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits, Peace for the Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recover Your Family’s Peace

Posted on May 12, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

How do you cope with and diffuse tension and stress?

Do you release it verbally? physically? emotionally? spiritually? Or were you trained, consciously or inadvertently, to hold it inward? (Hint: This is a root cause of many physical ailments and disease.)

Just like adults, our children, teens and tweens experience tension and stress, too. In fact, due to the breakdown of families, moral virtue at large, and the influx of defilement freely available in entertainment and electronics/technology, they have much more tension and stress than did previous generations of children.

A cause of their acting out is due to their internal buildup of tension and stress.

They have worries and concerns for which they don’t have language. Some acting out is simply their untrained tension release. They’re trying to blow off the internal steam pressure, and they may look and sound like an unmanned missile fueled by a mix of hot magma, rocket fuel, adrenaline, and caffeinated energy drinks doing so!

This doesn’t help parents who are already over-worked and stressed themselves.

For parents, the first place to look is inward. Notice how you handle stress. Inward? Or outward?

My prayer for you.

Father, grace each parent. Give them understanding of how they cope with tension and stress. Give them grace and space to quickly discover healthy ways of diffusing it. Grant greater grace because sin does much abound in our times, and the safety nets previous generations had are dissolved. In our times, intervene. Heal, recalibrate, give light, grace, space, time and resources for each one to understand and to release the daily and seasonal buildup. Restore and do much more in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Next, when you understand how you cope with and diffuse tension and stress, then you’ll be able to help your children recognize and release theirs much more easily.

Some acting out stems from bad habits formed from the years their tensions and stress built up while they simultaneously lacked training to recognize and release it in healthy ways. However, there is hope! No matter how many years it has been internally building, those bad habits can still be changed.

Once you recognize your methods of coping with and diffusing tension and stress (and adjust them as necessary with Father’s grace helping you), you’ll recognize their bad habits for what they are—slamming doors, yelling, refusing or delaying fulfilling your requests or their jobs, etc.

In this very unpleasant place, let me encourage you. The first step is to get your stress under control by adjusting your coping and diffusing methods so you have a solid place of inner stability.

In that transition time, you have to focus on yourself and let their bad habits slide.

1

In other words, if you are on the edge with your stress, it’s no time to deal with their bad habits. You won’t make progress for you or for them.

Father, greater grace, with speed, alignment, peace and order, for this adjustment time!

Coping with stress starts with taking breaks in the day. John Eldredge highlights the value of the one minute pause. To take one minute and pause before starting the next project, phone call, email, task, etc. Another way is to take time to disconnect from phones and media. It is amazing how quickly this increases internal peace!

Diffusing stress is to discover healthy ways that work for you personally to get it out so it does not build up and create health problems or explode and cause relational problems. Exercise is a way to release stress. However, due to health restrictions, many are limited from exercise. Listening to the Bible on audio, peaceful music or worship songs, sitting outside in the natural world and prayer are excellent ways to diffuse stress.

As you gain ground personally, then, stand in your place as parent spiritually first.

Start by committing your plans to reclaim the lost ground of training to the Father so that your plans will succeed, Proverbs 16:3. Then, repent to the Father for the unforgiveness, anger, unhealthy habits, and lack of training that you and they have. Ask to be washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dedicate those areas of your spirit, soul and body to Father, Son and Spirit to redeem and restore.

You can water the hard ground of that place in their hearts by speaking to their spirits, without their being present, honestly, about what has happened. For example: Beloved, There is stress and tension, and more so for you because of where Father chose to place you in world history. However, there is greater grace where much sin does abound. It is healthy to cope with and diffuse stress and tension, but that didn’t happen as I would have best wanted. Now is the time to start anew and adjust. This will be an adjustment, but it is because I love you, and want you to have healthy life habits, so work with me and not against me, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is sealed to your spirit, by the Holy Spirit, amen.

Before you even face them head-on for the adjustment of their bad habits of coping with and diffusing stress and tension in their untrained state, ask the Father to set up a secure communication system between you so that you each can hear and understand what the other one is saying without pain or suffering.

Now is time for physical action.

If their spirit has been nurtured, they have strength in their spirit and soul. That doesn’t mean that they have perfection—or training to handle the ups and downs of life with its stressors. What it does mean is that their bad habits may be bigger and louder due to their strong will—which is exactly what Father wants them to have—the strong will—but with peace and yieldedness to His leading.

When you’ve come to peace and solidity yourself, stood in your place spiritually first, it won’t take long till they have the lightbulb flash on in their worldview that this bad habit will no longer be tolerated. They will recognize your peace, and strength to back it, that you no longer tolerate “that” bad habit of acting out in tension, and it will subside.

Once the crisis bad habit has been addressed and enforced, then you have space to talk with them about tension, stress, and to describe that is what they are feeling, and to discuss healthy ways to deal with it to diffuse it. Share with them honestly the walk that you’ve been on yourself. Acknowledge their stress and tension. Let them know that you want them to have great life skills so that they can have the good future Father has planned for them and written in their Heavenly books.

My prayer for you.

Father, thank You that You call out the generations from the beginning. You have prepared our place in our generation, and You are the restorer of the generational breach. Father, grant greater grace and mercy to restore these inner jewels of peace and strength in the parents, and greater grace and mercy to them to align with You and navigate healthy ways to cope with and diffuse stress in our rapidly changing and danger-fraught world. Hold them, each one, together through the transition. Insulate the parents’ nerves from the stress of their children, tweens and teens’ bad habits of acting out their tension, as the parents press in to resolve theirs. Grant the parents greater grace and mercy to step into their spiritual position with all the peace, confidence and strength You desire for them. Rapidly restore the generational breach—spirit, soul and body—between parents and children, tweens and teens, and restore the years eaten by locusts. Heal them, build them, fill them with Your Holy Spirit. Restore and do much more in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Hope Streams offers spirit and soul healing/building resources. The audio version of Perfect Peace most speedily increases the inner peace in you or your family as you face healthy growth or recovery challenges.

by Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Restore Your Family by Nourishment

Posted on May 4, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

Have you ever been so weighted by your daily loads plus each season’s particular stresses coupled with your children (tweens and teens) constant complaining? Thus, when they act up or out, you drown them out? Or don’t take much notice? Or overreact?

Let’s stop here before we get started. Deep breath. Life – and child raising – are tough. Bless your heart. Greater grace, Father!

Behavior which leads to acting up or out is influenced from many sources. Some come from inside, others outside, every person. A core essential building block which impacts behavior is food. Today, let’s start by take a deeper look at it physically and spiritually.

Food Influences

Food heals and builds the body, or weighs and breaks down the body. Nutrition that supports healthy brain, heart, digestive and immune functions from clean foods, whole foods, and non-to-low processed foods give great side effects—more cooperative and pleasant behavior. On the other hand, food that is highly processed, high in refined sugars, some dairy, most commercially processed grains, and corn sugars and starches, give negative side effects—such as temper tantrums, lack of focus and cooperation and unpleasant behaviors. The reason why is because the food releases building blocks which fuel chemical processes, or interrupts them, which impact brain function and the digestive system leading to pain, sugar rushes and crashes which fuel aggressive and depressive behavior, and various other troubles as “pieces” are missing to fuel normal, healthy, God-designed physical functions to sustain life through strong, healthy bodies.

Once children are attached to their favorite foods, there’s a soul tie in addition to physical dependency. So, they have negative reactions when the offending foods are removed.

If you have opportunity, learn how to eat for nutrition and life, and start it from Day One with your children. If you know you’ve already started poor nutrition in some areas, there is hope for change. We are proof.

Every journey of 1,000 miles starts with the first step.

1. The first step is to realize change needs to happen and to commit your plans to the Lord so they’re under his jurisdiction where He will cause them to succeed (Proverbs 16:3).

2. Soul tie prayer.

Father, I confess, repent for, reject and renounce every soul tie for comfort, strength, desire, etc. that I made to any food or drink, or connection to family or friends with food and drink. Separate me from it together with all words, thoughts and actions in those paths. Destroy it all at the Cross. Restore the broken and torn portions of my spirit, soul and body. Remove from me everything negative that flowed as a result of these soul ties. Restore everything good and right that You gave that was stolen as a result of these soul ties. I yield all these parts to You, Father, Son and Spirit. Rebuild, renew, restore, rule and reign forevermore. Give me the desire and follow-through to learn and grow, receive and develop resources to purchase and/or grow, prepare and consume healthy nutrition through food and drink. I consecrate all this was, is, and is supposed to be to You, Father, Son and Spirit. Let Your fire fall upon it, burn up the bad and purify the good. I entrust this to Your care, Lord Jesus Christ. Please accept, apply, and activate these prayers for my family (fill in names of spouse, children, grandchildren). I decree that their sins are forgiven and remitted in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please seal all this work within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rearguard and seal us and this progress with Your glory in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen.

3. Weaning process. Begin reducing their favorite poor nutrition choices in increments until they are eliminated.

Find healthy choices that they like and increase these meals.

www.hopestreams.net (26)

4. Fasting. For us, fasting began with me. I fasted and prayed multiple times and ways over the course of ten years. My family began to notice. Once, a massively important issue captured my attention; I told them I planned to fast and pray for it, and asked if they would join. To my surprise and delight, they opted in! This doesn’t have to be hard. It could be a Daniel fast where meats and sweets are eliminated. A protein shake fast. A bone broth fast. It could be foregoing one meal daily for a week. For a day. Or a couple meals. With a prayer focus centering on the move of God in some way in your life, your family, your church, and/or your nation.

5. Build momentum from the fast. Seize your moment! A fast naturally clears out the body’s fog and creates a space where we hunger and thirst for what nourishes. Build on the fast’s momentum by planning ahead to have nourishing food available immediately after the fast is completed. For example, chicken broth. Fresh fruit and nuts for snacks. (If you alone embark on this journey, building your momentum will be enough, because as you feel better and learn more, you introduce more good nutrition to your family!)

In addition, Father honors these fasts and does all kinds of amazing spiritual work in us. Some problems, physically and spiritually, disappear without any further effort on your part! Our work is the fast. His work is amazing signs, wonders, healings, miracles and restorations of all kinds!

6. My prayer for you.

Father, thank You for the abundance of information and available resources to heal and build our families nutritionally. Please shine Your light and make it clear, knowledge and direction by day and dreams and visions by night, what is the next step(s) nutritionally and health-wise for each family. Please cause it to be so clear that they do not miss it. Please bless and expand their efforts, as You part the sea of resistance in their families, and make the way for their families to desire healthy change and to work with the mom/dad and not against them. Give greater grace for the changes You are calling them to make so that they can live the abundant life You desire and paid for them to have—that they have health and wealth to accomplish their purposes in their generation in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen.

7. There is such an abundance of information that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are valuable resources to assist your journey.

The Natural Life offers recipes that maximize nutrition for the whole person without going into information overload, but which serve up maximum nutrition on interchangeable ingredients.

Cultures for Health offers all kinds of starter kits for kefir, cheese, fermented veggies and kumbucha, properly prepared grains, as well as an abundance of ebooks and videos that take you simply through the whole process. Their products and knowledge of the processes involved gets you started producing your own whole foods at a fraction of the cost of purchasing them.

Dr. Z and Mama Z offer abundant strategies, recipes and classes to safely use essential oils to heal and build your health, your family’s, your home and your pets.

Hope Streams offers spirit and soul healing/building resources. The audio version of Perfect Peace (in available in two albums or as singles) most speedily increases the inner peace in you or your family as you face healthy growth or recovery challenges.

by Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits, Personal Growth | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Turbulent to TEAM!

Posted on April 27, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

Have you ever faced big stress and your children add to it by acting out?

Here you are, trying your best to hold it together, keeping the family boat of life steady in turbulent water. Randomly, it seems, they begin melting down, raging and/or being generally uncooperative. The family boat is now spinning wildly on top of the turbulent water, and your stress cortisol levels skyrocket!

Been there, done that, have the t-shirt?!

In times past, the parental model appeared to revolve around stoicism. To keep all matters of stress—family trouble, sickness to the point of death, financial difficulty, relational strain, etc.—completely quiet and out of earshot of the children to protect them.

This is honorable.

However, parents carry those heavy burdens, which consume massive amounts of energy, and could erupt into a parental outburst disproportionate to the missteps of the children.

Today, social media, which fuels much of the cultural climate, has fostered an environment where almost nothing is private. It has flipped the social relating model to full exposure without privacy. Thus, children are shielded from virtually nothing. It’s complete sensory overload, and damaging to healthy growth stages.

Neither of these models are good and healthy.

The reason children act out in various ways when you’re facing big stress is because your children sense and feel it. They don’t have language for it. But they are feeling it—and carrying it (sharing in your suffering as we do with Jesus and His people, Phil 3:10). Thus, they release the tension and concern physically (act out in some way) for which their soul and spirit do not have language.

Their soul may erupt into verbal-emotional or emotional-physical outbursts because they have no other way to process the load they feel. Their spirit may erupt their body and/or mouth in an attempt to get your attention because something is not right, and they know it. (This is excellent when their spirit is seeking to be heard, because as we lead them to intercede with us, they have ability to release solutions we did not even know Father had.)

Here is the paradigm shift. No matter how hard you try to handle your parental responsibility and shield your children from the trials you are facing, they are in the battle with you, feeling it and sharing the load.

www.hopestreams.net (23)

Action Steps

Take the time to center yourself so you can speak from a steady place and not a fearful one (they will follow your lead).

Use age-appropriate language (leave trauma, fear-invoking, and sordid details out).

Give them a brief overview of what is facing you (If you’re under strain and don’t know the source, just be honest on that point, and let them know it’s not their fault. Don’t dump your emotional load on them, and don’t keep it all in.).

Tell them you would value, and need, their prayers (you and your children are a micro-church).

Tell them this truth from Matthew. Open the Bible and read them Matthew 18:19-20: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (NIV). It only takes TWO to come into agreement about an issue on earth to get it resolved—with JESUS showing up to honor the agreement! That is one parent and one child. If there is more, great. If not, it’s enough. (Some situations do take more prayer pressure than one sitting. That doesn’t mean you’re not getting the breakthrough. It means there was more than one part to break through.)

Start with your thanksgiving and praise, then offer your prayer request. Ask if they have anything to add. If they do, great. If they do not, it is a good starting point! End by agreeing verbally: “In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ AMEN.” (Our AMENS are our hearty agreement on earth to His YES from Heaven, 2 Cor. 1:20).

My prayer for you:

Father thank You for these parents, children and families. Turn their hearts to You and to each other. Grace them and empower them to fulfill Your royal law to love each other by helping carry each other’s burdens. Encourage the parents that these trials are training times for their children, not just greater loads to carry parentally. Give them grace to understand where these outbursts are coming from; grace to step back emotionally; grace to redirect the tension into a holy training time and plan of action (starting with family prayer). Encourage the parents with the truth that, together with the Lord Jesus Christ, their micro-church is being heard on High and answers are breaking through. Strengthen, encourage, grace, heal and fill them, parents and children, with Your Holy Spirit, as You, Lord Jesus Christ, teach them to carry each other’s burdens and learn how to use their spiritual weapons (of prayer, faith, etc.). Thank You for personally showing up in the midst of the prayer times! In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen.

Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

 

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Genesis of Love

Posted on April 20, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

Greetings, highly honored ones!

Father chose you, specifically, to co-labor with Him on the highest ROI (return-on-investment) in the cosmos!

Who are these honored ones?

Parents!

What is this highest ROI co-labor with Father?

The process of loving, raising and training children.

Incredibly harder, but more worthwhile, than expected is parenting. Parents are entrusted by Father with treasures (children’s spirits) in jars of clay (physical body).

The vast majority of parents deeply desire to provide the best for their children. As such, we, parents, can end up carrying loads of hyper-responsibility, guilt, frustration, fear and shame for their well-being and our role in it. With any trouble regarding the circumstances around their conception, these burdens balloon. Loads such as these greatly reduce effective parenting.

Below is a new paradigm from the Father that will release you from these.

Additionally, this new series is presented with the desire and prayer to grant direction and connection for you to partner with your Father and theirs in raising the big-spirited children. Of all the people on earth and in history, your Father chose you to love and raise them.

To build this paradigm, let’s take a closer look at King David.

Famous for defeating giants and establishing Israel’s eternal capital, David also experienced heavenly visitations and prophetic encounters. Not as widely known, David was a prophet, though referred to by Jesus (Luke 20:41-44). His powerful encounters flowed as a result of his heart to honor Father God and through his cultivation of worship. In Psalm 110, David recorded a heavenly preview of the Messiah, Jesus, initiated by Father into a new priesthood—Melchizedek’s.

If you’ve tracked with prophetic ministry over the past 14 years, you’re familiar with the interchangeable terms, “destiny books,” “books of destiny,” or “scrolls of destiny.”

This concept comes from the prophetic vision of David regarding his life, all the way to womb and before (Psalm 139). Recorded in Scripture which Paul instructs us to use for training in righteousness, we gain Father’s wisdom and view on children, and thus adjustment as parents (2 Timothy 3:16).

“My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret; when I was woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my embryo; and in Your book all my members were written; the days they were formed, and none was among them.” (Psalm 139:15-16 in A Literal Translation of the Bible by Jay Green, Sr., 1985).

Notice the word “secret” (Strong’s #5643 cether). It is the same word used in Psalm 91:1:  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (KJV).

Secret place here is a spiritual place of spiritual meeting. In Hebrew, it means “covering, shelter, hiding place, secrecy, shelter, protection.” The secret place spoken of in Psalm 91 is in the heart of the Father.

Where does love flow from? The heart. Where is the physical genesis of babies? The heart of the parents in the physical act of intimacy. Where is the spiritual genesis of babies? The heart of the Father, Son and Spirit.

The vision David saw revealed development on two different planes. 1. the secret place and 2. the depths of earth.

For a baby’s bones to develop from cell layers through the process of transforming cartilage to soft bones, with the active use of calcium and minerals, it takes almost nine months. Soft bones are made ready for entry to the world in the last month before birth.

www.hopestreams.net (20)

Before bones developed in utero, Father developed David (and each baby) in the secret place of His heart. Father’s eyes considered the unformed person (embryo) which He created. He fully and intimately knew every detail of the child’s spirit, soul, body and recorded his/her days in a special book (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 12-13; Psalm 139:16).

At this point, before placing the baby’s eternal spirit inside his/her temporal body in the womb, Father wrote (Strong’s #3789 kathab) all the days planned for that child before any of them occurred. Write here means “write, record, enroll, inscribe, decree.” And the word book (Strong’s #5612 cepher) means “book or scroll, legal document, record book.”

This is why there can be such accurate prophetic words released when a child is in the womb, or very young, because the Father is speaking to the prophet words from the child’s destiny book.

The Father revealed to David that He was fully engaged in the unfolding of David’s life in Heaven and on earth. He formed him above, planned and prepared for his life in his own personal book or scroll of destiny, and wove him skillfully on earth (DNA spirals look like weaving!).

Nothing random, wrong, or haphazard occurred with the eternal development and the placement of David in his mother’s womb, in that time of history, and in that place of geography. Nor did it occur in our child’s.

The same is true for us, as parents. We were as lovingly prepared and planned for “. . .by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus. . . (NIV, 2 Timothy 1:8b-10a).

Father is your parent. He is your children’s parent. And He chose you. Specifically, because He trusted you with His masterpiece. His child—and yours.

The burden of guilt, shame, hyper-responsibility, fear and frustration is lifted off your shoulders this day. You are free to partner with your Father and theirs in loving and raising these beloved children. He knows what they, and you, need at each season.

Shift gears from any negative emotions or heavy load of trying to do the best for your children for the Father, and allow Him to lead you on what needs to be done, and when.

You are His child, too. And He’s parenting you both.

(If you aren’t a parent, you are still Father’s child. . .and He would love to connect deeply with you, if you are not already deeply connected. And He may well have physical and/or spiritual children ahead for you to nurture.)

Paradigm shift: You’re not raising your children for God, to be good people, or good Christians. Father designed them and their destiny. Then, He chose you to share them with. Through this process with them, He is re-parenting you. From His loving, tender knowledge, He is giving you wisdom from Heaven on how to parent (nurture, guide and train) them with their spirit needs.

My prayer for you:

Father, thank You Your truth that sets us free! Thank You for lifting these heavy burdens off Your beloved parents. Cause them to feel the release and freedom. Give them grace to connect with You, as Father. Give them grace to receive Your process of parenting in their lives, and in the lives of the children You’ve blessed them with. Align and adjust them now. Give them freedom to synchronize with the flow of Your days of destiny for them and their children in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

— Crystal Wade, copyright 2018

Posted in Connected Parenting, Parenting and Our Children's Spirits | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Power of ONE

Posted on March 16, 2018 by thelivinghopeblog

Is it possible for one life to create a ripple effect large enough to change a nation, releasing a glory tsunami through history and geography? What about starting in a hard and lonely place as a teenager?

lets-wade-in-facebook

Grab a cup of coffee or tea—and a child, tween or teen if you have one–and join us for the rest of the story on Let’s Wade In! Don’t miss any of this four-part short series!

Hopestreams Website Button Watch Now

Posted in Connected Parenting, Helping Children, Tweens and Teens, Let's Wade In | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment