Don't Tell Me It Can't Be Done!

Beck Family - July 2013

My husband and I have an ongoing joke that the best way to motivate me to do something is to tell me that it can't be done. I guess I just consider it my duty as a person of faith to prove to anyone I can that through faith in God and His Word "all things are possible to him that believes" (Mark 9:23).

The five beauties in the picture are our daughters, yes... all of them. :) They range in age from 6 to 13. We get a lot of comments about how we'll make it through the teenage years with that many girls in one house. Believers and non-believers alike often say how rough teenage years can be and imply that we have no idea what's coming.

I'm not blind to the culture around me and I believe we as parents have a decent grasp of the challenges we are facing with the mandate of raising five girls in the "fear and admonition of God" in today's world. Am I frightened or worried about the job ahead of us... no, not in the least! Remember, some of my greatest motivation comes from the naysayers who tell me it can't be done!

No matter what we set out to accomplish, the Bible makes it clear that it must be accomplished by faith. It will take my unwavering trust in God and in His Word, and my willingness to act on that trust in Him that will lead me to victory in any situation. I love to read Hebrews 11 with the revelation that as long as there are people out there willing to believe the Word of God, the story is not over!

So, in the midst of a decaying and deceived culture that is sending all the wrong messages to our young people, what am I holding on to in my faith fight to raise my girls to be godly women who will shake their worlds for Christ? Of course, the most cited verse about raising kids it probably Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I firmly believe that Pat and I are the greatest influence in our girls' lives, and as we take seriously our responsibility to teach them to live the Christ-life, no matter what else they see or hear, what we are putting into them is going to stick! We use every opportunity we can to bring the Word into situations and show them how it applies to our everyday lives.

Along with that is consistent prayer and confession over their lives. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that the world was framed by the Word of God. I believe that God's Word in my mouth has the same power it has in His when I believe! Because of that the Holy Spirit is faithful to lead me to specific Scripture for me to confess over the girls to frame their worlds with. The most awesome one I have come across is a REALLY obscure verse in Acts 21. It's so simple, but when the Holy Spirit showed it to me, it lit up my world and my faith for what I was believing for as my girls grow through the teenage years into the beautiful women of God I know they are going to be. Here it is:

" And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
⁹ And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy."

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. The evil we see in the world now has always been here. Yet in the midst of it, Philip and his wife raised four daughters who were first were known as virgins - they were living lives of holiness and purity in their bodies, but I believe also in their hearts. Secondly, they prophesied - these four girls had a personal relationship with God that was overflowing into the lives of others around them! They went against the "preacher's kids" stereo-type and stood out so much to the writer of Acts that they were mentioned in Scripture... wow!!

So, what do I say when I am walking up and down their hall praying at night? "All five of my girls will be like Philip's daughters - they shall be virgins and they shall prophesy! They will walk in purity and have a deep and intimate relationship with God all the days of their lives. They will be filled with the Spirit at a young age and serve God all the days of their lives!"

I refuse to walk in fear over what I see happening around me or the deafening war cry that the enemy seems to have sounded against this generation. I am not waiting for my children to fail... I expect that every one of them will be the godly example the kids around them are desperately looking for to follow. I know in my heart that they are in the earth for such a time as this. The negativity in the atmosphere telling us that it can't be done, trying to convince us that the days of revival among our young people is over, should only make us more determined to hold on tighter, believe more deeply, and as Brooke put it so eloquently... drive the anchors even deeper. Take up your stand in faith and don't back down. No weapon formed against our children is going to prosper. Period.

Fully persuaded,

Debbie Beck