Children of the Captivity

Our hope and prayer is that today you are walking in the liberty of the will of God.  There is truly freedom where some on the outside looking in may perceive handcuffs and a set of repressing rules.  In reality there is tremendous freedom for those who have been set free from sin.  My heart breaks today for the children who are growing up not knowing about the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessing of living for Him.  Let’s talk about that…

This week my heart broke for three sets of children that I witnessed.  There were news reports from just south of Nashville which showed junior high students tearing down an American flag from the school flagpole during a walkout and ripping it to shreds.  Sin is bound up in the heart of a child (Proverbs 22:15).  Those children have no conception of the cost that has been paid for that flag to fly.  There is no appreciation, no thankfulness (II Timothy 3) for the freedom they enjoy.  The sad truth is that the scene around that pole was not of hands joined in prayer but of the fruit of the flesh under the captivity of sin.  My heart was heavy and broken.

We have new next door neighbors in our community who have been slowly moving in items this week.  My wife had warned me that she thought they were going to be loud.  I tried to assure her that it must have been some sort of renovation activity.  Oh no, she was correct once again.  As I was moving some things in and out of the car one afternoon, the mom and two toddlers were bringing in belongings.  The motivational soundtrack of their move was AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and Black Sabbath.  Wonderful.  The moment that moved me from dread of hearing their hateful banter to despair is when I heard the 4 year old climbing into their car singing the words to those demonic songs.  Sadly, those children are in the captivity of a wicked home life. My heart was heavy and broken.

Lastly, this week a friend of mine whom I work side-by-side with every day suffered the loss of his 7 year old son.  He was the victim of a freak accident 5 years ago at a day care that left him with a horrific brain injury.  My friend’s wife quit her job at that time to become her son’s constant care giver.  That precious little boy was a captive in a body that did not work and a brain that could not process to the potential that other children possess.  His life was hospital stays, doctor appointments and a future with only the joy of an occasional crooked little sweet smile.  The other reality is that his parents were in a religious sect some call a cult who has beliefs about Jesus and heaven that differ from the truth of scripture.  He passed away on Thursday afternoon due to breathing complications.  That precious innocent child is no longer captive to anything.  He has a glorified body and a mind like Christ.  My heart is heavy and broken for his family.

All those children were captives to a life that they did not choose.  They have no conception of how a life in a godly upbringing would guide their actions or how a nurturing parent would set their course of life as a person or how a healthy body and mind would feel.  It has been said that the next generation will be won by who invest in them the most.  Those children need Jesus as much as their parents do.  Ask any church bus kid that has been saved from sin and what they want is for their folks to get saved.  Why?  Because that saved church bus kid knows what it is like to go from being a captive to free.  Even though their environment might not change and their surroundings remain the same, the joy and peace in their heart will have made a difference.

Pray today for the children of the captivity (Ezra 6:19).  Those who are captive to a home that does not get up and go to church on Sunday and where no blessing is ever said over a meal.  Their reality is a foul mouthed parent and a diet of the vile ‘entertainment’ and education that fills their mind.  They are prisoners unaware who need a savior who is always there.  You and I know the only way that they are going to be rescued is by us.  So, pray for them but don’t leave that prayer without a plea for opportunity.  Then, don’t let that opportunity be missed by a lack of compassion and courage.  God help us point the children of the captivity, their parents, and the world to the cross of Calvary where every captive is set free.

God Bless you,

BroAdamB

evangelistadamborden.com

Don’t forget to tune in to wecoradio.com on Monday morning at 8:30am to hear part 2 of our message from Genesis, “It’s Time To Clean Out The Well”.  Pray for the financial support of the Riches From The Pages radio ministry.  $100 will pay for 1 month on a radio station.