I was so privileged in June 2013 to be a speaker at The Acts of Achievers Conference in Victory Assembly Sheffield. I was honoured to be part of a program that featured other great women of God and was blessed and challenged by what I heard.
In our individualistic society, many of us are absorbed in our own issues and day-to-day lives that we seldom hear the cries of others. Some of us do hear the cries but we don’t know what we can do about it. We feel inadequate or not knowledgeable about the particular issue and so we do nothing. Sometimes we promise to pray but then we forget in our business or we throw out a quick ‘It is well in Jesus Name’. This is great but who will take action? Could it be you? In this conference, we were challenged to a higher level of responsibility towards the cries of our children and the cries of other children and young people who are hurting all over this nation from abuse, neglect and maltreatment. Personally I spoke on how a child crying can become an adult crying and what will set us free is understanding the truth in the Word of God, knowing who we are in Christ and not being at the mercy of our past.
Below are brief notes that I learnt from each speaker. I pray that as you read, you will be challenged. If you would like a copy of the CDs, please contact Victory Assembly via church.office@victory-assembly.org.
Session 1 -Deaconess Stella Oviasu (RCCG Victory Assembly, Sheffield) – A woman’s responsibility when we hear a child cry.
Exodus 2:1-10
The helpless cry of Moses moved Pharaoh’s daughter to action.
What do you do when you hear a cry of a child, the cry of youth?
- Pray for them and point them to Jesus
- Don’t leave them to succumb to peer pressure
- Be involved in their life, don’t just look from afar
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. (2 Timothy 1:5 NLT)
- Maintain prayer time with your children at university via Skype
Luke 8:3 – women supported Jesus
Don’t be an onlooker in the church, hear those initiatives that are crying out for help to manifest.
Don’t be too busy to pray for God’s help with your children. They have been put in your care.
- Always show compassion, don’t gossip about them or criticise
Session 2 – Pastor Marjorie Esomowei (Triumphant Church International, Wisdom for Women, London)
Job29:12
Responsibility – Response Ability
It is one thing to hear and another to do something. Develop your ability to respond.
Live life in a way that you don’t affect the self-esteem of your children.
Your child needs to know the difference between a good secret and a bad secret. Surprise birthday party is a good secret, ‘tell someone and I will hurt you’ is a bad secret.
Maltreatment is children seeing you fighting or quarrelling.
Why does Satan take such interest in children from a young age?
Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. (Exodus 10:10 NLT)
This kind comes out only by prayer and fasting was said in the context of a child who was dumb and needed healing. The devil wants to close the mouth of the next generation.
I am a voice, not an echo.
1 Kings 3:16-28
Baby was 3 days old, when the mother slept, her child was stolen.
2 kinds of women – both women were slumbering women.
1 overlaid her baby – some mothers push their problems unto their children
The second was totally unconscious – sleep was so sound, she didn’t wake up until morning. Maybe she wanted to sleep through her problems.
May God save us from spiritual slumber.
Rev. Anena Maria Goretti (Acts Ministries International, London)- Embrace the Vision
Job 29:12-16
Prov. 29:1
Jer. 1 God asked Him what do you see?
What do you see?
There are certain cries that you cannot deal with physically, you need to see it spiritually and pray to get it to where you can get to it physically.
When God wants to do something, He looks for a man and they must be listening.
Once the vision is taken from you, you can’t see.
Be spiritual, discern, pray.
If the vision is from God, you can’t do it alone, you need the hand of God. If you can do it alone, it is too small.
Vision will call resources
Stretch out the hand of love without an agenda.
Pastor Sade Bamgboye (Abundant Grace Tabernacle, Barnsley) – Effective Parenting
Preparing a child that is ready to embrace and walk in who they are in Christ.
A woman is so powerful, that is why God asked us to submit because power can corrupt.
We are destiny carriers
Gen. 16:1
Hagar demonstrates what a lot of women have gone through. Her unresolved issues came out after she got pregnant.
To be an effective parent, you have to deal with unresolved issues.
God knew her name and her job and her situations and feelings.
God asked her, where are you going? He told her to go back in humility and finish what God had for her to do.
Gen. 21 – Hagar was thrown out and she wondered why she was in that place again but God told her to arise.
- Teach them to love God and cry to Him themselves
- Nurture your child’s self esteem, praise accomplishments.
- Children gravitate to those who affirm.
- Children should learn early that there is reward for good behaviour and a consequence for wrong behaviour
- Make time for your children
- Be a good role model
- Make communication a priority – they are taught in school to question every assumption, they are not being rude. Be open to their suggestions and involve them in discussions. Let them know that they can talk about anything.
- Speak blessings over their lives.
The cry changes as they grow older, be able to identify your child’s cry and the cry of others.
