If you are a great mom, you trust God. Great moms take leaps of faith. Great moms in the middle of the storms know that God is still in control. Even if you have a child that is going down the wrong path, you still place your faith in God. You know your God is bigger than the problem. You trust the all living all powerful God. Great moms never stop being moms. Geography changes but they never stop being a mom.

5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said. 7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. 8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother. 9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. 10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.” Exodus 2:5-10

Great moms trust God because they place their kids in a situation where they will succeed. Teach them to chase God and not chase victories. Great moms trust God. Great moms never stop being moms.

Great moms are unselfish. Mothers are moved by love. It is love that moves the mother to do what she does. Before she was a mom, she had never been pooped on, spit on, chewed on or peed on. Before I was a mom, I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts and my feelings. What allows the mom to let all this happen? She is moved by love. Great moms are selfless because they invest so much in their kids. Moms are selfless because they place the needs of the children above the wants of themselves.

23 Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. 24 All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king. 25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!” 26 Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!” 27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!” 1 Kings 3:23-27

She was willing to give her child up to make sure her child lived. She had invested so much in that child. The other had not invested anything in that child. Because she loved him so much she was willing to let him go. She placed the needs of the child above her wants. She was a great mom.

3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. Exodus 2:3-4

The mother fought injustice by letting the child go. She put the child ahead of her needs. We must appreciate the sacrifices that moms make.

Moms are super heroes. Great moms will do everything they can to fight injustice. Moms know their kids. Moms can look at their kid and know when something is wrong. They can see when something has been done to their child. A mother can tell from the moment the get off the bus that they had a bad day from their body language. Dads don’t know their kids. Moms will fight for their kids. When a kid is cut from the basketball team, the first one that knocks on the door is the mama. They will do this because they carried that son for 9 month and they will let you know they did. Mothers believe their kid is special. It is because in their womb is a factory of champions.

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.” 22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king. 1 Kings 3:16-22

Why did they argue? It is because great moms fight for their children. Great moms will not rest until their children receive the justice that they are entitled too.

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” Exodus 1:22

2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. Exodus 2:2

Mothers fight for their children and they know that they are special. “Before I was a mom, I slept as long as I wanted. I never worried how late I got to bed. I brushed my teeth and my hair every day. Before I was a mom, I cleaned my house every day. I never tripped over any toys. Before I was a mom, I did not worry if my plants were poisonous or not. Before I was a mom, I never thought about immunization.” Moms you are special. You are the glue for this society. You keep us together. You are the backbone of Christianity.

The teachable and coachable spirit is the honorable, submissive and respective spirit. It is the spirit of a team player. God does not give people authority until they honor authority. Don’t chase money, be coachable and teachable. An unloving heart is the greatest problem of society. After the unloving heart is the un-teachable heart. They do not want all the blessing without working for it.

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. 4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalms 1:1-6

Winning people and being part of the movement that we need. Do not get up in people get caught up in the movement of God. Go to your King and say, “here I am”. Honor your King. Honor and delight in His law and His direction. And if he give it to you or takes it from you, you bless Him. Place Him in the highest place in your life. Give it all to Him.

What does honor mean? It is placing value and significance in the person that is training you. You value them, you consider them important and you respect them. You put value in them. Honor does not always mean obedience. Honor is not just action it is also an attitude that is tied in that action. Somebody can be obedient with an angry heart? Are they honorable? Honor is placing someone in front and following them while respecting their leadership, their title and their power. Honor is something that is very important. The older you get, you should honor your mother and father more. You should appreciate their sacrifices.

“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

“Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death. Exodus 21:15

“Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Exodus 21: 17

We must learn the beauty of honor, respect and submission. It is the greatest gift that you can give yourself. It is free and it will not cost you anything. Honor your parents. They may not always be right but you must honor them. Honor is a very important thing to learn.

Honor is a word that I love. It is a word that is very important. Honor is something that people do not practice anymore. It has almost become extinct. If honor exists then it exists in two places; in the armed forces and in the church. Is there honor in your home? We grow up in a culture where we think that we can do it better than the leader. We have trained our children to color outside the lines, to drive beyond the speed limit and to think outside the box without honor. We have raised a culture of crossing the line. Honor is a gift that you give yourself. No one likes the word submissive. It is not a very comfortable word in our world. Submission is not a form of punishment. Submission is a positive and honorable thing. It is something that we must learn and practice. We love our freedom and we want to be in control. Self-esteem is important but not at the cost of being dishonorable. We grow up in a society where everyone gets a blue ribbon. When people get rewarded without doing the work then they start thinking of themselves as champions. They start showing those blue ribbons that they did not earn, to show that they are champions. There is a good lesson in failure. You learn that you did not accomplish what you set out to accomplish and not that you are not good enough. The question is are you going to stop so you can get the ribbon or are you going to get up and try to become better. When everyone gets a blue ribbon, then when failure comes, it’s not your fault. It’s the leaders fault. We must get rid of the leader. You must learn to accept no as an answer. We must learn to tell our children no. We must learn to receive no from God. When we do that, we give ourselves a huge blessing. If you want to ruin the lives of your children, then give them everything they want. If you do that, they will wake up expecting that the world owes them everything. They will expect it and they will feel that they will not have to work one day for it.

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4

What is it God asking you to do that you do not want to do? He is asking you to become obedient.

Words of affirmation are so important. We need words of affection and not words of destruction. We need to be told that you are loved, and you are special. Your children and your spouse need it as well. This world does enough to give you words of destruction. Some of you have grown up in homes that, that is all you receive and it is hard for you to give words of affection. So because you have only been given words of destruction that is what is normal for you. Give words of affection and not words of destruction. You also need to give words of reconciliation and not words of accusation. Why give words of accusation when you have a change to give a blessing. You must also give words of victory and not words of defeat. We also need words of security and not anxiety. God loves you. You are his and there is nothing you will ever do for Him to take you away from his thrown. Jesus Christ say that you cannot go through that Father unless through Me.

28 “From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. 29 May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.” Genesis 27:28-29

15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. 16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” Matthew 3:15-17

God will give you exactly what you need. The time has come for you to bless your children. It is time to give them what they need.

If you are not happy and healthy then you probably did not receive the love from your parents. There is a big difference between love and approval. Approval is performance based. Approval is earned. Kids need approval. But you must know that they do not need your approval if they are not in the right. Love is different than approval. Love is not based on approval it is anchored by commitment. Love is based on who you are. Kids need parental approval and they also need parental love. You can tell you kids that you love them and also tell them that you don’t approve of what they just did. Kids are seeking their parent’s approval and your love. Kids will do anything to get your attention, approval and love. How many people do you know that are not living their life like God wants them to live? You need to learn to turn it around.

One day when Isaac was old and turning blind, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied. 2 “I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know when I may die. 3 Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.” Genesis 27:1-4

How many of you have received a blessing from a parent or grandparent? It is very important and necessary. Many of you today need that blessing. It will make you healthy and it will bless you for generations.

Get rid of all of it. The happiest people are the people that forgive. People who forgive live longer. People, who forgive, lower their blood pressure, reduce their heart rate and reduce their chances of heart attack. People who forgive make their immune system healthier. If we don’t forgive then we will wrong people. People who forgive laugh more. Their marriages last longer. They sleep more. They have gotten rid of all the poison and have let it go.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

You are not going to run the race when you are carrying something to big. Let it go in the name of Jesus. People who forgive have less stress. Do you know that stress shrinks your brain? If you don’t then you will lead a defeated life. Who wants to live a defeated life? God is a God of love, compassion, and mercy and He says “we will speak of it no more for it is gone”.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

It is time to be with God and not try to be like God. He sent His son to die on the cross for you. It was to receive forgiveness and to pass it on. It was to pay it forward. It is time to praise His name. It is time to forgive and to walk through the room of compassion. It is time for forgive one another. Time to forgive.

What happens if I don’t want to be healthy? Then don’t. You will not be happy and you will not be healthy and all the relationships around you will not be healthy. You will teach you home that this is the way we handle things. You will teach a culture of defeat and destruction. You make that choice. Forgiveness is like chocolate cake. You can’t just have one piece. Why can’t people forgive? It hurts too much. You have been in too much pain that if you let it go then that person who has hurt you will not suffer. Who is it hurting more? The second thing is that we will not forgive until they say they are sorry. What this does is put your life on hold. If you are waiting for someone to say they are sorry they will never do it. Why do you put your life on hold for that person? The third one is that I can forgive because I can’t forget. You are not going to forget until you first forgive. Can you remember the wrong and not hold on to the resentment? Can you remember what they did? Don’t hold on to it. There is a difference between receiving forgiveness and experiencing it. When you receive it then you keep it to yourself but when you experience it then you pass it on. It is meant to be passed forward and given away.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. 31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matthew 18:28-35

So do you only take forgiveness when it benefits you? It is meant to be given because that is what God expects from us. God expects this from us because God is a God of forgiveness. How many of us have been given forgiveness from Jesus and we just experience it? Why have we not paid it forward?