This series of posts comes from a workshop / seminar I gave to a collection of youth leaders in Superior, WI called: Discipline w/ the Gospel in Mind.
// Join God’s work in their lives through prayer
We have to join God’s work in their lives, not manufacture our own. In order to do that we must pray. Only by laying our human intentions down, can we pick up God’s intentions. Prayer is a marvelous way to submit to the Gospel (not just in parenting, disciplining, or discipling, but in all areas of our lives).
Talk to God and ask Him these kinds of questions:
- How can I join and participate in the work You are doing in this child or student’s heart?
- How can You use the things I say and do, to show them Your heart in me? How can I model to them what You want?
- What does this student need to hear verbally? See physically? Understand developmentally? Feel emotionally? Experience socially?
In order to disciple well, we need to “see” and engage with these students (and our own children) through God’s eyes and with His perspective. We only experience that through prayer
