My
wife and I are blessed with two healthy, bright, wonderful children. They are
both miracles.
Our son, Zion Seth, had a very traumatic birth that, according to the
attending physicians, should have left him brain damaged from oxygen
deprivation. But we “spoke to the mountain” expecting it to move and God
honored His Word. Our son is anything but mentally challenged. During high
school he scored in the top 5 percent in the U.S. on his ACT test.
Seth also had a physical handicap: he was a toe-walker until the age of
eight. He never walked without walking on his toes. A specialist suggested
surgery, but he warned us that the process would be very risky and could result
in him being crippled for life.
As we discussed the options, I heard God say, “Leave this place and
don’t ever come back.” Soon after, in a large convention, two Spirit-filled
ministers joined me in intercession over Seth for about 20 minutes. He was
healed and has walked flat-footed ever since.
Our daughter was an even greater faith-challenge. After viewing an
ultra-sound image, the doctor concluded she had Spinal Bifoda. Because of
certain challenges my wife was facing in her thyroid gland, he said the baby
would probably also be severely retarded. Leaning across the desk, the
physician suggested we consider an “alternative.” We knew he was implying
abortion—so we took an “alternative”: we left his office never intending to
return. To her amazement, as we walked out, my wife, Elizabeth, heard the voice
of the LORD say, “Your daughter will dance on the streets of Jerusalem.” We had
just been told she would never walk, but God said she will dance—how powerful
is that!
On the basis of this rhema word from God, once again, we rose
up in faith. Several times every day during the following weeks, Elizabeth
would lay hands on her stomach and quote a promise out of Psalm 138:8:
“The LORD will perfect that which concerns me…”
Then she would confess, “LORD, this child concerns me. I am
concerned over her health and her future. So I believe you will make her
perfect.” Teary-eyed but trusting God, she often sang over this
“princess-to-be” the popular song, “I Hope You Dance.” We even gave
her the name Destiny Hope as a prophetic way of defying the prognosis that made
it look like she had no real destiny and little hope.
As my wife was giving birth, struggling with lingering fears, she
nervously asked, “Doctor, how does she look?” Unaware of the Bible promise
Elizabeth had been claiming for months, he responded, “She’s perfect.” And she
was. Amazingly, by the time Destiny was four, she began showing a natural
proclivity for worshipful dance. Coincidence?
Absolutely not! Spirit-inspired intercession had penetrated her future
and awakened God’s purpose in her life.
Against huge odds, both children came forth healthy and intelligent (a
little too intelligent at times). Did this happen because they had Christian
parents who were devoted to God—who sought God fervently—who trusted God to
fulfill His promises? No qualms about it. Faith in God and the power of
confessing His Word were the deciding factors.
The Moment of Inspiration
As you can see by these examples, parenting has been a faith-fight for
my wife and me from the start. In fact, we were initially told that we would
never have children, but when God spoke to me that it was time to marry, He
also told me we would have a son—so I never really considered the negative
report. I clung to the prophetic word.
Many years later, burdened over new issues my children were facing, I
began searching for new Scripture passages to claim. I didn’t expect what I
discovered. As I explored God’s promises (there are 7,487 in the Bible) the
Holy Spirit began leading me to dozens of divinely-spoken pledges that were
specifically given to the children of those who are in a covenant relationship
with God. I was ecstatic.
I felt like a spiritual prospector who accidentally stumbled on a mother
lode: a primary vein of gold in God’s Word. After “digging” about a year, I
amassed a substantial pot of gold—65 “nuggets” out of God’s Word—65 Biblical
Promises Gives to the Offspring of Those Who Serve God. What an empowerment I
felt as a parent! How equipped I felt to pray effectively and prophetically
over my children!
From that point, I quit pleading for a move of God in their lives. In
the words of Psalms 2:7, I began to “Declare the Decree.” A “decree” is a royal
order having the force of law. Because the King of Creation has decreed these
things over our children; we have the right to declare them—to verbally enforce
God’s laws in the spiritual realm, defying everything that opposes His purpose.
As this revelation blossomed within my heart, I realized, “This needs to
be shared. There are millions of parents “out there” who are praying in
desperation, not in faith—and many of them have little or no idea that these
promises exist. I have to communicate this truth to them.” So I set aside
several other important writing projects and focused on getting this insight in
print.
Meanwhile, I began daily praising God for the fulfillment of the 65
promises—decreeing that God’s Word be fulfilled for our son and our daughter.
This one quickly became one of my favorites:
“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry
ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your
offspring. They will spring up among the grass like willows by the
watercourses” (Is. 44:3-4).
Within a few months of claiming this promise, my five-year-old daughter
was baptized with the Holy Spirit. After lying on the floor for about 45
minutes, crying and speaking in tongues, she crawled up in my arms and
whispered, “Daddy, Jesus filled me—He really filled me.” Was the
timing just coincidental? I don’t think so.
In the passage, the “grass” represents the people of this world (“All
flesh is grass”—Isaiah 40:6). Yet the offspring of believers are likened to
“willows by the watercourses” in comparison. That means they will not be common
(like the grass). Rather, they will be unique, rising above the masses in
distinctiveness and excellence. The river of life will be there to sustain them
spiritually, and as the branches of a willow bow to the ground, so will they
bow in humility before God all their days. Quite possibly, that’s what those
verses symbolize.
