WATCH WHAT YOU CALL THAT CHILD

MEMORY VERSE: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold, Proverbs 23:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 33, Ps 78:1-38, Isa 25, 1 Jn 3

Names are very important. When you give a name to something, you are indirectly prophesying into the future of that thing. At birth Solomon was giving the name Jedidiah (which means the Lord’s beloved), 2 Samuel 12:25. The name was a form of prophesy into his life. The life of Solomon was synonymous with God’s love courtesy of his name. He asked for wisdom, and the Lord gave him wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Not only that, the Lord prospered him in all that he laid his hands on. The mother of a young man gave him the name Jabez at birth, 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.Jabez means pain. This name was also a form of prophesy into the life and future of this man. The life of Jabez was synonymous with pain courtesy of his name. No matter how hard he tried, wherever he finds himself something sorrowful or painful must happen there.

Sarah lived in sorrow virtually all her life because she had no child. She tried to have children through Hagar-her slave, it back fired and she suffered humiliation in the hands of Hagar. One day she and her husband hosted the Most High God and everything changed. A year later she gave birth to a boy and gave him the name Isaac which means laughter. Do you know from the day Sarah called her son Isaac till she died, she never wept over him ? Even when the Lord told Abraham to offer Isaac as sacrifice, the Lord had to provide a ram in the place of Isaac because Sarah had prophesied into the life of her son that she will always bring him joy and laughter not pain.

As parents you need to be careful of the names you give to your children because those names are a form of prophesy into their future. The names are not only prophesies into their future but your future too because your children are your future. You need to watch what you say into their lives or what you call them when you are angry. Whatever you say into their life in anger or call them in anger are all prophesies. According to Numbers 14:28, whatever God hears you say is what He will do. As a good parent out of anger don’t call your child a good-for-nothing boy or a useless girl or a worthless child or any other bad name. As teachers in school or nannies please watch the names you call your wards. Don’t out of anger call them names that will destroy their future.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please cancel the effect of every negative names in my life.