EARLY SIGNS IN A CHILD- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: 1 Kgs 8-10
EARLY SIGNS
MEMORIZE: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) READ: Exodus 2:1-4 It may be easy bringing a child into this world, but the responsibility of raising up that child to become somebody of repute, laden with the right character, attitude and response to God, men and environmental factors is far higher and more demanding. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”. To be able to raise up godly seeds for God’s Kingdom, parents must be of godly stock. The trainer must be firmly rooted in Christ. You cannot give your child what you don’t have. You also must have the right values. If your value system is weak or faulty, it will definitely reflect in your children’s upbringing. If you have weak morals, your children’s will even be worse. To train a child requires paying careful attention to his or her needs. Children manifests early signs or traits that can help to determine what they could become. But if parents are not paying attention, they would miss it. Do you know athletes manifests signs of what they would be within their first six years? You would know a child who will be caring, or be in the ministry of helps, be a doctor or one who will get involved in a technical or engineering profession as early as six. In today’s passage, after Moses was born, he began to manifest early signs connected with his destiny on earth. His parents were spiritually sensitive. They could easily pick the signs that this was not just an ordinary child but a child of destiny. His birth gave them hope for a savior to salvage the Israelites from a long period of bondage. When they observed the signs, they were encouraged to preserve him at the risk of their lives. Have you been able to recognize the early signs of your children’s potentials?Have you identified areas they are gifted within their first three years? If you miss the early signs, you may need to fast and pray much later in life in order to receive it. It is expected that once you have identified the early signs connected with your child’s destiny, you would begin to raise the child along that line. You would be expected to make great sacrifices like Moses’ parents. You would study that child, know his strengths and weaknesses and know how to help him. What could stop the child from excelling later in life will show in his early years. It is your duty as parents, guardians or leaders to help him overcome such traits early enough in order to fulfil God’s plan for his life. Do you pick the early signs? ACTION POINT: Ask God to make parents and guardians more sensitive to the needs of their children and wards.Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World