Pass It On - Keisha Wellington

It's good to be back together again after our

little ones are off to Kids Church. We're hoping

that they'll have a wonderful time as well in

Tiny Town. and in all the classes they have prepared

for them. Once again, my name is Keisha Wellington,

and it is such a pleasure, such a joy, to be

able to stand here this morning to bring the

Word of God and to share the Word of God with

you. But before we get into the Word, as a representative

of the state office here in Pennsylvania, one

of our initiatives in our girls' ministry department,

as we go to different churches and we worship

with them, we love to celebrate what God is doing

in and through the youth of your church. church.

So this morning we want to say a big thank you

to Pastor Alyssa. If you will just join me by

putting your hands together. Let's celebrate.

We celebrate her and all that God is doing in

her and through her as she pours into the youth

of this church here at LifeHouse. Now, it is

also our joy to celebrate one of your young ladies

here with you this morning. I asked Pastor Alyssa

and her team to help us identify one of the young

ladies in our youth ministry, and we want to

celebrate Little Miss Chloe Krieger. Now just

in case you don't know who Chloe is she's 10

years old. She's very sweet and respectful and

she does have a heart to serve. She helps her

four younger siblings and volunteers in Tiny

Town right here. Pastor Alyssa shared that she's

also a very active listener, and she also provides

great feedback whenever they participate together

in class. So I want to invite Chloe to come on

down because I have a special little treat for

you. We want to celebrate you, Chloe. We want

to say thank God for all that you're doing. We

love you. We appreciate you and keep on shining

bright for Jesus. Amen. Let's celebrate Chloe

once again. Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's

Day to all of our mothers in the room this morning.

As Pastor Dixie shared earlier, sometimes it's

not always the most joyous day for some. Because

we have those who have lost their mothers or

gone on to glory. And with that, we want to cherish

and we want to honor all of our mothers who are

no longer with us. To all of our grieving mothers

and our mothers in waiting. And I didn't know

I was going to cry, but here I am. We want to

let you know that God sees you and he loves you.

And we're praying for you. Today, I'm honored

to bring God's word and to encourage everyone

here today that as mothers, we have an assignment.

And this assignment is to pass on our faith from

one generation to the next with strength, authority,

and guidance that God provides. Now, we all love

our children. And I'm yet to meet a mother who

doesn't want the best for their children. Amen?

And so our responsibility is to remind our sons

and our daughters that they have purpose and

that the promises of God are still available

to them. The Bible says that they are like arrows

in our hands, right? And it is our God -given

assignment to point them in the right direction.

So very briefly, I want to share with you on

the topic today. Pass it on. Prior to leaving

Illinois, but when we transitioned here to Pennsylvania,

I took about a month. And I went to social media

to take some time to just reflect on all that

God did over the past eight years at our local

church while serving our state as youth director

with my husband. So on Facebook, I would just

post pictures of like when our children were

first born, when we first brought them to church.

We would have pictures of little children who

are now teenagers that grew up in our ministry.

We would post pictures and videos of times like

when Desmond got dumped with a whole bunch of

water for losing at VBS. That was really fun.

And there are so many memories. And every picture

came with a tagline, remember when. But nothing

beat that. Nothing was better than that until

the Sunday morning, our last Sunday at our local

church. And our pastor's wife brought us a box.

And inside that box, it was filled with endless

pictures. cards, notes from our parents, the

parents of our kids in the ministry, all saying

thank you for the time that we had together.

And on top of the box, it was labeled, remember

when. And as a result of that, I know for sure

that is a treasure that I will forever cherish.

Now, when we think of treasures, we think of

things that have value, things that have worth,

things that we want to protect. But what does

the Bible say about treasures? In Matthew chapter

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

6, 19 through 21, it says, do not store up for

yourselves treasures on earth where moth and

vermin destroy and where thieves break in and

steal. But store up for yourselves treasures

in heaven where moth and vermin do not destroy

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart

will be also. So when we think of our children,

what are our true treasures? And in the Bible,

Psalms 127, 3 through 5, and we're going to see

that on the screen right now. It says, don't

you see that children are God's best gift? The

fruit of the womb, his generous legacy. Oh, how

blessed you are, parents, with your quivers full

of children. So our true treasures here on earth

are not the things that we receive and the accolades

and the celebrations. No, it is truly the gems

that God has blessed us with to love and to raise.

So the question is this, what's going to outlive

all of our treasures here on earth? Our traditions,

our legacy, our family name, our financial securities,

all that we put in place to bless our children

and to help them to be successful. What's going

to outlive all of that? It's the word of God

and our faith in him. Matthew 24, 35 says, heaven

and earth will disappear. It will pass away,

but my word will last forever. Speaking of remember

when, I don't know how many of you grew up in

like what we call the old school church, but

I did. And when I think of a church mother, I

think of those ladies who usually sit on the

front row. Does anyone know what I'm talking

about? And they have the white, beautiful hats.

The white attire from head to toe, white stockings,

white gloves, white fan, the whole enchilada,

right? But one of the things I loved about these

church mothers is they always had like something

in their purse for you, whether it's a napkin.

or a peppermint, whatever you may need. But more

importantly, they always had a word of encouragement

in their mouths. These were the mothers that

would come down to the altars with you, and they

would pray you through whatever situation you

were going through. Not only that, but the moment

you walk into church, they could kind of look

at you and have that spirit of discernment. And

tell whether you've been living right or not.

So we always want to make sure before we come

in, we're like, okay, God, forgive us of everything

we've done because mother so -and -so is going

to tell us. She's going to call us. She's going

to read out our mail, right? So as I look around

today, I ask the Lord the same thing. God, where

are those church mothers? Where are those women

who would go to battle for you? Where are those

women who will stay right there at the altar?

They would weep. They would cry. They would pour

out their all for you. And then the Lord kind

of reminds me. me that you're the church mother

now, right? We're growing. We are growing in

the Lord. Our children are growing up. We have

a responsibility now to pass on the same passion,

to see our children grow in the faith and the

knowledge of who Jesus Christ is. So with that

in mind, here's what I want to bring to you today.

Three main points. What do we do with this responsibility?

Our first point is this. First, we want to pass

on our faith. Through our presence. Being present

in the lives of our children is one of the most

impactful and powerful ways we can show them

that we love them. And we can guide them in knowing

who they are and whose they are. Our presence

at times speaks more volume than actual words

of love and encouragement, right? It's more than

just sitting next to them or just being there.

But it's actually being there emotionally as

well as physically. I love the story in the Bible

about Naomi. And some of you may know the story.

Naomi, she got married to a man named Elimelech

and they settled in the land of Moab. And while

there, she had two sons. Those two sons got married.

And so she had two daughters -in -law, Oprah

and Ruth. And what happened was there was a famine

in the land. And 10 years after marriage, she

lost both of her sons. She lost her husband and

she lost her two sons. So all she had left. were

her two daughters -in -law. So it came to a point

where she decided to go back to Judah, her hometown,

so that she'd be able to provide for herself.

And she said to her daughters -in -law, you know,

I don't have any more sons for you to marry,

so you might as well go on and live your life

and go find new life, go back to your families.

And Orpah thought about it. She kissed her mother

-in -law and she said goodbye. But Ruth was adamant.

She said, I'm not leaving you. I'm going to stay

with you. Here's what the Bible says in Ruth

Ruth 3:6

chapter 3 verses 6, excuse me, Ruth chapter 1,

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

16 to 17. It says, don't force me to leave you.

This is Ruth talking to her mother -in -law,

Naomi. Don't make me go home. Where you go, I

go. Where you live, I live. Your people will

be my people and your God is my God. Where you

die, I'll die, and that is where I'll be buried.

So help me, God, not even death itself is going

to come between us. Now you have to pause and

think, what kind of impact did Naomi have on

Ruth for her to have this adamant plea about

not leaving her mother -in -law? So it tells

us a lot that presence does matter, right? It

matters being with your children, your daughters,

your daughters -in -law. It doesn't matter. The

presence of a mother is very, very impactful

in the life of their children. I love the way

how Naomi says, listen, I'm not going to go back.

I'm going to give up my family, their lowercase

gods, their lifestyle, and I'm going to pursue

the true and living God with my mother -in -law.

Naomi and that's exactly what she did but before

we can truly impact our children we also have

to immerse ourselves in the presence of God the

strength The strength of your personal relationship

with God daily is very, very true because we've

heard this so many times. Children live what

they learn and they learn what they live. So

what a difference it will make when we take the

time to make sure we're standing right before

God, we're living right before God. And in turn,

that will impact our children as well. Now, as

the youngest of 12 siblings, same mom, same dad,

we grew up together in a home where when I was

five years old, my mom passed away. So my dad,

he was a pastor, he was a farmer, and he was

a very skilled mason. So he built a lot of things

and homes with his hands. And one of the things

I fondly remember, it would be on Sunday mornings

after dad worked from Monday through Saturdays,

before we went off to church on Sundays, every

morning we would hear this little hymn coming

out of his room. And he would sing hymns. Those

songs like, it's so sweet to trust in Jesus.

And that was our cue to wake up. Just to take

him at his word. You better hurry up before he's

done. Just to rest upon his promise. Everybody

come let's meet in the living room. Just to know

the step of the Lord. Every Sunday morning. And

we would gather as a family. We would have worship

time. With us kids, someone had to pray. Someone

had to read the scripture. Someone had to share

what the scripture meant. And it's just interesting

to me that. Even though my dad, he didn't have

much. And even in his passing, he didn't leave

us much of an earthly legacy. But he died the

richest man in the world. Why? Because he left

us a godly heritage that we passed on to our

children. And in the future, our prayer is that

it will go on to our children's children. I'm

grateful for my husband, Desmond, and I. These

are the things that have forever been imprinted

in our hearts. Where even now, we aim to have

Bible study with... our little children. We have

a three -year -old Gianna, and we have a six

-year -old Declan, and we make it a point to

take time to say, God, we thank you for these

things today. We make it a point to pray and

to have a devotional every day before we go to

bed. Now, why is that important? It's important

because it is God's will for us to pass on our

faith to our children. We can't just say it,

but we actually have to do it in practice. Now,

it's going to look different for everyone. no

doubt. But as long as we take that step forward

to say, you know what? My faith won't die with

me. I want to see my children and my children's

children grow in the faith and in the knowledge

of who Jesus is and all that he's done for us.

Amen? I love the verse that takes us back to,

that says, what does it profit a man to gain

the whole world and lose his soul? We don't ever

want to be the believers that we do everything

else for our children. We set them up. We prepare

them for the future. They're involved in sports.

They're involved in all these great things. But

at the end of the day, every one of us, we have

to stand before the Lord. And it would be my

greatest joy to know that I've left that legacy

with my children as they're growing. So I'm thankful

for my dad and all that he did for us as we were

growing up. We've also heard it said, hey, do

what I say and not what I do, right? Or because

I said so, I've been guilty of that too. I've

done that a lot. But just in case you don't know

this, this generation of children, they don't

fall for that. They don't. They watch you very

closely and they will call, am I right about

it? They will call you out when you say something,

but you're doing something else. They'll say,

hey mom, but you said this, but here you are

doing this. So we have to be very mindful of

what we do and not just what we say. With all

the influences and the influencers that our children

now have at the tip of their fingers and in the

palm of their hands, our presence as moms matter

more than you will ever know. Who's the loudest

voice in your child's life? Something to think

about. Who has the most impact and the most influence

in your children's life? So the question is,

where do I start? Our goal is to definitely spend

time with our family each and every day. Talk

about the things that are going on. Listen and

learn. Address their concerns and their needs.

Definitely get into the word and pray with your

families. Our children need to know that our

God is good, our God is faithful, and our God

forgives. Because even when we fall down as adults,

when we mess up, we make mistakes, our children

need to see that we serve a God who's redemptive.

He forgives and he restores. So this is a part

of life's journey that we need to show our children

that God is able to heal and strengthen us as

we go through life's journey each and every day.

So not only do we want to pass on our faith through

our presence, but what about our proclamations?

Let's talk about that for a second. As quickly

as we build our children up through meaningful

investments of our time and our presence, we

want to propel them into purposeful living and

a promising future. Guess what? We can easily

chip away at their progress with our proclamations

and the words we say. Not just us, but think

about the people who have a say in their lives.

People who have an impact in the way that they're

living and they're being brought up. What is

being spoken over your children today? Proverbs

18, 21 says, words kill, words give life. They're

either poison or fruit. You choose. Our children

need to know that just because someone says something

about them, it doesn't define who they are. They

need to know that this world will come at them.

But as long as they have an understanding of

and a firm foundation in the word of God, what

he says trumps everything else. Amen. Being present

with our children, especially when they're young

and dependent like our two who are three and

six, is one thing because they hear it every

day. Oh, you're so beautiful. You're so smart.

We love you. You can do hard things. You know,

those words of encouragement. But you may have

adult kids and it's a lot different because they're

not right there with you. Maybe you came to the

faith as a Christian after your kids were grown

or they were living on their own. But there really

is no distance in prayer. And there is power

in the conversations we have with our children

even now. Now, there's a story in the Bible.

It's the story of a centurion. And I'm going

to share this passage with you very quickly.

And here's what it says in Matthew 8, 5 through

10 and 13. It says, when Jesus had entered Capernaum,

a centurion came to him asking him for help.

Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed,

suffering terribly. Jesus said, shall I come

and heal him? The centurion replied, Lord, I

do not deserve to have you come under my roof,

but just say the word and my servant will be

healed. For I myself am a man under authority

with soldiers under me. I tell this one to go

and he goes. I tell this one to come and he comes.

I say to my servant, do this and he does it.

And when Jesus heard this, he was amazed. You

want to know how to amaze Jesus? Let's hear about

it. He said to those who were following him,

truly, I tell you, I have not found anyone in

Israel with such great faith. Then Jesus said

to the centurion, go, let it be done just as

you have believed it would. And his servant was

healed at that moment. Now, after looking at

the passage, we find ourselves as Christians

and as godly parents, we have the same authority

through Jesus Christ over the spiritual well

-being of our children. Our level of faith in

God can be the difference between our family's

success and our family's surrender. Now, what's

interesting about these verses, this passage

about the centurion is in the verses above, it

tells the story of where Jesus touched. a leper,

and he was healed. And the passage or the verses

below tells the story of how Jesus touched Peter's

mother -in -law, and she had a fever, and instantly

she was better, she was up, and she was making

everybody some food, right? But right between

those two passages, we find the story of the

centurion and the servant. No physical contact,

no physical presence. But the faith of the centurion

and the power of Jesus' word is what healed the

servant. We've got to know the power of the word

of God. It can change the course of any situation

in our lives at any given time. And those words

we speak over our children from the womb all

the way through adulthood, it matters. The word

provides protection over their minds, their hearts,

their souls, and it serves as a shield and a

weapon against the attacks of the enemy. The

word of God helps to shape their identity, their

self -esteem, their belief systems. Now, we may

know the word of God, but do our children know

the word of God? Do they know how to speak life

over themselves as well? I've heard it so many

times as you probably have around your house.

I can't do this or I don't know how. And, you

know, you hear it all the time. But something

within me serves me to say, hey, let's change

the way we say that. Say, I don't know yet or

I think I'm going to try. I can do hard things.

This is something we pour into our children daily.

Why? Because our words matter. Our proclamation

makes a difference. Now, we want to be like David

and have our whole family say, like it says in

Psalm 1914, let the words of my mouth. and the

meditation of my heart be acceptable in your

sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. So

on the next slide, I have a little QR code there.

And what it is, it has 40 powerful blesses that

we can pray over our children. If you want to,

you can scan that, or we do actually have some

printed copies out in the square. You're free

to pick that up and take that home and start

praying over your children, pass it on to someone

who may need that word of encouragement as well.

But before we do that, I want us to take some

time to proclaim some things over our children

can we take some time to do that here's what

we're going to proclaim each and every day first

of all I proclaim that no weapon formed against

our children shall prosper our children will

be able to stand in the evil days clothed in

the full armor of God I proclaim that God will

provide for every one of their needs according

to his riches and glory. I proclaim peace over

their minds, their bodies, and their spirits.

Our children are blessed. Our children are loved

and favored by God. Our children are validated

and affirmed by God's word, not by man's applause.

Their steps are ordered by God, and whatever

they put their hands to will prosper. Our children

will not miss their calling and purpose in this

life. And our children will not just survive,

they will thrive. So speak that not only over

your children, but your future children as well.

Because the word of God is powerful. It's not

limited to time and space. It transcends every

aspect and area of our life. So speak those words.

Not only that, but let's teach our children to

open up their mouths and say these words. When

they feel sick, they can simply say, by his stripes

I am healed and I am strong in the power of the

Lord. When they feel afraid, remind them to say,

hey, I am covered. by the blood of Jesus, yes?

And his angels will protect me wherever I go.

When the enemy tries to throw confusion at our

children, teach them to say, I know who I am

in Christ Jesus because my identity is found

in him. And finally, when they feel down or when

they have fallen down, remind them that they

are victorious through Jesus. They are what we

call more than a conqueror. They will overcome

because greater is he that is in us than he that's

in this world. So mamas, keep on praying. Keep

on speaking life over your children. Because

we must pass our faith on to the next generation.

Not only with our presence, but with the words

we speak and the words that they speak for themselves.

And then lastly, we want to pass on our faith

through our position. In the book of Daniel,

Daniel 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3, there were three Hebrew boys who found

themselves in a very tricky situation or position

where they either had to spare their lives by

bowing down to this idol the king had created

at the sound of the music, or they could defy

his wishes and stand but be thrown into a fiery

furnace. Now, one of the things I love about

these boys is that regardless of what the outcome

was, their faith and their reverence for the

true and living God did not falter. They stood

strong. And verse 17 in Daniel chapter 3 says,

Daniel 3 · chapter mention

if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the

God we serve is able to deliver us from it. And

he will deliver us from your majesty's hand.

Even if he doesn't. How many of you want to raise

some even if he doesn't generation? Amen. Even

if he doesn't, we want you to know, your majesty,

that we will not serve your gods or worship the

images of gold that you have set up. They refuse

to compromise. They were not going to let their

faith falter. And I know their mamas were very

proud of them that day. I know I would have been

if I was their mom. Now, fast forward to 2025.

Here's where we're living now. We are raising

children in a world that has raised several idols,

all in the name of freedom and rights, individuality.

I can do me, you know, and inclusion. The Bible

says that all that is in this world is the lust

of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride

of life. And there are those subtle demonic practices

and influences. These new age experiences, they're

really grappling at the heels of our children

every single day. They tried to infiltrate our

homes through our streaming platforms. I mean,

I can't barely turn on the television today without

having to do the mommy filter first at times

and say, okay, you can watch that one now, you

know? It's on our streaming platforms. It's on

our apps. It's in the books that our children

are reading. I'll tell you this real quickly.

My son, he's an avid reader. He's six years old,

and he's reading on what we would say like a

third grade level, and he will devour books after

books after books. And I know that he loves graphic

novels. And for some reason, I decided to get

him The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Don't stone me,

okay? But before I found out that it was not

the best book in the world, and even through

the process, I would peek in every now and again

and say, what are they talking about now? What

are they doing now? But what I've learned is

even those little subtle ways, you have to be

present with your children and you have to have

conversations. I'm not saying the book is all

horrible, but it's definitely not all good. Choice

words sometimes, the way they treat other people

in the novel. We had to sit down and say, all

right, son, now that you're done with the whole

12 books. What did you think about it? And out

of his own mouth, he said. Some were good and

some were bad. And in my spirit, I'm like, thank

you, Jesus. He has a spirit of discernment. Okay,

good. Let's start there. And then we're like,

okay, so what did you think about how they were

talking to each other, their conversations? And

we started talking about appropriate words, inappropriate

words. And it's just so interesting. When he

was done, he was like, mom, can I get some more?

Can I get some more? And I got onto Amazon and

I was just about to purchase like a whole nother

set. And I believe it was the spirit of God said,

no, you are his. You are his watchman. You are

his warrior. So those little subtle things that

you let slide under, it can grow in him without

even knowing that's not of God. And I took all

the books out of my cart, and now we're reading

a whole new series called The Investigators.

I'm giving a little plug for them, okay? It's

really, really cool. It's about gators who are

investigating all these great things. So needless

to say, we do have that responsibility. We have

to be very careful about what our children see,

what they hear. and what they experience in this

life. These different mediums of influences,

they are truly racing to impact our children

in a way that is anti -Christ and anti -godliness.

But I'm truly grateful for the mamas who stand

on those battle lines day after day, praying

for your children. and also practicing the faith

with your children, living that life before them.

I'm thankful for the mamas who are intentional

about what their children take in and also what

they put out. They may not like it, obviously.

I don't have teenagers yet, but I've been around

teenagers enough to know sometimes they don't

like the boundaries that we set, but it is not

our responsibility to turn a blind eye to those

things that we know can be detrimental to their

spiritual growth. They have been entrusted to

us. to train them up in the way they should go.

So we must state our position and be spiritual

warriors and watchmen for our family. Let's continue

to be vigilant in prayer, discerning God's word,

actively guarding our families against spiritual

dangers. I love the verse in Joshua 24, 15, where

he says, as for me and my house, we will serve

the Lord. There are so many benefits and blessings

for children who walk in obedience to God's word.

Proverbs 3, 1 through 2 says, My son, do not

forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your

heart, for they will prolong your life for many

years and bring you peace and prosperity. Romans

14, 17 through 18 says, God's kingdom isn't a

matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness

sake. It's what God does with your life. As he

sets it right, puts it together and completes

it with joy. Your task is to single -mindedly

serve Christ. Do that and you will kill two birds

with one stone. Pleasing your God above and proving

your worth to the people around you. Our children

need to know that they're valuable and they're

worthy. And it's not set by the standard of the

earth or the earth that we live in rather. But

it's set by our heavenly father who gave his

son. And he took our place so we can walk in

righteousness, peace, and joy in his Holy Spirit.

If we don't pass on our faith through our victorious

position given to us by the cross of Jesus Christ,

We will raise a generation that will not know

the Lord who did all these wonderful things for

us. They won't understand the mighty hands of

the Lord and all that he did and all that he's

doing. If we don't pass on our faith through

our proclamations, the words that we say of who

God is and who he says we are, then we're at

risk for raising a biblically illiterate generation,

right? Who will be defenseless against the attacks

and the wiles of the enemy. And if we don't pass

on our faith through our presence, guiding them

by our godly examples, then church, what legacy

are we leaving for our treasures, God's best

gifts to us? No doubt raising children is hard.

In terms of all the work and the sacrifice that

we put in, right? Raising children in an ungodly

world is even harder. And raising children in

an ungodly world and watching them make decisions

that is opposite of their upbringing, I can imagine

has to be the hardest. But the good news is we

are not doing this alone. We have a heavenly

father who loves us and loves our children far

more than we could ever love them. The fact is,

while children are God's gifts to us, they truly

belong to him. He has given us his spirit and

his word to raise them and show them that he

is the way, he is the truth, and he's the life.

Amen. So as the worship team is coming, and we're

going to come to a close. As Christians, we're

all running a race. And when we think of our

families, I love to think of it as a relay race.

This race is not about... Excuse me. This race

is about persevering through generations, striving

for a prize, which is eternal life with our Savior,

and having faith in him to walk with us in life

daily. Now, if you've never really seen the analogy

or heard the analogy of a relay race, let me

just quickly walk you through it. There are four

runners in a relay race, four legs we call them.

The first leg. is where your faith starts now

your family's faith may have started with your

grandparents or your parents maybe with you and

the bottom line is this it doesn't matter where

you start just as long as you start it's not

easy always getting off that starting block as

a runner we used to run as well Desmond and myself

we used to run in high school don't ask me what

happened because that's another story for another

time but It's not easy getting off that starting

block, but it takes a lot of discipline and self

-control. And if there's anything we're going

to pass on to our children, let it be our faith.

So the first leg is all about starting. The second

leg, the second leg is about enduring. You may

have a powerful shot out of that starting block

and you're going, but about 10 seconds into it,

you start to lose your breath. Don't lose your

breath. Keep a pace. Endure. Persevere, right?

We have to learn how to teach our children how

to face difficulties. I have experienced the

goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,

thank God. I have so many testimonies of what

God has done. But we've got to tell our children,

hey, maybe God gave me that experience so you

don't have to go through it. Learn from my experience.

Let me tell you what the word of God says. That

way you don't have to face these difficulties

by yourself. God has given parents to children

for that reason. So that's our second leg, learn

to endure, persevere. But then we get to the

third leg. The third leg is what we know as the

weakest runner of the four. Now, as a mom, you

may have entered this morning feeling anything

but joy or peace about being here for Mother's

Day. Maybe you felt like you dropped the baton

somewhere along the line, whether it was in receiving

it or passing it on. I want to encourage you

this morning. Lift your head up. You're not disqualified

from this race. Your children are not disqualified

from this race. Lift your head up and keep on

going. It may happen again, but don't stop. Pick

the baton up and keep on going. I love what the

scripture says here. It says in Matthew 24, 13,

staying with it. That's what God requires. Stay

with it to the end. You won't be sorry and you

will be saved. Paul says in Philippians 3, 13

and 14, I'm not saying that I have this all together,

that I made it, but I am well on my way reaching

out for Christ who has so wondrously reached

out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong. By no

means do I count myself an expert in all of this.

But I've got my eyes on the goal where God is

beckoning us onward to Jesus. I'm off and I'm

running and I'm not turning back. Come on, look

at someone next to you and say, don't turn back.

Keep on going. Keep your eyes on the prize. Keep

your eyes on the goal and keep on going. So we

have our first leg, our starter. We have our

second leg, the ones who are persevering. And

we get to our third leg. Maybe you feel like

you've been weak, but God is here this morning

to remind you that it's not in your strength

that you're raising our children, raising our

children. It's in his strength and in his power

that we're going to be able to keep this line

of faith and this faith walk with our children,

teaching them God's word each and every day.

But then we get to the fourth leg, the anchor

leg. This leg is the fastest runner in the race.

My God, let our children be faster, be stronger,

be bolder, be firm, be passionate about the things

of God. As we continue to pass on our faith to

them, let them stand firm. Let them not be wavering,

but let them be relentless in going after God,

pursuing him with all their hearts, and chasing

after him until he returns. Amen? Will you stand

with me as we get ready to close? I hope that

today's message somewhat encouraged your hearts.

And once again, mothers, thank you all for staying

on that prayer line. If you walk away with anything,

just remember, don't give up the race. The race

is not about who's fastest. It's for those who

endure to the end. We must do our job in passing

on our faith to our children and our children's

children. So as we get ready to pray, if you...

If you know someone or if your family just needs,

just receive that word of encouragement today.

I would like to invite you to come down to the

altars and receive one of these batons. I have

a lot for everyone. And take these home with

you. Let it be a reminder that each and every

day we're passing on our faith to the next generation.

Maybe you know of a family who's not in church.

They're not saved yet. And you want to encourage

them with these words of encouragement as well.

I would like for all of us to come on down. And

one of the things I love about LifeHouse, you

all always say what? Don't do life alone. So

will you come down to the altar, church family?

Let's pray together. Receive one of these batons.

And we're going to ask God to help us on this

life journey as we follow after him and as we

teach our children and the generations to come

to follow after him and to pass on our faith

for the years to come. Will you come at this

time and let's get ready to pray. Thank you,

Jesus. Thank you, God, for your word today. Thank

you, God, that we can rejoice that we serve a

heavenly father who loves us and cares for us.

Thank you, God, that in this life's journey,

we're not doing it alone. Thank you, God, for

the generations that went before us in the faith,

teaching us your word, living by example. and

showing us the hope that Jesus brings. Our prayer

today, oh God, is that we will not give up. We

will not lose faith, but we will keep our eyes,

oh God, fixed on you as you have given us this

assignment to raise our children and our children's

children. God, we need your anointing to be able

to stand in the days like these, oh God, the

evil days as the Bible calls them. But God, we

should not be afraid because we're not doing

it, Lord, in our own might, in our own power,

but it's by your spirit each and every day. So

God, we pray for all of these families as they

come forward. Help us, oh God, to be one big

family where we are our sister's keepers. We

encourage our brothers. We encourage our mothers

in the Lord and showing them that God's way is

perfect. God's way is right. God's way is peace.

And I pray, Lord, that you will encourage, Lord,

someone's heart today. Let them know they have

not failed. You have not given up on them. But

instead, God, you are helping them through life's

journey, through life's race. They can keep their

eyes set on you, God. Give them the power and

the grace to start if they haven't started. It's

not too late. Help us, oh God, to spend time

in your word so our children can grow up to know

you for who you are. We love you, Heavenly Father.

We thank you for the greatest gift you've given

us, our children. And now we just pray a special

blessing over each and every heart in this room.

We pray, Father God, over these batons. We ask,

oh God, as we pick them up and take them home

today, help us, Lord, to never stop passing on

our faith. Help us, oh God, to walk. by faith

each and every day, knowing that you will see

us through life's highs and life's lows. And

I thank you, O God, for all that you're doing

even right now in this generation. We believe,

O God, that this will be a generation that will

cry out in the wilderness, prepare the way of

the Lord for your return, O God. It's coming

soon. So let our hearts be in a place, O God,

to live for you, to love you, and to serve you.

Until the day, God, we see you face to face.

We bless you, Lord. We honor you. We say thank

you for this beautiful Mother's Day. Thank you,

Father God, for those who pour out into our children

each and every day so that we can live and enjoy

and be a blessing to those who are around us

through the goodness of God. Let's worship the

Lord together with this song. And then you are

free to take a baton with you on your way back

to your seats. And I want to say Happy Mother's

Day to everyone once again. God bless you. We

love you. Stay encouraged in the Lord. Amen.

Thank you for tuning in to this message from

Lifehouse Church. We pray that you were impacted

powerfully by this message. If you have been

personally affected by our ministry and you would

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