The Indelible Impression of a Mother

In Proverbs chapter 23, I just want to use this

Proverbs 23 · chapter mention

just to honor the moms here today. Proverbs 23

and 5, it says, Let your father and your mother

be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice. Amen.

So this indeed, it's beautiful that we can take

a day. Out of the year or two days for Los Mexicanos,

they get two. Amen. The Mexicans, they get two

Mother's Days. God bless them for that. Praise

God. The dads don't get two, just the mothers.

Amen. Lord, help us right there. Something went

wrong. Praise God. But the moms, God bless them,

you know. And it says, and let her, being your

mother, who bore you, rejoice. And this is a

day of rejoicing. And we're so happy and grateful

for them. My thought for today is Pastor Jacob

asked me to speak today on Mother's Day, and

I greatly appreciate the opportunity. I have

a thought for today that I'm going to draw from

the book of St. Matthew, chapter 20, and verse

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

20 through 21. Matthew 20, 20 through 21. It

says this way. Then came to him the mother of

Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping

him and desiring a certain thing of him. And

he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto

him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, one

on the right hand and the other on the left,

in thy kingdom. Wow, what a request. Praise God.

And I would like to give a theme or title to

this message, if I may. The indelible impression

of a mother. The indelible impression of a mother.

If you can put up the next slide, what indelible

means, and I'm going to be speaking on this.

Indelible impression means deep -seated, deep

-rooted. an ingrained impression through the

influence of a mother upon her children." This

is obviously something that it is not so much

just an intuition, because an intuition is something

more, something different that extends itself

further into the upbringing. of the children.

But this is what an indelible impression, meaning

that mothers have a special place and favor of

God upon them. And this is something that needs

to be made worthy of knowing, is that moms have

a special place. And not a lot is said in Bible

times or in the characters of the Bible about

the fathers here and there. But mothers, it seems

like the stories that we engage in or we read

about in biblical stories, the characters of

the Bible, it seems as though moms, they have

a special place. They just have a way of doing

things that makes a huge influence on humanity.

on people and especially their children. In our

script of Matthew, we read about the mother of

the sons of Zebedee. The name of the mother of

the sons of Zebedee was Salome. Salome was not

born divine. She did not, nor had any advantage

over any other mother. She was just a regular

mom, as somebody might say, for putting it bluntly.

But she was simply a mother seeking a place in

God's kingdom for her sons. So the name Salome

means, if you could put that slide up, thank

you. Salome means strength, peace, and covering.

That's what... this mom's name means, strength,

peace, and covering. So mothers have a dosage

of incredible strength, a gift to bring peace,

and also to secure a covering for her children.

Salome's two sons, one named James and the other

one named John, were professional fishermen.

If you read the Gospels, they were not only fishermen,

but they were were sons of a fisherman, of a

businessman. They were not just casual fishermen.

They were men of business, businessmen. In other

words, this was their occupation. Not only were

they good at it, they were professionals, and

they were businessmen on top of that, who were

among the first that were selected to be disciples

of Jesus in His ministry, in His earthly ministry.

Jesus selected these men. What He saw in them,

put potentially you know, was because there was

something deeper about these young men when God

selected them. Yes, they were about their father's

business, and they were fishing along their father's

side, and they had a lot to do with the progress

and the sustaining of the family and the family

business. But these boys, these young men, as

when the Lord called them, He called them not

so much because they were good fishermen and

they were men that are good businessmen. It wasn't

that that impressed the Lord or why the Lord

selected him. But I believe that the Lord chose

them because of their character, the kind of

men that they were. These men were stable in

their minds and in their hearts. These men had

an ingrained, amen, something about them. The

influence upon their lives was something. that

was worthy of the Lord looking upon them. Because

you see, when God selects people, He doesn't

just select them by how they look on the outside.

He selects them by what they are in the inside.

And I believe that a father has an influence

on young men, especially on the outside and the

exterior. He wants them to be men. He wants them

to be strong. He wants us to have an occupation.

And they were in the occupation. occupation of

their father. But the Lord wasn't just looking

for a fisherman. He was looking for men that

were men of integrity, men that were touchable

in the inside, men that could be sincere about

the things that would be put upon them. And those

kind of things are the influences of a mother.

Praise the Lord, somebody. I don't want to disregard

the fathers here today, but your sons or your

daughters are not made up totally. about who

the father is. The mother has great influence,

amen, influence enough to get their boys such

as Esau and Jacob when she influenced her son

to do something that was difficult to do, praise

God, and receiving the inheritance and the blessing

of his father. But yet the mother understands

the children. She understands her children even

further, amen. And I believe that James and were

known as the sons of thunder. These men, they

just weren't the sons of thunder because they

had bold muscles and they had a physique and

they were fishermen and their skin was darkened

by the sun. No, they were sons of thunder because

something in the inside of them that was planted

by a mom, a mother, amen, they didn't become

the sons of thunder because the father taught

them how to fish. They became the sons of thunder

because the mom instilled something inside of

their spirit. Relationship with Jesus was one

of submission, faithfulness, loyalty, and profound

love for their master. They were part of Jesus'

inner circle. James and John, meaning they were

most always closest to Jesus, both physically,

emotionally, affectionately, and spiritually.

These two boys, James and John, their character

of James and John was a direct reflection of

not only the dad, but very much influenced by

their mother. Zebedee the father was responsible

for their manhood characteristics while their

mother Salome was responsible for shaping their

innermost characteristics in their tender years.

She taught and raised her boys in the peace and

in the love of God. She is the one that taught

them this is how you live a peaceful life and

this is how you live a loving life. They had

No fears. They had no anxieties. No insecurities.

And most importantly, they knew the love of God.

Can you say praise the Lord? They were boys of

total commitment to family. Jesus found them

about their father's business, obviously in the

fishing company. But mom was their emotional

covering. She sheltered and she protected them

from the influences of the outside world. She

was preparing them for their future. She was

preparing them, Lord, you know, become purposeful

in the work of God, not knowing she did her duty

in shaping their lives with positive and sensitive

characteristics toward God, first and foremost,

and his truth. She encouraged them to be the

best that they could possibly be and to reach

their potential in life. regardless of what is

around us. Your mother has a great influence

upon your life so that you can press on. Yes,

your father gives you the characteristics of

the out and the exterior. That is true. But mom,

she has a way of getting into your spirit. She

has a way of leading you and guiding you. She

has a way of depositing the things in your life

that will carry you through. through life itself.

And this is the works and the influences of a

mother. She encouraged them to be the best that

they could be, possibly, potentially be and reach

their highest potential in life. Not very much

is said about Salome, but her personality and

her character are certainly revealed through

her children, her two sons, the sons. of thunder.

Oh, I'm sure that the Lord was very aware of

how they got that name, how they received that

sons of thunder spirit within them. You know,

and Salome truly, pray she was the one that influenced

them this way. What she did, it doesn't say exactly.

It's not in scriptures. It's not much is said

about her thereafter. But this woman was truly

a prayerful woman. a woman that sought out God.

Salome truly raised up her boys to be disciples.

She took the training up of her children seriously.

She didn't leave it up to the schools. She didn't

leave it up to outside mentors. It was up to

her in the home where she can gather her children

around, and she can deposit the things in their

lives. This is what a mom does. She deposits

things. into our lives that will influence us

years to come, way ahead of that. Oh, that's

what mom told me. That's what mom said. I'm going

to take mom's recipes, and I'm going to apply

them to my life. She released strength and put

the thunder in their spirits. She's the one that

I, in my opinion, she's the one that is to receive,

you know, the praise for putting that thunder

into the spirit of her children. The influence

of this mother prepared her children for greater

things in life, just as we today, what you're

doing today, where you are today, the influence

of your mother, the prayers of your mother. saying

that God doesn't listen to the prayers of the

dads. He does listen to the prayers of the dads.

But let me tell you, there ain't nothing like

the prayer of a mother. Amen. Let me tell you,

there's something else. Amen. I remember the

story about Saul's sons and grandsons that were

taken, amen, amen, into captivity. They were

killed for something that, from the Jebusites,

something that they had done wrong. And the mom

named Rispa, She stayed up for six months. She

never slept. She just stayed up as often as she

could, protecting her children after they had

been hung on a cross. And all her sons and her

grandboys were all hung on the crosses. But she

took care of her sons. The daddy does went there.

His dad wasn't there. The father was not around

to be found. But mama was there every day protecting

her children so that the animals by night and

by day. would not eat their children alive. But

let me tell you, that's what mom's love is all

about. She'll step out of the way. She'll protect

her children. And that is, you don't want to

get near a nest. You think that the father is

tough. Look at the eagles, amen. Yes, the eagle

dead. The male is flying around. But let me tell

you, the one that's there protecting the nest

is the mama. She's there. She's the one that

feeds them. She's the one that gives them to

eat. And she protects her. children. Last thing

you want to do is mess around with the mama.

Praise the Lord. Somebody say praise God for

that, man. Your dad might be big and macho, but

man, don't mess with mama. Hey, she'll turn all

the hell loose on you. Praise God. She released

strength into these young men that eventually

became disciples and then eventually apostles.

What did Salome do as a mother to prepare her

children to impact the world with the gospel

that saves lives? Amazing. Salome placed in her

children the strength she placed in there. She

deposited faith, faithfulness, loyalty, and enabled

them to respond. to what was before them, not

to be afraid, not to live in fear. She believed

they were capable and could be trusted, and she

had high expectations of her children. This is

what moms do. They set these high expectations

for their children. It says, my son can do it.

My daughter can do it. You know, if anybody can

do it, it's my children. Praise God. They're

not afraid to be vocal in saying and tell the

people about who her children are. She's proud

of her children. She's proud of what she has

brought up in this life. Mothers have a gift

and an intuition. of influencing and instructing

their children, amen, with spiritual sensitivity

from the very early ages. She's the one that

deposits that inside of their spirit. And that

is what these sons of thunder received. What

made Salome such a great mother was her great

faith. Somebody say great faith today. Salome.

had a great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or

else she would not have made her request for

her preferred treatment of her sons. Look at

this. I mean, what would put it in a mother to

ask of the Lord himself to do something as she

requested? She says, I'm requesting that you

put one on the left and the other one on your

right. What about the rest of the world, mom?

What about the Apostle Peter and the Apostle

Paul and all the other apostles? No, no, no.

I want James on one side and John on the other.

See what mom wants? She wants the best place

for her children. She wants the highest level,

amen, just next to Jesus. And that is the desire

of a mom, that her children be as close to Jesus

as she can put them. It's her whole objective.

It's her prayer. It's her desire. It's her want

is for her children to be close to Jesus. That

was her desire. Amen. She wanted preferred treatment.

It wasn't that she, you know, didn't care about

everybody else. She was thinking about her children.

I want my child. I want my child to be sitting

next to Jesus. Salome had faith in the ability

and the faithfulness of her sons. She had high

expectations of them. If the Lord said, well,

why do you want me to consider them? Because

they're the best there is. He can't compare my

kids with nobody else. Praise God. I don't know

if there's a mom like that here today. Is there

a mom like that here today? I'm sure you're probably

thinking, hey, if anybody's going to sit next

to Jesus, it's going to be my child, my children.

Praise God. Salome had that kind of a faith,

you know, in the ability and the faithfulness

of her. She believed in her children. She believed

and she had great expectations for them. Salome

had a warm love for Jesus Christ. She would not

be able to impart anything that she did not have.

And this is what she possessed herself. In Matthew

Matthew 27:55

27, verse 55 and 56, it says, And many women

were there beholding afar off, which followed

Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him, among

which was Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of

James and Joseph, and the mother of the Zebedee's

children. Look at what she was. She was devoted

to the Lord Jesus Christ. She was not only a

follower, she was a believer in the Lord Jesus

Christ. She exemplified herself. She says, I'm

gonna, and she... She basically, amen, she was

one wanting to take, amen, the anointing oil

to the Lord. Amen. Her faith and warm love were

manifested in her presence at the tomb. She was

at the tomb the morning of the resurrection.

As it began to dawn on that day, the first day

of the week, Solomon, amen, she was there. Let

me tell you something. She was able. one of the

first witnesses, even before the disciples, excuse

me, you know, Peter and all the other disciples,

they're over there fishing and carrying on the

way they were, amen, doubting everything. But

Salome was not doubting the resurrection. She

believed in the resurrection. She believed that

Jesus was coming out on the third day, and she

was there to anoint it. Solomon had great and

exalting love. Amen. For God, we admire her for

attempting to get best possible place in God's

kingdom for her two sons. This is the attitude

that great mothers possess. They will seek out

the best for their children, even in the kingdom

of God. Amen. She was criticized for aggressiveness,

amen, by bystanders. But Jesus heard her request.

Didn't matter. Amen. If other people were hearing

her, it didn't matter if other people wanted

the same thing. She was going to voice her request

to the Lord Jesus. This is what I want for my

children. This is what I want for the sons of

thunder. I put that thunder in them, and they're

ready and able to do whatever. Lord Jesus, please

sit them down next to you. What a request. I

don't know if any of you mamas here today believe

that your children should be, amen, next to Jesus.

We're at the highest place, praise God, of honor,

amen. That's a desire of every mother, not only

for her sons, but for her daughters and all her

children the same equally. She loves all her

children. It just so happened to be that there

was James and John in this occasion. But let

me tell you, the reason why John, John was so

loving to Christ why he was the one that was

always putting his head on the bosom of Christ.

He was always so close to him. It was not because

he learned that from dad. He learned that from

mom. Mom always wanted to be close to Christ.

She was a follower and believer of Christ. Praise

God. And Peter and John, John and James were

in the inner circle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

They didn't get there by coincidence. They got

in there because of their character. Their preparation,

their inner love, the peace they had. Amen. And

the Lord, he knew that all along. That's why

he picked the two of them. He says, Mama prepared

these boys. She prepared them to be disciples

and eventually apostles. And that came from Mama.

She's the one that prepared him. Praise the Lord.

Moms, you can prepare your children to be the

greatest people in the world. You can prepare

your children, amen, to come. Carry out great

accomplishments in life because you have it in

you. You just instill it, believe it, encourage

them, move them on their way of life, and you're

going to see how they're going to bring you back,

amen, prizes and rewards and so many things.

God is good. He blesses and listens to the prayer

and the request of the mother. Praise the Lord.

Her request obviously was not granted. Hello,

but. It was not granted, denied, you know, but

the Lord, he couldn't do that. I mean, there

was no, there weren't three seats on the throne,

man. There was only one, you know, and she wanted

an extra two. My gosh, she was changing theology

right there. You know, at least she attempted

to, praise God. But a good thing she didn't,

because then they would say there was a triune

God or something. I don't know. Amen. But nonetheless,

she, nothing wrong with asking, right? El que

pide, recibe. You ask, you get. Amen. Y si no

pide, no recibe nada. Como mi abuelita, mi mamá

me dijo un día, un tío de ella, ella estaba comiendo

un dulcito, muy sabrosito, un dulcito, y era

tío de él. Y luego uno agarró la fuerza, el coraje,

le pidió, tío, dame un... pedacito de ese dulcito.

He said, no por pidichi. Y luego el otro, y lo

resto de esto es porque no piden. Así que nadie

agarró nada, nobody got nothing. Amen. That didn't

cost you nothing there, but it doesn't hurt to

ask. It doesn't hurt to ask somebody, Lord, please

put my children in the best place. I want my

son to be this. I want my daughter to be this.

I want my grandchildren serving you, Lord. Put

them in the best place possible. Use them for

your glory. Hallelujah. And she did not get it

granted to her. Amen. But in time, they did have

a great place. In God's kingdom work. Oh, let

me tell you something. I believe that every time,

you know, I'm sure that the Lord had some humor.

You know, he probably chuckled at her. He says,

oh, my God, this woman, you know. You know, he

had a sense of humor. But I can imagine later

on when he was thinking about, you know, while

using his apostles and giving out gifts, you

know, in the kingdom. James and John came into

my, I'm sure you remember Salome. Oh my gosh,

she did ask me. Praise God. And I'm sure because

they became great men of God, apostles. Salome

was a woman then in pursuit of spiritual things.

She came to Jesus worshiping him, the Bible says.

She came to Jesus with a prayer. She listened

and learned as much as possible because she was

a devout disciple. She wasn't one of those that

were chosen, come and follow me and I'll make

you fishers of men. The Lord never told her that.

But let me tell you, if there was a faithful

follower of Jesus, it was Salome. She was there.

She was there. She understood. She believed.

She accepted correction from the Lord. She was

able and mature enough. When the Lord told her,

no, okay, Lord, no problem. I still love you.

I'm still going to serve you. She did not theologically

understand the kingdom of God. But one thing

she did know, it's a good thing to be close to

Jesus. And she wanted her children to be close

to Jesus. And I pray today. that all mothers

have this same desire and this same request of

the Lord for their children. How many mothers

here want the best for your children? Don't you

want them to be seated next to Jesus? Don't you

want the best place for your children to be servants

of God in the kingdom of God, serving Him with

gladness and joy? But it's going to be your prayer,

mom. Your prayer is powerful. Moms, I encourage

you today. Don't ever give up praying for your

children. Don't ever stop pleading before God

for your children. Don't give up on your prayers.

Know that God has heard you. It doesn't matter

if your son or your daughter or your grandkids

are wayward in the Lord. That doesn't matter.

You go to the Lord and pray or believe. God's

going to change things. going to bring a prodigal

home. God's going to bring that one home. He'll

bring this one home. God is a God that answers

prayer. And more than all, He answers the prayers

of a mother. Because this is what God does. He

listens to the mothers. He listens to their prayers.

It concerns Him how mothers feel. His heart is

there as He was with His own mother. Amen. He

believes in you. He wants you to talk to Him.

Talk! Take him and he will answer your prayer.

This is what he does. I know this for a fact.

I've seen moms pray for their children. I've

seen how God can change things in favor of her

children. I've seen many, and I know many testimonies

where moms never gave up. They just did not give

up. I remember years ago, there was a family

that we had the privilege of winning to the Lord

many years ago, and they were renters of mine,

and one of my renters and they were renting,

and I began to witness to them and the families

there, and they eventually came to the Lord.

But the good thing is, in one of those families,

she had several sons. And she got converted.

She gave her life to the Lord. And as she was

serving the Lord, her children were all boys.

She had all sons. And they had hardly nothing.

She was a single mom trying to raise up all these

boys. And they didn't have much money. And one

day she was in the kitchen table, and she didn't

have no food. They had no food. I wasn't aware

of it. I did not know. But later I found out

by testimony that one of the sons gave. And he

says, Mom, she set the table. She put the table.

She put dishes out. And she put all the utensils

were out. And she put pots on the table. But

the pots were empty. There was nothing in the

pots. They had no food. And she just served it.

And the kid said, Mom, the pots are empty. What

are we going to eat? He says, Don't worry. going

to pray right now. We're going to pray. And God

is a provider. Just as the song said, he's still

the provider. Amen. And as they began to pray,

and they began to pray, and the mom says, Lord,

these are my boys. These are my children that

you've given me. We need a miracle today. We

need you to do something, Lord, for our home.

We need to eat. And the pots were empty. Amen.

But as they were praying over the empty pots,

there was a knock on the door. door. Somebody

was knocking on the door. And as they finished

praying, she says, go answer the door. And one

of the boys went to answer the door. And there

was a lady standing outside with a bunch of bags

and things on her she says i don't know why but

something told me to bring you guys dinner and

she came into the house amen and they fed all

the children i'm going to tell you something

god listens to the prayers of a mother amen because

if her mother if the children are hungry all

she's got to do is pray to god and god will send

forth whatever you need two of those boys became

ministers. Two of the sons are ministers today,

still serving God. And this is the reality. They

could never forget the prayers of the mom was

the one that encouraged her. She was a single

mom, but she raised them and raised them and

raised them, amen, till they became ministers,

amen. Isn't that something? And she desired the

best for her children. And those are unforgettable

testimonies for that family. But the prayers

of a mom, they go a long ways. Let me tell you

something. I'm not against dads praying. Dad's

praying for the mortgage, you know. Dad's praying

for the car that's not running, you know. And,

you know, Dad has this prayer. Praise God. But

Mom, she's praying for the children. I'm praying

for my children. Lord, put in my son and my daughter

that desire to serve you, Lord. And that's the

prayer of a mom. I know what it is because that's

the way my mother prayed for me. And I can still

hear the prayers. And let me tell you something.

It's powerful. God hears. the prayers of a mother.

You have not only influence in your children,

you have influence in heaven. You can move heaven

with your prayers. You can move heaven with your

desire. You can move things. Impossible things

will happen for you, for your children, because

that's the prayer of a mother. Mothers can request

of the Lord greatness for their children. to

be blessed and used in God's kingdom. Mom has

that ability. And I encourage you, Mom, today.

I encourage you, as I said a moment ago, don't

give up. Don't give up on that. Don't give up,

you know, if you have a struggling child, you

know, maybe they're not in the path you would

want them to be, but just keep your faith and

know that everything is going to be all right.

The Lord is going to see you through. The Lord

is going to answer your prayer. Amen. As I mentioned

some time ago about... One of my testimonies

about how my mother gave me a letter to take

to the military. Amen. Let me tell you, there

ain't nothing more powerful than when mom sits

down and writes something in faith, believing

for her children. God's going to move mountains

for you, my sister. Amen. Believe it. Believe

it. God is true, and every man is a liar. Whatever

you put before God, God's going to listen to

you. He's going to answer you. you. He doesn't

just see another mother. He sees his own mother.

He sees you. He sees you in his mother. That's

what a mother's love is. He saw his mom crying.

He saw his mom going through what she did. But

you know what? He also sees you. He sees your

pain, your struggles, and he listens to your

prayer. Blessed be the name of the Lord. What

on earth was this mom thinking? May my son sit

on your left, on your right hand in your kingdom.

There's nothing more powerful than that, that

desire, that want. For those mothers here today,

I want to encourage you again to dream big dreams

for your children. Dream big. It's never too

late. Dream big dreams for your children and

never give up on those dreams. Don't throw them

aside. Amen. You got to pray, man. You got to

pray for your children. Don't abandon your dream.

Don't push it aside and say, forget it. My kids

are growing. No, no, no. You keep believing God.

You keep believing God. That's the prayer of

a mom. It's powerful. Mom, you are powerful.

You have so much. On your side, God is listening

to you. He sees you. He hears you. Praise God.

And your prayers will continue. He bottles the

tears of a mom in the bottle. Tears are bottled.

They're not forgotten. I was at a funeral many,

many years ago. Praise God. And actually, I was

not there. But I received this firsthand testimony

of the pastor that was there. And he was presiding

over a funeral of a mom that all her children

were not serving the Lord. taught them all her

life. Oh, man, she did everything she could to

teach her children to serve the Lord, and none

of them came to the Lord. And, you know, she

went on to be with the Lord and at her funeral.

At her funeral, she was there at the front. It

was at the First Church of San Jose. And the

pastor at that time was Bishop Danny John. He

was the pastor. And they were praying over the

mom. And, you know, Danny John, if you knew him,

the man, he preached revival at a funeral, you

know. And he was preaching, man. He was just.

You know, why Revival Terry's, I think that was

his main topic. But he was preaching and preaching,

and all the family was sitting there. She had

a lot of children. In that funeral service that

night, the power of God moved so powerfully that

her children began to get the Holy Ghost in the

pews. At the funeral, her kids jumped up speaking

in tongues. They got filled with the Holy Ghost.

At the mom's funeral service. Amen. And there

was a great outpouring. And immediately days

after, they were baptizing. That was the Medrano

family. I don't know if you know the Medrano

family. They were baptizing and baptizing and

baptizing. All the Medranos were getting baptized.

Amen. And let me tell you something. Mom's prayer.

was answered. Her prayer was answered. Two of

her sons, or actually son -in -laws became pastors.

No, three of them. Her son became a pastor and

two son -in -laws became pastors out of that

funeral. Come on somebody, don't tell me that

God doesn't listen to the prayers of a mom. She

may have been gone with the Lord, but the Lord

didn't forget her prayer at her funeral that

was now pouring. Let me tell you something. That's

how God listens to the prayers of a mom. Mom,

you pray that prayer. You tell it before. It

might seem impossible, but don't give up on it.

Say, in the name of Jesus, Lord, I decree it

upon my children. Use your tuition, your persuasiveness,

your motherly, gentle, generous faith to approach

God on behalf of your children. You have favor

with God. You have favor with family. And you

have favor with your children. They call you

blessed.