Why We Should Dedicate Our Children

Exodus 20:4-6, NIV reads:
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

It sounds a little unfair for God to punish one generation for the sins of a former generation, but I think what is happening here is not an unfair dispersal of God's punishment but a cause and effect relationship of negative influences passed from one generation to another. That still isn't fair, but anyone with open eyes can see that the sins or indiscretions of one generation can cause tremendous despair, failure, and difficulties for the next, and that those influences can last for generations of dysfunctional families. Gods and devils don't need to have anything to do with it.

However, I do believe that they do have quite a lot to do with what happens in our families. When you take the Bible seriously, and even if you don't, if you study the occult or the paranormal long enough, you soon discover that spiritual influences follow family lines like velcro. People who believe that they are alien abductees declare that their children are taken even from the crib, and there is nothing they can do about it. People who are into spiritualism know that certain children are picked from a very early age to carry on the family occult activities. Ditto for people who believe in reincarnation. It is children from the ages of 2 to 6 who recall their former lives without hypnotic regression. It's not fair, but it's a fact. One way or another we often pass on to our children what we do and what we are. If that is negative, it will hurt generations of our descendants.

On the other hand, blessings can also be passed down. Charlie Shedd wrote a book about children and angels. He relates that when he was young, he fell into bad company. Bad deeds escalted among his pack of friends. Finally one declared on the phone that they were going to rob a trolly. Young Charlie felt a hand on his shoulder, and his grandfather's voice suggested that he not go, that he make some popcorn and watch a movie. Charlie's grandfather was deceased, but because of the hand and the voice, he declined to go. Two friends of his robbed the trolley. They were recognized by the aged driver, so one panicked and shot him. Both boys wound up in prison for life. Why did Charlie not suffer the same fate? It's not fair that a hand and a voice caused him to stay home that night while the other boys had no one to suggest they were making a huge mistake, but it happened anyway. His two friends regretted what they did, but it was too late.

The more I study the occult, the more I want to stay close to a church family. I think we should not only dedicate our young children, we should begin to pray for our children in the womb, and even before their conception. The best inheritance that we can offer them is the blessing and covering of God on their lives. Somewhere they have to make their own choices and live with the consequences, good or bad, but lucky is the child that has generations before them that understand the power of the blessing of God. Lucky are they who have loving parents to pray for them. Paul the Apostle wrote about one saved family member sanctifying other unbelieving members. It's true. Prayer and virtue are powerful treasures to pass on to our descendants. It's never too early to dedicate them to God.

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