This sermon emphasizes the importance of guarding our homes and families against the influences of the world, especially in raising children in a godly way. It addresses the challenges faced by parents, particularly single mothers, in protecting their children from negative influences and guiding them in the ways of the Lord. The message calls for a deep reliance on God's promises, prayer, and setting spiritual standards in the home to counter the worldly influences that seek to harm our families.

I'd like you to open your Bibles to Nehemiah, the 7th chapter, and just leave it open. If you will please, on your lap, I'll be coming back to that through the course of my message this afternoon. Praise the Lord. Again, welcome to all of our visitors. I trust the Lord has already touched your heart, and now may the Word do a convicting, cleansing work in all of our hearts. Who's guarding the front door of your house? Heavenly Father, I ask you to speak clearly in me, and through me, and to all of us. Lord, I thank you for your Word. I thank you for the Holy Ghost that takes the Word that in itself is dead without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and brings life to the Word. This is a precious Word, Lord, but it was given by the Holy Ghost. Holy men of old were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and Holy Ghost, you moved on the hearts of men, and now anoint this Word that you brought forth from the very throne of God the Father. Lord, sanctify my lips, and my body, and my mind, and give us ears to hear. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You know what's happened to our school system in the United States. They now have metal detectors at the doors. Our schools are hotbeds of Gnosticism, Atheism, Evolution. It's politically correct in our schools now that you cannot have a Bible in class. A teacher cannot even lay it on the desk. A teacher can lay any book on Communism, pornography, Playboy, anything, but you dare not lay a Bible on your desk. Our schools have become so corrupt and so vile. We think of our children shooting one another now. It's incomprehensible that 7th grade boys can take guns and mow down their friends and their enemies without any sorrow, not any thought about killing. Folks, there's not a person within the sound of my voice right now that could deny that our schools, ever since we shut God out of them, have been taken over by Satan himself. Not just colleges, but high schools, grade schools, all the way down to kindergarten now with New Age teaching and all kinds of foolish doctrines and devilish, cultish things creeping into our schools. But let me tell you, it's not the schools that are damning our kids. It's not the schools. We think about media because many, many parents blame the media, especially MTV. Now folks, I don't even know what MTV is. Evidently it's a music channel because we don't watch television in our home. We don't have a set. I've got a monitor, but I don't have a set that we watch. But I understand that kids run around now with, I've heard on the radio rap music and I was in a music store not too long ago and you look at the lyrics, I couldn't believe my eyes that such filth could be perpetrated. What kind of minds, what kind of muddy, greedy music companies, credible music companies that push this perversion. Incredible and young people are given to music and you see them running around now with these things stuck in their ears. Used to be big boomboxes, now they, folks, I'm glad it's not boombox. I don't want to hear what some of them are listening to. But folks, it's devilish. Absolutely devilish. It's creeping into the house of God even. Do you know what your kids are listening to? Do you have any idea? Folks, if you see posters coming in now with pictures of these devilish looking creatures in these rock and roll bands, you better do some investigating and watch out. But folks, let me tell you, it's not the music ministry, it's not the media that's damning our kids. That's not the issue. That's not what I want to talk about. I could stand here and rail against the music, I could have gotten all kinds of statistics, I could have really made a case. I see our kids sinking deeper and deeper into depravity because of the music that causes a spirit of rebellion to get a hold of their hearts, but that's not what's damning our kids. Well, what about the compromised church? What about the backslidden church? What about the church now that's bringing the world in to the house of God? What about churches now that are denying the virgin birth? They deny heaven, they deny hell. What about the churches today that are bringing in all of this foolishness and our kids laugh at it. Kids get bored. You go to many churches today and you won't find any teenagers, you won't find any young people, none. To them religion, church is absolutely irrelevant. They have no time for church whatsoever. You know, this is what happens when I talk to parents about why their kids go wrong. And I usually get, well, they got in with the wrong company in school, they got in with the wrong crowd. Or they'll say, well, I don't know what happened, but I know that the music that my boy, my girl that's on drugs, and I'll tell you what, over the many years I've worked with drug addicts and alcoholics, I'm going to tell you the music is tied to that culture. The music, there's hardly anyone, I know a teenager that ever started on pot that didn't get that rebellious idea. They got out every time from his music. And they'll say, well, my boy, my girl got in with the wrong crowd. They blame the crowd, they blame the school, they blame the church. There are people that don't go to church, or they never darken the doors of this church, and yet they send their kids with somebody. And they really hope that within the two hours we have them here in the annex, that we'll make angels out of their rebels. And if we don't make angels out of their rebels and their kids go bad, they blame Times Square Church. And that's happening all over the world. There are some sitting here right now, you're hoping against hope, your boy or your girl's got a problem, or one of your children has problems, and you're hoping that somebody up there in the Sunday school department is going to somehow magically get through your kids and instill some principles that will keep them from the devil. It's never going to happen in two hours. There's no magical thing they can say. Now, folks, where's the blame then? Because parents have a tendency to blame, even Christian parents, to blame all of these other influences as to why their kids go wrong. You know, once a month we dedicate babies, little children here on the stage, sometimes there'll be 15 to 25 babies up here, and they're parents, and I love to do that. We take oil, we anoint them, and you've heard how I pray, oh God, keep them from the wicked one, build a wall of fire around them, and keep them. And every time I've done that, ever since we've been in this building, ever since we've done that, I look at these parents when they walk off stage, and sometimes my heart sinks because I know that a number of those kids are going to go to drugs, they're going to go to alcohol, because some of those parents are not going to set the example, some of those parents are going to blame everybody else but their own responsibility, and some of those children are going to be lost. They're going to be lost. That's why I pray, Lord, don't, you hear me, Lord, don't let one of them go, don't let one of them go. It won't be the problem, it won't be caused by this church, a lack of the anointing, or a lack of a true word that does it, it's not going to be their music alone that does it, it's not going to be their friends, it's something that happens in the home. The responsibility of a parent. Now, I'm not going to tell you how to raise your kids. I couldn't even begin to get into that. That's not what my message is all about. But who's losing our children? Who's to blame? All these forces that we talk about are usually blamed, but let me tell you something that many of you may not want to hear this afternoon. There's something happening in the charismatic movement, and even in some evangelical churches, that absolutely amazes and frightens me. There's something happening now in what we call Holy Ghost circles. People who claim to have the baptism of the Holy Ghost, who claim to have more than any other church has, and claim to be the source of revival in the land today. And there's something that absolutely amazes me, and at the same time frightens me. Because I see thousands of parents running all over the world, getting on buses and planes, going by car, in every conveyance possible to go to some revival meeting. Now, folks, I am not putting down revival meetings. I'm not putting down manifestations. I'm not putting down... I know that the Holy Ghost manifests in many ways. He has his own ways. Who am I to say how the Holy Ghost should manifest himself upon human flesh? But what amazes me, that many, many of these who are going to these meetings are mothers. And they will leave their family, and they will go with some other ladies, and they will go from meeting to meeting to meeting. And they ask for the Holy Ghost to come upon them, and they get some movement or work of the Holy Spirit, they say, upon them, experiencing manifestations. And they come away saying, God really touched me. And they go home so happy and rejoicing and testifying this great, great move of God. And they go home, and their teenager is not even in the house. The teenagers are running around. Teenagers are giving their souls to devilish music. What good is it? What does it matter? What is it profit? You gain the whole world, you go to a revival on the face of the earth and lose your kids. Where are the children? Mom, where are your children when you're running around trying to get a blessing? I know lady preachers, teachers. Kids are going to hell, but they are teaching you how to raise your kids. I know because they call me and ask me if I've got a place for their drug addicted sons and daughters. Pastors who have given their time to their congregations and so little time to their kids. And folks, all of this talk about revival. All of this talk about we need a Holy Ghost revival. I'm sick and tired of hearing that from parents who don't even have a bird for their kids. You need a revival in your home. You need an awakening in your house. The charismatic movement has developed a cockeyed interpretation of revival. It's cockeyed. It's out of kilter. It's become, the definition of revival is some manifestation of the flesh or some emotional thing where everybody having people laying on the floor laughing and making all kinds of animal barnyard noises. And folks, now they're talking about gold dust falling from the sky and gold teeth being filled. Folks, I heard that 50 years ago. I heard it 50 years ago. Folks, I can tell you more than that. When I was in my teenage, there was oil, they said, coming out of hands. And I got so angry as a young preacher and I said, how do you know it's not sunoco? How do you know it isn't gasoline? You know, people would get their hands sweaty. Up in Canada, just recently, they did a national survey of those who said the Holy Ghost had filled their teeth in revival. One of them was a rather well-known man and his dentist saw the telecast and pulled his records out where he had filled the teeth. Did an investigation. All 11 of them have been telling lies. Folks, we are making a joke out of the Holy Ghost and he's not a joke. And what bothers me and what concerns me and breaks my heart is that while parents are around enjoying what they call these blessings and revivals, the kids are going straight to hell. The kids are laughing. Let me tell you what I believe the true revival is. The true work of the Holy Spirit. First of all, it's restoring the gates that guard the house from abominations. And it's parents guarding the doors of their houses. That's what the book of Nehemiah is all about. If I wanted to learn a New Testament truth, I'd go to the Old Testament to look for the type. I'd go to the Old Testament because the Bible said these things were written for our admonition or for our teaching, our learning, upon whom the ends of the world would come. And I've made that a habit all my life. If I want to understand the New Testament, I'd go to the Old Testament because Scripture explains Scripture. Nehemiah, the 7th chapter. In Nehemiah, the 7th chapter, we're very vividly shown what happens to the church in times of ruin and apostasy. Look at me for just a moment. Nehemiah, this time, he and some 43,000 repatriates go back to Jerusalem. And what they find in Jerusalem is a city whose walls are torn down and the gates are lying in ruins, totally in ruins. He said, because of our sins, our enemies have dominion over our bodies and we are in great distress. Did you hear that? Because of our sins, the enemy has dominion over our bodies and we're in great distress. And when you're under the dominion of sin and when sin creeps into the church, it brings distress. It brings bondage. It spreads like poison all through the body. And there was nothing but ruin. And you see, what really bothered Nehemiah is that there was no safe place in the city. Now, Zion or Jerusalem represents, in our time, the New Testament church. It represents the church of Jesus Christ. It represents the church. And what we see now, it's a type of what has happened in our time to what is called the church. And there is ruin. There is apathy. There is devastation. Because the walls are down and the gates are in ruin. And I'll show that to you in just a moment. It's a picture of the religious system. And when Nehemiah went into the city and they began to rebuild the houses and the walls, the enemy was coming in and is pleased. Sent Balaam to buy all of the Midianites, anyone, thieves, criminals, prostitutes, coming and going because there were no walls and there were no gates. There was no protection. Folks, that's what I see happening now in so many church circles. I see walls that are coming down, walls of protection. Those walls are truth that we once stood for. We stood for this word of God and anything contrary to this word was not allowed in the house of God. But somewhere along the line, because of sin and compromise, the walls have been torn down. The gates have been ruined and destroyed. And now the Bible said the wild boar has free access, representing the devil and demonic power. Free access because there are no walls and no gates. Now, Nehemiah represents God's plan of restoration. He represents what a true revival is. You've got to have walls around the body of Christ. There has to be truth that rises up, that keeps the power from wickedness and darkness. And so far and no further, the gates have to come up. Folks, when I hear from parents who write to me and say, Pastor Dave, you won't believe what's happening in my church. You won't believe what's going on. And these are not complainers. These people are not gooders. These are praying people, godly people who are worried about their kids. And they say, our youth pastor is a lover of wild music. In our church, I get this from Baptist churches, I get it from Charismatic Assembly of God, Pentecostal churches all over the United States. And you know I have one of the largest mailing lists in the United States. Hundreds of thousands. And these parents write and say, you won't believe what's happening in our church. Our church used to be on fire for God. People used to get saved in our altars. Nobody's being saved anymore and there's a death. And now on Saturday nights, they move all the chairs in the annex or wherever it is, they move all the chairs and they bring in these. She said, you can't believe the rock groups that they're bringing in that have taken the same music and just thrown a little bit of Jesus words in, some Jesus words in it to justify it. She said, those performers are tattooed and they have rings in their tongues. Their belly buttons are showing with rings. And she said, they look violent and have that stance of the same ungodly rock and rollers in the secular world. They come staggering in the church and one woman said, I went to my pastor and said, I don't want my teenagers to be lost. The pastor said, there's no problem, send them, they'll be blessed. And the mother decided to go to the church to see what was going on. And she said, I was horrified. They were body slamming each other in the church, body slamming their bodies against each other and up against the stage. That is supposed to be the work of God. I'd say the walls are down. The walls are down. There was a pastor that allowed the walls to go down and allowed to be intimidated by his own young people, afraid to lose them, so he's going to give them what he thinks they want. When I see a church bringing in punk rock, when I see multitudes run after every wind and wave of doctrine, wanting some new thing and going through such foolishness, I say the walls are down. A revival, a true manifestation of the work and moving of the Holy Spirit is the heart cry of the godly who say, oh God, raise up the walls. Hallelujah. In chapter 7, verse 1, It came to pass when the wall was built and I had set up the doors and the porters and the singers, the Levites, were appointed. Now look at me, please. When Nehemiah went in and saw that ruin, he didn't call for the people to gather around in the middle of this ruin and have a shouting party. The only manifestation you saw were people that had picks and shovels. The only manifestation you saw were those that had brick and mortar in their hand and trumpets and swords. And they got to work building up those walls because they said we don't want this church anymore to have the abomination to the land keeping into it. So they built the walls. Those were the only manifestations you saw. Later the glory of the Lord would come down and fill the house so that they could minister. But folks, that's not the time. There comes a time to sharpen not until the walls are up. Not until the house is sanctified again. Why are some people running around seeking manifestations when they ought to have a pick and a shovel in their hands and say, God, help me to rebuild the walls. How can you laugh when your kids are going to hell? How can you sit around in the house of God and just get blessed when you've got family members right on the brink of hell itself? So the gates are up now. What good are walls and gates without people to police them? Without people with discernment to know who gets in and who is not allowed in. What comes in and what does not come in. And so when the walls were built and the gates were up Nehemiah appoints, look at verse 1 again And I had set up the doors and the gates and the porters and the singers and Levites were appointed. He appointed laymen by shifts to stand at those gates. These were not preachers, these were not priests, these were ordinary, they were singers, choir members, musicians, people from all walks of life. They were appointed by this righteous leader Nehemiah to watch the gates. Watch the gates. There was a pastor of a very large church in the United States who was exposed, outrightly exposed for adultery, caught in the act and also for mismanagement of funds. Large church. But the deacons had a meeting and because he was such a pal, such a buddy, because he's such an eloquent speaker in fact one of the women in the church told the newspaper said, I don't care what he did, I have a hard time getting my husband to church but he'll go to hear this man so I don't care what he's done, I want my husband in church. He's going to stay. And some pastors who were concerned, he was so well known in the city and they wanted to make sure there was no reproach on the body of Christ so they went to the elders and deacons and said, would you please let him have time off for six months and let us minister to him and restore him? They said no, he stays in the poor, never miss the beat. Never miss the beat. And I say to myself, those elders, those deacons, those leaders were supposed to be watchmen at the gate so that the spirit of adultery and these spirits of the world did not creep into the church, that was their calling, that was their obligation. I want to tell these elders that are here now, maybe leaders of this church, you have a right before God and not only a right, but I beg of you, if you ever hear me or any minister of this church bring anything into this pulpit that is contrary to this book, if you see anything in our lives that is unlike Jesus Christ and is open sin, you have an obligation to stand up, if you see any department of the church, to stand up against any invasion, any sign of any area of the church, you have an obligation to be a keeper at the gate. God has ordained you, He has called you to be keepers of the gate. And all the leaders of all departments of the church, you are to be keepers of the gate. See that no teacher brings in false doctrine so that no one is living in sin. You don't just throw them out, you bring it to the leaders and you counsel with them. But I bring myself under authority, not only of Jesus Christ, but to other pastors and to elders and to submit everything I preach and the life that I live. I'm not talking about what I've seen and what I experienced when I was a young preacher, my first church. I tried my best, and I know I made some mistakes in leadership. But I'll never forget today those bossy elders who tried, they've driven off every preacher in 30 years. A little church of 50 people, a little country church. My first pastor, I was 19 years old. Sure you're going to make mistakes at 19. But I remember them calling me in and setting me down. There's four of them, just set me down. I don't know what hit me, they just accused me of everything possible. I was a dictator, I was this and I was that. And they just railed on me, they didn't even give me a word. I didn't know any better, I just got up and I said, My Bible says, Touch not God's anointed dude, my prophet's no harm. I knew they were the wrong spirit. And I said, brethren, I'm walking out on you, and I'm turning you over to the grace and judgment of God. And I lived to see the day, very shortly after all four of them were severely judged. Death and sickness and disease. You can't rise up against God's anointed. But folks, I'm not talking about elders and deacons who have ruled churches and chastised and intimidated pastors, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about godly men and women who care about the house of God. They want to know that their teenagers and their young people can come in and hear the word of God. And there's no foolishness in the house of God. There's conviction in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And that's not going to happen until people rise up on all sides, fast and pray and believe God. And everyone of you listening to me, everyone that names Times Square Church as your home church, you've been appointed to be a keeper at the gate. That means when we call you to fast and pray and seek God, that's you standing up, just like Nehemiah said, appointed to watch. You're crying out, Oh God, keep us pure, keep us holy, that there be no bigotry in the church, that there be nothing between blacks and whites and Puerto Ricans or anybody else. Keep the church holy, keep it pure. Hallelujah. Nehemiah then said, verse 3, will you read it? Just listen to it. And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be open until the sun be hot. In other words, I don't want any dark thing, nothing done in the dark and quiet of night. He said, this is going to be a house of sunlight. This is going to be an open house where everything is open. Our hearts are open, pastors are open, everybody is an open book. Nothing dark, nothing hidden. He said, you don't even open the gates until the sun is up. Glory be to God. And while they stand by, let them shut the doors and bar them. Anything unlike Jesus, shut it down. Keep it out. Oh, glory be to God. Keep it out of the house. Just keep the abomination out of the house of God. Now, here's my message. And appoint watches, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, and everyone to be over against his house. Now, here it is in the original. He appointed guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house and door. Each one in front of his own house and his door. Now, the reason I said, who's guarding your front door? Here in New York, my apartment doesn't have a back door. I got one door. That's my front door. Most of you live in a house with one door. Now, some of you got two, God bless you. But what we're saying here, that I as a parent am responsible, I am responsible for everything that comes in that door. I'm responsible for every label of music. I'm responsible for every magazine, every book. I'm responsible for every friend. I'm responsible for everything. I've been set as a guard at the front door of my house. Who's guarding the front door of your house? You say, well, I'm a single parent. You may be here as a mother. I know God put in my heart to encourage some of you mothers that no husband, no father in the house. You're very, very discouraged because you know how very, very difficult it is. But you're the guard. You are the guard. You can't sit around saying, my son, my boy, my daughter, my girl needs a father. Right now, you're a father, you're a mother, you're everything through Jesus Christ. You have to be the guard. You let down your guard. If you wait for somebody else to come and do the job, it may never happen. You can lose your kids in the process. Two teenage boys that went on a killing rampage in Colorado this past year. Where were the parents? These kids were making pipe bombs in the garage. Did that mother never go in the room to clean the boy's room? Because there were all kinds of demonic paraphernalia, devil paraphernalia, notes left around about murder and killings. There was no guard at the door. These kids were running around like mafia in black long coats and black hats and black-eyed shadow. Didn't that mother ever wonder, didn't that dad say, what's going on? Where were they dancing? Folks, it absolutely sucks. I was at the shopping mall with my wife the other day. And I'm getting out of my car, and here comes some kids toward me. I'm not trying to be facetious. They look like escapees from some asylum. God bless. Tongues hanging out with everything in the world. And they stick them out. If you're going to do it, stick it back in. Don't let me have to look at it. They're pierced. They're not just glued. They're pierced. Think of the infections. What kind of mother and dad comes home and sticks out their tongue at mom? Look. We may laugh at it, but, folks, it's a life and death. See, these are symptoms. These are symptoms. It's somebody crying out. It's kids crying out. Dad, mom, you're neglecting me. You're spending all your time. You're too busy for me. You don't have time for me. So they get with their friends, and these are all signs and symptoms. When they do things to their hair and their lips and they're piercing, this is something crying out. As I told you, I'm not here to tell you how to raise kids. But I'm trying to tell you that one day you and I, parents, we stand before a holy God. We stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and we're going to answer for our children. We're going to answer how we've raised our children. We've raised them in the fear and nurture and admonition of the Lord. If we set the example before them, if they heard the cry, I heard the cry of praying parents all my growing up days. I told you what I heard my mother pray up in the third floor, and I'd be out playing in the backyard. Oh, God, keep David and Jerry, Juanita, Ruth. Lord, get a hold of David. She prayed more for me, and I couldn't understand. I thought I was special. It's just I was a bigger problem than the rest of them. And I heard her pray one day, Oh, God, if he's not going to live for you, I'd rather you take him now. I'd rather he be saved now. Take him if he's going to live for the devil. And I mean, my mother prayed and fasted for me, and I did the same thing, folks. I have four children, all of them involved in some kind of ministry. Husbands and wives serving the Lord. Eleven grandchildren serving the Lord. Even the youngest have a heart for the Lord. Because Lord told me years ago that I was to pray this prayer for my children. And he gave me the prayer, and I give it to you. And if you'll take it to God every day, God will answer you. Lord, make my sons as oaks beside the waters of life. And make my daughters as polished stones in your palace. That's what we're to pray according to Proverbs. And I pray every day, keep them from the wicked one. And some of you singles one day, God's going to give you a mate. And you're going to have a child or more. And this is going to be your responsibility. If you don't hear everything else I say, hear me right now. You may have lost one of your children. You may be sitting here grieving right now. Say, Brother Dave, I'm hurting because I had a tender child. Or my children were once tender. And now I have a boy or girl on drugs. Or you may have somebody in prison. You may have a child that's gone astray and in trouble. And you hurt and you grieve over it. But I'm telling you, when you look back, it could be you have to acknowledge that you were too busy. You acknowledge there's a lot of mistakes you've made that you can't recall. You can't bring back the past. But you have leverage now. You've got something that still works. And that's to pray and seek the face of God. And bathe them in prayer. And preach Holy Ghost miserables upon them until sin becomes so miserable to them and brings them back to the cross. Hallelujah. You have that power and authority in Jesus to lay hold of God in their behalf. And if you still have children in your home that are halfway, that is the time to lay hold of God more than ever before by setting the example and seeking His face. You need to be praying for wisdom. Can I just offer you, parents, something? I've learned something. I've earned this gray hair. You better believe it. I used to... First of all, can I give you some good old-fashioned grandpa advice? Don't look at every problem you have as terminal. Just about the time they dump something on you, and you're worried about it and you're afraid, they're often forgotten all about it. They've moved on to something else. Take it to Jesus. Pray through. Then forget it. Don't preach at your kids if they're backslidden. Don't hassle them, mom. Don't get on their back and just preach and preach and preach. Because a mother told me one time, she came to me, she said, My boy is backslidden. He smokes and he drinks. He comes in all hours of the night, and I have to wait up. This mother would wait up until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. She'd be up there waiting. Where were you? Questions and all of this. And she said, Pastor Dave, what am I going to do? I said, You're going to stop preaching to him, first of all. Because every time he'd get up in the morning, she'd fix breakfast. She'd say, Honey, please go to church with me. And he says, I don't want you ever talking to me about church again. I don't want to hear anything about it. And I said, Would you please stop preaching at him? And just pray for him. And when you go home tonight, don't you wait up for him. You go to bed. Even though you don't sleep, pretend you're sleeping. When you get up in the morning, fix his breakfast. Don't say anything about church. Don't say anything about God, about Jesus. Just leave him alone. Pray for him. Love him. Do what is right as a mother. But no more preaching. She said, Okay. She went home that night, and he came in about one o'clock, and she wasn't there. She wasn't at the door. She wasn't in the kitchen. She wasn't in the kitchen. Mom! She's up in the bed, pretending to be asleep. She got up the next day, and he comes cranky into the kitchen for his eggs and bacon, and said, I got in at 1.30 last night. She said, Good for you, son. He couldn't get over, because he'd just been using Mom, manipulating her. And they'll do that to you. She said, Son, you know the rules. If you want to break them, fine, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it anymore. I've turned you over to Jesus. And she said, You don't have to go to church with me anymore. He said, I'll go if I want to go. Nobody can keep me from going. It took only less than two weeks. That boy came to church, and got saved. Every man at his door. Now, if you're married, and you're a Christian family, Sir, you are the priest of your family. You're the one who's to take the authority. And it should never, and Mother, it should never be, wait until your Dad gets home. If you're on your knees, you've got the spiritual authority. They will listen. And Mother, another piece of Grandpa advice, don't ever scream at your kids. I've had drug addict after drug addict, tell me, I still hear ring in my ears of screaming Mother. Screamed, and screamed, and screamed. You could hear them down the street. Supposed to be Christians, screaming at their kids. You could scream your kids right into hell. The power is not raising your voice. And then your kids lose all respect for every word. Your word doesn't mean anything, because you said, you do once more and I'll get you. You don't do anything, you don't pick up the belt, you don't apply the rod. One more time, and about 20 times later, you still say one more time, and he's laughing at you. But when Dad walks in the door, there's got to be a holy respect for his word. And that comes often by applying proper discipline. And you have every right, until your children are of age, to set the rules for your house. You set the rules for your house. Whether they run, whatever it is. The Bible makes it clear, if you raise them right, if you'll stand by the book, God will honor you. And when they're old, they'll not depart from the way. It may be down the road somewhere, but God, somewhere along the road, is going to bring them back to that place, because you stood for the word of God. You didn't compromise on the word of God. You wouldn't let your children intimidate you, and tell you how things are going to be. You took the stand, not as a dictator, but as a loving father, and a loving mother. Amen. Now, before I close this afternoon, I want to talk for just a moment, I want to bring a word of hope. Folks, I didn't expect, this is not some great theological discourse. This is just out of my heart today, something this week that God just put in my heart, that there would be those of you here, that are absolutely concerned about your children. Some of you are Christian parents, and you're worried and concerned about how your children are going to be raised in this wicked age, because of the school system, because of the way society is going, and you wonder what your teenagers will become. Maybe you have little children, you're concerned about it. And some of you, single mothers especially, God has put this in my heart. And I'm going to give you a promise from the word of God, a covenant promise, that if you lay hold of it, God gave me this last night. I said, Lord, I've got to have something from you. And the Holy Ghost led me to this particular covenant promise. And I want you to go with me to Isaiah 44, before I close. Isaiah 44. If every parent listening to me now will claim this promise, God's going to work a miracle in your life and home for your children. Now, before I tell you where to go, in Isaiah, would you look this way for just a moment? In those in the annex, God never moves on a praying pastor to preach something that isn't relevant. For some reason, this had to be preached this afternoon, as he knew who would be here. He knew the cry of some of you. Some of you may be grandparents, weeping and grieving over your children. First of all, if you're not going to fast and pray, none of these covenant promises I'm going to give you now have any merit for you at all. They don't apply to you. But if you're willing, like Nehemiah, when he heard about the walls down, he heard about the gates destroyed, the Bible said he mourned, he wept, he prayed, he fasted. And if you have a concern, you say, I want my children to grow up as godly young people. I want my children to be strong in Christ. I want you to read with me, follow me, chapter 44, verse 4. Yet now hear, O Jacob, my servant in Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus saith the Lord that made thee and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee. Fear not. Now look at me, please. Isaiah is speaking to the Jews of his time. He's also speaking to the church of Jesus Christ. It's very clear in the context he's speaking prophetically of our time in which we live right now. And God is saying in this right now, Hear, O Jacob, my servant Israel. Now, there's an Israel of God that those who are chosen, whom I've chosen, those are chosen in Jesus Christ. If you can sit here right now and say, Pastor David, I know I'm chosen. I know I'm in Christ. Then here's the word of the Lord for you. The next verse. Thus saith the Lord that made thee and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee. Fear not. Here's his message to you right now. Don't be afraid. Don't let the devil lie to you. You're going to lose your kids. Don't live under bondage and fear. Keep the concern. Keep in prayer. But have faith right now. My God, who chose me from the womb, is going to keep my children. God's going to keep me from fear of the enemy destroying and getting into my home and destroying my family, my husband, my wife, my marriage. I will help you. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant. And Jerusalem. That means the righteous. Jerusalem is the interpretation there is righteous, whom I have chosen. Now, folks, look at me. Can you say in all faith that you're a righteous person before God through Jesus Christ and his righteousness? Can you say I'm chosen in the Lord? Raise your hand if you can. Wave it at me. I am chosen. I am righteous. Not my own, but the righteousness of Christ. Then this applies to you. This is your covenant promise. Look what it says in the next verse. I will pour water upon him that's thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. Now, look at me. You sit here right now. I will pour water. Have you been getting the water in your thirsty soul? Are you feeding on what I'm preaching right now? Are you feeding on the word of God? Has the Holy Ghost poured floods of water on your dry soul? Have you known dry spells and the Holy Ghost came and lifted that dry spell? Did he touch you? Then this next verse, why won't you claim it? I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring. That's your children. And they shall spring up among the grass as willows. Willows are trees that grow fast and spread far. Willow trees. One of my favorite trees. You see them beside the water. Wherever there's water, you're going to find. And the very water that the Holy Ghost is pouring on you, he's going to pour on your children. And the Bible says, I make you an ironclad oath promise. A covenant promise. That if you'll cast out your fear and put your trust in me. Seek my face. Pray. Hold your children up. Name them. Right here in this verse, I will pour spirit upon thy seed. Put your kids' names there. Upon thy Michael. Upon thy Susan. And my blessing. Think of it. My blessing upon your children. I have claimed that. I have proven it. Oh, glory to God. His word is true. You say, my boy is back. My girl is gone. Keep feeding. In the word. Seek his face. And believe this promise right now. And you that have children that are just so high. Lay your hands on them. That's right. While they're sleeping, just go once a week and lay your hands on them. Take this verse with you. Memorize it. Memorize it. And Lord, you've made me this covenant promise. And I'm telling you, God told me to tell you this. I'm telling you now, that's why he had me preach this right now. Many, many children are going to be saved from the powers of hell out of this service now. Many of you from the elders to the choir and all over this house. God is going to save. God is going to save your children because you have laid hold of his word and you believed it. My daughters laid hands on their children while they were in the womb. Sang songs to them and quoted scripture verses. You get a hold of your children, you lay hands on them while they're sleeping. Say, now in Jesus' name, I claim this, Lord. You've put water on me. You've satisfied my thirsty soul. And you've made me a promise. You're going to bless this child of mine. You're going to keep this boy. You're going to keep this girl. I don't care if he's 20 years old when he's sleeping. Go in and pray the same prayer. You watch the devil run. Will you stand? Hallelujah. Well, I got that off my heart. Do you realize I was preacher to you today? I was pastor and grandfather. You're clapping for Jesus. Amen. Lord be to God. How many of you? No, I'm not going to ask you. I'm going to say, how many of you have unsaved love teenagers? I don't want to do that. I don't want to put you on the spot. We're going to just take it to the Lord. We're going to take it to the Lord. Bow your heads. Jesus, there's something else you're trying to say by your spirit, and I want to hear it. I want us all to hear it. Lord, the devil is trying to destroy every Christian home and rob every Christian parent of their children. Trying to deceive the children. Trying to engage the parents in such activities that they're not taking the spiritual time. Making them so busy they don't have time. They're not taking the time to pray and seek your face. Lord, we need to repent of that. I'm asking, Lord, to burden my heart and the heart of this church for all of the unsaved children. And all of the children, Lord, that are going to schools. Oh, Lord Jesus. Our children, when they go to school and fight through hell and see all their friends into wild stuff. Lord, they've got to come home to something where there's peace and power with the Lord. They've got to enter in a home where there's no turmoil. Lord, there should be no fighting, no bickering. They should come home to a place of peace. Oh, God, for the single mothers. The kids shouldn't come home and watch the mother watching television soap operas. Those kids need to leave the house every day with a prayer said over them. And mother praying for them while they're gone. And they need to come home to loving arms. And to a mother who sits down with her children and reads the word and prays with them. Oh, God, help us to establish family altars. Lord, I thank you for the family altar I still have with Gwen and I. We still pray every day. We pray for our children even though they're married. And our grandchildren even though many times we don't see them. Oh, God, I pray. I know in my heart that this simple message is going to be the salvation of a host of our children. Thank you for them, Lord. Keep them by your power. I want everybody to raise your hands and ask God right now to save all of our unsaved children. Father, I'm asking you right now to put this burden, the Holy Ghost, on our families. Even the singles can pray for the mothers and fathers and for the children and the teenagers. God, especially for our teenagers. Oh, God, they're facing hell in school and just walking the streets. God, send a guard. If they have no father, God, you be their father. Send angels to walk with them. God, give wisdom to mothers and fathers, I pray in Jesus' name. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead. And He is Lord. Will you sing that for just a moment? He is Lord. The Holy Spirit just now told me what I was feeling. I'm going to make this invitation very, very succinctly and for certain people only. Up in the balcony here and even in the annex. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. There are some of you sitting here right now listening to me. You're looking back over your childhood and what you've been through and the hurts that you've had. And you have carried for a long, long time. There are some people here that have carried a root of bitterness toward one or two parents. You've had something. You've not been able to deal with it. You say it almost ruined my life or you say it did ruin my life. And it may be also those that have been divorced. You're a single mother and you're here and say, Pastor David, I am overwhelmed. I have got to have a miracle. I want to pray for you. If you're here, there's no husband or father in your household. You have a child or more. I want you to come if the Spirit of the Lord is moving in. And I want to pray, God, give you strength and wisdom. And I'm praying for those who have bitterness. God made that clear to me. I don't know where you're at. Don't walk out of here carrying that. And those in the annex, you can come right down. Go to the back of the auditorium there. And the ushers will show you how to get into this building. Walk down the aisle and come and meet me right here now. Don't be afraid to cry. Let it out right now. Let that stuff come out. These single mothers, God has a word for you. God has a touch for you. He's going to give you wisdom. And those that have this thing that you carry, now if you're backslidden, you're not right with Jesus, come with these that are coming right now as we sing He is Lord again. He's Lord of everything in your life. He's going to deliver you. God's going to do a good work in your heart right now. Amen. I see a lot of handkerchiefs, a lot of tears. But you see, the tears have to come from a heart that is ready and prepared to say, Lord, I will give up everything in the way of a grudge or bitterness toward anyone who has ever hurt me. It doesn't matter anymore. You can't relive the past. You can't bring back anything of the past. Let it go. Will you let it go right now in Jesus' name? Let everything go. And for mothers, and for those that are here right now, led to this altar by the Holy Spirit, look at me please for just a moment. All you single mothers, hear me please. Get in a habit, starting today, when you go home, get in the habit to get your Bible out. Just go, please, just go through the book of Psalms to start. Go through the book of Psalms. Put a check mark on every chapter. Read, if you can only do two or three chapters a day. If it's a long chapter like 119 Psalms, take two or three days to read it if you have to. Every day. Because the Lord is going to give you wisdom and direction right here. And then bow your head and ask the Lord right now. Isaiah 44, can you remember that? Isaiah 44 verses 1 to 4. Say it right now. Isaiah 44, 1 to 4. Again. Isaiah 44, 1 to 4. That is a promise the Holy Ghost gave you. I want you to cling to that. And I want you to quote that every day. And I want you to lay hands on your children. But, folks, I want you to pray. Don't ever bring into your home any video. Don't turn on any television that has one word of filth. Don't let your kids go and watch Disney now. Or anything else that's full of demonic new age filth that's going to flood their mind. You've got to be the guard. You have to be the doorkeeper now. You've got to be watching the door. You're the one now. I'm going to ask God to give you a Holy Ghost gumption. A Holy Ghost fire in your belly, so to speak. Say, Oh, God, I'm not going to turn my kids over to the devil. I'm going to set some standards in my home now. And I'm going to stick with them. Father, I pray for the mothers, first of all. The single mothers that you will give them strength. You've given them a promise. You stirred their hearts that you're going to keep them. And Lord, you're going to keep their children. That first of all, sanctify these mothers. Every one of them to be mothers of God. Mothers of Zion. For those backslidden. For those that are coming to this altar now. We need a new touch. For those, Lord, who need to lay down all kinds of bitterness and rebellion. Lay down things that have to be given to Jesus, Lord. Let it be done now through the might and power of the Holy Ghost. I want everybody that came forward to pray this with me now. Jesus, I come to be serious before you. No games. I ask you, Holy Spirit, to give me power and wisdom. I ask you to help me to forgive and to forget every hurt against me. Everything said against me. Everything done against me. In Jesus' name, I lay it down. I surrender it now. Lord Jesus, cleanse me. Purge my heart of all sin and iniquity. And draw me close to you. And give me faith to walk in the Holy Spirit and the fear of God. I love you, Jesus. And I know you heard my prayer. And I give you thanks. Now thank Him right out loud, Lord. I give you thanks. I give you praise. I give you thanks. I give you praise. You know that? Folks, time is getting away. In just about 15 minutes, we start again. Can't beat in time. So I want you to turn around. And I want you to just a good God bless you or a hallelujah or praise the Lord. Some good word to at least five people around you as you walk out of this church singing, I am free. I am free.