Dr. Michael Youssef, beginning this episode of Leading the Way Audio with a question for you. When was the last time did you take time to pray and fast on behalf of the next generation? Please listen to me carefully. If we do not cry to God on behalf of the next generation, All of the trinkets and all of the goodies and all of the Ivy League education, all of the money in the world will not help them.
Each generation has faced unique challenges, but the fact is, current and upcoming generations are poised to face challenges that no one ever thought would be faced by anyone. And the most effective way to protect and prepare them is with prayer. Welcome to Leading the Way with pastor and author Dr. Michael Youssef. Learn more about Leading the Way at ltw.org.
Now, up next, Dr. Youssef brings you an episode from his series, Call on Me, revealing how prayer is the most effective tool and weapon for any generation. Listen with me as Dr. Yousf begins this episode of Leading the Way. Psalm 127 Verse 3 tells us that the next generation is a heritage of the Lord.
Let us not squander our heritage.
Now, whether you have children or not, please listen to me. Whether you have children or not. whether you are married or not. This message is for you because understanding the importance of praying and training of the next generation is of uttermost importance. Sadly, in the West, we have developed a culture of death instead of life.
We have developed an attitude that children are nuisance, they are inconvenience, they are tools to be used for political purposes. Even among some Christians, we seldom go on our knees in prayer for God to raise up godly men and women from the next generation. Here in the West, You don't have to look very far to realize. that we are bought children. While Muslims are producing them as means by which to overtake Western civilization, to overtake Western Europe.
Back in the 70s, 80s and 90s, we thought that all that the next generation needs is more toys and more computer games and more stuff, while in reality the most desperate need is for adults to get on their knees to cry to God on their behalf. Uh turn with me, please, to Psalm 127. Where I just quoted from verse 3: that the next generation is the heritage of the Lord. But you see, before the psalmist could come to verse three and tell us that, He begins by reminding us of the importance of trusting God on behalf of the next generation. He begins by reminding us of the importance of believing God for the next generation.
He begins by reminding us of the importance of trusting God in prayer for the next generation. Look at verse 1. He said, unless the Lord builds the house, it is Builders labor in vain. What does it mean? It means that we can give our children the best of education, we can give our children the best of material things, we can give our children the best of cars, the best of opportunities, the best of sports, and the best of tools.
But if we do not give them the foundation of praying for them and with them, the building which is their life is going to be hollow. It's going to be shallow. It's going to be a shell. It's going to be built on the sand. And they will not be able to withstand the onslaught of the horrendous pressure in their life.
Let me ask you this: when was the last time did you take time to pray and fast on behalf of the next generation? Please listen to me carefully. If we do not cry to God on behalf of the next generation, All of the trinkets and all of the goodies and all of the Ivy League education. All of the money in the world will not help them. It is in vain that we build big houses while our homes are crumbling.
It is in vain that we do all the things that the world tells us to do. When our spiritual homes are falling apart, the only way that our homes will stand is going to be on the knees of prayer. In verse 2 of Psalm 127, if he's saying anything to us, he's saying that all of the frantic self-absorption, that all of the hectic running around, that all of the financial planning, that all of the social planning will amount to very little if God is not guarding the city. I think it was Will Durand who once said that examine all the great empires of the past. You're going to find that most of them crumbled not by invading armies, but from within.
And beloved, let me tell you something. We are watching today how our children's greatest enemies are not invading foreign armies, but the deadly curriculums that are imposed by godless education system. You see, in the West, we compartmentalise Our lives. Sacred, secular, work. Home.
Church the world. And we make a division. But not so in the Bible. The Bible does not make that division. It's a false division.
In fact, the psalmist is teaching us that for the believer, life must be totally integrated. Everything in life must be all united together in one thing, and that is the glory of God. We cannot separate what we do From how we pray. We cannot place a divider between what you do with your money and how you pray. We cannot partition your work from your intercession on behalf of the next generation.
And the psalmist said: no matter how hard you work, it is fruitless if you are not recognizing the responsibilities of taking care of the heritage of the Lord that He's given us. Godly people do not have a division in their minds. Between work and prayer. There's no division. The psalmist said, Why?
are the watchmen. protecting the city. Why are they on their guard? Watching protecting the city.
so that they can protect the families who live in the city. That's why. Why do parents build houses?
So that they can can build a spiritual home. For their children. Today we have forces That are used to be in disguise. They used to operate. behind the scenes.
But they're out in the open now. It's like somebody said There were wolves in sheep's clothing. But they've taken the clothes off. We can see that they do it unashamedly. They are out and out to destroy this nation, they are out and out to destroy society, they are out and out to destroy the family, and there is no shame in what they are doing.
And all of them are trying to destroy conviction, they're trying to destroy faith, they're trying to destroy trust in the living God. But why? Because they know That the fastest way to destroy society is by destroying the moral and biblical convictions of the children. They know that. They know that better than we do.
And the psalmist is saying, unless we adults are firmly anchored upon the rock of ages, unless we adults are building on the power of trusting in the living God, unless we the adults are being empowered by prayer, unless we the adults are vigilant through the strength that comes from intimacy with God, that the enemy. will be able to vanquish our children. How? You see, once The next generation gets defeated or at least feel that they are defeated. Once they feel confused.
Once they feel uncertain, Once they feel that they're getting mixed signals, Once they lose their biblical mores, once they lose their spiritual balance, they will become unsafe and insecure. They may go through the motion of going to churches. But they're lost. And that is why Only God can build a home And that is why only God can guard a city. And that is why we need to call upon the Lord on behalf of the next generation.
We need to call upon the Lord for our homes. We need to call upon the Lord for our cities. And we need to call upon the Lord for our nation. I am personally convinced. That's my personal conviction.
That there is no child. That will be lost. If that child is prayed for. I am personally convinced. That there is no child who would not grow up to do great and mighty things for God.
If that child has been prayed for. Moms and dads, please listen to me. You have such power. With our Heavenly Father in prayer. that is beyond your ability to comprehend this side of heaven.
If you look around in history, And all of the great men and women who made a difference, the great men and women who impacted their world, you're going to find somebody was praying for them. Augustine, whom we call Saint Augustine now, was a renegade. Ah, but his mother was on her knees praying for him.
Now we call him Saint Augustine, who has impacted the world, continues to impact the world. The Wesley brothers, Charles and John Wesley. They were prayed for by Susannah, their mother. One hour a day, she would pray for each of her 11 children. And they impacted the world for Christ and continue to impact the world.
Listen to me. When we call upon the Lord on behalf of the next generation, we know that they're going to grow in intimacy with God. They're going to grow in wisdom. They were going to grow in spiritual and intellectual power. That they're going to grow in their firm resolve to walk with God.
They're going to grow in the grace of God. They're going to grow in the love of God. They're going to grow in their zeal for God. They're going to grow as a powerhouse for God. That one of them We'll put 10,000 to flight.
Can I get a witness? You know As a father and a grandfather, And as a pastor, Okay. I am deeply concerned. about the next generation. But I must confess to you That as a father, I made a lot of mistakes.
I was not a perfect father. I'm trying to kind of redeem myself now with my grandchildren. And now my children are adults. We talk about these mistakes openly. We're not perfect, but I can tell you one thing, as God my witness, I have never Gave up.
And I'll never give up. On praying and staying on my knees on behalf not just my children and grandchildren, but on behalf of all the children of this church, on behalf of the next generation. A friend of mine sent me something in the mail, the email. Recently And it has to do with a discussion that was taking place Between two even older than my age group. And they were debating whether they had drugs in their days or not.
And uh One says, We never had drugs in our day, and they said, Yes, we did. He said, No, we didn't. No, we did. And finally, Uh th this guy who was adamant that there were drugs In his day, He said, actually, I had a drug problem growing up. He said, I was drugged to the church every Sunday.
I was drugged to family reunions. I was drugged by my ears when I was disrespectful of adults. I was drugged to the woodshed when I disobeyed or tell the lie. I was drugged to the kitchen sink when my mouth needed to be washed with soap if I uttered profanity. He said these drugs are still in my veins.
And they affect my behavior. of everything I say, think or do. In vain for the builder to build. The Bible said, in vain for the guards to guard, unless it is all built on the Word of God and guarded by the Holy Spirit of God. That is why we need to cry to God on behalf of the next generation.
And the way to do this. is constantly Intercede. On their behalf. I I'm a disciplinarian. Um I may have been in a heavy-handed, at least that's what my kids say now.
Uh But as a disciplinarian, I believe in discipline. Uh it's not gonna hurt anybody. But listen to me, as much as I believe in discipline, as much as I'm a disciplinarian, as much as I would encourage everybody to discipline their children, but it is ultimately, ultimately, ultimately, godly leadership is caught as much as it is taught. And when the children of the next generation grow up seeing adults on their knees before God, they will go on their knees before God. When they see adults putting their whole trust in the living God, not in goodies and trinkets and accumulation of things, they will grow up.
Be great leaders for God and trusting in God and believing in God. They will grow up watching. How, when adults are anchoring their faith in God, they will put their faith in God. They will grow up to do mighty things for God. When they see how adults are clinging to and claiming the promises of God, they will grow up to cling to and claim the promises of God in prayer.
Call upon the Lord. on behalf of the next generation. When the next generation See Adults Talking to their Heavenly Father as a friend talking to a friend when they see them in intimacy with God. And that God is not a stranger, that they come to Him only when they need something. When they grow up to see That their parents and their friends and the church leaders are in intimacy with God and their relationship with God, they're going to grow up.
Having intimacy. With their Heavenly Father. And they will talk to him as a friend talks to a friend. I have no doubt in my mind that the next generation. is going to be facing far greater challenges than we've ever faced.
Their Christian faith will be ridiculed. Their biblical convictions will be called out of date. Their sexual morality and their sexual purity and their moral commitment is going to be under relentless attack. Under the guise of different forms of Christianity, false teachers will try to deceive them. Satan is lurking on every corner.
But none of that should frighten us. Did you get that? None of that should frighten us. If we In a spiritual warfare in prayer on their behalf. They will grow up to do spiritual warfare for themselves.
when they see us waging a spiritual battle. and getting the victory. from the knees of prayer. They will learn how to have victory on their knees of prayer. When they see our generation unflinchingly and standing against the face of temptation, they will grow up to be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.
As they watch how God responds in prayer supernaturally to us, they will grow to believe that God responds supernaturally to His faithful children. There's something else that this psalm tells us. about the next generation. is saying that the next generation are going to be like arrows. In the hand Of Almighty God.
They really are. Arrows. In fact, I can tell you, the fact that the Bible described the next generation as errors, if it tells me anything, it tells me that we should not just pray for the next generation to survive, but to thrive. We ought to pray for them. that they Like arrows that penetrate deep into the darkness of culture and bring it to his light.
Arrows like they will be targeted into the enemy's territory and rescuing the perishing. Arrows like they will be heralded into falsehoods and lies of the enemy and silence it. Arrows like they are going to penetrate into false belief systems and burst them. Arrows like they will be aimed at spiritual conformity and shatter it. Arrows like they are be thrown into the spiritual deception and expose it.
Arrows like that they will come against the spirit of fear and win their world for Christ. Not just to survive, but to thrive. That's how our prayer ought to be. That those who have studied how the mother hen Protects Her cheeks. Tell us.
That uh If she sees a hawk circling overhead. She instinctively gives warning signal. And immediately the baby chicks Come running and hide. Beneath her wings. That when A menacing storm cloud.
fills the sky. with its roaring thunder and jagged lightning. She quickly makes a certain noise which will bring the brood running and find protection. Under her wings. As the night approaches and the shadows lengthen, She gives a quiet call, and they g gather.
for the rest. Are you surprised that the Lord Jesus Christ used that image? of a hen who wants to spread her wings over her chickens. He said, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How many times?
I wanted to gather you under my wings. And beloved, listen to me. That is the cry of Jesus. Today. The problem is We don't stay under his wings.
We don't stay under his protection. We say one thing and live another way. We do one thing and then do another thing. And we're constantly sending confusing signals to the next generation. There can be No protection.
It is worth the name. Other than under the wings of Jesus. And if there is a time that the next generation is desperate for protection, it is now. and their only protection. Will come from the Lord in response.
To the knees of prayer. Intercede. Call upon the Lord. for the next generation. Will you commit to call on the Lord for the next generation?
Overwhelming challenges are ahead that need the power of prayer to invite victory. You're listening to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, and this message is from his series. Call on me. Listen again and learn ways to connect when you visit ltw.org.
Before we run out of time on today's Leading the Way, Dr. Yousup, In your book, Saving Christianity, you outline some of the common false ideas that are promoted by leaders within the so-called progressive Christian movement.
So, as we close out today's episode, can you run through those for us? You know, these so-called progressive Christians, I don't really like the word, they're apostate. Progressive, meaning that I'm going to progress away from the Word of God. The Word of God is not good enough for me, so I'm going to progress it or progress away from it. It is really turning your back on the Christian faith.
Let's call it that way.
Now they call it. deconstruction. Just give it a nice Term. But all it is, the old-fashioned backsliding apostasy. They are turning their back on the very essence of the Christian faith.
But That is never going to succeed. You look at history, and I've studied history, for two thousand years people have come and gone and tried to do that, and they all are dead, and Jesus still on the throne. Get your copy of Saving Christianity ordered today, the number 866. 626 One of our representatives can walk you through the easy ordering process. 86666 626 four three five six Or you can visit ltw.org.
Complete your order online. ltw.org. And we love getting your letters in the mail, too.
So for those of you who like to write, send your note to Leading the Way, Post Office Box two zero one zero zero Atlanta, Georgia. 30325. Again, that's post office box 20100 Atlanta, Georgia. Before we run out of time for today, as an encouragement to our fellow listeners, I would like to invite you to share how God is using this program to encourage you in your walk of faith. I believe it is important to give testimony of how God is working in your life.
And if leading the way is part of that, we would want to know. You can call our testimony line at 877-977-7777. 941-7934.
Now, I want to hear all about it, and we just might share it on the program that is 877-941-7934. Do it today. Thank you in advance, and God bless. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssek, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth around the world.
