Stop labelling your children with the description of Babylon by calling them, Teenagers. You cannot build the temple of God using the blocks of Babylon. Who is a teenager? Who called them teenagers? Let me take you to the Origin of the word “TEENAGER”. During 1944, Americans started to use the word ‘teenager’ to describe the place of youth in their society. From the very beginning, it was a marketing term that recognised the spending power of adolescents. Within a culture that thought of business in terms of national identity and individual freedom, the fact that youth had become a market also meant that it had become a discrete, separate age group with its own peer-generated rituals, rights and demands. The coining of the word ‘teenager’ marked the emancipation of adolescence. It also resolved a deep-seated problem within America and Northern Europe. Youth had been seen both as an enigma and a threat ever since the dawn of civilisation, but the political, economic and cultural upheavals of the late 18th century gave the discussion of its status a new urgency. It was during this period that the romantic idea of youth as a separate, stormy, rebellious stage of life began.
God never called your child or children “TEENAGERS”
The word teenager birthed a rebellious spirit in young people.
Is that what GOD called your children?
How come in the past young people of this same age did exploits for God?
They knew who they were and never were said to have identity crisis.
David was 15 years old when he killed Goliath. Daniel and his friends were of 12 and 15 years when they were taken to Babylon and they stood for God and His Righteousness. Mary was between the ages of 12-16 years old when she had Jesus. Esther was 14 years old when she met the King. Jesus was 12 when he knew what He was created to be and do here on earth and boldly able to tell His parents what His mission was. All these men and women knew who there were at ages 12 – 16. Again, they never had identity crisis but rather knew who they were, as one who has been sent to stand for the truth and overcome the evil one.
1 John 2:13-14;
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father.
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I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.
According to 1 John 2:13-14, we see our children called Children who have Overcome the wicked one, meaning, they are children of Strength, Honor, Grace, Wisdom, Understanding, Courage, Conquerors, Able, Great, Sons of God, Redeemed, Children of the Spirit, Blessed and Children of Power What do you call your children?
Don’t forget the nature of a thing is in the name it bears.
May our desire and prayer over our children be Psalm 144:12;
“That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;”
Our children have no rebellious spirit in them, neither do they have crisis in their identity because they are who God says they are and the word of God abides richly in them, they have overcome the wicked one and know the Father growing as strong plants in their youth and as sculptured pillars in the palace.
Go in this might and redefine them as you call them forth.
God bless you
Nene Oluwagbohun