Prepare in Advance!

“Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you” (Proverbs 2:11).

Judy lives in a country where there is heavy ice on the road in winter. Her teenage daughter had to drive to work on the icy roads and Judy was worried about her.

One frigid morning, Judy drove the family car to an icy, but empty, parking lot. She told her daughter to get behind the wheel and begin to drive through the parking lot. “When I tell you to,” she said, “slam on the brakes!”

The 18-year-old started to drive, and when her mother signaled, she applied the brakes hard and fast. The car skidded sideways across the parking lot, swerving madly before it came to a full stop. The girl was frightened, but no harm was done to her or the car.

What was the result? Judy’s daughter learned how to drive safely on ice. She understood she should drive slowly and should not apply the brakes too quickly or too hard. This experience with her mother has probably saved her life.

Here’s the key to helping our kids win over temptation:  prepare them in advance! Judy prepared her daughter for the problem before she faced it so she would know what to do.

We should prepare our children to handle temptations before they encounter them. Drugs, drinking and sex are a part of the world our kids inhabit. We must tell them what will happen to their bodies if they experiment with these things.

We must teach them what the Bible says. We must act righteously ourselves.

Build a relationship with your teens so they will trust you, and then prepare them in advance.

Kimberly Snider is a missionary to the Philippines.

From “Moments for Moms,” a free email subscription.
Copyright (c) 2005 Women’s Ministries of the Assemblies of God.
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Maxim of the Moment

The bankrupt man is the man who has lost his enthusiasm. - H.W. Arnold