“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.” (CSB – Read the chapter)
One of the more important parenting lessons I’ve heard and tried to live out is to not speak negative characteristics into the life of your child. What I mean is, when you are angry or frustrated with your child, don’t say, “You are such a __________,” or, “you are so _________,” where the blank is filled in with some negative characteristic. Jerk, slob, cheater, lazy, stupid, embarrassing, and so on. The reason is simple: when you say that kind of thing to your kids, what they hear is, “I’m lazy,” or, “I’m stupid,” or, “I’m a cheater,” or, “I’m a jerk.” With that idea drumming through their mind, there is a higher than zero likelihood that they’ll live down to it. Instead, call them forward to virtuous characteristics by the way you speak to them. “I see how hardworking you are, but this didn’t reflect that. How can I help you live out more consistently who I know you are?” Paul here is doing some good parenting with believers by calling us to live up to our identity in Christ. Let’s take a look at how he’s doing this.
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The Nexus 