Have you ever had a friend love you so well that it made you grow into a better version of yourself? I’m honored to have had several friends like this; you know the ones who pour water on the fires of your fears, and throw gasoline on the passions of your dreams? I’ve been loved so well by friends that they’ve challenged me, in the best way, to love my friends better. And if we’re all called to live supernaturally natural lives, then why would our friendships be any different?
Today I want to encourage you to take your friendships, whether that be with your spouse, your best friends, your children or your coworkers, to the next level with a fresh perspective on living out “normal Christianity.“
In a nutshell:
- Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
- How many of you understand that there are dimensions to “the way they should go”… we could hope that our children will grow up to be good people, but what if we started dreaming of raising God people.
- What if you got prophetic insight into the way they should go and then encouraged your kids into that.
- We can see an example of this in the lives of David and Solomon.
- Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Did you know that it was the homeschool textbook of Solomon’s life?
- God gave David prophetic insight into who his son, Solomon, would be before he was even born.
- God told David that Solomon would build the temple. When Solomon got old enough David began to tell his son this story and the things God showed David about Solomon (1 Chron. 22).
- David knew from God that Solomon would be King, so David and Bathsheba raised him up that way.
- In Proverbs 31:3-5 we see Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, sharing wisdom with him (by the way, Lemuel was the name she called him when he was young). It says “Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of any of the afflicted.”
- How did she know to teach him this? Because of her own history with David.
- This concept isn’t only applicable to raising children, but also to raising up the people around us.
- How would the lives of the people around you change if you began to see them not as they currently are, but as the way they are called to be?
- Allison Armerding was one of our BSSM students who went on to edit a few of my books. One day in school. she raised her hand and said, “I love to listen to other people’s prophecy so that I treat them not as they are but as God sees them, and I invite them into their destiny.”
Activation for the Week
So then, how would the lives of the people around you change if you began to see them not as they currently are, but as the way they are called to be? Think about it: How would you treat your children, your family, your best friends, your coworkers or even that person who rubs you the wrong way, if you saw the gold in them?
This week I’m asking you to pray about one person in your life, ask God how He sees them, write it down and then treat them like they’re already that amazing world-changer you see. That may look like giving them a word of encouragement, adjusting your heart, forgiving and letting go of some things. … but I believe if you do this, you could change someone’s life. Let’s be a generation who loves big, calls people higher than their current behavior, who believes in others when nobody else does, and who speaks life instead of death over each other!
Who are you championing this week? How do you champion the people in your life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Kris Vallotton is the senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and cofounder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). Kris travels internationally, training and equipping people to successfully fulfill their divine purpose. He’s a best-selling author, having written more than a dozen books and training manuals to help prepare believers for life in the kingdom. He has a diverse background in business, counseling, consulting, pastoring and teaching, which gives him unique leadership insights and perspectives. Kris has a passion to use his experience and his prophetic gift to assist world leaders in achieving their goals and accomplishing their mission.
This article originally appeared at krisvallotton.com.
Ron Allen 
Charisma Media Staff 
Abby Trivett