PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

The Crucial Factor-Prayer (2)

Concerned parents typically are searching for answers, solutions, and methods for raising healthy children. Although their acceptance of responsibility for the proper care of their young ones is commendable, they often are unthinking, even ignorant, that prayer is the essential ingredient of godly parenting. They may have become accustomed to today's Christian circles that frequently focus on the realm of Christian psychology as a critical base for their labor. This is a grave mistake that must be avoided at all cost. Psychological techniques are vastly inferior to the wisdom and blessing of God.

One reason that we fail to depend on God's blessing through sustained and steadfast prayer is that we do not realize our constitutional makeup as fallen men-we are flesh. Even though we may apply the highest ideals and the latest techniques toward the training and development of our children, we are still flesh. We are weak, undisciplined, lacking in character; but most of all we are lacking in the vital constituent to proper humanity-God Himself as the central factor of our living and our actions. The vehicle for producing a life that is filled with God is prayer, prayer that must first deal with the special problem of our flesh.

Not only are we ourselves flesh, but our children are also flesh. Only prayer can subdue and terminate the flesh. This month's Parenthood article focuses on the kind of prayer that is needed to restrain and overcome the flesh.

We need the kingdom life to operate in our personal life and our family life. Hence, we desperately need to learn to pray. Witness Lee points out that for effective prayer that subjugates the flesh, we need to observe four matters pictured in the example in chapter 17 of the book of Exodus of dealing with Amalek. In type Amalek signifies our flesh. In our praying, We need to take care of the priesthood, defined as learning to know and exercise our human spirit. We need to take care of the kingship by practicing obedience to our heavenly King. We also need to pray with a view to the building up of the house of God. Finally we need to have a solid base for our praying-a deep dependence on our Lord Jesus as the unique source of our prayer. We must pray ourselves into oneness with God.

If we have a bird's-eye view of the first seventeen chapters of Exodus, we shall see a picture of God's salvation which begins with the dealing with the world and concludes with the dealing with the flesh. This picture enables us to realize that, as God's chosen people, we once were under the tyranny of the world. But after we were redeemed, saved, and delivered, we began to enjoy the divine provision of manna and living water. One day, however, we had to face a very subjective enemy-the flesh. This enemy seeks to trouble us, to occupy us, and even to destroy us.

The next section of the book, chapters eighteen through forty, is a long section related to the kingdom. This indicates that after we have been delivered out of the world, have enjoyed the divine provision, and have dealt with the flesh, we shall be in the kingdom.... Only when we defeat the enemy, overcome the world, and deal thoroughly with the flesh shall we be in the kingdom. In the kingdom it is possible for us to build up the tabernacle as God's dwelling place. The principle is the same with the building of the temple. After David fought the battle against the enemies and gained the victory, Solomon enjoyed the kingdom. In this enjoyment the temple was built. In the second section of Exodus, chapters eighteen through forty, we see that God's redeemed people were in the enjoyment of the kingdom....

According to the New Testament, the Devil, the world, and the flesh are called the enemies of God (Matthew 13:25, 39; Romans 8:7-8; James 4:4). In Exodus Satan is signified by Pharaoh, the world is signified by Egypt, and the flesh is signified by Amalek. After these three enemies have been dealt with, the kingdom of God comes in.

I. AMALEK-THE FLESH FULL OF ENMITY AGAINST GOD

In the Old Testament no enemy is dealt with more thoroughly than Amalek, because Amalek is a type of the flesh, which is the last enemy against God's kingdom. The flesh is what keeps the church from being built up adequately. As long as the flesh remains a problem, the kingdom cannot come. The kingdom comes in only after the flesh has been dealt with. For the sake of the church life, we need to deal with our flesh. If the flesh is not dealt with, there can be no kingdom of God. Then without the kingship of Christ, His headship, there is no way for the Body to be built up. This is the reason that, during the past nineteen hundred years, there has been very little building of the church. The confusions and divisions among Christians today are primarily due to the flesh, to Amalek. Among Christians Amalek is prevailing. Because of this, we do not have the kingdom of God in a practical way. Without the kingdom, it is impossible to have the building....

In his writings Paul thoroughly deals with the flesh. He uses certain expressions to show that the flesh is enmity against God. For example, in Romans 8:7 he says that "the mind set on the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be." The flesh is ugly for the simple reason that it is not subject to the law of God. From God's point of view, the flesh is lawless. Lawlessness prevails among many Christians today. The flesh is lawless in its inability to be subject to God.

In 8:8 Paul goes on to say, "And those who are in the flesh cannot please God." The flesh is not subject to the law of God, it cannot be subject to the law of God, and it cannot please God. Therefore, in the eyes of God there is no place for the flesh. It must be terminated.

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