God cares for your children and He wants to help you be the best parent you can be! He will never leave you to “figure things out.” He’s always speaking to your heart with guidance, warnings and encouragement. When you listen and then act on what you hear, parenting is a chain of adventures with you, your children and God.
I remember an incident years ago when I was producer for the Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcast. I had to travel a great deal and be away from my son, Jeremy—who was then 4 years old. This made me be especially aware of my need to be led by the Spirit in training Jeremy up “in the way he should go.”
One day the Lord helped me by telling me Jeremy was kissing girls. When I asked him, he said, “Well, sure!” That seemed so innocent and even cute in my 4-year-old that it was hard not to laugh out loud! But the Lord wanted us to start teaching Jeremy what was appropriate for his life and what wasn’t. He didn’t want to wait until Jeremy was 16 or dealing with a more serious problem. God cares for Jeremy, and He wanted him trained in godly ways as early in his life as possible. Besides, I think it was easier to accept mom’s kissing rules at age 4!
What I experienced that day was the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. It was a word of knowledge simple and easy, that I’m sure saved us from untold trouble. This kind of hearing from God is available to every parent and, in fact, to every believer. The only requirement is to be listening and then follow the leading of the Holy Spirit by acting on what you hear.
I haven’t always acted on every word I’ve heard by the Spirit…and I’ve repented when I’ve missed it. But the knowledge to help my children was always available.
Today, Jeremy is a godly, married man serving the Lord in ministry. George and I have taught him to listen to the Lord for himself. We did this through the years by telling him what God was speaking to us, which encouraged the good things in his life and adjusted the things that needed correction. These times developed Jeremy’s trust in God and in us.
Some say that love is spelled T-I-M-E. But love for your children reaches its highest potential because of the time you spend first with God, developing a hearing ear on their behalf. I can’t imagine parenting without it!
Terri Copeland Pearsons, eldest daughter of internationally known minister Kenneth Copeland, first discovered the adventures of prayer as a little girl praying at her grandmother’s side. Drawing on that rich heritage of faith, she connects people with the living presence of God, teaching them who they are in Christ Jesus and how to pray from that position.
Terri and her husband, George Pearsons, serve as Senior Pastors of Eagle Mountain International Church (EMIC) at Kenneth Copeland Ministries, where they have pastored for over two decades. They have an international commission that takes them all over the world. Since 1995, Terri has ignited the fires of prayer at EMIC through Prayer School and through a dynamic network of prayer groups; she has brought life into the prayers of believers worldwide.
Terri has supported her father’s commission to take the Word of God from the top of the world, to the bottom, and all the way around, since attending Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the late 1970s. For 13 years she developed the Believer’s Voice of Victory (BVOV) television broadcast as its first producer, helping establish Brother Copeland as a forerunner in television ministry.
Terri and George have two grown children. Their son, Jeremy Pearsons, his wife Sarah and children, Justus and Jessie Grace, travel in ministry together, teaching believers of all ages to hold fast to the spirit of faith. Sarah Hart Pearsons is also a worshipper and singer-songwriter. Their daughter, Aubrey Oaks is a gifted vocalist who ministers frequently at EMIC, and she travels alongside her mother, ministering with her. Her husband, Cody is a pilot and is preparing for the ministry to which God has called him. They have two precious daughters, Eiley and Kayelin.
