TLP 204: Parenting a Zombie, Part 5 | the zombie’s destruction

Are our children bright stars on a path to brilliance or sinners on a patch to destruction? What does God say? Join AMBrewster as he looks at the necessary consequence of foolishness and gives Christian parents practical tools to address the problem.

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Click "Read More" for today’s Episode Notes and Transcript.

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Episode Notes

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Transcript

Introduction

Welcome back to what might be the hardest episode in this series.

If you have’t heard the previous four parts, please go back, listen to them, and download our free episode notes from TruthLoveParent.com. 

However, if this is the first episode you hear in this series, it should do at least one thing for you; Lord willing, it will instill in you a passion for helping your children reject zombie behavior.

Now, before we continue our conversation concerning the zombie’s destruction, I want to pause and thank Cara for being an ever-faithful support of TLP.

Please allow me to share with you the email she recently sent me:

“Hello! I can’t wait for the completion of the “Quitting Strife” book!!! Since the first time I heard about this project, I have been anxiously awaiting its completion. As per usual, TLP’s message and content meets me right where I am in life, and this book will be no exception. I have been praying for quite a while to know how I can help, to bless TLP even a fraction of the amount I have been blessed since beginning to listen to the podcast. I do share with others the amazingness of this resource, and I know God is working in my family in part because of the changes TLP is helping ME to make with ME. I’ve been a Patreon supporter for a while now. But I kept feeling pulled to do more. I have increased my monthly giving, not just with the hope that the book will be finished sooner rather than later, but also with the prayer that TLP can continue to grow and flourish, reaching more and more listeners. This is more than just a resource. It is like a companion guide to the Bible itself, using God’s Word to guide us through the incredibly difficult and beyond-important job of raising children for the Kingdom in a world that does not care one bit for that purpose. I have gained confidence as a mom, a godly wife, and as a Christian through listening to these podcasts. I know that confidence is coming from God, and I’m so thankful TLP is the vehicle ‘driving’ God’s message to me each time I tune in or read through the episode notes. 

I pray this finds you all doing well and able to continue this Kingdom work that you are doing. Thank you again for blessing me beyond explanation. I would love to share with you that one of my children has been asking spiritual questions, and I feel more equipped to answer him in a huge part to many episodes from your podcast.”

She is such a blessing to TeamTLP, not just because of her financial support, but because she frequently sends such encouraging emails.

You too may feel free to email us whenever you like. We’d love to hear your questions, concerns, criticisms, and commendations. 

You can reach us at [email protected], and you can ask our TLP Counselors questions at [email protected].

We’ve love to interact with you there.

Okay, let’s understand the consequences of foolishness

Topic

First, let’s review the consequences that have organically come up over there past four episodes.

​One obvious consequences is that the fool lacks sense. He invites the things that will destroy him and pushes away the things that will help him.

He also doesn’t have knowledge, understanding, or wisdom. That’s a very real consequences of being a fool.

Though the zombie would see this next one as being a good thing, a very negative consequences of zombie behavior is that they don’t participate in the things of God.

They also have destructive communication. Nothing destructive is beneficial.

The fool consumes his own livelihood. 

And we saw last time that the zombie has serious relationship issues. The only people who want to spend time with him are other zombies — aka: those willing to use him for their own gain.

But these are merely the introductory consequences of foolishness. The consequences of destructive zombie behavior are much greater, and I’ve collected these passages into a list that escalates in its intensity.

1. Let’s start with Proverbs 14:8: “The folly of fools is deceiving.”

Please understand that your child is living a deceived life. The foolishness wrapped up in their hearts causes their world to be dark and confusing. 

This is why it’s so important that we help our children interpret their lives correctly. If you haven’t heard the “Parent’s 5 jobs,” please, please, please listen to that series. It starts in episode 184, and it discusses the five most important jobs with which God has tasked us.

But, in addition to living a deceived life . . .

2. Proverbs 14:24 says, “The folly of fools brings folly.”

One of the worst things about foolishness is the natural reproduction of foolishness. Folly gives birth to folly. It breeds more and more.

This again speaks to the importance of the Interpreter role. It’s the Interpreter Parent who helps their children understand that God calls what they’re doing “folly.”
But there is another interesting consequence of zombie behavior.
3. Proverbs 19:10 reads, “It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.”

Imagine a zombie being elected as president of the United States. Imagine someone refusing to sell you a mansion because they want to fill it the undead.

It’s not fitting because the fool won’t earn it, they won’t appreciate it, and they be able to sustain it.

It doesn’t make sense for a fool to have luxury.

What does that tell us parents?

Well, this is one reason I take issue with allowances. I was going to do a whole episode on the pros and cons of giving allowance, but this is one HUGE con.

When we give our kids money for no other reason than they’re our kids, we’re financing a fool. 

Remember, your infant, your elementary-schooler, your teen is a fool . . . to one degree or another. And way too many parents bankroll their children’s zombie behavior.

We not only give them money, we give them transportation, we give them opportunities to hang out with their friends with little to no accountability, we allow our zombies to live in luxury without earning it.

I’m not saying you make your kid live in a cardboard box, but I am encouraging you to listen to The Rock, The Bread, and The Donut series that explains why we give our kids things. That series begins in episode 106.

Moving on, 4. Proverbs 11:29 teaches us that, “Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.”

Terrorists and zombies trouble their homes, and God promises that they will inherit the wind. How does that sound? Your inheritance will not merely be air, it will be wind. Wind is not simply empty, it can also be destructive.

Zombies don’t inherit things of value, and they also don’t earn honor.
5. Proverbs 26:1 tells us, “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.”

It’s like luxury, honor doesn’t fit a fool well. This does not mean that we shouldn’t honor our kids, but the original word means that glory, splendor, and abundant richness don’t look right on a fool.

But fools not only will not inherit honor, they will inherit disgrace.

6. Proverbs 3:35, “The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.”

The word translated “disgrace” refers to shame, dishonor, reproach, and ignominy.

And this is where the condemnations of the fool really ramp up.

7. Proverbs 10:8 & 10, “A babbling fool will come to ruin.”

The word “ruin” refers to being overthrown, thrust down, and cast aside. 

Ruin speaks to something that is worthless.

Now, I know it seems wrong to refer to our children as being worthless, but we need to look at it the right way.

No matter how expensive the vacuum is, no matter how much time was poured into making it, no matter how famous the brand name, the vacuum is worthless if it doesn’t clean carpets.

Fools are special creations of God. God loves them and He has a plan for them. But if the fool refuses to plug in to God’s power source and work toward His purposes, then the fool is not accomplishing the job for which he was created. He’s acting like a broken vacuum. She’s worthless until she chooses to submit to the plan for which God created her.

Fools will be ruined.

8. Proverbs 10:14 builds on this concept when it says, “The mouth of a fool brings ruin near.”

It’s not just that fools will come to ruin, they actually invite it with their corrupt communication. It’s as if they’re sending out embossed invitations for ruin to enter their lives.

We parents need to understand that our children’s general trajectory is toward destruction. They’re not sweet, good kids who are in danger of being pulled the wrong direction. They are actively running from God, glorying their foolishness, and inviting ruin into their lives. They need to be saved, not secured. They need to be rescued, not restored. They need to be delivered, not dedicated.

I’m not a fan of baby dedications at church. I love parent dedications. Those are awesome, but a baby dedication does nothing. That tiny little bundle of joy is an equal parts bundle of foolishness that needs to be redeemed from their destructive zombie life.

To better understand your children’s sin nature, please listen to episode 199. It helps us have a more biblical understanding of our children — and our — state.

Okay, let’s review real quick.

1. Fools are deceived.
2. Foolishness begets more foolishness.
3. Fools earn nothing wind.
   
4. Fools don’t earn luxury.
5. Fools don’t earn honor.
6. Fools earn disgrace.
7. Fools also earn ruin. In fact . . .
8. Fools actively invite ruin into their lives.

I’ve included all the passages in our episode notes at Taking Back the Family. Be sure to check those out. 

And . . .

9. Proverbs 18:6, “A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.”

We’ve looked at this a number of times. Zombie behavior asks people to treat us like zombies. 

I tell my boys this all the time. “I’m a nice guy. If you ask me for a demerit, I will gladly give you one.”

What I’m communicating to them is that they earn consequences because they sin, not because I’m sinning by giving them consequences.

10. Proverbs 10:21 tells us that, “Fools die for lack of sense.” 

This is the most dramatic word God’s used yet. But we knew it was coming.

In zombie movies the reanimated undead must be killed again.

The same is true for humans. We’re born, and we’re destined to die physically, but we don’t have to die the second death of eternal separation from God in Hell. However, a life-long fool who says there is no God will die the worst kind of death . . . an eternal death.

And, lastly . . .

11. Proverbs 1:32, “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.”

Twice in this verse we see the final end of the fool.

Conclusion

Friends, I know that all of us would say that we don’t want this for kids. But are you working against their destruction? Are you actively working toward your child’s best interest?​

It’s easy to say we want the best for our kids and then let their devices parent them. What we do will show what we truly want and what we truly believe.

These episodes were created primarily to help us have a better and more biblical understanding of the plight of our children so that we would be shaken from our complacency.

The boys with whom I work are in no worse a predicament than your five year old. If they are unsaved or if their pursuing their own satisfaction at the expense of submission to God, your child is seriously “at-risk.”

It’s too easy to view our kids as innocent cherubs that might descend into sin if we don’t protect them. But the reality is that our kids are born into this world as zombies. They’re fools. They’re heading toward destruction. They’re not noble, they’re not moral, they’re not altruistic. 

God hasn’t called us to protect them from wickedness on the outside, we all have sin and death already inside us! He’s called us to help our children shrug off that evil as they embrace their calling in Christ.

And then, Lord willing, our children will embrace the salvation God has prepared for them. That’s the focus of our next episode, and I pray you’ll join me for that as we learn to help our zombie kids have new life in Christ.

To that end, I’ll see you next time.