Parenting by the Book
STUDY 29
Text: Proverbs 1 : 10-18
13 January 2002
Dear Parents,
EMPLOYING THE POWER OF REASONED IMAGINATION
One formidable skill that parents can learn is the power of “reasoned imagination”. This is essentially “sanctified imagination”. Reason and imagination are combined together artfully. How does this work?
1. Let us first understand the weapons of the wicked
The wicked entice the innocent to do foolish, sinful and sometimes disastrous things by means of deception. They lure the young and naïve by appealing to a number of things.
a) Power
…Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause…Proverbs 1:11
There is no question about the fact that the wicked is trying to appeal to the young men by promising “power”. What great power there is to hold another person’s life in your hands? What great power there is to just shed blood! The lure of power is very great indeed, and many young men are drawn to gangs through such appeals.
b) Sense of Belonging
“Let us all have one purse” (Proverbs 1:14). Look at the number of times the first person pronoun is used in this passage (“We,” “Let us” etc).
Young people respond easily to such invitations. The appeal to belong to a special group of friends is very powerful indeed. Peerage problems cannot be resolved by the exercise of so-called parental authority.
2. Let us learn how to employ “reasoned imagination”
How can we combat such powerful appeals? One of the ways we can combat the false and deceptive lures of the wicked is to employ the power of reasoned imagination. You would need to combine both the reason and the imagination.
a) Learn how to explode wrong patterns of thoughts
False thoughts do not bear much scrutiny. Deception cannot bear examination under the light of truth.
Do not over-react when children seem to respond positively to wrong and sinful ways. Learn how to explode the myths behind the reasoning of the wicked.
b) Learn how to reason from the Scriptures.
Consider the following examples.
My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
For their feet run to evil…
But they lie in wait for their own blood
They lurk secretly for their own lives.Proverbs 1:15,16, 18
Note the employment of both reason and imagination in these words!
Prayerfully,
Pastor Charlie