By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Aug.21, GNA — Bishop Dr Yaw Owusu Ansah of the Resurrection Power and Living Bread Ministries International has advised parents to make children and the youth their topmost priority.
He said any family that was not concerned about children and the youth did not have a future.
“You must be worried about their welfare. They should be your topmost priority. Even if you haven’t given birth, other people’s children should be a priority, including your younger siblings,” he said.
The Bishop gave the advice on Sunday whilst delivering a sermon in Accra.
He quoted from Daniel 1:3-4 which reads: “Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.”
The Clergyman bemoaned the rampant advertisement of alcoholic beverages, betting games, amongst others in the media targeted at children and the youth.
He said children could pick up deviant behaviours such as illicit sex, drug addiction, other evil or immoral behaviours if parents did not give them maximum attention.
“The devil’s target is the children and youth. As such, if we don’t sit up as parents and intentionally invest positive things into our wards, we will have ourselves to blame one day,” he said.
The Bishop said every child had a bright future and that, it was the responsibility of parents to shape and direct them into such a future.
He said parents could make their children a priority by investing in their health, education, dressing, and overall grooming.
“Train children to be versatile and relevant in every area and help them unearth their gifts. Help them to develop interest in many things and create the right environment to boost their overall growth.”
“First pray to identify their gifts so that you can intentionally nurture them. Train them to become honourable people who have respect for authority and earn an honest living. Teach them financial management too.”
Bishop Ansah noted that the heightened culture of insults in Ghana today was because parents and guardians had failed to groom children and the youth to respect the elderly.
He advised the youth to be circumspect in their utterances, adding that one could always speak facts without necessarily being verbally abusive.
“Let us desist from such disrespectful behaviours,” he advised.
GNA