Children’s ministry as “babysitting” misses the mark! But Amy Gagnon learned children can easily make authentic connections with Jesus, and He is ready to help!
Amy is Bethel Church’s children’s minister, and in Raising Powerful Children, she explores what it means to train kids in the “way they should go” and how to establish a Kingdom culture early in life.
My guest has seen thousands
of young children experience
the tangible presence of God
and operate, children,
now,
in the gifts of the Spirit.
She says, if a child
can do this,
so can you
and your children, next.
[Applause]
SR:
I don’t know how she did this.
Amy, you’re raised Baptist.
Your grandfather
is the Baptist minister.
You love him dearly.
He’s not too receptive
to speaking in
supernatural languages,
tongues, being baptized
in the Holy Spirit.
How did this happen
to you at 18?
AG: Well, it started
when I was in college,
and the pastors in the area,
in the city, in Redding,
where I went to college just got
back from the Toronto Blessing,
and they started
having night services.
And one of the pastors, his son,
was in school with me,
and he invited a bunch of us
to go to the service.
So as we were in that service,
they’re taping these lines up
and asking people
to stand on these lines
and putting their hands out
to receive the Spirit,
the Holy Spirit.
I had never seen anything
like this ever in my life.
SR: I’m sure.
AG:
As I stood there and people
were falling down
in the presence of God,
they were laughing.
They were crying.
They were rolling around.
They’re having encounters
with the Lord.
I slipped away to the back
of the room, and I –
SR: It probably scared you.
AG: It’s what it did.
I started crying not because
I was moved by God
but because I was afraid
of what was happening.
So that’s when I called
my grandfather,
and he’s the patriarch
of the family.
When we have any questions,
he’s the one that we go
to for counsel, as well.
So I called him, and I said,
“What is this?”
And he said,
“That’s the devil.”
And that actually did not feel
right to me when he said it,
so I respectfully let him
tell me what he thought.
This was really hard, to not
agree with my grandfather.
I had to turn to the Lord
and say,
“God, I do not believe
this is the devil.”
The reason I did not believe
it was the devil was
because people were operating
in the gifts of the Spirit.
They were –
Their lives were being changed.
They were being filled
with joy, freedom.
There was a revival happening
among our students,
and I knew at that moment,
that can’t be the devil.
He comes to steal,
kill and destroy.
This has to be God,
and in that moment,
that is when the Lord started to
reveal His Holy Spirit to me.
So I started having dreams
and visions.
One night, as we were preparing
for our church service,
before the service was starting,
we’d just walk around
the room and pray
and ask God, “Hey, Lord,
what are you doing?
We invite Your presence.
We invite Your Spirit.”
And I had this open vision,
almost like a conveyor belt,
where children of all sizes,
all shades of color,
all ethnic backgrounds
were coming past me,
like, thousands of children
coming past my eyes,
and the Lord said, “This is what
I’ve called you to.
I’ve called you to
the generation of children,”
and to me it wasn’t a generation
of from this age to this age.
It was a legacy,
a legacy to transform
how the way
we connect to children,
relate to children
and teach children.
I went to school.
I didn’t know what to do,
so I decided to become
a Christian education major.
SR:
So, now, without even knowing,
you were preparing
the right way.
AG: I was. My dad just
wanted me to go to college
and get married. That’s all.
SR: Oh, speaking about
getting married –
AG: Yes.
SR: For 3 months, you started
having a recurring dream.
Tell me about that.
AG: Yes, so there was
a season of my life
where I was in an apartment,
a small apartment, and
I had a single bed,
and I was laying in my bed,
and I would wake up
every morning finding myself
smashed up against the side
of the bed to the wall,
and I remember every night
I was trying to make space
for the Lord,
for Him to lay there.
I was creating space for Him.
And in that moment,
for 3 months,
every night,
I had the exact same dream,
and the dream was, we first
started in this couple’s home,
and it was like a Bible study,
and there was somebody
playing the guitar.
But I couldn’t
see their face.
And then it transitions to,
we’re standing in a kitchen,
and we’re talking to a bunch
of people that I recognize,
but they don’t naturally
all come together
in a group setting,
so I didn’t know
how this worked.
And then later I was having
a discussion in their backyard,
and I was talking to this man.
I didn’t see his face,
but we were having
a detailed conversation.
And this would happen
for 3 months,
night after night after night.
And so when I was journaling
with the Lord
and asking Him what this was,
he said, “This is your husband.”
And 6 months later, my husband
now and I started dating,
and he told me –
We had been friends for 4 years.
He told me that he was going to
ask me to marry him in 6 months,
and I’d better
be ready to answer.
And I said, “I can’t because
the Lord showed me in a vision
who I’m going to marry,
so we have to see.”
Well, a few – Like,
a month later,
everything in the dream
started happening.
This couple had moved into town,
this older couple.
They opened their house.
When I walked into their house,
their living room was
the living room in my dream.
When we went into the kitchen,
the kitchen was their kitchen.
The people in that kitchen
were the people in my dream.
SR: Wow.
AG: And my husband
put his arm around me.
He was leading worship,
and then later we were having
a discussion in the backyard.
SR: You looking-
God shows her her future,
shows her with these recurring
dreams her husband.
They get married.
They have a family,
and her 2-year-old
is a very unusual 2-year-old.
Something started happening
supernaturally with her.
AG:
That’s right.
She and I were in her room,
and we had just
bought this house.
We were in a new neighborhood.
We weren’t familiar with things.
We were unpacking,
putting things away.
My husband was away on a camp
with some junior highers,
a spiritual emphasis camp
where they go
and they encounter the Lord.
So as we’re getting ready,
she looks at me.
My back is to the door
of the bedroom,
and she said, “Mommy, who’s
that man standing behind you.”
To be honest,
my first thought was terror.
I thought somebody
came into our home.
Somebody was invading our home.
SR: Of course.
AG: And as I turned around,
to my relief, nobody was there,
and I said, “Nobody is there.”
And she said, “Mommy,
that man right behind you.”
Again, I turned around,
and as I’m turning my head,
I really feel it was the word
of the Lord that said,
“Ask her about this man.
What does this man look like?
Who is he?”
So I turned around, and I said,
“Is that man still there?”
and she said “Yes.”
And I said, “Is He good,
or is He bad?”
She said, “He’s good, Mommy.”
And I said,
“Oh, is that an angel.”
And she said, “No, Mommy.”
I said, “No?”
She goes, “No, it’s Jesus.”
SR: Wow, that is something.
AG: She saw Jesus.
SR:
How would you like your children
to give you a report like that?
AG:
It was amazing.
And she would see angels.
She would see Jesus.
And then probably about
several months later,
she started seeing
scary demonic things.
SR: You know,
I was wondering about that.
What does a parent do
when you have a child
that can see in the invisible
world and sees evil things?
What did you do?
AG: Well, we actually
were besides ourself.
We never experienced
anything like this before,
so we definitely had to
figure out what to do quickly.
So I actually knew of a girl
that worked with me,
and I asked her –
I had heard that she had seen
things in the spiritual realm,
so I asked her,
“What do I do with my daughter?”
And she had told me the first
thing to do is believe her.
Listen to her, and believe her.
Create a safe space for her
to tell you
what she’s experiencing.
And so at that moment,
we went back to my daughter,
and I pulled
in the Holy Spirit.
I’m like, “Holy Spirit,
what do we do?”
So we started teaching her
that greater is
He who is in you than
He who is in the world,
and so when she encountered
these scary things, we said,
“Your voice and authority
gets to tell those demons
where to go,” and so we said,
“Go away in Jesus’ Name,”
and they have to flee.
They have to leave.
They have to listen to you
because God has given you
more authority
over the angels and the demons.
SR: Did she see that in
her life, that authority?
AG: It was scary.
Could you imagine being –
SR: Yeah.
AG: Like, angels come to people
in the Bible,
and the first thing angels
say is, “Do not be afraid”
because our natural reaction is,
“What is this?”
So she, of course, was operating
in a lot of fear.
Well, the Lord gave her
her helper, her sister,
who was 18 months
younger than her, and told her,
“I’ll tell them to go away.”
So every time she was afraid,
her sister was there
to stand next to her
until she actually saw
that it worked.
SR: Imagine seeing that
kind of authority at that age.
I didn’t even know there was
an invisible world at that age.
Amy, so life progresses.
You’re teaching the children
that God told you
you were going to be doing,
and tell me about the glory
that invaded your
4-year-old’s classroom.
AG: Yes, so this was
an evening service at Bethel,
and usually those services
can go for 4 to 5 hours.
We’re pressing into the presence
for God to encounter the adults,
and I always tell my team,
we are not
a second-class citizen.
We actually get
the same authority.
We get to actually experience
the same thing
that the adults experience,
and we get to do it with kids,
so it’s going to be faster.
It’s going to be easier.
And so the night was going on.
The teachers had taught
their class,
and they got to a point
where they were like,
“Should we put a video in?
Should we just put a video
in just for the kids
because it’s late?”
And one of the teachers said,
“No,”
because she remembered
my words,
“Not on my watch. We will not
put a movie in for kids.”
And so she said,
“Let’s just walk around the room
and just start praying,”
and they started walking around.
The teachers started
walking around the room
with the kids there,
just coloring and playing,
and they started speaking
in tongues asking the Lord,
“What do we do?”
And the teacher realized,
“Oh, my word,
these kids probably
have no idea what we’re doing.
They have no idea
that our language right now,
our prayer language,
is from God.”
So they used
that moment to say,
“Do you know
what’s happening right now?
Do you know what language
we’re speaking?
It’s a language that God
has given us each individually.”
So they taught that,
and the presence of God,
the Spirit of God,
fell on these kids,
and they started speaking
in their own prayer language.
They were rolling around
on the ground.
They were crying.
They were laughing.
They were filled
with the Spirit,
and parents were starting
to come to the door
just to watch these
children encounter the Lord,
and they themselves
started to get touched.
SR: Oh, I’m getting touched
just as you said that.
I’m sure you are, too.
When we return,
Amy will pray for you and
your children to encounter God.
Be right back.
[Applause]
[Music]
>> We will be right back
to “It’s Supernatural!”
[Music] >> Call now,
and get Amy Gagnon’s
must-read book,
“Raising Powerful Children,”
and Eugene Luning’s
fully illustrated
“Moments With
Jesus Encounter Bible”
for your children
or grandchildren.
This is an exclusive offer
for our “It’s Supernatural!”
Audience, yours for
a donation of $35.
Shipping and handling
is included.
Ask for offer number 9793.
You will receive
Amy Gagnon’s must-read book,
“Raising Powerful Children.”
Through this book, you will be
training your children
to walk in
the supernatural power of God.
Discover how to empower
your kids
to develop their own
powerful prayer lives.
Train your children and
grandchildren in the prophetic.
Equip your kids to minister
supernatural healing.
Create space for your children
to encounter God.
Develop your child’s love
for the Bible.
Teach your kids to decree
and declare truth
over their circumstances.
You will also receive Eugene
Luning’s fully illustrated
“Moments With
Jesus Encounter Bible”
for your children
or grandchildren.
The “Moments With
Jesus Encounter Bible”
was designed to help
your children encounter
Jesus for themselves.
Put your kids in the middle
of the action
of 20 essential stories
from the four Gospels.
The “Moments With Jesus
Encounter Bible”
introduces your kids
to the living
Jesus who knows and loves them,
illustrates
Jesus’ nature and character
as revealed in scripture,
cultivates a personal connection
with your children
and Jesus Himself presented
in a simple, beautiful format.
The “Moments
With Jesus Encounter Bible”
will help you shepherd
your kids
into a thriving,
dynamic relationship with Jesus.
AG: There are 20 stories
about the four Gospels
that bring your children
into the actual moments
that are happening
in the stories
as if they are living
in that moment with Jesus.
They’re hearing
His words.
It’s an engagement opportunity
for them to actually feel,
experience and encounter
the Lord through Scripture.
>> Don’t miss out on getting
Amy Gagnon’s must-read book,
“Raising Powerful Children,”
and Eugene Luning’s
fully illustrated
“Moments With
Jesus Encounter Bible”
for your children
or grandchildren.
This is an exclusive offer
for our “It’s Supernatural!”
audience, yours for
a donation of $35.
Shipping and handling
is included.
Ask for offer number 9793.
Call, or you can send
your check to Sid Roth,
“It’s Supernatural!,”
PO Box 39222, Charlotte,
North Carolina, 28278.
Please specify
offer number 9793,
or log onto SidRoth.org.
Call or write today.
[Music] >> We now return to
“It’s Supernatural!”
[Applause]
SR:
Amy, how important is it
to speak the words of God
over your children?
It sounds good,
but how important is that?
AG: It is very important.
This is where your children
get their identity.
This is where they get
to hear who they are.
And what you’re speaking over
them and declaring over them
is what God
has written about us,
that they are powerful,
that they have purpose,
they have a destiny,
that they have a life
to live fully free
with the Spirit of God,
so this is
an amazing opportunity
to raise powerful children.
SR: So, Amy, how do you teach
children to pray for the sick?
AG: It’s simple. Their prayers
do not need to be elaborate.
They do not need to be scripted.
These prayers are simple.
They just need to know
that our God is who He says
He is, and He’s going to do what
He says He’s going to do,
and they partner
their faith with that.
SR: I want you to talk
to parents who have said,
“I’m turning my children’s
spiritual education
over to my local church,
and that’s their job,
not my job.” Tell them.
AG: Yep.
There is a thing called
the Law of First Mention,
and this means that
what your children hear
for the very first time,
they will establish
as foundation for truth.
So if you as a parent
get to establish this
with your children,
this is the place where you
should be stewarding that.
You should be
stewarding truth, identity.
The church should be
the reinforcement.
The church is the cherry
on the top,
but home is where your children
will know how they are.
God chose you, parents,
to be their parent
whether they are
your biological child
or whether you adopted them
or whether you inherited them.
God chose you.
You were called to be the one
that speaks identity and truth
and knowledge and wisdom
and tell them about
who Jesus is.
SR: Well, you did a good job
on your children
because your daughter
– Now, tell me about the time
your daughter
prayed for a man at church
with a serious heart condition.
AG: Yes, we have four girls,
and this is our third daughter.
We were walking around church
before it was starting,
and we were talking
to couples around,
just introducing ourself
or catching up with people.
And this one couple
in particular,
we always stopped by
and catch up.
And the husband stopped me,
and I was with my girls.
It was me and my girls,
and this husband stopped
and said, “I need you to pray.
We just got a report that I have
a serious heart condition,
and I’m having a life-
threatening surgery to fix it,
and I believe
God will help me,
but I just need others
to partner with me,
to believe with me.”
So we circled around him,
and we started to pray,
and the youngest at the time,
my third daughter, she prayed,
“Jesus, I just pray you
heal his heart. Amen.”
And so we just got a report
several weeks later
from the man
that later that week,
he went to his doctor,
his cardiologist, and said,
“I want you to do another test
before the surgery.
I want you to go back,
and I want you to test
because I believe
something is different.
Something has changed.”
So they did another test,
and he has two results,
one with a serious,
damaged heart
and the other
with a perfect heart.
And the doctor said,
“I do not know what happened.
These are not the same hearts.”
And the man said, “I know.”
So he came to us, and he told us
this was the report
that he just received
from his doctor.
He had a clean bill of health,
and he said,
“I want you to know that
when your daughter prayed,
I felt something
inside of me happen.
I felt the power and
the authority when she prayed.”
SR: Your daughter –
AG: Yes.
SR: – your child
– When they have that
experiential knowledge,
they will never forget it,
never, never,
and you need this
experiential knowledge,
and those others
that are watching,
you need this experiential
knowledge.
Think for yourself.
I want you to say this prayer
and believe it
to the best of your ability
because this is the beginning
of your pathway,
whether you’re young or my age,
to have your own encounter
with God
that no one
can ever take from you.
Please repeat this prayer
out loud,
and mean it to the best
of your ability.
Dear God,
I’ve made many mistakes
for which I’m truly sorry.
I believe Your blood washes me
clean to the point that, God,
You remember my mistakes
no more: new beginning,
fresh start, clean.
Now that I am clean because of
You, Jesus, come
and live inside of me.
I make
You my Savior and my Lord.
I want to have an encounter
like a little child,
like the little children
that Amy teaches.
I’m willing to follow
You, but I need to know
You. I need to experience You.
I pray this in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
Amy, pray whatever God shows you
for the young children
watching and the children my age
watching to experience God.
AG: Yes.
Before I do,
I just want to just say
there are several of you
watching right now,
and you feel that
it’s been too late.
I’ve already raised my children.
It’s too late to start.
Or, I want my child,
but I’m barren.
I want you to know God is
doing something right now.
He is shifting things right now.
The past is not what he sees.
He sees the future.
He sees the hope,
and He sees the promise.
So I would encourage you that
there is never a time with God.
He is timeless.
He works within a time
that we cannot comprehend.
And I just want to pray
right now
for every child, every person.
What I just ask right now,
I just see
You crashing in homes, and
You’re releasing your presence.
You’re releasing your spirit.
You’re opening children’s hearts
and adults’ hearts to experience
the new levels
and depths of who you are.
It’s like a revival
is happening.
You’re breaking open hearts
right now.
You’re crashing in,
and you’re transforming minds.
You’re making things new.
There is a life. There is joy.
The joy of the Lord
will be your strength now.
There is a transfer.
The things that you’ve carried
that are heavy,
the burdens that have been hard,
God is transferring
it right now,
and He’s exchanging it for joy,
for love and of peace.
And right now, I just pray
as your children are playing,
running around,
doing homework,
getting ready for bed
or getting ready in the morning,
that God is encountering
them right now,
that they actually
are experiencing
the presence of God.
They’re hearing His voice,
and they’re hearing Him move,
and there are angelic angels
being released.
They are ushering
the presence of God
right now into your homes.
right now into your homes.
Your homes will be beacons
of light for the world to see.
Your children are going
to change this world.
We just pray this
in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.