RAISING GODLY CHILDREN: FOUNDATIONS LAID IN PRAYERS

Raising Godly Children

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We do also see, however, that he is not the only one active in shaping the child' s life. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In verse 1 we see that children are to obey their parents. There is no distinction between father and mother.

This is reaffirmed in verse 2 in case we would have any doubts. Respect and honor are connected to commands and wishes. Generally we see the mother's care for the child's nurturing when small, but the father must see to it that instruction in the Lord and the whole discipline process is implemented.

The wife works with the husband to help implement his goals. The wife has special insight and ability to help the children. The good father knows this and works closely with his wife. Notice how the wife is expected to operate in the home. That they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.

The children should gain a great experience of warmth and love from their mothers. This does not mean they do not chastise. Chastisement is a sign of love. Any child that gives a mother great difficulty should be told that his father will finish speaking to him upon his return. A wife, however, dare not pass all such rebukes and instructions on to the father. Surely the father does not have the advantage of the timing and understanding of the context to get the greatest advantage in training the child. A mother should be the main expression of tender love.

She needs to remember this. Father and mother work together in harmony as one. We can understand a mother's influence even more when we read the scriptures related to a Christian mother with an unbelieving husband. In some marriages one is a Christian and one an unbeliever. Such believing mothers should not lose hope. A godly grandmother and mother raised Timothy. He became a great pastor in the early church.

For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

As long as the unbelieving husband or wife is willing to stay with the believing spouse, the believing spouse can have great impact on an otherwise lost child. We need to think beyond just the goal of the child. As we look through the scriptures we find that God does great things through families.

Children are seen as a multiplication or expansion of what the parents stand for. As Christian parents, we must reject a pure individualistic perspective and understand that God wants to perpetuate our ministry, vision, love, etc. For example, if we see that a couple is hospitable, more than likely the children will learn to be so. We can see the compassion, care and love through the parents, but we can see it through the children in the way that they imitate their parents. We do not mean that parents should force careers and positions upon their children, but that there should be a general expectation of how the Lord will be working in ones children.

This should encourage us to set up a good positive model so that our children will pass on those great things to others.

Take a look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's lives. Note how they have disharmonious marriages and how this negatively affected their children.

How To Raise A Child In A Christian Home: 10 Important Tips

We can also note on a positive side how their faith in the Lord held firm. They held onto the land and the promises of the Lord. We need to be cautious, though. Children will not only pass on the good but also the bad as they grow up. While we have time, we can confess our sins and have the Lord's strength to change. This encourages even older children that have already been affected by bad modeling.

If the parents have changed, they know they need to change also. The clearer we are on these matters, the easier it is to go forward developing this purpose and sharing it with our children. He has used us to help poor people who live near us. Let me tell you about one family. What is the Lord doing through your life as a family? What gifts do you have? How does the Lord bring His grace to others through you as parents? Although we have said it before in the seminar, we should mention it once more. We as parents are not just passing on negative admonitions.

Truly they are necessary. Our children are not to lie. But we must go beyond this and tell them what good things they are to do instead! The more we can focus on the good things, all encompassed in that one command to "love our neighbor as ourselves," the more we can instill a vision for the virtue that we want to build in our children. These positive instructions become the child' s road to walk on.

A child cannot live by ignoring these things.

They will wonder what positive things they should be doing. We should give them answers to that important question or they will look elsewhere. Let me give you an example. I told him that he was not to cry to get things that he wanted. But after that, I went on and told him what I did expect. I first got his attention to make sure he was listening. I told him that I expected him to share things with others and play nicely. This is how we ended our conversation. This is what I want him to remember.

List the positive instructions that you have given to your child in the last week. Please remember that this can only be effectively done when the child can start to understand and reason, but we can start training ourselves! Every child needs to come to know the Lord. Remember that a child should respect both God and their parents.

We can train even a non-Christian child to do this. But to love God and love others requires the power of the Gospel. Children are born with a sinful nature. They are sinners by virtue of being born to sinful parents. We parents are sinful because of our sinful parents. And it goes on and on this way until we go back to Adam. Paul summarizes it well in Romans speaking of Adam. So then as through one transgression Adam's sin there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness Jesus' righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

When Adam sinned the whole human race was contaminated. All people everywhere need to be saved. Young children need to be saved too. People do not come to a point where they become morally responsible and then need to be saved. They are born sinners as it says above. The process of salvation is the same with all people, but special care is needed for children because they respect their parents and desire to please them. This desire to please the parents is not the same as being saved. Sometimes we equate salvation with a decision.

The problem with this is that there are different parts of a decision. A decision includes the mind, will and emotions. When a child feels he needs to please his Dad or his pastor, he might say that he wants to be a Christian or nod his head to their plea to be saved. This is probably just an emotional decision. They might not be saved at all.

Instead we should look for other signs of salvation. We should first speak clearly of their fallen state and need to be saved from the wrath of God. We need to point out the child's sins to him. We do not do this accusingly but as a matter of fact. We should remind him just for that sin of lying alone he would go to hell. We are not exaggerating matters but just telling them the truth. Early on they will understand this and equate their guilt with the displeasure of God. We must not force them to say they are Christians.

This does not change their heart. We are looking for an awareness of their own sinfulness. We should see a repentant spirit about them. They should be asking questions about the Lord, heaven and hell on their own. Then we know that the Spirit of God is working. We can encourage the child to believe by saying things like, "I hope that you soon become a Christian. You wouldn't want to live without the Lord. But they know I still love them.

They hear how I pray for them to come to know Him. They know becoming a Christian is the best thing in life. I could easily convince them to say a sinner's prayer but that does not save them. They need the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin so that they would seek salvation and the cross. Unfortunately the word 'decision' has become a replacement for 'repent and believe in Christ.

Notice the power of God at work in salvation in the following verses. I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Repentance is a spiritual conviction from God that a person's sins are the most dreadful curse upon him and deserve the condemnation of God and thus seeks a way to escape from them. When our children are trained right, we see a lot of good in them. Don't think this is the same as salvation. In fact, it can lead to great deception if the parent believes it is the same. The parent will convince the child and the pastor that they are saved when they are not.

The child will have the form of a Christian but not the heart. Repentance and belief go together. The child must believe or know that Christ is their Savior. God will give them this faith. It is not the mere knowledge that Christ died on the cross for their sins but a deep confidence that this Savior indeed has saved them from their dreadful sins.

Even the best of children under conviction know they are wicked sinners deserving judgment. Which of your children are saved? Have you seen them go through this repentance and belief stages? A parent should have goals of raising godly children. We should hope that in their childhood that they come to know God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We should also expect that they have a sense of love for God and the ways of God. They should develop regular personal devotions such as reading the Bible, praying and worshiping God.

A parent could insist that the children maintain these habits. We refrain from imposing them upon our children unless they come to know the Lord. We as Christian parents do these things but prayerfully wait for God to stir their own hearts. We want to see them respond to God not to us.

They will see what to do by noticing us in our private devotion times. You will help them to have good routines so that they can learn to have regular devotions to seek God on their own. The parent should carefully listen to their children's prayers during family devotions to see if there are thanks, worship, asking for forgiveness and mission praying for the needs and salvation of others.

This is part of the instruction that a father can give. Family devotions is mandatory; personal devotions is to be something they express to the Lord on their own. Our secular society has so shaped our concepts that many Christians read the Bible as a book rather than the Word of God. They do not even know the difference. They have not learned how to listen to God through their readings of His Word. As parents eagerly seek God in His Word, they will find Him and can share those experiences with their children.

In this way, they pass down their spiritual inheritance. In summary, we should remember that a godly child is more than a virtuous child or well-trained child. A godly child has those qualities, but he also has a great affection for God, His Word and His ways. We should pray, train and seek God' s work in our child that they would love God from the heart and not only conform to His ways.

Are your children godly? What makes you think that is so? Are you praying for them regularly for this? There is no doubt that spiritual instruction stands as one of the most important aspects to parenting. How tragic that it goes as the most neglected aspect of parenting! May God give each parent grace to be faithful. May He call up fathers who will be bold in their stand to train their children in the love and ways of the Lord.

Principles & Practices of Biblical Parenting

God expects the fathers to take charge of spiritual instruction in the home. The whole family is commanded to love God with all their heart soul, mind and strength. The father' s love, obedience and zeal for the Lord will greatly impact the family. The wife assists the husband in carrying out his responsibilities. There are two ways a father must instruct his children about the Lord: Family devotions are important and necessary to train the children and inspire them in their worship of the Lord. Parents should point out to their children their need and the way of salvation but wait for God to stir their hearts unto repentance.

The parents should pray about each child' s future and pray that as a godly child they would grow to fulfill God' s purpose. Index to Godly Beginnings for the Family Or click the book to find more about purchasing! Discovering the Heart of Great Training. Learn about the first steps of discipleship! Discover the power of God's Word!

Find out where Christ leads us! We must live like Christ. Thanks for writing this. I was blessed to grow up in a home where my parents spared no effort to live the Gospel and seek direction from our Heavenly Father. A member of my congregation wrote this article: I invite you to read it.

I thought of it while reading. It goes great with this post http: It all starts with your heart. Comments Awesome words that we need to hear and apply to our lives and family! This is SO good! Thank you so much for sharing this.. I am truly blessed. God bless your family!

His Word must be on your heart. Fight lukewarmness like the plague! If your kids see you walking in reality with God daily, loving His Word, applying it to your life, and growing in the fruit of the Spirit, your love for God will be infectious.

Principles and Practices of Biblical Parenting

You come at it from every angle and in every situation. As mentioned, the Hebrews came to take verses 8 and 9 literally. This is an overflow of your own walk with God. Verse 7 assumes that you do, in fact, take the time to sit down in your house to talk with your family with the TV off!

At that time, try to read a portion of the Bible and spend a few minutes in prayer. When your children are young, keep it short and use the story parts of the Bible. As they get older, you can venture into more didactic portions, like Romans. Even though we did this for years with our kids, we still had to be diligent to keep at it. Let it go to voicemail! Be diligent to teach your children! But most of the biblical commands are aimed at fathers.

It may be a trip to the grocery store or a family outing. Those are choice opportunities to talk about how people act and how Christians are to act. Teach them how to start the day off right with the Lord. Again, your example teaches a lot. The gate points to civic or social life as another chance to talk about God. Teach your children how the Word applies to every area of their lives as you live in a godly manner before them. Dads, you should explain the great truths of salvation to your kids. God gives many negative commands, but not because He is a heavenly killjoy.

He cares for us and wants to bless us. Obedience is the way to experience His blessing. His commands are like the rules of the road. You want your kids to see both from your life and from your teaching that the Bible is a book that applies to every aspect of life. It tells us how to think and act, from the most private to the most public details of our lives.

Teach that to your kids and always be open to their questions. To raise up godly generations, love God fervently and teach your children diligently. Moses warns of the spiritual dangers that Israel will face when they settle into Canaan. These verses reveal two safeguards:. First, you become satisfied with your comfy life v. If we faced the threat of being arrested for gathering as a church, everyone here would be actively trusting in the Lord.

What are some of the idols of the peoples who surround us? What about the idol of self? You follow this idol when you use the true God for the benefits He gives. When things go well, you worship Him.

But when hard trials come along, you abandon Him. Israel treated God this way at Massah Deut. They wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt rather than trust God to provide water. How you handle trials teaches your kids a lot about God!

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