Raising Spiritually Healthy Children

Raising Spiritually Healthy Kids

1. Start praying for your child’s salvation and relationship with Christ before they are born. Prayer will intervene in the spiritual realm where the enemy battles for the souls of our children!

2. Start early
Begin to tell your child that God loves them, God made the flowers and so on. I have heard parents say, “My child is too young to understand about God”. How sad! Children accept what we teach them by faith. The scripture speaks of child-like faith. This faith comes easily for them. Their innocent minds are not overcrowded with reason and doubt.

3. Be real
Our faith in Christ does not mean that life is without difficulties. Children need to see how our faith helps us handle tough times. They need to understand that having a relationship with Christ does not mean that we are immune to illness or people being mean to us.
The key – how we respond to these events teaches our children how they can deal with life.

4. Model your love for Christ
Do you love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?
Our children will not know what a true love for Christ looks like without seeing it in us.

5. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me!”
Do your children see that God is a priority in your home and in your life?
Is it understood that you and your family will be in Bible study and corporate worship every week?
Do your children see that everything in your lives center on Jesus?
Do other things in your world interfere with the things of God?
For instance, do you allow your children to miss church due to sports events or other activities?
Do you plan your church life after you plan your kid’s activities?
We allow “things” in our lives to become gods. If they are more important than God – they have become gods or idols.
Idols can be TV, an obsession with appearance, a desire to have “things”, or simply placing our own children above God.
Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not saying you can’t have a TV or fun things. I’m not saying that your kids can’t play sports or wear cute clothes. I’m not saying it’s wrong to love your children.
I am saying that in everything there should be a balance with Christ at the center.

6. Love the Word.
If you aren’t already, fall in the love with the Word of God. Teach your children the beauty of getting to know our God through His Word. If you don’t understand the importance of this, read Psalm 119.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

6. Be consistent.
In everything you do – your relationship with Christ, the discipline of your children, your marriage, your friendships – be consistent.
We should be examples of integrity – the kind of people who always keep their word.
The scripture speaks of the double-minded man being tossed back and forth by the waves. Don’t let that be you.
Know what you believe, live it, teach it to your children!