21 Days to Building a Faith Filled Family - Audio DevotionalSample

Raising Godly Children

Hello friend. It’s another day, and I’m so proud of you coming back. It’s Day 12 of our journey together.

As always before we get started, let me pray for you.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of our children. Please help us to raise them in your ways and to instill godly values in their hearts. Help us to lead by example and to be intentional about incorporating your word into their lives. May our children grow up to be righteous and faithful followers of you. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen

As we begin today, I encourage you to dedicate the next 15 minutes to Jesus. Make yourself comfortable and remove any distractions. If you’re listening to the audio, you can let my voice guide you.

In today's world, it can be challenging to raise children with values and morals that align with God's word. There are powerful negative influences all around and it's easy for our children to lose their way and fall into temptation. However, it's our responsibility to raise them to be godly and righteous as best as we can.

For many of you this topic might really resonate because you have children in the home, and you want to do everything you can to raise them right. I know this can feel like an overwhelming, if not impossible task. Take heart - there is hope.

If you don’t have children in the home, don’t check out just yet. You might be in a different season of life, whether it be before children, or your children have grown. It could be that having children hasn’t been part of the plan for you yet, even though you’ve tried and tried.

The apostle Paul speaks many times about his close relationship with Timothy. Even in 1 Timothy 1:2 Paul refers to Timothy as “my own son in the faith.” We all have children that need our influence and wisdom. Some of us have children that are born to us, but can also have children that aren’t. We see this with Paul and Timothy.

Some of these spiritual children might be nieces or nephews, grandchildren, young neighbors, employees, or even friends that are younger than you. If so, you might use this time to recognize the importance of your role in their lives. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, mentors, and coaches are all incredibly important relationships, and as we talk about raising Godly children, if you don’t have children in your home right now, I want you to think about how you can participate in the development of the young people in your life.

If you have children, or not, take a moment to reflect on what you view as important to pass on to the next generation. Do you prioritize their spiritual development, or is it something that's often overlooked? Are you intentional about incorporating God's word into their lives, or is it something you do haphazardly?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

God’s Word speaks of ways to raise righteous children. For instance, in Proverbs 22:6, we are instructed to "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Raising godly children requires intentionality and effort. I think it begins with identifying what a godly child is, and more importantly, what a godly adult is. Then you know what to begin training your child in.

When you think of a godly child, what does that mean to you?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

If you could imagine your child or children as adults, what would you want them to be like? What would their relationship with the Lord be like? What would be important to you? What would be unimportant?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

If you’re like many that we talk to, it’s the character and spiritual development of your child or children that truly matters. Yes, their behavior now is important, but it is their spiritual relationship with Christ and their character that will stay with them.

If I could encourage you to do just a few things for your children, or the children in your life, to develop their character and spiritual maturity, it would be these three.

One - Model godly behavior: Children learn by example, so it's essential to model the behavior you want to see in your children. This includes things like prayer, reading the Bible, attending church, and serving others.

Two - Incorporate God's word into your daily life: Find creative ways to incorporate God's word into your child's daily life. This could include memorizing scripture together, reading Bible stories before bed, or discussing how to apply biblical principles to everyday situations.

Three - Pray for your child: Make prayer a priority in your child's life. Pray with them and for them, asking God to guide and protect them. One of the greatest influences on a child’s faith is the experience of praying to a living God, and seeing those prayers get answered. This experience builds both your faith and their faith upon God. If you’re not praying together, you miss this wonderful opportunity.

Remember, raising godly children is a process, and it takes time and effort. But with God's help and guidance, you can raise children who love and serve Him.

I believe in you, friend. God has equipped and prepared you to have great influence in this world. Let’s begin with our families and the next generation.

Let’s Pray:

God, thank you for the next generation. Thank you for the opportunity to pour wisdom and life lessons into them. Thank you that you have blessed us with children. Help us to steward their hearts and minds well, for you, towards you. I know that you love our kids, our nieces and nephews, our cousins, and friends even more than we do. Help us to be a part of your plan to mature them, and us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

I’ll leave you with Jesus now. Take all the time you need to reflect on today.

I’ll talk to you tomorrow.