Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, our most intimate and faithful friend, is truly the greatest thing on earth. There is nothing sweeter! Knowing Him is the best, and what we want for our children. Everything we do and say should point our kids to Jesus, so that they will ask Him into their hearts as early as possible, and grow up loving and serving Him—to His glory and their blessing!

 While we trust the teachers at church and teachers at Christian schools to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord, it is ultimately our responsibility as parents to ensure that Christ is honored and exalted in the home, and that our children understand He is the center of everything. Our kids learn the most from us. It is up to us to create a continual atmosphere of worship and understanding of God for our children, so that the teachings of others will reinforce that wisdom. The battles our kids face are greater and complex than what we faced at their age. We must do all we can to teach them offensive and defensive strategies against the one who would destroy them!

 God commands us to train up our children in His way (verse), so that they may know and serve Him to his glory and the benefit of themselves and “the world.” There are three powerful ways He tells us to do this: Pray, Praise, and Proclaim.

• PRAY. Paul says to “pray without ceasing,” and that means to be in continuous conversation with God, just as we would a good friend, just as we are with our children. We must teach our kids that they can talk to the Lord anytime, anywhere, about anything—just as we want them to be able to trust and talk to us. There are times for formal prayer, such as:

  • Upon rising. While my little one bows her head, I pray that God will keep us safe from the enemy, and bless us with a good day.

  • Before every meal, even—and especially in—restaurants. We thank Him for the food, remembering aloud that many people have none and He gives us plenty, and we ask Him to bless it to nourish us and to protect us from any harm in it.

  • Immediately if we learn of a concern, such as a loved one being ill, or my daughter bumping her knee or something. We stop right then and pray. There have been a few times I’ve asked her to pray for me because I didn’t feel very well, and I’ll never forget when she bowed her little head and prayed, “Oh, Jehovah Rapha! Please heal my mama……” How sweet to the spirit and soul!

  • Pray about everything, even the “smallest” concern—for our loving Heavenly Father is truly concerned with every detail of our lives. This was very hard for me to understand until I had my own child.

  • Pray in the Spirit, in your prayer language to God. Don’t be afraid to pray in front of your little ones! We must remember, as a singles group leader said, “We are spiritual beings having human experiences.” We are seated in Heavenly realms, and praying in the Spirit should be as “natural” as praying in English. Don’t let the enemy tell you it will scare your kids; the first time I prayed in tongues in front of my daughter, she listened intently, smiled, and said, “I like that!” She should—as young as she is, it’s probably more “natural” to her than everyday talk! She didn’t ask questions about it, she just accepted it. That’s what you want!

  • We pray daily about all concerns, and thank Him for His goodness.

  • Since before my daughter was born, I would pray over her during the day, and every night before bed. When she was born and I’d rock her, I’d pray and sing as she fell asleep. One night when my baby had just turned 3, I thought she was asleep, and rose to put her in bed. She raised her head, full of soft blond curls, and said, “Don’t stop pwayin’ Mama!” I was surprised and delighted—she HAD been listening! Although at first I didn’t know what else to pray, soon things came tumbling forth from deep in my heart, and I sobbed and cried and felt great release. I don’t know how long it lasted, but my baby was asleep during most of it—and the Lord did a great healing in me. He always knows! Children are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and we must be sensitive to God working through them!

• PRAISE

  • Praising—thanking—the Lord for His faithfulness, goodness, and mercy to us! I’ve developed the habit of thanking our Father and His angels aloud for each safe trip, as we pull in the drive. (There have been many trips that would have ended in harm to the car, to us, or both, were it not for God’s angels. And most of the time, it’s not due to my bad driving!)

  • We praise Him every time we hear good news and every time we otherwise get an answer to prayer for us, or for another.

  • I praise Him aloud in front of my little one, when I get up in the morning, thanking Him for the beautiful day—even if it’s raining.

  • We praise Him continuously as we sing along with the praise music I have playing almost every moment we are at home, and in the car! And we praise Him spontaneously in dance, and shouting, and clapping of hands—just like we do at our church--especially when we’re listening to praise and worship music. Often, we praise the Lord in dance as well as words. My daughter’s favorite stuffed animals often join us.

  • Speaking thanksgiving aloud, bragging on God and how GOOD He is, or has been to us in a certain event, is another excellent way to cultivate a continuous attitude of worship. The Lord inhabits and delights in the praise of His people.

• PROCLAIM

  • Also first thing in the mornings, I put on my spiritual armor in front of my daughter, thanking God and proclaiming aloud that it is a defense God gives us against the enemy. I also proclaim aloud each piece, and make the motions as I put it on. A few months after I started this, my baby began to tell me every morning that she’d put hers on while she was still in bed.

  • Print verses for the walls, the refrigerator, the bathroom and bedroom mirrors, etc. I print some on the “scroll” paper (you can buy it at any store that sells decorative printer paper) and post them at various places. We focus on learning at least one a week. And, when I’m talking to my daughter about anything I can relate to a Scripture, I say the Scripture and apply it to our lives.

  • I take my daughter to AWANA (“Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed,” which purposely teaches Scriptures, teamwork, and Bible concepts to children. AWANA is in Baptist churches, but many denominations have similar programs. The important thing is to get as much Scripture into the children as possible, and as early.

  • I reward my daughter with special blessings (a material gift, a special trip, etc.) for every 3 Scriptures learned. My daughter is 7, so your goal may be more Scriptures learned per blessing if the child you are teaching is older.

  • I write Scriptures in every card and book I give my daughter, for whatever occasion. I also write at least one Scripture in the cards I give and send every other person, whether it’s a thank-you or birthday or Christmas or more. I read them to my daughter before I send them. Often, I have her sign the cards and even draw a picture (she loves to draw) and that increases her interest in the cards. Sometimes, she will take the cards and read what I’ve written to me, or write in them herself. I can’t wait till she wants to write a Scripture to someone!

  • The other day at church, my daughter saw a girl slightly older whom she’d not seen before. She immediately went up and asked her if she had Jesus in her heart! Truly, “I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in truth!”

We want our children to grow up in an atmosphere of continual praying, praising, and proclaiming the Lord—after all, this earthly life is meant to prepare them for Heaven! And it is our responsibility and privilege (there is a duty!) to point our children to Christ in everything they do, everything they say. We are, after all, called to be “Christ-like ones,” to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Through books, courses, presentations, service, prayer, worship, and more, Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. Her series for girls, P.O.W.E.R. GIRL ADVENTURES, is now out (books I-V), along with LEGACY; YOUR HOLY HEALTH: VISIONS OF THE KING, and more. See the "River Rain Creative" YT channel.