2 Timothy 3:14-15 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
I’ve been so burdened for some time now to write about a trend I’ve been seeing with modern day Christian parents. The truth is, parents are not teaching their children about the God of the Bible, and the world is swooping in and filling our children’s heads with lies about who God is and what the Bible says.
If you are a Christian parent, I know there is no greater desire in your heart than to see your child be saved. And if you are like me, you put a lot of pressure on yourself to see this happen! The truth is we cannot save our children. Only God alone can do that.
But what we can do is PRAY, and teach them God’s Word accurately! Here are some things we must make sure our children understand clearly:
1) Fear the Lord
We must teach our children to fear the Lord! Teach your children to fear the Lord, and to fear nothing else. You might say, I don’t want my child to be afraid of God. But that is wrong! The Bible is clear, we must all fear the Lord. This is the beginning of having children that have a real understanding of Almighty God, and of having children who are submissive to authority. Tell your children that “God is the boss.” and “Fear the Lord.” as much as possible. When they ask why, say “There is none like Him. He is strong and holy and He is the righteous judge.” Read them passages like Psalm 18 to give them an accurate picture of the Lord! We tend to only give kids the sweet and mild pictures, but that does not tell the whole story!
Proverbs 14:26 “In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.”
Proverbs 3:7 “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.”
Psalms 25:14 “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.”
There are so many verses about this!!! Here are a few: Luke 1:50, Prov 1:7, Ecc 12:13, Ps 33:8 and so many more.
2) We are ALL sinners.
As parents, we want to tell are children how wonderful, beautiful, and special they are. We want them to see themselves like we see them! But we can absolutely drive this into not telling them the truth: that they are sinners at heart. With the first tantrum they pitch, we see it. And we must be honest about it.
There is another overwhelming temptation- to make them think we are perfect. This is another lie. We must let them see our pasts, our failures, our shortcomings, and our daily failings. We must apologize to them often, because this will help them learn to ask forgiveness for themselves.
Reject the good guy/ bad guy world view that is thrust into their minds early on. Constantly reiterate that we are all sinners. Some saved by grace, some still lost in sin, but all with the same starting point and same ability of failing at any given time. Only One (Jesus Christ) is truly good.
Psalms 14:3 “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
3) This world is fallen and under a curse.
If you watch the news, this is a no-brainer. This world is evil and cursed. The curse is evident in the weather, pain, suffering, and death. This earth is not our home, heaven is our home!
So many parents try to deceive their children by hiding the world from them, creating a false perfect world for their children. But at some point, the curse inevitably will hit them. It is far better to prepare them for how to fight than to pretend that nothing bad will ever happen to them. Preparing them will help them to not question or be angry with God when suffering comes!
As Americans, we are abundantly blessed. It is also not right to let children think that this is normal life. We must teach them about other parts of the world, about hunger and homelessness and suffering, and teach them compassion. **Luke 12:48- To whom much is given, much is required.**
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned–“
Romans 8:20-23 “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”
4) Jesus is the only Way to Heaven!
Everyone is NOT going to Heaven!! All doors do not lead to Heaven!! Only those who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to Heaven! Jesus Christ is the Door, and the only Way!
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”
5) God made you, and God made everything.
God made you. This one statement fills a child with several truths. One is that they are special. Another is that they have a purpose on this earth. Most importantly, it tells them they have Someone they will have to answer to.
God made everything. This statement causes children to look around at creation and be filled with awe and wonder at the majesty, power, and goodness of God.
Joseph will still ask me these types of questions. Mom, did God make me? “Yes, Joseph, God took some of your daddy, and some of me, and used it to make you in my belly.” Mom, did God make that mountain?” “Yes, Joseph, God created the heavens and the earth.” Mom, did God make that car? “No, man made that car. And God made man.”
Psalms 139:13-14 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Hebrews 3:4 “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.”
6) We are here to serve, not to be served.
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Continuously, over and over, redirect your child to think of others and not dwell on themselves!
7) Love your enemies.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
This is a command from Jesus. Teaching your child to love and pray for those who make their lives hard will teach them how to forgive. It will help them not suffer from the pain and destruction of bitterness later in life.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Please pray for me as I try to teach these important truths to my three precious babies, and I would love to pray for you, as well!
A White Stone with a New Name 