Seven Steps in Raising a Faith Child

God has placed within parents the natural ability to teach their children. As a Christian parent, we must not only teach our children about the physical necessities of life, but we must also train them up so that they will walk in faith. The Word says in Proverbs 22:6 that if we train our children properly while they are children, then when they become older, they will not depart from their instruction.

Here are seven simple steps in training your child to be a child of faith.

1. You must pray for your child.

Your prayers are more powerful concerning your children than anyone else’s. You not only have spiritual authority, but you have the natural authority of a parent.

2. You must speak the Word over your child.

Isaiah 59:21 says, "‘This is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants,’" says the LORD, "’from this time and forevermore.’"
3. Speak the promise and not the problem.

It’s tempting to speak the problem when you are dealing with children by saying things like, "When will you ever learn to . . ." Remember, there must be instruction without condemnation.
4. Encourage your child with the Word.

Isaiah 54:13 says, "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children." They must know you stand on the Word unconditionally in faith.
5. Call those things that be not as though they were.

God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. (Romans 4:17)
For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Say, "You are intelligent because you have the mind of Christ." Say, "You are strong because the joy of the Lord is your strength." Say, "You are delivered because the children of the righteous shall be delivered."
Remember, you cannot tell them they have the mind of Christ and act like they have the mind of the devil.
6. Let them see faith in you.

As you live your natural life at work and at home, walk by faith in all you do. Your children will see your character. Second Timothy tells us that faith can be transmitted from one generation to the next.
When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5)
7. Don’t give up on your child.

Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border." (Jeremiah 31:16,17)

The Heart of a Father

 

“See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for He allows us to be called His children, and we really are!…” I JOHN 3:1 NLT

The heart of a father is found in the heart of God. In order for a man to be the kind of father that his children need, a man must understand what kind of a father God is to his children. Here are four important areas to consider

:

1. Leadership
Children need leadership. A father has been called by God to instruct his child, point his child to the path of life, and show his child how to walk upon it. A father is a child’s spiritual leader. From a father’s lips, a child needs to hear wise words and wise counsel; from a father’s steps, a child needs to see the importance of wise choices and good decisions; from a father’s love, a child needs to discover his purpose, his identity, and his true worth. 

A Dad is respected because he gives his children leadership.

2. Care

Children are very needy people. Every child needs to be cared for and have his or her basic needs met. A father has been given the main responsibility of caring for and providing for his children. A man’s work is a God given way for a father to care for his family. No work is small or insignificant in the eyes of God. A man’s work is honorable and is a doorway through which a father helps to express his love and care for his children in practical ways.

A Dad is appreciated because he gives his children care.

3. Time

Every child has a need to spend time with his father. Being a father is about being together with your child to share life’s joys and God’s blessings. Every moment a father spends with his child is another opportunity for good to happen in a child’s life. A father needs to value and guard his time with his children. Time is a precious gift that a father can give his children and it will have far greater value than any material gift he could ever buy for them.

A Dad is valued because he gives his children time.

4. Himself

Even greater than a father giving his child the gift of time is when a father gives his child the gift of himself. When a father gives the gift of himself, he is saying to his child, “I am not only spending this time with you, but you have my complete attention. My eyes are upon you, my watch-care is over you, my thoughts are with you, and my love is around you. When God spoke to Abram, God gave him this precious promise, “ ‘…Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’ ” GENESIS 15:1 KJV

A Dad is loved because he gives his children the one thing they treasure most— himself.