We ultimately can’t control what our children will believe – even if we’d like to. This is why the best bet would be to do everything in your power to increase the chances that they’ll live godly lives.
Five tried and true tips for raising godly kids include:
1. Know Your Children
The first step to raising godly kids is being a parent that genuinely knows their kids.
It just makes sense this way, if not anything, this will save you from pouring water into an empty basket.
A better understanding of your kids’ preferences even when it comes to religion, will go a long way in helping you mold them right.
Do they respond better to preaching or teaching, prayers, or singing psalms? You ought to know these things.
Moreover, some parents miss it by trying to force religion down their throat, so much so that they push them farther away, and the kids end up dreading godliness and all that pertains to it.
Now, in order to know the way your kids are wired, you must spend quality time with them.
Spend time with your children, study them, listen to them, and have fun with them, ultimately for the purpose of leading them in godliness.
Strategically making efforts to get to know your children better will help you more effectively lead them in God’s calling for their lives?
2. Preach The Gospel To Them
No, not routine morning devotions where all members of the family, with sleepy eyes, gather in the sitting room to chant a few songs, read the devotional, etc.
If raising Godly kids is truly what you’ve set out to do, then you have to go a bit further. Have conversations with them.
Talk about religion, salvation, and the benefits of living a godly life with your kids.
Preach the gospel to them, because if you don’t tell them, how will they know?
Yes, they might not grasp the concept immediately, but over time, you’ll see they will. It’s unwise to assume your children will hear it from church or anywhere else.
Even if this were true, it is still important that they need to hear it from you first.
3. Raise Them In The Spiritual Disciplines
If your kids grow up seeing you read the Word, give alms, pray, worship, and live what you preach, they too will subconsciously adopt these behaviours and in no time begin to manifest these godly traits.
Children learn a lot by observing us.
If you portray godliness yourself, what you’re ultimately doing is showing your kids how to become that way.
Besides, when you get closer to the Lord, the work of raising godly kids is automatically simplified for you.
Therefore, discipline biblically and with love. Seek out opportunities to praise your children’s positive actions.
Point it out when they make good choices, wise decisions, or exhibit polite manners.
And when they misbehave, correct him or her appropriately and reasonably, but never in anger.
You may also find our article on 7 Ways To Take Your Kids Around The World Without Travelling helpful
If discipline is needed, ensure that your child understands exactly what they did that requires correction.
And by all means. Be as consistent as possible and don’t keep records of wrongdoings.
4. Create ‘Spiritual Space’ In Your Home
The kinds of faith conversations you need to be having with your kids geared towards godliness are simply not going to happen in a meaningful way unless you make spiritual space for them (a dedicated time for your family to engage together in growing their understanding of and relationship with God.
And part of making ‘spiritual space in your home includes being prepared; deepening your own understanding of Christianity and godliness, and being equipped and ready to defend your beliefs.
Therefore, deepen your understanding of Christianity, and then find a way to transfer that understanding to your kids. Commit to continuing deepening your knowledge of your faith so you can guide your kids accordingly.
5. Ask Your Kids The Tough Questions They Don’t Think To Ask
If you regularly encourage your kids to ask questions about faith, you’ll have lots of great conversations.
Because a lot of questions that are important for kids to understand in preparation for the secular world are ones that might never cross their mind to ask.
For instance, most kids don’t think to ask how we know the Bible we have today says what the authors originally wrote.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t almost certainly encounter skeptics who’ll tell them the Bible is completely untrustworthy for that reason.
The same way you won’t wait for your kids to ask questions about World War II before deciding when, what, and how to teach them about it, you shouldn’t wait until they encounter challenges before addressing them.
They’ll undoubtedly hear about these topics from skeptics at one point or another, so there’s no reason they shouldn’t hear about them from you first.
Questions like:
What evidence is there for the existence of God?
Who created God?
Why would a good God allow evil and suffering?
How can a loving God send people to hell?
What are the historical facts of the resurrection story?
How can Christians believe miracles are even possible?
How do we know the Bible we have today says what the authors originally wrote?
You can have a scheduled ‘faith questions night’ to help with this.
Find more resources on parenting here.
