How do you instill faith in children? It can be difficult and time-consuming among all the ins-and-outs of daily living to teach kids the lessons that are worth knowing- lessons of the Christian faith. However Proverbs 22:6 proclaims the rewards of a parentʼs hard work during the developmental years of their childʼs life. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
For this reason, Faith-building should be incorporated into everyday activities. You donʼt need to wait for Christmas to teach about Godʼs gift to mankind. You donʼt need to wait for VBS to teach your kids about the armor of God. These things can be reviewed in the kitchen while cooking dinner.
Here are some suggestions for developing faith in young believers.
- Make sure you are right with God. Parents may become so focused on their childrenʼs spiritual walk that they forget how vital it is that their walk with God is vibrant and growing. Children watch what their parents do and if the parentsʼ actions arenʼt matching their words, their words loose strength. Have a daily quiet time with God. Confess sins. Be honest. Children are looking to their parents for a Godly example.
- Have family prayer time. This becomes a time where families can share whatʼs going on in their lives and encourage each other in prayer. Make this a priority because it not only bonds children to God, it bonds them to the parents. Parents will know all of their childʼs struggles and hopes through their honest prayer. While theyʼre young, prayers may only consist of “Dear Jesus, thanks for my crayons, I love you, Good night.” But remember that these prayer times are creating lifetime habits.
- Commit to going to a strong church every week and get involved. By establishing the importance of being involved in a local church body, parents are showing their kids how dedicated you are to your faith. Demonstrating that an strong Christian will do what it takes to work on their relationship with God gives children a good example for them to follow with their future families. Serving in a ministry is a great way to show kids what faith means. When kids see their parents serving faithfully in church, they learn how to act out their faith. Faith becomes more than just a word on a Sunday school chalk board. It becomes an action.
Donʼt lose heart, building faith in children is hard work. It takes perseverance, patience, and the ability to laugh at your mistakes. If a parent become downhearted, they need to remember that God gave them these children because He knew that they were the best person for the job. God will continue to give them the tools to shape His children and He might just teach the parents a couple lessons about faith along the way.
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