If you are a Christian, you’ve heard the commands of God throughout the Bible countless times—obey them. If you are not, welcome to the word of God. It will save your life. The following passage from the Bible is the basis of successful life for all mankind. Anyone who obeys these commands lives in the peace of God and His rewards. That is the basis on which Christians must raise their children for the continued blessings of God on the children:
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).
The Bible says: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).
There is no better way to raise a child than the way of the Bible. The Bible is the truth of God and it is trustworthy. The best way to train a child is through love. A child that knows that he/she is loved by the parent does all he/she could to avoid disappointing the parent.
The Bible says about love: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”(1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”(1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”(1 Corinthians 13:8-12).
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Jesus Christ told us: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”(Matthew 6:5-8).
Pray always. Pray in the good times and pray in the bad times. Do not let the weight of your problems crush you. The Bible reminds you:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.“(James 1:2-8).
“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.”(James 1:9-11).
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”(James 1:12).
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”(James 1:13-15).
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”(James 1:16-18).
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”(James 1:19-21).
It is getting increasingly difficult to keep the children out of trouble these days because the children are constantly being bombarded with too many distractions. Our increasing economic pressures to make the ends meet makes it necessary for parents to spend longer hours away from their children. Consequently, the children spend more time than necessary in the care of others, some of whom are pursuing their own personal agenda. Our world has become more secular than ever and most things God are prohibited in the public spheres.
Public education embraces everything that is opposed to traditional Christianity, and spends money and other resources promoting them in the name of religious tolerance and equality. If what these educational systems teach the children is left unmonitored by you as a parent, you are raising a child you do not even know, since children are uninterested in having conversations about a lot of these issues with their parents, unless you compel then to.
Introduce your child to the Bible and God early in life. Have Bible discussion with your children at home—do not leave your child’s spirituality to the Sunday school teachers alone. Reinforce what your child learns from the Christian teachers. Always provide answers to their questions and encourage them to ask more questions. Bring up events in the news and talk about them from the standpoint of the gospel so that your children will learn the rights ways to respond to similar situations that they may be confronted in your absence.
Ask your children about the things they are taught in school every day and take interest in everything they are learning. Do not allow tiredness to prevent you from responding to their spiritual needs. The time you invest in their spirituality now would bring tremendous amount of peace of mind in their teenage and young adult years. If you fail to spend enough time with them on their spirituality, there are so many people out there who cannot wait to move in and pollute their minds. Your children’s spirituality is your best investment for the future and that should be placed above everything else.
Make your children trust you by becoming a living example in everything you are teaching them. Do not say one thing and do the exact opposite. The Children are not stupid. They are as good a judge as anyone else. Make Jesus Christ the priority in your life. Pray regularly with your children and encourage them to pray every time they remember God.
Positively reinforce your children’s confidence in themselves and their worth. Refrain from saying negative things about your children even when they are not living up to your expectation. Most children start dying from the guilt of disappointing their parents even before they had the opportunity to confront their disappointment with their parents. Know your child so you may be able to determine the right course of action every time they are in trouble.
Consult your spirit for the right thing to do or say to a child during a difficult situation and you will always get it right. Always keep a lid over your anger no matter the provocation from the child. You are the matured person here and you are the child’s teacher. Your spirit is your connection to God and would always bring you the right solution if you connect with God and share your desire with Him. God always responds.
Do not be in a hurry to punish a child. Show the child that you care and that you still love him/her no matter what. If you always trust God and go to Him for solutions, you will see yourself always acting confidently around your children when they get into trouble; because you know that your actions would produce the right solution to the prevailing situation. And do not hesitate to let your children know the source of your strength—God. That way your children would come to trust God as much as you do, and God would make them feel His presence constantly, thereby causing them to increase their dependence on Him when they are around you and when they are away from you.