Teaching Tuesday / Praying Children = Powerful Children

Look at that sweet doll, Janiah Melina about 3 years old. I shared her picture today because in talking about prayer I remembered something she did at 3 years old that most of us parents don't think to do.

The children were playing, and it just happened that Daniel (age 7 at the time) fell and hit his head. Now Janiah (remember she's only 3) immediately, without any prompting from anyone, laid her little three year old hands on his head and began to pray.

"Dear God, heal Daniel's head. Make it stop hurting' him. Amen!"

So simple, yet precise! She knew what to do in a time of need.

As parents, the greatest gift we can give our kids is introducing them to Jesus, but the 2nd greatest gift is to teach them to pray!

You don't do that by sitting down everyday and having devotionals with them, though that is a wonderful place to start. You instill prayer in the hearts of your children by modeling it in front of them everyday. In the New King James Version, I Thessalonians 5:17 says,

"Pray without Ceasing,"

but I love the way The Passion Translation says it.

"Make your life a prayer."

Sunday at our drive-in church, Pastor, Scott McDuffie, gave this definition of prayer:

"PRAYER is releasing the heavenly to invade the earth realm!"

I love that! To pray without ceasing means for me to have an attitude of prayer as I go through my day. If I believe my life is to be a prayer, then my life is supposed to be releasing the heavenly to invade the earth realm everywhere I go! That is Holy! It will bring Heaven to Earth! As parents, isn't that what we want in our children's lives?

To recap, I'd like to share 3 simple, practical steps you can take to raise up powerful, praying children.

1) Teach By Modeling A Prayer Life :

Deuteronomy 6:6 says (Amp), "These words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then]..."

I tell parents all the time that you can't give what you don't have. If you desire to raise prayer warriors, first you must model a life of prayer and intercession before your children. If they see you prioritizing PRAYER, they will follow your lead. I told a dad once that I knew just how much time his son would spend reading his Bible. The dad seemed to get excited and said, " Really! How much?" My reply was, "Just as much as he sees you reading yours!" The dad's reply, "Gee, thanks, Bonnie!" I must have hit an "Ouchy," but it's so true! They will copy you!

2) Teach By Talking About Prayer:

In Deuteronomy 6, God tells us how to do that. The Message Bible says it this way in verses 6-7, "Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night."

In other words you should habitually be talking about God and praying as needs arise throughout your day. You want prayer to be so normal to your children that it's like breathing; they won't even think about it. They will realize a need, and their first response will be let's invade this circumstance, this situation with Heaven - Let's PRAY! Just like Janiah, no one prompted her. She saw the need and responded by bringing the heavenly realm into Daniel's pain.

3) Teach By Example:

This is a little different than just modeling because this involves engaging your child in the praying. If you haven't heard anything I've said, parents please listen to me.

Your children need to hear you pray with them and for them!

Absolutely nothing you ever do for them will have the long lasting results that hearing you lift them up to Father's throne room in Heaven will have!

So during your family devotionals, when you tuck them in at night, before they take their tests, play their ballgames, or when a friend has let them down, pray with those blessings (your children) that God has given you. Steward their hearts well by teaching them that Someone is there for them all the time, even when you can't be. If you teach them that, Dear Parent, you will have raised Powerful Children!

#TeachingTuesday #PrayingChildrenPowerfulChildren #BeTheExample