Seven Things to Pray for Your Children. Article by: Jon Bloom

Some years back a good friend shared with me seven Scripture texts that he and his wife prayed for their two daughters from the time they were infants. The girls are now grown. And it’s beautiful to see how God has (and still is) answering the faithful, specific prayers of faith-filled parents in the lives of these young, godly women.

I have frequently used these prayers when praying for my children too. And I commend them to you (see below).

But, of course, prayers are not magic spells. It’s not a matter of just saying the right things and our children will be blessed with success.

Some parents earnestly pray and their children become a gifted leaders or scholars or musicians or athletes. Others earnestly pray and their children develop a seriousdisability or disease or wander through a prodigal wilderness or just struggle more than others socially or academically or athletically. And the truth is, God is answering all these parents’ prayers, but for very different purposes.

That’s why Scriptures like John 9:1–3 are in the Bible. We must not too quickly assess God’s purposes because they can be opposite of our perceptions. God measures success differently than we do, which is why he often answers our prayers in ways we don’t expect.

So pray for your children. Jesus promises us that if we ask, seek, and knock the Father will give us good in return (Luke 11:9-13), even if the good isn't apparent for 40 years. And because Jesus regularly asked those who came to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51), we know that he wants us to be specific with our requests.

So, here are seven helpful, specific things to pray for your children:

1. That Jesus will call them and no one will hinder them from coming.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13–15)

2. That they will respond in faith to Jesus’s faithful, persistent call.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

3. That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

4. That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships, especially marriage.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?(2 Corinthians 6:14)

5. That their thoughts will be pure.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.(Philippians 4:8)

6. That their hearts will be stirred to give generously to the Lord’s work.

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord. (Exodus 35:29)

7. That when the time is right, they will GO!

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

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[Download a print-version of “7 Things to Pray for My Children”]

Recent posts from Jon Bloom:

• Failure Doesn’t Have to Be the Last Word
• Don’t Feel Qualified for Your Calling?
• Your Sin Is No Match for God’s Grace

Article: By Jon Bloom. Jon Bloom serves as author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God and has penned three books, Not by Sight (2013), Things Not Seen (2015), and Don’t Follow Your Heart (2015). He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Pam, their five children, and one naughty dog.

What are we modelling to our children?

Communication is not the ability to express yourself. Communication is not monologue. It is dialogue. We should seek to talk with our children.

Biblical Communication with Your Kids

The following material is a summary on communication from some of the chapters in Tedd Tripp’s excellent book entitled Shepherding a Child’s Heart. We highly recommend it for your reading.

Biblical discipline addresses behavior through addressing the heart. Superficial parenting that never addresses the heart produces superficial children who do not understand what makes them tick. If you address only behavior in your children, you never get to the cross of Christ. It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the gospel. The gospel is not a message about doing new things. It is a message about being a new creature.

A Biblical approach to children involves two elements that you weave together. One element is rich, full communication. The other is the rod of correction. The use of the rod preserves biblically-rooted parental authority. The emphasis on rich communication prohibits cold, tyrannical discipline.

Communication is Dialogue, Not Monologue

Communication is not the ability to express yourself. Communication is not monologue. It is dialogue. You should seek to talk with your children.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

Proverbs 18:13 He who answers before listening–that is his folly and his shame.

The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts. It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another. Unfortunately, most children learn that a “good talk” for us is a “good listen” for them.

Focus on Understanding

What is important is understanding the “why” of what has been done or said. You need to understand not just what has happened, but what is going on in your child’s heart.

If you are going to understand and help your child to understand himself, there are skills you must develop. You must learn to help your child express themselves.

Proverbs 20:5 The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

Here are some productive questions to help your child get to the “why” of their heart:

1. What were you feeling when you hit your sister?
2. What did your sister do to make you mad?
3. Help me understand how hitting her seemed to make things better.
4. What was the problem with what she was doing to you? (You need not deny the fact your child has been sinned against. Of course, he was sinned against. Let him tell you about it.)
5. In what other ways could you have responded?
6. How do you think your response reflected trust or lack of trust in God’s ability to provide for you?

There are four issues you must walk your child through: 1) the nature of temptation, 2) the possible responses to this temptation, 3) his own sinful responses, 4) the application of God’s grace.

Your child must understand what it means to repent, not just “of all my sins” in some generalized way, but of specific sins. Repentance and faith are not rites of initiation into Christianity. Repentance and faith are the way we and our children relate to God. If we fail to help our children relate to God from their heart through repentance and faith, then we have failed to teach them to relate AT ALL.

Communication in Most Families 

This is the extent of communication that occurs in most families:

1. The parent gives the child the rules.
2. When the child breaks the rules, parent finds out what happened and reannounces the rules.
3. Parent then announces the price the child will pay for breaking the rules.

Rich, Multi-faceted Biblical Communication 

Communication with your child must be diverse and richly textured. Differing conditions in the hearer require differing forms of speaking. Here are some Biblical types of communication with simple definitions:

1. Encouragement
   Communication that is designed to inspire and fill with hope and courage.
2. Correction
   Correction gives your children insight into what is wrong and what may be done to correct the problem.
3. Rebuke
   Communication that sends a sense of alarm,shock and dismay at what your child has done or said
4. Entreaty
   This is a special kind of communication that is reserved for use in cases of great import. Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me your heart... 
5. Instruction
   The process of providing a lesson, a precept, or information that will help your children to understand their world.
6. Warning
   Communication that is the equivalent of posting a sign informing motorists that a bridge is out. A warning is simply a statement that A leads to B. It is acquainting them with the sowing and reaping principle.
7. Teaching
   Teaching is causing someone to know something, imparting knowledge.
8. Listening
   This is a form of communication best accomplished with mouth shut, ears open, and brain disengaged from thinking about what you are going to say next. James 1:19 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
9. Prayer
   While prayer is not communication directly with the child, nevertheless, your prayer will communicate your faith in God to your child. Your most penetrating insights into your child will often come as they pray and in the same manner, the parent’s prayer provides insight into their heart.

Application Questions

1. When you find problems at home, do you expect to solve them with a new set of rules and punishments, or with richer forms of communication?
2. Outline how you would talk to your teen who seemed to have stolen money from you but would not admit it.
3. Of the nine types of communication mentioned, at which ones are you most proficient? At which ones are you least proficient?.

The following material is a summary on communication from some of the chapters in Tedd Tripp’s excellent book entitled Shepherding a Child’s Heart. We highly recommend it for your reading.

 Hope this resource was helpful to you! for more inquiry leave us a comment below.

 God Bless You.

 Christina.

Day 3-4 Praying Challenge

Dear brethren, how are you doing today? and how is the family? Hope you'll are doing great in all aspects    . . .O' my God!... It was a great weekend of prayers and adventure here...We had a great time praying for families and also teaching them how to pray for and with their kids...It was amazing!...We give God all the glory.

We're so excited continuing the challenge this week...Keep praying! Keep praying! Let's keep praying for our kids. 



#Prayer Point & Scriptural reading

Here's a question a parent asked me, yesterday:

How do I explain God's plan of salvation to my child?

Are you also wondering how to explain God's amazing plan for salvation to your child? 

First spend time in praying asking:

* That the Holy Spirit would prepare your child.
* That He would help you present the information clearly.
*That He would give your child understanding.
* And that He would convince your child of the truth of your words.

We recommend that you talk to each child alone, and don't rush through it. Use simple words your child will understand, and try to avoid phrases that might confuse your child, such as " invite Jesus into your heart." At the end,ask questions to make sure your child understands all that you have said.

Don't push your child to make a decision.You child's salvation is a matter between the Holy Spirit and your child.The Holy Spirit must be the one who convinces your child of his or her sins, and need for salvation.As a result,you may need to revisit this conversation with your child several times.At the right time,Holy Spirit will speak to your child.


 Keep Praying! Keep praying ! Let's keep praying for our kids.

Always remember, children do what they see us do! If a parent reads the Bible, the child will love reading the Bible. If parent love praying, the child will love praying.If a parent like studying, the child will like studying.  Children do what they see their parents do! Be a positive influence to your children.

Have blessed Week
 Christina

DAY 2 : Praying Challenge For Our Children. #Grow In Grace (Message & Prayer Point )

Grow In Grace: What does that mean?

Second Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.

We grow in grace by reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) and by praying. Those actions by themselves don't mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. Understanding and applying God's grace in our lives is important. We are not to impair it by being proud, because God says that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Him. It gives us strength and protects us. Without God's grace, His favor, we would be hopelessly lost in this world. The more grace we have and ask God for, the more mature as Christians we will be.

To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace neverincreases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.

Peter also confirms that we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus and to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. Paul said in Colossians 3:1–4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

The Scriptures contain all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and His Spirit, at least in this life. God`s desire for those He has saved is their sanctification and transformation. He wants us to become more holy like Himself. He wants to transform us into the image of His Son. The way to do this is by meditating on the Scriptures and applying their principles to our lives as we yield to the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Then we will prove 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.”
NB: Children are no more capable of pleasing God on their own than we are. Although we employ human means to aid in child-rearing, real, lasting change is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. If your child does not come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, he or she will have no power to overcome sin (Romans 3:10- 12; 8:7).

ALSO PRAY THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL USE THIS MESSAGE TO BRING MANY TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST.

NB: Please don't limit yourself on the prayer point above,pray as the Holy Spirit leads you and share with us what the Lord is saying.

Thank You All for joining the Praying Challenge and may the Lord continue to strengthen.

Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened to you." May the Lord teach you to ask seek and knock, and may you see His grace and kindness to in open and obvious ways . May you grow in the love of God and may the peace of God surround your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Christina

Day 1 Prayer point & Scripture (Praying for our children Challenge)

Day 1 Prayer point & Scripture

Hi brethren, Happy New Month & thanks for joining the praying challenge for our children.We're so blessed to connect with you.God bless you.Today our prayer point and scripture is based on #SALVATION.

The salvation of our children is priceless; their spiritual needs far outweigh their physical needs. They need our prayers—our earnest prayers with hearts aflame, both for their initial repentance  and coming to Christ by faith, and for their life of ongoing growth in faith. Matthew Henry rightly declared that it is of far more value for parents who die to leave behind a treasury of prayers for their children than it is to leave behind a treasury of silver and gold.

*Today's  scriptures  & Prayer for the praying  Challenge: April 1,2016

There is nothing automatic about salvation. There is no room for mere presumption; Christian parenting is an enterprise of faith. God’s promise gives us a solid foundation for all our prayers and for all our hopes for our children. But He also commands us to use the appointed means to obtain His good gifts. Do you pray daily for your children? Do you pray daily with your children? If not, what can you expect from the Lord? Whether they are saved or not, are you able to say, by God’s grace, that you storm the mercy seat for them with a heart aflame for their well-being and God’s glory?

Pray the above prayer today and continue to pray for them as the spirit leads you.

                                          Thanks you for joining the  prayer challenge which begins today !

               May the Lord bless you and continue to strengthen us as we continue the challenge. 

                                                                 

                                                                                 Your sister                                                                          

                                                                         Christina Ewanga