Teaching Your Kids to Pray

My son, Sam, was praying the same old prayer again.

“Dear God, thank you for the wonderful, wonderful day we had today and let us have a wonderful, wonderful day tomorrow.  Thank you for all the wonderful things you made for us…”

Now I love that he prays.

I love that he thanks God for “wonderful” things.

But it was obvious that his heart wasn’t in it.

“Sam… why not pray about the things that happened today or the friends that need prayer for sickness or sadness?  Why not ask God to help you with things that you need to work on?  Maybe dig a bit deeper.  Make your time with God count!”

He looked at me and said the most profound thing. “Mom, it’s like eating new, fresh cookies.”

I waited trying to see where this possible rabbit trail was going.

He talked about how if we eat the same cookies over and over again, they get old and boring.  When this happens, we end up eating them anyway because we’ve grown used to them.

“But,” he said, “We should eat new and fresh cookies every day.” 

I sat there staring at him, because he… just… got… it!

“That’s like prayer, mom.  We should say new and fresh prayers to God so they don’t become something stale that we say everyday out of habit.” 

Wow… did that really just come out of my son’s mouth?

I wonder… What are your kid’s prayers like?

• Are they reciting the same prayers over and over again?
• Do they rush through them like they’re a chore?
• Do they pray with little passion or emotion?
• Are their prayers becoming routine and stale?

Maybe it’s time to breathe new life into their prayers.

Here are some suggestions to help your children have an exciting and fulfilling prayer life:

• Model it for them.  When you pray, show them how to do it.
• Talk about things they could cover in prayer so they’re praying about current situations (issues with friendships, sick classmates, upcoming tests, etc.)
• Change your prayer position.  Maybe start praying on your knees or holding hands.
• Find some appropriate scripture you can pray together over a situation.
• Teach your kids that talking to God throughout the day is prayer, too!
• Remind them there is nothing they can’t talk to Him about.
• In your own prayer time, ask God to establish a strong prayer life in your kids.

Let’s encourage our children to give God new and fresh cookies every day.

†††

REALITY CHECK:  Help establish your children’s prayer life. Teach them how to pray, when to pray and why to pray.

©2012 careyscotttalks.com

Today devotional taken from my book “Raising Godly Kids.”  Buy on Amazon today!

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Game On: Battling For Your Kids

Ah friends, my heart is heavy today!

Can I just mention how hard parenting is?  It is hands-down the most difficult job I’ve ever had.  The complexity of it humbles me beyond belief.

Our kids battle the negative, performance-based messages of this world everyday.  Even if you’re a “church” family and your kids are in a loving environment, they are bombarded by intense unholiness at every turn.

It’s relentless.

The result can be discouragement.  Their tender hearts hurt and they struggle to know what to do with all those emotions.

Unfortunately, there are no quick, easy fixes.  Oh, how I wish there were!

The bottom line is that the Enemy hates our children because he knows God loves them so dearly.  And since he can’t get to God, the Devil goes for the next best thing… God’s precious children.

Game on.

Stand up and say no!  When the Enemy starts to battle for your kids, don’t you dare be complacent thinking it will all work itself out.  You’d be crazy to leave it to chance.  As moms, we need to be intentional!

• Pray for them every day (you may be the only one who does).
  
• Speak life and truth into their hearts.
• Intercede for them in prayer throughout the day.
• Be available.
• Spend time pouring to them.

When we do these things, we send a message to our children that they hold great value.  We also send a message to the Enemy that his plan will eventually fail – miserably.

Rather than spend time worrying or freaking out… instead of spiraling into ineffectiveness… We need to armor up for battle.

And did you realize we have a very dangerous weapon in our arsenal?  It’s called prayer.

Philippians 4:6-7 says “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Message)

Simply stated, we need to change our worries to prayers.

And when we do that, God will settle our hearts.  He will calm us with the understanding that He’s got this battle in His view.

• We can take a deep breath knowing God is fully engaged in the situation.
• Our perspective changes from worldly fears to heavenly protection.
• We realize our strength because of Him.

Sisters, we can have hope when our kids are being targeted by the Enemy.  We have the power through Christ to stand up and battle for them through prayer.  When we ask, Divine help is available.

Father I lift up our children to you, especially those who are struggling with life.  I know you love them dearly and so I ask that you help us love them even better.  Reveal to us the causes of their pain and give us an insider’s perspective to what they need from us.  Father I pray that no weapon formed against them shall prosper and that you continue the good work you predestined for them before the creation of the world.  I thank you in advance for the victory in battle and for your faithfulness.  Amen.

Your children need you!  It’s time to get your game on.

Now mom, go get on the battlefield.

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

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