4 Practical Ways to Teach Children to Know and Love God - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 15

4 Practical Ways to Teach Your Children to Love and Know God
by Lynette Kittle

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him” - Psalm 127:3

As parents we want to teach our children to love God but how do we go about it, especially if our own parents didn’t train us, or we are new Christians and didn’t grow up in a Christian home? Below are four ways moms and dads can help train their children to love and know God.

1. We can dedicate our children to the Lord.
Whether it’s done formally at church or at home, we can give our children to God, reminding them as they grow how they belong to Him. Many parents fear the thought of surrendering their children to the Lord. However, we’re not giving up our influence when we entrust them to God but rather yielding to His will for their lives, knowing He is watching over, protecting, and leading them in life.

2. Teach them who He is.
By reading Bible stories, playing Christian DVDs and music, and teaching them Scripture from an early age on, we are planting God’s Word in their hearts. Some mothers-to-be start reading God’s Word and playing Christian music to their babies in the womb. Although some aren’t convinced unborn babies are able to be spiritually receptive before birth, consider when Mary the mother of Jesus walked into the room with baby Jesus in her womb, and how Elizabeth’s unborn baby responded. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41).

Like Elizabeth’s unborn baby responding to Jesus entering the room, we can teach our children from an early age to recognize and know who God is. Like the Bible instructs, we can, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

3. Pray for our kids.
By praying for our children and with our children, letting them hear our prayers over them, our kids will experience God answering our prayers for them. The contemporary Christian singing group made up of five brothers, the Katinas, share how before their Mom passed away, she asked God to send mothers to be like mothers to her children. Because of her prayers, the brothers have moms walk up to them after concerts, telling them how they pray for them like they are their own children.

As well, we can ask God to keep our children’s hearts tender heart towards Him, to watch over, protect, and put a guard over their hearts, remembering, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).

4. Live out our faith before our children.
Of all the ways to teach our children to love and serve God, the most powerful and influential way to accomplish this is by openly living out our faith before them. It’s important for them to see our faith at work through the ups and downs of life, the good the bad, the sad, and the happy, and to demonstrate a relationship with God that is sincere, real, and genuine.

Kids are much more likely to follow our example in what we do, than doing what we say. As well, they are quick to see if we are saying one thing and living another way. As parents, we are accountable to God in how we live our lives in front of our children.

Whether we like it or not, how we live our lives will be reflected back to us in our kids' behaviors and attitudes. If we’re not happy with what we’re seeing in our kids, we need to take time to examine ourselves, to see if there are ways we are being a less than godly influence in their lives (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Seeing us live out our faith day-to-day in real, practical ways is one of the most effective tools we have as parents is teaching our children about loving and serving God. Revelation 12:11, explains how the word of our testimony is powerful enough to triumph over the enemy, including defeating his evil plot to steal away and destroy our kids.

Our Children Need to Know
It’s vital to teach our children God’s ways and His love for them because their future depends on it. As Romans 14:12, explains, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” As God explains in Malachi 2:15, His plan for marriage includes couples raising godly offspring for His glory and purposes, and to fill the earth with people who love and know Him.

Intersecting Faith & Life:
Ask God to show you practical ways to teach your children about Him and His ways. Look for everyday situations to teach scriptural truths that reveal who God is, whether it’s while riding in the car or cooking a meal together in the kitchen.

Further Reading:
5 Ways to Lead Your Kids to Jesus

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.