Tips on Raising Children

"Raising a Child of God in a Godless World"

by

Georgia Beaverson

For most parents this means taking our faith seriously, signing up and wearing the uniform every second of the day – looking not to ourselves for the strength to go on, but to our Commanding Officer.  His yoke is easy.  He asks only two things of us; to do what He says and to believe that He will keep His promise.

If this total commitment seems too much to ask, we should consider the possible consequences; drug addiction, prison, lifelong loneliness and instability.

No child beats the enemy of our souls with a potato chip in one hand and a soft drink in the other.  Flabby, casual soldiers are always the first to fall.  Children ask to live in today’s world need God’s Word daily, unfailing faith that He does answer prayer and sharing with other soldiers.  Putting God first is no longer a respectable thing to do—it is absolutely necessary.

              In my own experience there are certain minimum daily requirements to raising a Christian soldier.

• One Bible verse a day.  It is a child-sized portion that can easily be served at meals.

Parents can keep a Bible on the table or purchase card-sized Scriptures from a local Christian bookstore.  Best of all is to send a child out the door each morning with a Scripture in his or her pocket.  No child should ever leave the house unarmed.  It is foolish.  It is also disobeying a command given directly by the Creator and lover of our souls.  He longs for each of His children to be safe.  Carrying God’s Word is the only way.

2.        Pray with your child each time he or she leaves the house.

A simple, one sentence prayer like: “Lord Jesus make me smart enough to tell the difference between You and Satan (right and wrong) and strong enough to always choose You.”  Another good prayer is:  “Remind me Father that You are always there and when in doubt to call on You.”

3.          Put as many decisions as possible into your child’s hands.

I like the way Pastor Charles Stanley did it with his own children.  When they wanted to do something or go somewhere he made them ask God first.  He would not give an answer until they had talked to God about it.  In the beginning he often had to tell his children he was pretty sure that they needed to talk to God again because God would never go along with what they thought He said.  If a child is not enough of a soldier to recognize God’s voice, He is not enough of a soldier to leave the house.

4.        Perhaps the most important part of raising a soldier is to make sure he is surrounded by other soldiers.

This means attending services at the citadel (church), but it also means having your children’s friends into your home is the perfect way to influence them before they influence your children.  And they will learn from being in your house what you allow and do not allow and where you stand.

I never thought that I would think of Denzel Washington and William Booth (The Founder of The Salvation Army) as brothers.  But after seeing the movie “Glory,” I realized that they both understood what being a soldier is all about.  It is about being a follower of God and leader of men.  It is about being excellent instead of average.  Children who grow up understanding this one thing will grow strong and straight, the one thing our nation and world needs most.  If your child is not a soldier, it is almost certain that he will be a casualty.  Today is the day to tighten up the ranks and get in step.

Editor’s Note:  This article was taken from The Salvation Army’s magazine The War Cry, Feb. 4, 2006, Volume 126, Number 3