6 Practical Tips for Raising Faith-Filled Children Today

1. Parent with the End Goal in Mind

What are we living for?

This is the most fundamental question every human being has to answer over the course of their lives. When we give our lives to Jesus, his Word gives us purpose. We are called to live in light of eternity on a mission to bring Heaven down the earth until the day God calls us home.

If we hope to raise faith-filled kids then all we do should be done with this goal in mind. How we educate our children, the kinds of activities they participate in, the media we allow in our homes, and so much more should all be guided by the idea that we want our kids to know God and make him known in their daily lives. When we make the tough decision to say yes or no to something, we need to have open conversations with our children, letting them know that Jesus is guiding our choices.

Jesus is the 'why' for everything we do.

2. Model a Faith-Filled Life

Most parenting is caught not taught. Kids are amazing in their ability to see the real us. They can't be fooled and will grow up skeptical if they see discrepancies between what we do and what we say. The most important practical thing you can do in order to pass your faith to your children is live it out. Dive deep into the Bible to truly internalize who Jesus is. Take the time to really understand what you believe so you can have real, deep conversations with your children about their questions and yours.

Connect with the Holy Spirit through prayer, worship, and study of the Word. Your children will see your dedication and relationship with the Lord, which will inspire them! You are the largest influence in their lives while they are under your roof. Don't waste your influence.

3. Protect Your Kids from Unhealthy Influences

In The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom shares this exchange with her father: "Yes," he said, "and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it."

Our job is not to shelter our kids from everything but we are here to protect them the best we can from unhealthy influences. We can carry the heavy things for them until they are old enough to manage these big loads on their own.

In our world the most dangerous place in the world for our kids is the internet. Unrestricted access to the internet via Smartphones, Smart TVs, and other devices is unwise and unsafe for our children under 18. We have to limit access to these devices, monitor what our kids are consuming online, and delay giving our kids their own phones and social media accounts. Practically, this helps protect their innocence and mental health and keeps them from being inundated with knowledge they are not ready to carry.

In every area of our kids lives we need to be mindful of the loads we are asking them to carry. It's important to guard them from people, places, and things that will overburden them with ideas they are not ready to process.

Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Antonio Guillem

 4. Grow Your Families Faith-Filled Village

Our kids watch how we live, but they also watch how those who are closest to our family live. Every family has a unique culture; we aren't going to do everything the same way, but we should find others who uphold the same values to bring into our lives. As our kids age they will lean on those parents, teachers, pastors, leaders, and friends for support more and more. Having a strong, safe, faith-filled village is so vital to growing our children up in a community that values God.

5. Teach Your Kids the Bible

Biblical literacy is on the decline. The rise of topical Bible studies, podcasts, online sermons, and more makes it so even Christian families can neglect taking time to unpack the actual Word of God. While these resources are helpful, we can't only take someone else's Word for who God is and what He said without having to study the Bible for ourselves. We live in a world where facts are easily manipulated, selfish ambition runs wild in the church, and influence is prized over character. With this reality in mind we need to be personally familiar with the scriptures.

Spend time memorizing foundational verses as a family, start a family Bible reading plan, join a Bible-based study group such as Community Bible Study or Bible Study Fellowship, and make sure your kids are in a kid's church that teaches scripture study skills. Becoming familiar with the stories that inform our faith from a young age is vital to shaping a heart that knows God. Learning the Bible is really hard, so we need to put real effort into growing this skill as a family. Remember, we can do hard things.

6. Serve Others with Love

Service may be one of the most tangible ways to show your kids what the love of God truly is. Make it a priority to serve the least of these as a family in whatever way you feel called. Some great ways to do this is through getting involved in missions work, volunteering in an at-risk local school, serving at a local nonprofit, getting involved serving at your local church, engaging with the foster care system, and more!

How can our kids believe that God loves the least of these if he's never seen us show love to anyone who does not look, live, and speak like they do? Our kids catch God's heart of love when they see it modeled, and they get to participate in this selfless service, too.

Our family has spent time stocking shelves at a local "mall" for the homeless when they were little, they have pulled weeds in community gardens, served at local schools of minorities and underprivileged kids, packed meals for hungry kids across the world, and most significantly became a more beautiful family by saying yes to foster care and adoption. We've tried different things with our kids depending on their age but every chance to serve is a chance for them to see the world in a more empathic, full, and godly way.