• About Us
  • Objectives
  • Colleague Testimonials
  • Video Testimonials
• Contact Us
• NGI Store
  • Books
  • DVD's & CD's
• Winning Parent
  • Schedule of Events
  • Program Summary
  • How to Register
  • Invite WP to Your City
• Become A Partner
• Parent Helps

Parenting is not for wimps. Sure, to some, parenting may come easy. But for most of us, it’s two steps forward, one step
back. Loads of resources exist on how to be a better parent … but by the time you have five minutes of spare time to read one of them, you will be retired, and it will be too late. So what can you do now?

Apply these thoughts in your daily living at home, and they can make a huge difference in how your children turn out.

1. Understand your role – Your job is not to raise kids to be popular or successful, but to follow and fulfill the divine plans set for them before they were born. Many parents miss this critical understanding.
2. God picked you to be their parent – He handpicked you to train your child. You may not feel qualified, prepared, skilled or able to do the job, but how you feel about it doesn’t change the fact that God gave you each of your kids for a reason.
3. Ask God for His help and wisdom – If parenting your kids is beyond your natural ability (and it is), then you’d better spend time finding out how God wants the job done.
4. Give your child a correct worldview – Everything in our culture screams at your kids that they are the center of the universe … but they’re not. Help them see life’s priorities and society from the perspective of the Word of God, the Bible.
5. Ask God to show you the gifts and calling He has for your child – Your child has a unique set of talents, abilities and divine destiny. Make a habit of asking God for ideas and examples of how you can draw out and emphasize the uniqueness of his personality and calling.
6. Don’t give up – Don’t lose heart when your child goes through a difficult season. Raising kids is not always neat and tidy, so don’t grow weary. Don’t judge God’s plan by what you see at a particular moment. Be willing to go the distance with your kids in prayer, belief and trust.
7. Thank God for your child – There is power in praise. Regularly praise God for your child – even when he drives you crazy. It will help your attitude and bring God’s favor. Do it publicly, specifically and often.
8. Speak positive words – Your words carry great impact, so watch out for being negative. Kids will live up (or down) to what you say about them.
9. Don’t pass on your own baggage – No matter how dysfunctional your upbringing may have been, you can break the cycle and give your kids a positive spiritual inheritance. If you are wounded, invest in your own healing so you don’t pass on your struggles to your children.
10. Show them by example what you want them to become – Be the best role model of a godly man or woman your kids will ever see. If you can’t say to your children, “Follow me,” you’ve got nothing to say!
11. Set high standards – Nobody is inspired to be average. What’s good enough for everyone else is not your measuring stick. Expect your children to live up to and into the purposes of God. Contrary to popular opinion, lowering the bar does not improve a person’s self-esteem.
12. Teach your children to rely on the Holy Spirit – Expose them to people who hear God’s voice. Send them on mission trips, take them to church, tell them different ways God speaks to you … train them to discern God’s voice. Have you led them into the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Why not? Let them see and experience signs and wonders.
13. Make them read the Bible – It should be like brushing your teeth. Do it whether you feel like it or not. Kids must get the truth of God’s Word in their hearts and minds. Be creative in your approach to reading the Word, but do it!
14. Be faithful to bless them – The things God reveals to you about your kids, speak out loud over their lives. There is a clear biblical pattern given that parents are to bless their children.
15. Teach them godly character – It’s great to live the fruit of the Spirit, but how about teaching important character traits such as diligence, initiative, resourcefulness, humility, honesty, positiveness, persistence, integrity, etc. Don’t assume your kids will learn this at school, or even in Sunday school.
16. Don’t try to change their personality – You do want to recognize the areas within their personality that aren’t as strong, and help them learn to balance them out and soften the rough edges. Focus more on their strengths.
17. Don’t compare your child to others – Don’t compare them to siblings, yourself or your neighbors’ kids. Your children should be measured only by whether they are fulfilling the destiny and plans that God has prepared for them.
18. Teach them right from wrong – We live in a society that wants to shift blame to anyone but ourselves. There is way more black and white in the world than we want to admit. Make sure your kids know what is truth and how to stand up for it. When you see injustice, talk about it openly with your children.
19. Show them consistent “tough love” – In other words, discipline your children. They will not break. They will thank you for it. Your role is to be the parent, not the buddy. Being a consistent disciplinarian is often the toughest thing for a parent to do.
20. Involve your kids in ministry – Let them do the works that Jesus did. Let them serve. Let them pray for others. Let them experience what it feels like to be used by God. Kids learn best in hands-on situations where they get to “taste and see” the goodness of God.
21. Love them like crazy! – You simply can’t love on them too much. Be liberal with your affection. God is love, and He made us in His image not only desperate to feel and receive that love, but also with the capacity to give that love away. God loves you unconditionally, and He wants you to love your children unconditionally as well.

David Welday is president of Next Generation Institute (NGI), an exciting ministry formed to help parents and churches see their young people discover God’s purpose for their lives, know His presence in their lives and experience His power flowing through their lives. For free information, go to www.nextgeninstitute.com.

In what ways have you effectively applied any of these tips?

Share Your Thoughts...

User Name Limit 75 Characters

Your Comments: Limit 2000 Characters

Type the characters found in the image below into the "Verify Code" field,
then click the 'Submit Your Comment' button to post your comment.

Verify Code: Case Sensitive

Be the first to comment on this article!