I want you to soak in how important it is to be the spiritual trainer in your home. But don’t take my words for it, we’ll be looking at what God says concerning the priority of training your children spiritually. If you missed the first post in this mini series, you can read it here.
Be Still to Hear Him Personally.
One of the greatest benefits of our salvation is hearing God speak to us personally. This is the idea behind sitting still and using what I call my “Thinking it Through Notebook” to record the thoughts that the Lord has for our individual families – and even each child – as we seek Him for the priorities for this school year. You can get the overview on this from yesterday’s post here.
Sitting still, with pen in hand, writing as ideas begin to come to mind.
Each Believer can have a life radically changed by being still, knowing that He is God, and hearing the voice of the Lord.
- Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
This sits in our foyer as a reminder of resting in Him.
Do You Know How to Hear God?
Consider this…
- John 10:3-5, “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”
We are the sheep. He is the great Shepherd. He says His sheep hear His voice. We hear His voice. And, He knows us by name. Woo Hoo! And He leads us. Double Woo Hoo!
The question to consider if you are not hearing is, Are you a Believer? Call upon His name. Believe in Him. Invite Him to be Your Savior. If you are a Believer, but don’t hear His voice, the question is Why not? Perhaps you’ve never known this was even possible on a personal level. Or maybe, you’re just not recognizing His voice. Get still. Commune with Him. Listen. He speaks to us in our hearts and minds.
Plan Time to be Alone.
Mark a specific date on the calendar. Plan for a couple of uninterrupted hours with just you and God. Bring along your method of recording His communication with you.
Any Dads Reading this Blog?
Husbands, your wives would LOVE for you to take the lead on this. Why not plan several uninterrupted hours or a half-day to get away. Arrange for a sitter. Or if time and budget allows, plan a weekend getaway. This time alone for you to both pray, plan together, and be on the same page will be an amazing blessing that you very well may want to make an annual tradition. A little suggestion, though…make sure you listen to the heart of your wife. This is a shared experience with input from both. Give place for each to share your thoughts and concerns on each child and ask the Lord for the supernatural discernment to have a strategy for building into the hearts of each child.
Uninterrupted, quality time is so important in a marriage.
However, moms, if this is not possible within your home, don’t be discouraged. YOU do it. You spend time alone to hear His still small voice. He will guide you.
Get a Vision of the Overall Direction for Your Family.
The Bible states the absolute importance of being intentional to teach our children. Read these verses to see that this takes place all day long. Note where I’ve bolded whose responsibility this training is.
- Deuteronomy 6:5-8 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Parenting is a very serious calling. He wants us to be intentional allllll day long. So, what’s your plan? How are you going to teach your children to love the Lord with all their heart, skills, talents, and passions? Again, what’s your game plan?
Specifically ask the Lord to reveal the vision for your family this year. Just sit still and wait for His ideas, His direction.
What Does “Spiritual Training” Look Like for Your Family?
Knowing that the number one priority is to teach our children about the Lord through Word AND deed, spend time reflecting on how you did this past year in this area. Or perhaps, you’ve never been pro-active about the spiritual investments into your family.
Maybe you’ve thought this was the role of the local church. Go back to the passage above and count the number of YOU’s.
Tomorrow, I’m sharing with you specific things you (and your spouse) can think about and discuss with the Lord. You don’t want to miss it!
Have you ever realized the importance of your role as spiritual trainer? I’d love to hear your comments.
Rhonda myfamilyisatcamp,andI’vebeenonetypingmachine ellis
THANK YOU