There is such a thing called “spiritual disciplines” in the Christian faith. They are critical components of a healthy Christian life. Almost nothing of any significance in our lives is ever accomplished if these disciplines are ignored. Spiritual disciplines can be described as those behaviors that fuel our spiritual growth and enable us to become spiritually mature. Without them we stay spiritually immature and weak in our faith. If it is true for us, it is true for our children.
The first and foremost spiritual discipline is reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Word of God. It cannot be neglected. No other discipline can enable us to be strong Christians. It is the foundation. We must teach our children to read, love, and embrace the Word of God as a lamp to their feet and a light to their path at early ages.
The second most important and critical spiritual discipline for Christians is prayer. We must seriously begin teaching our young children that prayer is more than a two-sentence memorized slogan that we quote before our meals and at bed-time. In prayer kids will:
Encounter the presence of God. They will learn to hear His voice and speak out what they hear. That is called being prophetic. Thus God becomes real to them, their relationship with Him grows and deepens
Prayer is the gateway to the supernatural. Signs and wonders and miracles do not follow prayer-less Christians. As children pray they will learn to use and develop their prayer languages, i.e. speaking in tongues, which is praying mysteries to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to flow and speak through them.
As we teach them to take scriptures and embed them in their prayers, they begin to develop a much-needed biblical worldview through which they will see the world as God sees it. They will learn to love what God loves and hate what God hates.
When you look at everything that can be accomplished and experienced in prayer, not to mention God answering our prayers, WHY WOULD WE NOT TAKE PRAYER MORE SERIOUSLY IN THE DISCIPLESHIP OF CHILDREN, both in our churches, but also in the home?
To learn more, listen to my teaching on Awakening a Heart of Prayer in our Children. It’s free. http://buff.ly/2gXWOlb
