God’s Grace Is Sufficient – Part 2

Last week, we learned the importance of leading our children by our example and guarding our tongues by allowing God to temper our speech. This week we continue on with more ways that God will help us to raise godly children.

• Pray with and for your children.

My children and I prayed together before they went to school and then again at bedtime. Not only did I pray with them when they asked me to, but I also prayed for them constantly in my own personal prayer time. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, God would wake me up to pray for them. I would go into their bedrooms, rebuke the devourer (quietly, but purposefully), anoint each with oil, and pray God’s blessings over their lives. Sometimes, one of them would wake up, see me praying, smile, turn over, and go back to sleep.

• Find a church that believes in and demonstrates the supernatural power of God. Ask God to direct you to the right church where you will find an excellent support group, where your children will see God working, and where they can interact with other children who are being brought up to live godly lives.

• Stay involved in their lives.

I knew the parents of my sons’ friends. Even though few of them were Christians, we all had our children’s safety in mind. We exchanged phone numbers, occasionally dined together, and took turns transporting our sons. We knew where our children were at all times. If we didn’t know, we called each other.

• Don’t be afraid to parent.

As a single parent, I set boundaries around acceptable and unacceptable behavior. In spite of my prayer life and trust in God, I was sometimes challenged by my sons’ behavior and the fashions worn in our neighborhoods by the emerging gangs. Before I addressed my sons’ behavior, I prayed for wisdom, and God always gave me grace to effectively address the behavior.

As a Christian parent, I had to be vigilant in teaching my sons about God and His directives and, at the same time, nurture an intimate relationship with them. I can truly testify that because of His grace, God empowered and trained me to raise godly children, in spite of our environment, who still love to be around me. The same God who delivered and bestowed favor upon our lives is available to today’s Christian mother who, indeed, can live like those before her that fearlessly lived by the grace of God.