‘Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.’ Deuteronomy 11:19-21(NLT)
‘Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.’ Proverbs 4:23(NLT)
‘“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord , search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”’ Jeremiah 17:9-10(NLT)
‘You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. ‘ Matthew 12:34(NLT)
‘and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. ‘ Acts of the Apostles 17:25(NLT)
‘Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.’ Romans 12:2(NLT)
‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.’ 1 Peter 5:7(NLT)
‘For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. ‘ Hebrews 4:12(NLT)
As godly parents, we also need to know our limits. Only God can convert our children. Only God can transform them. In all of our parenting, we must aim at the heart. Our children’s hearts are the battleground of their lives. This is where they will make the most important decisions. The content of their hearts is also the problem they will face throughout their lives. The Bible tells us that everything that concerns our lives flows from our hearts. Christ reiterated that when He said in the Gospels that we speak words with our mouth, but they originate from the abundance of our hearts.
The Bible also tells us that only God knows the depths of our hearts. In other words, the only solution for the human heart is the power of God. Only God can transform us from the inside out. This transformation happens on the inside through God’s Word. Our children need to hear God’s Word and see it applied in our lives. This will transform their hearts. Even though as parents we address our children’s behavior, we need to be more concerned about their hearts. We need to keep pointing our children to the Gospel and to the Lord through our instruction and by our own example.
Our emphasis on the heart should come naturally. It should become part of our daily routine. The Old Testament says that we should discuss God’s instructions and commandments with our children when we sit at home and when we walk in the park, before we go to sleep and when we wake up in the morning. We don’t need to pretend or be legalistic about this but to demonstrate to our children that we genuinely love the Lord and practice His Word daily.
God is involved in every part of human life. He cares for us. He is there in mundane things, and He is there in the very overt spiritual things. The Scripture says that the Lord gives us life, and breath, and all things. Our very existence is His gift. We need to demonstrate this truth to our children.
from How To Be A Good Christian Parent