Do your kiddos have daily devotions? As my children grow and we experience different seasons of life, I’ve noticed how easy it is to forget certain habits- like meeting with an invisible Person.

We clearly see God’s amazing creation every day, but it takes discipline to make time for a Person we can’t see. Here’s something else to think about.

What do you want your children to remember when they become adults? What do you want them to know now that you wish you knew then? Are there certain habits you want them to tuck into their “toolboxes”?

 

 

To begin, I want them to know that our enemy is real and his goal is to throw us off-track. Because of this, we need to spend time with the God of Truth and submit our wills to Him; not the world.

The Word says to “be being filled with the Spirit” and “be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Philippians 2:12 says to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” It implies an ongoing process and requires a daily dose of God’s word hidden in our hearts to “resist the evil one” and “run the race laid before us to win” (1 Cor. 9:24)

Teaching your child to incorporate the habit of studying God’s word daily is the most powerful, wonderful gift you can give them. The Psalmist declares,

 

“Early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints for You, in a dry and thirsty land with no water.

 

 

Doesn’t this describe the world? Dry and thirsty with no water”? Don’t you feel thirsty and faint-hearted at times too? Let’s teach our children to seek Him early and to thirst for the Living Water, not the temporary pleasures of the world.

“Those who seek Him with all their hearts will find Him” (Jeremiah 29:13). Pondering this led me to write the poem to hang on my children’s walls so they could ingrain it in their beautiful hearts and minds.

 

 

 

7 Tips to Inspire Daily Devotions

 

 

1. Set the example

   • Get up early yourself. Let them see you praying, journaling, and reading your Bible (or commentary, which has helped me to understand the Bible better). Likewise, let them see that God’s presence is real in your life as you look forward to this quiet time. They will learn more by seeing you praying and reading than telling them to.

2. Provide awesome resources.

   • My younger children love this devotional book. For my teen, I bought him the New Testament commentary that I use and absolutely love. Without a doubt, I cannot imagine reading my Bible without it now. It gives so many life applications while shedding light on scriptural meaning. My kids each have a Bible, a devotional book, and a journal (where they write their prayers and keep a log of prayer requests). Check out what we use. 

3. Schedule in daily devotions.

   • Make it a priority using morning routines. Certainly, my kids wouldn’t have devotions if it wasn’t in their routine. It’s taken years of practice to accept that this is now part of their lives. We spend time with God in the morning even if we don’t feel like it. Just as Jesus has committed to us, we have committed to Him. 

4. Give them some guidance.

   • I encourage my child to start in the New Testament or Proverbs, but ultimately leave it up to them. My 6-year-old began in Proverbs and read 2 verses a day plus a page in his devotional. My teen reads a couple of pages per day in his commentary along with journaling and a daily reading in his devotional. I also suggest starting with Romans or the epistles. Once in a while, I ask them what they read and what it meant to them. Keep an eye on their progress. Be involved from a distance and without being negative or judgmental. Sometimes we need to be a little firm with them until they can see the blessing for themselves.
   • For example, my teen son was “slacking” in his devotions, hoping I wouldn’t notice. I said, “Listen, read what you want in the Bible, but I want you to read this devotional. It’s really good.” Within a few days, he was happily on track and telling me to read it. Just because your child is resistant, it doesn’t mean you can’t give a little tender, loving push. 

5. Create cozy, quiet spaces for them to study in.

   • We call it our “war rooms” where we go into battle in the spiritual places and pray. Make sure the space is free from as much distraction as possible. Organize an accessible area for their “tools” as well. Ask where they would feel most comfortable spending time with Jesus. 

6. Make devotions a normal part of family life.

   • Along with personal devotions, we have morning devotions for our homeschool lessons and pray together as a family every night. Give your kids the opportunity to practice praying aloud. I’m surprised at how often I see a Christian child embarrassed to pray a blessing over the food or pray at bedtime. Make sure your children grow up knowing how important and sacred prayer is. It blesses God when we show gratitude over our meals and nothing to be embarrassed about. At night, it’s a privilege to come before God with A.C.T.S. (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication). This acronym gives my kids a bit of a mental outline to follow. Throughout the years, I’ve seen them grow in their prayer life and move from asking God for a “good day” to “help us walk in the Spirit and love each other more selflessly.”

7. Pray for your children.

   • • Recently, praying scripture over my children became a thing for me. After all, “the Word of God is sharper and more powerful than a two-edged sword piercing deeper than marrow.” I pray that God would give my children a desire to spend time in His Word, also that He would speak to their hearts through His Word and grow their faith. 
    

 

 

Conclusion

 

Instilling the daily habit of devotions in your children’s routines will be one of the best gifts you can give them. This life is hard, you know this well, but your child doesn’t just yet. Having our Heavenly Father to lean on when life gets hard and even when it’s not, will be their strength. Show them that He is always there and available to visit with. And He wants an intimate relationship with us all. 

Schedule in a daily devotional time with Him first thing in the morning and make it a priority. Some parents have the mentality that just because it’s church or Bible time, it shouldn’t be “pushed” on them, but it’s okay to push school or work on them? If your child told you he didn’t want to work or school, would you let him not go? Probably not. Then why is going to church or spending time with God any less important when you know the blessings that come with “being under the Spout where the blessings come out?” 

I have learned that ignoring God or giving Him my leftovers has only made me miserable and affected my kids negatively. But when I consistently put Him first and looked forward to this time, not out of obligation or to check it off my list, it transformed my life both inside and out. I now have come to the conclusion that making God the center of our lives is crucial to having a blessed, joyful life. Even in the midst of heartache and struggle. 

My dear friend, I pray that something in this post has inspired your beautiful heart to teach your child the habit of daily devotions and more than that, “to delight in His law”…” early in the morning”. Remember, “be the change that you want to see” and take it day by day.