About the Guest
Tyechia Wright has over 20 years as an early learning professional, spending 16 of those years as a Christian child care owner. She has a burning desire to help parents raise children the kingdom of God can use.
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Show Notes
The Kingdom of God is like children, so try to study the qualities of a child and emulate that.
God created these children with a purpose before they were conceived, and it’s a missed opportunity when parents don’t cultivate it throughout their childhood.
- 1 Samuel 2:18 – “But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of the priest.”
- 1 Samuel 3:7-9 – ”Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.“
You see the guardian teaching Samuel how to respond to Christ. As parents, our mandate is to teach our children who God is and how to respond to Him.
Samuel was serving God before he even knew God’s voice. A child can begin to cultivate a habit of doing something before you see it manifest in their lives. In order for Eli to give Samuel the proper instructions, it meant that He had to know the characteristics of God. He had to know God for himself. As parents, we cannot teach what we do not know.
Another thing Eli did was to remove himself from the equation. He made it clear to Samuel that the conversation was happening between Samuel and God. Parents have to learn to remove themselves and allow their children to build their own relationships. Parents cannot coddle this particular relationship as it’s literally “every man for himself”.
Limitations placed on children
There’s no limit to what God can use your children to accomplish.
Be careful about the boxes you are putting your children in. Focus on committing it to prayer. In the Bible, God tells people who they are going to be. He tells the prophets their assignment(s). Teach your child to always consider first what God wants them to be. Sometimes we tell children who they are without filtering it through the Word of God.
Anchor your children in knowing God as a father. Teach your children to be obedient.
Only allow your children to be around people and influences who speak “Bible”. They need circles that will call them out when needed.
Dreams
- Simply ask your children about their dreams.
- It’s not by happenstance that you have this particular child. Pray and ask God what your children are dreaming about. Ask them to draw the things they’re seeing in their dreams.
- Pray over your children and ask God to protect them in their dreams. Teach them that they shouldn’t eat anything in their dreams. Why? Because it is an act of a covenant.
- Teach your children that their thought life can be in their control.
Praise & Worship
- Children mimic what they see, but it has to move from mimicking to true intimacy. Ask your children what the words mean to them. Be very expressive when you speak to them.
- Worship outside and point out the different things God created in nature. It allows worship to go from a practice to a way of life. Speak your child’s language so that they can understand.
- Use worship instrumentals and ask them what they are feeling or what it makes them think of God.
Spiritual Plan
A spiritual plan simply means having an aim as you’re raising your child. Start implementing habits before you get into the thick of things.
Go to God and ask about that specific child, and ask him how to raise that child.
- Have a kingdom minded-community — it may not be your family. Ask God to send you a community — people who stand ten toes down on the Bible.
- Create biblical family traditions and stick to them. Plan them ahead of time. Explain to your children why you don’t partake in certain worldly traditions.
- Declare God’s word over your children and teach them. The Word of God should flow out of your mouth in regular conversation.
- Biblical correction/discipline. You don’t have to like it, but you have to do because God knows what is good. Correct your children how God corrects you. Be gentle and kind, yet firm. Do not go on and on about what they did wrong. You don’t need to demean them and hit them so much. God corrects his children. The rod should be associated with correction, not your hands.
- Keep your children from creating idols. Cartoons, characters, and objects will replace God and they will begin to use these items in the moments where they should be relying on God. They will grow up and continue to replace God with a variety of things.
Make sure you hone in on these 4 things above all else
- Obedience
- Discipline
- The fear of God
- Be a defender of truth
What can parents implement in everyday life?
- Repent for raising God’s children your way. Get into a habit of repentance. Repent for making your children an idol.
- Establish the presence of God in your home and in your routine – read scripture, have worship music playing. Have Bible study once a week with your family. When you get out of church, ask your children what the Lord said to them about the sermon. Require your own children to have their own quiet time (around age 8 or at an age where they can read) — set time limits like 15 minutes — ask your child what they want to learn about first.
PARENT FROM THE SECRET PLACE (let God make all the decisions for you)
If you are in need of devotionals to help enrich your quiet time, please consider these!
