As we “Parent with purpose,” we have seen that we need to Teach our children, God’s purpose, God’s Word, and to trust God. We do this so that we can teach our children to obey God according to Psalm 78:7b-8 “… Keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.” We need to help our children build their own set of convictions built on God’s Word. It is not enough for them to know the Word of God, we must teach them to apply those truths to their lives so that their obedience comes from the heart, not from an outside compulsion. When Daniel and his friends were taken out of Israel, by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, they purposed in their heart that they would sin against God. In order to make that decision, they had to first of all know what God said, and what would defile them. As young men (probably 13-16 yrs old), they had learned and embraced those truths for themselves. We can logically assume that since they did not have public schools, that those principles were instilled in them by their parents. We must determine in our hearts and minds to be an example to our children, and model the walk we desire for them. Don’t feel that you have to be perfect, but help your children understand that imperfection means that we must live at the foot of the cross every day of our lives, seeking forgiveness for our failures, and not using that forgiveness as an excuse to justify our failure. Always remember to encourage in your children the very same thing that you need to be yourself, working toward maturity not perfection. While we are teaching our children these principles, we can go far by applying them to our own mind and heart.
