1. Pray For Them - God wants us to be in prayer constantly for our families, not only for their protection, but also for their salvation, growth, wisdom, guidance and everything else in between! Even though we can't measure how much of an impact our prayers will make here on this earth, we can be sure that God hears them and will respond according to His will. So let's trust God and go to Him daily in prayer for our families!
"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
-James 5:16
"Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear."
-Isaiah 65:24
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
2. Live the Truth - It's one thing to tell your children not to lie, judge, or gossip because it makes God angry, but are you actually practicing what you preach? Actions speak louder than words and its imperative that we as woman are living out a life that aligns with scripture in front of our children and our husbands. We need to make sure we're nurturing our own relationship with the Lord before we take on the task of encouraging and helping our families grow in the Truth. Do you have a consistent time with God and His word? Are there things in your life that you know God doesn't approve of? If we are to win the hearts of our children and the respect of our husbands then we need to make sure we are consistently striving to nurture our relationship with God and grow spiritually. Read through the fruits of the spirit and grade yourself one by one on how you're doing living them out in front of your family, then take your weakest areas and commit to pray for growth.
"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
-Galatians 5:22-23
Can you even think of what a blessing it would be for your husband to "have full confidence in you" (Proverbs 31:11) to always do the right thing and raise His children for God's glory? And what a blessing to your children that they would know you love the Lord and are faithful to your relationship to Him because they've seen you live it out day by day.
3. Set Boundaries - Of course parents want to protect their children physically, but what about mentally and spiritually? It will serve them well later in life if you set boundaries in your home pertaining to magazines, television, the Internet, etc. They're young and vulnerable and the media wants to get ahold of them early, but parents need to step in and be intentional about what they allow their children to see.
Also, I think it's important to start a discussion with your husband about setting boundaries in your marriage. Ask questions like "Should we each have free reign on social media without the other persons accountability?" or "Is it appropriate for either of us to ever be alone with someone of the opposite sex outside of the family?" Each marriage is different and might come up with a different set of boundaries, but if you never talk about it and you never agree on what your both comfortable with then that could leave your marriage vulnerable and without any accountability. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry.
4. Quality Time - How can we make sure we're nurturing our relationships if we aren't getting any quality time? I know life is hectic and we have so many distractions, but it's important to have consistent moments with our loved ones without the TV blaring or our eyes glued to the computer screen. The best way to love, encourage, teach, and nurture our families is to simply spend as much time with them as possible. And by spending time with them I don't just mean physically, but also mentally. It's much easier to pour Truth into our children's hearts if we don't have to compete for their attention. My husband and I have started to try and keep the TV and computer off after dinnertime, this way the evening is free to get done what we need to and simply spend time together.
5. Speak Encouragement - Nothing can tear us down quicker or build us up faster than the tongue. The bible says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat it's fruits." -Proverbs 18:21. Wow that verse really says it all. The tongue is such a powerful tool and we as wives and mothers need to make sure we are using it for good and not evil. We need to strive to always speak words of encouragement and with a gentle tone out of love for our families. The bible also states, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1. Do we want to be stirring up anger in our own homes or turning away wrath? This is an issue that I'm currently in prayer about and I'm striving to always have a soft answer and use the power of my tongue to Glorify God. Let me tell you it's not an easy task, but through the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible. God wants us to use our tongues to love, encourage, and build one another up, not tear each other down. Let's make a commitment to glorify God with our words!
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
-1 Thessalonians 5:11
I hope God has used at least some of what I've said to encourage you or speak to your heart. Join me next week for encouragement on how to be a Financial blessing to your family!
What do you think? What are some other ways to spiritually bless your family?
Missy, great tips. Thank you. I experienced a gentle answer turning away wrath the other day. What a blessing to see scripture come into play when we obey.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up.