How do we biblically raise our young Christian children in this rapidly growing secular culture? And how do we do it well, in a way that actually produces fruit in our kids when they are older? 

In this post, I’m going to share some helpful Christian parenting tips for moms of toddlers and young children. These tips are for moms who are looking for ways to get prepared for that day when their little ones become teenagers and start asking challenging questions about their faith.

I am a mom of a toddler and an infant. My son is 3 and my daughter is 10 months. And I have to admit, I often worry about my kid’s Christian future in America. I try not to worry, but how can I not when Christianity is being attacked more than I think we’ve ever seen in this country? 

But since they are so young, it can seem like there really isn’t much I can teach them. What can I do now to start them on the right path when they are too young to understand everything (or anything at 10 months)?

Well, there are definitely some things we can do NOW, even at these young ages, to start our kids off on the right path. 

And there are things we can do NOW to start preparing ourselves for when they are older.

Some Important Biblical Parenting Principles 

So, what is a Biblical parent? I mean, the Bible doesn’t exactly have a chapter on Parenting. 

However, there are scriptures on parenting, as well as stories about both good and bad parents in the Bible whose examples we can follow (or avoid). I usually like to start by finding scriptures on any topic. So let’s take a look at what the Word says about parenting according to God’s instruction.

1. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6
2. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ~ Ephesians 6:4
3. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. ~ Colossians 3:21
4. Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. ~ Proverbs 13:24
5. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. ~ Psalm 127:3
6. Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. ~ Proverb 29:17
7. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. ~ Proverbs 1:8-9

Here are seven verses on Christian parenting, seven very important ones I might add. But there are more, not to mention the many mothers and fathers in the Bible who God used to teach us how to be good parents. 

The Bible is the ultimate book on Christian parenting tips, and although sometimes we wish there were verses that dealt with our struggles specifically, the Bible is sufficient for us as is. 

Just from these seven verses, some Biblical parenting principles we can take away are:

• Intentionally train your children
• Discipline your children
• Instruct them in the Lord’s ways
• Do not provoke them
• Love them for they are a heritage and a reward
• Both fathers and mothers are to instruct and teach
• Children are to heed their parents’ teachings

And if we dive further into scripture, we’ll find that there is actually more parenting instruction than we realize. 

Christian Parenting Tips for Moms of Young Children

I’ve been a mom now for four years (my son is almost 4). So not a super long time. But it’s been enough time to learn that time flies by, and kids pick things up quicker than you think. In the beginning, I just didn’t think it mattered to start training up my child so early, as the Bible instructs us to. I didn’t think it would stick.

However, let me tell you. My son fell in love with prayer at the age of 2 and now will remind me that it’s time to pray when I forget. He loves his prayer books and his children’s Bibles and will sing worship songs right alongside me (or try to lol). 

I was extremely surprised at how quickly he grasped these things. He may not fully understand what it all means and what it’s for, but he is involved and loving it. And that’s a great place to start.

If you’re looking for some ways to start teaching your young kids about God, here are a couple of posts that will inspire you with ideas on where to begin:

How to Teach Toddlers About God

How to Train Up a Child in a Godly Way

The tips in these posts range from monitoring what your children watch on TV to teaching them about prayer as early as possible. 

In today’s climate, it’s so important that we are diligent, even from the very beginning when we aren’t seeing much fruit for our labor. Because that time will go by at some point, and your kids will be asking all sorts of questions. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be left scratching my head all the time. I want to be a good Christian mom who takes her role very seriously as it relates to teaching my kids about God. 

Being a good Christian mom doesn’t have to be difficult. But it does mean you have to put in some work and be intentional. Here are a few posts that touch on being a good Christian mother.

How to Be a Good Christian Mother

How to Walk with God in Your Season of Motherhood

Call on God When Parenting Gets Hard

One of the best things we can do as mothers is to remember to lean into God. We can’t do it all. And I know it sometimes feels like we should. But God intentionally designed us to need him in all seasons of our lives. 

It’s natural to be worried about our kids’ spiritual futures. The world is rapidly changing, and we can’t just wrap them in bubble wrap and hide them from the evil of the world until judgment day. But, we can make intentional parenting decisions as Christian moms that guide them and make sure to partner with God. Here are a few posts if you’re worried about your child’s spiritual future, especially given how things are now.

Are You Worried About Your Kids’ Salvation?

4 Ways Apologetics Can Help You and Your Family Grow Spiritually

8 Christian Apologetics Books for Kids

Ultimately, one of the best things you can do for your toddlers at this stage is to start getting ready now. Start teaching them now, and start teaching yourself now. 

Courageous Parenting

Raising a godly child in an ungodly world can be very challenging. There is pressure all around us as parents to make certain choices for our kids. From whether or not to vaccinate, to choosing the right schools. It can be overwhelming and stressful to have to make so many important decisions for our little ones. 

As moms of toddlers, we’ve already been bombarded with a lot of decisions. And looking ahead into our kids’ future, we know there are many more decisions to be made. 

With the world becoming increasingly more hostile toward true Christianity, we should expect our parenting decisions to often look a little differently from other families. We might have to say no to some things that everyone else is saying yes to. We might have to pull our kids out of activities that leave others scratching their heads. 

As Christian mothers living in a secular parenting world, these challenges will come our way often. And we need to work on becoming courageous parents now, while our kids are still little. We need to exercise our courageous parenting muscles and start mapping out now what things we will and will not allow with our kids as they grow.

Over the few years that I’ve been a mom, I’ve noticed people automatically assume that you will make certain choices for your kids. Some things have become so normalized that they’re just not questioned. 

But as a Christian, this can and will be troublesome. It can make saying no to certain things difficult because you know you’ll get some crazy looks from family and friends. It means not participating in certain events and getting questioned and maybe even made fun of for your choice. It means standing your ground on certain convictions on behalf of your children and family, and maybe receiving backlash and pressure because of it.

But the Bible calls us to be courageous.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

And that includes being courageous parents. Our courageous choices may make us look weird in the world’s eyes at times, but it’s really God’s eyes that we should care more about. How does God want me to proceed with these decisions? That should be the first governing factor when faced with a difficult parenting decision. 

Godly parenting in the 21st century requires us to start being courageous, and exercise that courage now while our children are young so that we set them on the right track.

3 Christian Parenting Tips That Will Help You Stay Courageous

Standing for what we believe as Christian mothers can and will be challenging. The world does not always see things the way God does. The world will think the choices we make are excessive, limiting, and even oppressive. But we have to know our why and keep that at the forefront of our minds. Below are three very important parenting tips for Christian moms wanting to make more courageous parenting decisions for their kids.

• Reference the Bible on parenting decisions and use that as your starting guide
• Stay focused on your vision for your kids and family
• Surround yourself with like-minded mothers for support

Our toddlers will grow up to be grown men and women one day. Who do we hope they’ll become? It’s such a privilege to play a part in the shaping of these men and women of God. And although we should never want to control our kids, or pressure them to live life our way, we do want them to know what is right, good, and God-pleasing. If our kids see us being bold and courageous now, they will hopefully one day remember that and it will encourage them to be the same.

How to be a Good Christian Mom to a Toddler

So, we’ve talked about being a courageous parent and some positive ways we can be bold in our decisions. But what else can we do to strive to be good Christian moms to our little growing toddlers?

One thing I’ve learned with my son is not to underestimate his capacity to understand things. When they are this little, it’s easy to assume they won’t understand, and so we tend to put off teaching certain things. But as I introduce more and more concepts to my son, I am so surprised at how quickly he actually picks it up.

Toddlers love to learn. Their faces just light up when they are learning something new. In my experience, they find learning to be fun. They can quickly get bored with toys, but showing them something new and different, no matter how small, is always a win. 

So I think when it comes to being a good mom to a toddler, especially as it relates to teaching them the Word of God, one of the biggest tips is not to underestimate what they might understand. Introduce God early, teach them about Jesus early, show them the Bible early, pray with them early, and worship with them early. 

Let’s look at some more Christian parenting tips for toddlers below.

Tips for Parents of Toddlers from a Christian Toddler Mom

Here are a few more tips for parents of toddlers:

1. Don’t underestimate their capacity to learn. Don’t wait until they’re older.
2. Remember the entire day can be an opportunity to teach about God, playtime included.
3. Find ways to simplify complex Biblical concepts into basic, fun activities.
4. Introduce Biblical terms and names to them; Bible, Jesus, Angel, Prayer, etc.
5. Ask them to lead prayer, even if it’s just jibber jabber at first.
6. Buy them a kiddie Bible to familiarize them with our Biblical history. My son uses The Beginner’s Bible.
7. Read to them from an adult Bible. They don’t have to get everything for God’s living word to penetrate their heart.
8. Play them worship music; it’s so adorable when they start singing the lyrics.
9. Teach them to give thanks to God.
10. This last one is for us moms: Be sure to regularly feed yourself spiritually so that you are prepared to teach, correct, and encourage them along their Christian walk as they grow. 

Number 10 in this list is so important. It’s so easy to focus all of our energy and attention on our children, that we often neglect ourselves as moms. It’s a common challenge for mothers, and this is with all aspects so motherhood. We feed our kids first, bathe them first, make sure they’re entertained, and just are constantly looking after their well-being all around.

However, as they say, we cannot be our best selves for our families if we are neglecting ourselves. And this applies to our spiritual lives as well. And if you look at the list above, most of these things can be translated to apply to us moms as well. 

• Don’t underestimate your capacity to learn new things; Christian Apologetics, for example. Apologetics can be intimidating but is a great way to build deeper faith.
• Use your entire day as an opportunity to spend time with God. I know how difficult it can be to find “extra” time to devote to God when you have toddlers.
• Find fun ways to simplify concepts you are struggling to understand. Join a Book club or Bible study. Take a course, or make a challenge for yourself.
• Don’t neglect your Bible reading and prayer life in the name of parenting. Find the time, even if it’s not the exact same time every day. Commit to your spiritual growth.

More Helpful Tips for Christian Parents

The more we do in the beginning to prepare for when our kiddos are older, the more ready we will be when the questions begin. Here are a few other ideas you can implement now while your babies are still little to get ready for those older years.

1. Keep a journal of ready-to-go tough questions & answers.
2. Take a free course. Biblicaltraining.org has some free Apologetics courses that you can take.
3. Join a book club that focuses on topics that will excel your growth. Girl Talk Apologetics is a great group of women who meet once a week to discuss a book.
4. Listen to fruitful podcasts. Alisa Childer’s podcast is a great one. 
5. Join a community of other parents also seeking answers and ideas on how to prepare. Apologetics for Parents is a great Facebook Group led by Natasha Crain, the author of Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. I haven’t read her book yet, but it’s on my list.

In Conclusion

The challenges of parenting in the 21st century can be overwhelming. However, by using some of the tips in this post, leaning on our Christian community, and certainly relying on God’s Word, we can persevere.

And with younger kids, especially toddlers, it’s easy to let this time slip by and not utilize it to teach them about the Gospel. But we should work with our toddler’s creativity, activeness, and curiosity to really start engaging them with the Word of God.

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The spoken language is a powerful tool. It amazes me that there are so many languages in the world with the ability to convey the same message. We open our mouths and we speak words that can be understood by thousands. A voice can choreograph full sentences, give instruction and express emotions that otherwise would be difficult to understand.

The tongue gives us the power of communication. And with the right words, we can share a powerful message that can change lives.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Psalm 33:6-9

With words, God created life. He used the power of His tongue to speak forth all that’s before us. That is truly powerful! And then he tells us in Proverb 18:21 that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Huh? Say what now? That is a strong statement. 

So because we have the knowledge that the things we speak can have such a monumental impact, we all should be very selective and careful with what we allow to come out of our mouths. Especially as parents!

Aside from the simple fact that kids repeat everything (and you don’t want them repeating the wrong thing), according to God’s Word, what we say to our kids or even about our kids holds a lot of weight. If death and life are somehow impacted by my words, I need to be extremely delicate with how I use my words with anyone, especially with the babies. What we say to them now can impact them years later in ways we least expect.

What Does the Bible Say About the Power of the Tongue

What does the Bible say about the power of the tongue? Well, both Proverbs 18:31 (death and life are in the tongue) and Psalm 33:6-9 (God spoke life into existence) speak volumes without the help from any other verses. 

Language is powerful. Language is so powerful that God used words to create life. God used words to bring existence into existence; to build worlds and people and animals; to design order in the chaos. God spoke, and it was.

So, knowing this, how can we not see how careful we need to be with how we speak to one another. 

Let’s look at another verse. The Bible says:

Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:22-24

Now granted, the above scripture is more about having faith than it is about the power of words. However, if we have faith, we can use our tongue to ask, pray, and petition for some pretty incredible things from the Lord. 

However, too often we use the gift of speech to put ourselves and others down; to complain and speak negatively about ourselves and our situations. We’re all guilty of it. I know I am. I’m a natural complainer. And it takes effort not to complain and grumble about the smallest things.

But that effort is so important. Because if what comes out of our mouths is as powerful  as the Bible says, who knows how much damage we are doing to ourselves spiritually? Who knows how much negative speech impacts the spiritual world that we cannot see. And the spiritual affects the natural world around us as well.

14 Bible Verses About the Power of the Tongue

Below I have shared 14 Bible verses about the power of the tongue. These verses are God telling us just how important it is to be very careful with what we say. Let’s take a look.

1. Evil words destroy one’s friends; wise discernment rescues the godly. ~ Proverbs 11:9
2. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but hard words stir up anger. ~ Proverbs 15:1
3. Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. ~ Proverbs 15:4
4. A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook. ~ Proverbs 18:4
5. Wise speech is rarer and more valuable than gold and rubies. ~ Proverbs 20:15
6. Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.” ~  Proverbs 25:18
7. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14
8. Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! ~ Psalm 34:13
9. Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. ~ Psalm 141:3
10. Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut ~ Proverbs 10:19
11. The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. ~ Proverbs 13:3
12. The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking. ~ Proverbs 15:28
13. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. ~ Matthew 15:11
14. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ~ Ephesians 4:29

These verses on the tongue say it all. They warn us what bad-mouthing can lead to, and how speaking good things can have positive outcomes. Let’s keep these scriptures close to our hearts because we use our voices every day. And every day is an opportunity to use the power of the tongue for good or evil.

The Power of  Life and Death lies in the Tongue

As God’s word says, the power of life and death lies in the tongue. But what exactly does that mean?

Well, the words we choose to speak over ourselves and those around us impact us in real ways that I don’t think we fully understand. If God used words to bring forth life, and we are made in the image of God and have received His Holy Spirit, our words must hold some serious weight.

No, I’m not talking about in a “wave your wand, say a magical spell” and things will happen kind of way. But God has given humans some authority. He gave Adam the authority to name the animals. And told both Adam and Even to subdue and take dominion over the earth.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Genesis 1:26

He has given our spoken words some authority; a borrowed authority only God can provide.

Additionally, God’s word is called the living word. Why is it living? Because it has life, and when spoken can change things.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The right words said at the right time can encourage, edify, and influence. And the wrong word said at the wrong time can do the exact opposite. A word given at the wrong time can really hurt someone and influence them to make a wrong decision. 

I’m willing to bet that if we start using our tongues to say good things every day, we would see amazing, maybe even miraculous, things happen in our life.

The Bible says for us to meditate on what is good, pure, and true. Well, what if we take that same idea and apply it to not just our thinking, but how we speak.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

As I sit here, I’m wondering how many conversations I’ve had in my lifetime; how many opportunities I’ve been given to use my voice to speak some good. How many times my words have affected people, in small or big ways. I think about the conversations that I overhear in the supermarket or quick chats I hear in passing.

How many of those conversations did I use to complain about something or someone? How many of those conversations did I use to say something negative about a situation, or worse, make fun of someone? Did I encourage that upset friend, or did I join in and start fussing right along with her?

I think you get my point. We must do better. We are human, so we cannot be perfect. But we can be self-aware, intentional, and positive as often as possible.

I like how Tony Evans put it :

Only then, with the tongue submitted to the perfect will of God, can we hope to master this great power we have been given to bless Him and bless others with our loving and empowering words. Read more of his post here.

The Bible says in Mathew 16:19 that what we bind on earth is already bound in heaven. So the choices we make here in the natural world impact what goes on spiritually.

The choices we make based on words that have influenced us can lead us to life or death, spiritually or naturally. And the enemy is waiting for us to slip up because of our ignorance. The enemy is waiting for us to say just the thing to destroy someone’s confidence, relationship, or spiritual growth.

The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 that “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. Well, we have been given the knowledge that words have major power and influence. That’s one spiritual truth that God has revealed to us. But unfortunately, most of us do not take it seriously enough.

Let’s not give the enemy an opportunity to use our God-given tongues for the enemy’s purpose.

 How to Tame the Tongue

Given all that we’ve discussed, we can see just how crucial it is to learn how to tame the tongue. Our words can impact us in several ways. Not to mention, the enemy is constantly seeking opportunities to steal our joy, deceive us, and harm us. And by listening to what we say, the enemy can use that to strategize against us.

But, how do we tame the tongue?  Especially when the Bible says this:

But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

James 3:8

Gosh, that’s another really powerful verse. Our tongue is a restless evil, full of poison. And if no human can tame it, how can we even hope to control what we say? 

Well, we can’t do it ourselves, that’s for sure. We need help with taming our tongues. And Jesus is our answer.

The Bible tells us that with God, all things are possible. And that in our weakness, He is strong. So asking God to help us with taming our tongues is what will help us make the change.

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Mathew 19:26

If we can change our speech, even a little each day, to allow only the positive to come from our mouths, what changes would we see? If we stopped all the trash talking and profanity, and use our tongues ONLY for good, I wonder how that would change the world. 

God gave us our voices. He didn’t bless us with the ability to speak so that we’d blaspheme and use our words to harm others.

But thankfully, the work that Jesus did on the cross left us the Holy Spirit. And we can call on the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakest moments when we just want to spit out the worst things. And we can use scripture to speak against the temptation to speak evil.

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 21:23

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Teaching Kids that the Tongue is Powerful

So, how do we teach our kids about the power of the tongue, especially little kids? Well, I’m still learning a lot about being a mom, so I can’t say that I’ve started really teaching my son this yet. He is really only just now starting to string full sentences together!

However, one easy thing we can do is simply correct them when they say something wrong. Just like we correct them when they use the wrong pronoun, or mispronounce a word, we can correct them when they say something mean or a bad word.

Now, you might be thinking…duh. Of course, that’s what we should do.

But we’ve all witnessed parents who laugh at their kids when they say something bad. The child will say a curse word, and the parents think it’s funny or cute. And instead of correcting it they just laugh and even record it for all of YouTube to see! You might even be that parent.

I’m sure these parents are thinking it’s harmless. I mean, they are too young to truly understand what they are saying, right? Well, as I’ve learned, kids understand more than we think. And, habits start when they are young. If you allow them to speak a certain way now, they will think it’s okay. And laughing only reinforces their behavior.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m guilty of doing this myself on some level. My son went through a phase where he couldn’t say the word shark, his favorite animal. His SH’s sounded like F’s,  and his A’s turned into U’s. So it always sounded like he was yelling out F-bombs every time he asked for his toy shark.  

I had to keep explaining to people that he was not meaning to. But we laughed every single time! And even though this is slightly different because he wasn’t trying to say the actual curse word, even in instances like this we need to be careful. 

I know we think everything our kids do is so cute. And sometimes (depending on the situation), it’s probably harmless to chuckle a little. I mean, we don’t want to be humorless duds. But we just have to remember that the enemy is seeking any and every opportunity to lead us and our children to sin against God. 

My mom told me that when me and my siblings would say something unkind to each other as kids, she would make it a point to explain how it hurt the other person’s feelings. That’s another really great way to show our kids that our words can impact others.

So, even though our little ones will likely not understand the verse “there is power in the tongue”, we can still teach them the concept that what we say matters.

Conclusion

Words are powerful my friend. Clearly, as we’ve investigated, the Bible says there is power in the tongue. The things we say hold weight, according to God’s Word. The power of the tongue, although small, can cause great damage or bring about beautiful change. The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of what we let come out of our mouths. Let’s take that word seriously, especially as parents raising babies who listen to us daily. What we say affects them in more ways than one.

I hope you will use the power of the tongue Bible verses in this post to help remind you to be careful with how you use the gift of voice God has given you. Use the prayers to help tame your tongue, and let’s try to use our tongues for good.

Here is a wonderful sermon by Jackie Hill Perry that sums up what this post is about beautifully: Watch Your Mouth.

You might also like:

8 Ways to Carve Out Time to Spend with God

Arguments to Defend Christianity: Part One

Why Risk Your Eternity?

The post Understanding the Power of the Tongue as a Christian Mom appeared first on .

I am a mom of a toddler. My son is 2 and will be 3 in just a couple of weeks at this point. And I have to admit, I often worry about my son’s Christian future. I try not to worry, but how can I not when Christianity is coming under attack in so many ways.

And since he is so young, it can seem like there really isn’t much I can teach him right now. What can I do now to start him on the right path when he is too young to understand?

Well, there are definitely some things you can do NOW, even at this age, to start your kids off on the right path. And equally, as important, there are things you can do now to start preparing yourself for when they are older.

Christian Parenting Tips for Moms of Young Children

I’ve been a mom now for three years. So not a super long time. But it’s been enough time to learn that time flies by, and kids pick things up quicker than you think. And in the early days, I didn’t think teaching him about God and his faith so early would stick.

However, let me tell you! My son fell in love with prayer at the age of 2 and now reminds me that it’s time to pray. He loves his prayer books and will sing worship songs right alongside me (or tries to lol).

I was extremely surprised at how quickly he grasped these things. He may not fully understand what it all means and what it’s for, but he is involved and loving it. And that’s a great place to start.

So if you’re looking for some ways to start teaching your young kids about God, here are a couple of posts that will inspire you with ideas on where to begin:

How to Teach Toddlers About God

How to Train Up a Child in a Godly Way

The tips in these posts range from monitoring what your children watch on TV to teaching them about prayer as early as possible. 

In today’s climate, it’s so important that we are diligent, even from the very beginning when we aren’t seeing much fruit for our labor. Because that time will fly by, and your kids will be asking all sorts of questions soon enough. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be left scratching my head every time my kid asks me tough faith questions. I want to be a Christian mom who takes her role very seriously as it relates to teaching my kids about God.

Being a good Christian mom doesn’t have to be difficult. But it does mean you have to put in some work and be intentional. Here are a few posts that touch on being a good Christian mother.

How to Be a Good Christian Mother

How to Walk with God in Your Season of Motherhood

Call on God When Parenting Gets Hard

One of the best things we can do as mothers is to remember to lean into God. We can’t do it all. And I know it sometimes feels like we should. But God intentionally designed us to need Him in all seasons of our lives. 

It’s natural to be worried about our kids’ spiritual futures. The world is rapidly changing, and we can’t just wrap them in bubble wrap and hide them from the evil of the world until judgment day. But, we can make intentional parenting decisions that guide them and make sure to partner with God along the way. Here are a couple of posts if you’re worried about your child’s spiritual future and your ability to be a good Christian mom.

Are You Worried About Your Kids Salvation?

4 Ways Apologetics Can Help You and Your Family Grow Spiritually

8 Christian Apologetics Books for Kids

Call on God When Parenting Gets Hard

Ultimately, one of the best things you can do for your toddlers at this stage is to start getting ready now. Start teaching them now, and start teaching yourself now as well.

Courageous Parenting

There is pressure all around us as parents to make the best decisions for our kids. From whether or not to vaccinate, to choosing the right schools. It can be overwhelming and stressful to have to make so many important decisions for our little ones. 

As moms of toddlers, we’ve already been bombarded with a lot of decisions. And looking ahead into our kids’ future, we know there are many more decisions to be made.

With the world becoming increasingly more hostile to true Christianity, our parenting decisions might often look a little different to those not part of the Christian body. We might have to say no to some things that everyone else is saying yes to. We might have to pull our kids out of activities that leave others scratching their heads. 

As Christian mothers living in a secular parenting world, these challenges will come our way often. And we need to work on becoming courageous parents now, while our kids are still littles. We need to exercise our courageous parenting muscles and start mapping out now what things we will and will not allow as our kids grow.

Over the few years that I’ve been a mom, I’ve noticed that people automatically assume that you will make certain choices for your kids. Some things have become so normalized and expected that they’re just not questioned. And this can make saying no to certain things difficult because you know you’ll get some crazy looks from family and friends. It can mean not participating in certain events and getting questioned, and maybe even made fun of for your choice.

But it’s important that we stand our ground on certain convictions on behalf of our children and family, even if we receive backlash and pressure because of it.

The Bible calls us to be courageous. And that includes being courageous parents.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

Our courageous choices may make us look weird in the world’s eyes at times, but it’s really God’s eyes that we should care most about. How does God want me to proceed with these decisions? That should be the first governing factor when faced with a difficult parenting decision. 

And we need to start being courageous now, while our children are super young so that we set them on the right foot.

3 Positive Parenting Tips for Courageous Christian Moms

Standing for what we believe as Christian mothers can and will be challenging. The world does not always see things the way God does. Our choices might seem excessive, limiting, and even oppressive from a wordly perspective. But we have to know our why and keep that at the forefront of our minds.

Below are three positive parenting tips for Christian moms wanting to make more courageous parenting decisions for their kids.

• Reference the Bible on parenting decisions and use that as your guide
• Stay focused on your vision for your kids and family, not other people’s vision
• Surround yourself with likeminded mothers for support

Our toddlers will grow to be grown men and women one day. Who do we hope they’ll become? It’s such a privilege to play a part in the shaping of these men and women of God. And although we should never want to control our kids, or pressure them to live life our way, we do want them to know what is right, good, and God-pleasing. If our young tots see us being bold and courageous now, they will hopefully one day remember that and it will encourage them to be the same.

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How to be a Good Mom to a Toddler

So, we’ve talked about being a courageous parent and some positive ways we can be bold in our decisions. But what else can we do to strive to be good moms to our little growing toddlers?

One thing I’ve learned with my son, who will be 3 in just a week, is not to underestimate his capacity to understand things. When they are this little, it’s easy to assume they won’t understand, and so we tend to put off teaching certain things. But as I introduce more and more concepts to my son, I am so surprised at how quickly he actually picks it up.

Toddlers love to learn. Their faces just light up when they are learning something new. In my experience, they find learning to be fun. They can quickly get bored with toys, but showing them something new and different, no matter how small, is always a win. I let my son help me wash the dishes the other day for the first time. He was so excited and so focused. Yes, he mostly played, made a mess, and slowed down the process. However, he was learning and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

So I think when it comes to being a good mom to a toddler, especially as it relates to teaching them the Word of God, one of the biggest tips is not to underestimate what they might understand. Introduce God early, teach them about Jesus early, show them the Bible early, pray with them early, worship with them early.

Let’s look at some more Christian parenting tips for toddlers below.

Tips for Parents of Toddlers from a Christian Toddler Mom

Here are a few more tips for parents of toddlers:

1. Don’t underestimate their capacity to learn. Don’t wait until they’re older to start teaching them about God.
2. Remember the entire day can be an opportunity to teach about God, playtime included.
3. Find ways to simplify complex Biblical concepts into basic, fun activities.
4. Introduce Biblical terms and names to them; Bible, Jesus, Angel, Prayer, etc.
5. Ask them to lead prayer, even if it’s just jibber jabber at first.
6. Buy them a kiddie Bible to familiarize them with God’s stories. I use this one: The Beginner’s Bible for Little Ones.
7. Read to them from an adult Bible. They don’t have to get everything for God’s living word to penetrate their heart.
8. Play them worship music; it’s so adorable when they start singing the lyrics.
9. Teach them to give thanks to God.
10. This last one is for you mom: be sure to regularly feed yourself spiritually so that you are prepared to teach, correct, and encourage them along their Christian walk as they grow.

Quick download these 10 tips below as a FREE printable!

Number 10 in this list is so important. It’s so easy to focus all of our energy and attention on our children, that we often neglect ourselves as moms. It’s a common challenge for mothers. We feed our kids first, bathe them first, make sure they’re entertained and are constantly looking after their well-being all around.

However, as they say, we cannot be our best selves for our families if we are neglecting ourselves. And this applies to our spiritual lives as well. If you look at the list above, most of those things can be transferred to apply to us moms as well.

• Don’t underestimate your capacity to branch out and learn new things; Apologetics for example. Apologetics can be intimidating, but God wants you to grow as well. So why not try learning how to better defend your faith?
• Use your entire day as an opportunity to spend time with God and grow spiritually. It can be difficult to find “extra” time to devote to God when you have toddlers. Here is a post with some tips on how to carve out time when you don’t seem to have time.
• Find fun ways to simplify concepts you are struggling to understand. Join a Book club or Bible study (if you’re the social type.) Take a course, make a challenge for yourself.
• Don’t neglect your Bible reading and prayer life in the name of parenting. Find the time, even if it’s not the exact same time every day. Commit to your spiritual growth.

More Helpful Tips for Parents of Toddlers

The more we do in the beginning to prepare for when our kiddos are older, the more ready we will be when the questions begin. Here are a few other ideas you can implement now while your babies are still little to get ready for those older years.

1. Keep a journal of ready-to-go tough questions & answers.
2. Take a free course. Biblicaltraining.org has some free Apologetics courses that you can take.
3. Join a book club that focuses on topics that will excel your growth. Girl Talk Apologetics  is a great group of women who meet once a week to discuss an Apologetics book.
4. Listen to fruitful podcasts. Alisa Childer’s podcast is a great one. 
5. Join a community of other parents also seeking answers and ideas on how to prepare. Apologetics for Parents is a great Facebook Group for this.

Conclusion

You can probably find a ton of helpful tips for moms of toddlers online. But I wanted this post to be specific to tips that centered around growing spiritually for both mom and kids. The toddler phase is a busy and fun phase. It’s easy to let this time slip by and not utilize it to teach them about the Gospel. But we should work with our toddler’s creativity, activeness, and curiosity to really start engaging them with the Word of God.

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Life can be pretty challenging sometimes, don’t you think? There are so many life-things pulling us this way and that way. From commitments and relationships to managing a home and maintaining a job. Then all the little things in between, like remembering to take your car for maintenance every three months, or meal planning every week, or staying up to date on the latest news.

There seems to be a lot that is expected of us. A lot more than we can handle at times. And it honestly seems like most people aren’t able to juggle all that life tosses at them successfully. Some part of life always seems to be falling behind. 

And then…you become a mom. And 10,000 new responsibilities are added to your plate! Sometimes you just want to push the pause button on life and hit resume when you’ve had a chance to breathe.

This is why walking with God in the season of motherhood is so important. God can give us the peace and help we need to get through difficult parenting seasons. And yet, I don’t think enough of us truly lean on God in our season of motherhood like we could.

Additionally, what if when we sit back and actually look at all the different burdens we’ve allowed to pile up on our plate, we ask ourselves this question: What is the source of these burdens? Have we allowed the world to place burdens on us that God never intended for us to have?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Mathew 11:28 (NIV)

In this verse, Jesus tells us to come to Him. That He will give us rest. That His burden is light. Christ will lighten our load if we just lean into Him. But I’m willing to bet that instead of allowing God to ease our burdens, most of us somehow have made walking with God a burden; an extra task, an extra thing to do every day that we just don’t have time for. 

Read the Bible? With what time? 

Pray? For how long?

God gets added to the burdensome, growing list of things to do. A list of things in which God probably never asked you to do in the first place. 

Motherhood is a special season in a woman’s life. A precious and miraculous time where the God of the universe blesses her with a little soul that she can love and take care of. This season is worth embracing, and holding on to, and cherishing for all that it is.

However, oftentimes, instead of embracing our season of motherhood, we rush it along, trying to fill every minute of our days with tasks, commitments, and people. We try to be supermoms and do all the things. We take on more than we should, and worry and stress over things that should not even have our attention at this time in our lives. 

And all of this not only distracts us from this wonderful season that goes by so fast. But it can keep us from walking with God.

What Does the Bible Say About Seasons in Your Life

As the season begins to change, and we start to make our way into Fall, the earth reminds us that shift is necessary and can be beautiful. Each time the season changes, there is a purpose. And each one of the four seasons fulfills a specific role in the overall flow. 

I think this can also be said about our personal transitions. Each season of life serves a purpose and plays a part in our growth.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

This verse tells us that for EVERY MATTER under heaven, there is a time and a season. So, this means we can apply this to our daily lives. Every matter that concerns us has a time and a season. 
What this tells us is that when you’re in season for a particular matter, then there are other matters that are off-season. So the off-season stuff should probably not be prioritized. Because if it’s not the right time for it, it probably won’t thrive anyway.

We can definitely apply this to our season of motherhood. Motherhood requires a lot. Tiny humans need a lot. And God has equipped moms to handle the task (with His help of course). But when we start to add additional burdens on top of our seasonal priorities, we get overwhelmed, begin to fall short, and forget to walk with God in the season.

This hurts our walk with God because He slowly begins to get pushed further down the list. And because we’ve become so busy, we forget to partner with Him in our parenting.

Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood

So, how do we walk with God in our season of motherhood? What does it mean to walk with God in this season? How do we prioritize the Father with so many other things going on? How can we put God first when there is so much to do?

Well, what I’ve learned is that successfully walking with God as a mom can be achieved by doing two things:

1. Embracing your season as a mom.
2. Inviting God to walk alongside you along the way.

By embracing your season of motherhood, you allow yourself to fall in love with this time in your life where you get to be a mom. You cherish this beautiful job God has bestowed upon you. Embracing it means to lean into it and to stop trying to rush it away. You embrace it when you stop overbooking yourself and just allow yourself to be mommy. 

By embracing the gift of motherhood, you are respecting God’s will for your life in that season. And that place of respect and gratefulness is where you begin to walk with God. With this proper mindset, you can then invite God alongside you as you parent your kids.

Then, inviting God alongside your parenting journey can look as simple as calling out to him when your days are tough. Sometimes it can feel silly to ask God for strength because your toddler just spilled his lunch all over the floor for the second time. Or ask God for guidance on how to potty train. Or cry to God because you aren’t getting enough sleep.

But these are the types of challenges we deal with as mothers. Do we think God doesn’t care? Well, of course, He does. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to, “Cast[ing] all your anxieties on him,  because he cares”. So God 100% cares about our anxieties and problems, no matter how silly and insignificant they seem.

List of Ways to Walk with God In Your Season of Motherhood

Motherhood provides unique opportunities for us to grow spiritually. We are challenged in different ways, and we learn new things about ourselves that we might need to work on. 

And these areas that need improvement can be revealed to us while repeating mundane tasks, or dealing with a tantrum, or cleaning up a mess for the fifth time. We’re working on things like patience, perseverance, grace, understanding, self-control, etc. 

So here is a list of specific, and simple, ways you can walk with God in your season of motherhood:

• Praying/Talking with God when you get frustrated instead of complaining
• Crying to God at night when your baby has woken up for the thousandth time
• Thanking God as you watch your beautiful babies play
• Asking God to help your patience
• Asking God to teach you how to manage it all
• Seeking God’s guidance on the small decisions, like how to prepare healthier meals on a budget
• Reading the Bible as you put your kids to sleep
• Playing worship music while you cook meals
• Stopping in the middle of a meltdown, and just asking Him for strength
• Getting some God-time in before the house wakes up, even if it’s only 10 minutes
• Converse with God constantly throughout the day
• Meditate on scripture while you move around the house
• Being present and undistracted with your kids pleases God as well

Walking with God in this season does not need to be complicated. It doesn’t have to look fancy or revolutionary. It’s simply embracing your season as a mom, and inviting in God’s presence every step of the way.

RELATED: “Call on God When Parenting Gets Hard”

How to Embrace the Season You’re In as Christian Mom

There was a time, a not so far away time, when I felt like being “just a mom” wasn’t enough. I wasn’t offering the world enough. I felt like I didn’t have enough friends to share the gospel with. I wasn’t active enough in my community. I wasn’t visiting friends and family enough. I was just feeling constant guilt from not doing more and being more. 

And I think that happens to a lot of us. We start feeling guilty that we are somehow not doing enough. 

Now obviously, everyone’s situation is a little different. Maybe you should be contacting family more. Maybe you should be checking in on friends more.

However, specifically speaking to mothers, our first ministry is our husband and children. But how can we prioritize them if we are trying to prioritize everyone else? How can we be our best selves for them if we are unable to shake the guilt of not being more for everyone else?

This is not to say we should kick everyone else to the curb and just selfishly focus on our own family unit. But what seems to happen is that we start to harbor guilt for things that God never told us we had to do in the first place, or at least not to the degree that we think we have to.

For example, the Bible talks about how important friendships are. But it doesn’t say we have to have a million different friends in order to be a good friend and value friendship. What if we paired down our friendship group so that we can fully value those few friends, instead of spreading thin for a million?

Another example? Okay. The Bible values helping those less fortunate than us. But that doesn’t mean we have to over-commit ourselves to volunteer three times a week if we don’t have the capacity. If doing that is significantly eating into time with our family or preventing us from getting food on the table, it might be time to cut that down or even completely out for the season.

I had a lady in my neighborhood make the comment to me that because I was a stay-at-home mom, I should volunteer to be on the HOA board. She tried to convince me that it wouldn’t take much time, literally telling me I have the time since I’m home. And I started to allow myself to feel guilty for not doing it. But then I thought, nowhere in the Bible does God put this extra burden on me. I stay home to devote my time to my family. And at this current time in my motherhood season, I do not have the capacity to add extra responsibility. My son is 2, and I’m pregnant. And that was that. I let the guilt disappear. 

Motherhood is already a huge job. And we cannot let the enemy guilt us into taking on so many outside projects and things that we forget about being moms.

How do we embrace our season of motherhood? By resisting the lie from the enemy that we should be doing more than being just moms at any given point. God will direct us if there is something extra He wants us to take on. And God’s direction comes with clarity, not confusion. Peace, not turmoil. And conviction, not burdensome guilt.

How to Know What Season You’re In as a Mom

So, how do we know what season we’re in? How do we know it’s the season to slow down, or the season to take on more commitments? 

There are definitely different seasons of motherhood. There is the newborn stage right after the baby comes home where you get zero sleep and spend all your time changing diapers, feeding, and comforting a crying baby. Then the kids get a little older, maybe they start going to school. That frees up some time. Then they become independent teenagers and you hardly see them.

So, all seasons of motherhood do not look exactly the same. So how do you know what God wants you to prioritize in your current season? Here are a few things that can help you figure out what season you’re in:

1. Seek clarity from God. God is the ultimate source to all our answers. Ask Him to make your path clear.
2. Pay attention to how you feel in your life as it is right now. How are things going for you? Are you constantly feeling stressed, overwhelmed, spread thin? Well, that could be an indication that you’re not operating within your season.
3. Observe your family. How are your choices affecting your husband and kids?

In Conclusion

Walking with God in our season of motherhood is crucial to our sanity and spiritual growth. We cannot do it all alone, and we cannot grow spiritually without inviting Him into our daily lives. 

God’s not waiting for us to have it all together before we come to Him. He wants us to come to Him now, holding a dirty diaper, with a baby on one hip and a toddler pulling at the other. He wants to partner with us in raising our kids. So let’s remember to take His offer, and accept the peace and help that can only He can provide.

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I recently went on the hunt for Christian Apologetics books for kids and was pleasantly surprised that there are more options than I expected! In this post, I want to share a few of the books I found that seemed like good options. 

Even though my son is only two at the moment, as we all know kids grow up quickly. And it’s important that we start preparing for that day when their simple questions turn into deeper Theological questions.

If you don’t know what Christian Apologetics is, you can read my post “What is Apologetics”. But in a nutshell, Apologetics is all about learning to defend the Christian faith with evidence and reason. Apologetics demonstrates how Christianity is not just some feel-good worldview. But it’s a worldview that is backed by actual, reasonable evidence. 

Studying Apologetics as a Christian can really help ground our faith in something that is not dependent upon how we feel. But real solid, scholarly supported evidence that in turn can help us share the gospel a little easier. In my post, “4 Ways Apologetics Can Help You and Your Family Grow Spiritually“, I go more in detail on just how studying Apologetics can help strengthen your entire family spiritually.

When I was younger, I was not introduced to anything close to Apologetics. Like a lot of believers I know, I was simply handed the Bible, went to church, and told God was real. And as I got older, this didn’t change. So when questions starting coming up from either myself or others around me, I had no idea how to answer. And we do not want that to be the experience of our children in today’s world. They will get chewed up by the progressive Christian, and destroyed by the “woke” young culture that is developing.

So that is what sparked my interest in procuring this list. I even found a couple of options for the preschool age group, which is pretty awesome.

Let’s take a look!

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How to Help Your Child Grow Spiritually

As Christian moms, one of our goals is to help our children grow in their faith. There are a ton of different things we can do. And reading good, solid Christian books to them is one way. Teaching kids to defend Christianity at a young age could be a game-changer in our culture.

Take a look below at the 8 different books I found that could be great additions to a child’s collection or even make great Christian gifts for children in your life.

1. Why God?: Big Answers About God and Why We Believe in Him (Ages  4-8)

“Thomas loves to think about silly questions. (Are bats really mice with wings?) But other questions are humdingers . . . like when Thomas wonders, Why God? Why do we believe in Him? That’s when he and his sister, Hope, must go in search of a humdinger of an answer. Come along as they discover the clues God has given us to help us know how real and wonderful He truly is.  

Written by Dan DeWitt, an apologetics professor with a love for stories, Why God? takes apologetics and makes it accessible for children, not only answering their questions but also opening their hearts to the wonders of God.” 

2. Picture Book Apologetics with James and Ruth Book Series (3 Book Series)

“While James and Ruth are playing outside, they meet a grumpy wild pig that challenges their understanding of the universe and God’s creative work. Join them as they learn to think carefully about what they believe and why they believe it as their father teaches them how to defend what they know to be true. This colorful story will encourage deep conversations, help you equip your children with faith-strengthening tools, and embolden them to defend their Christian beliefs from an early age.”

3. Fact or Fantasy (Children’s Bible Study) (Ages 4-9)

“Apologetics for kids! Learn why you believe what you do, and what evidence there is to back it up.”

4. Cold-Case Christianity for Kids: Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective (Ages 8-12)

“Drawing tweens into the thrill of high-stakes investigating, respected cold-case detective Wallace trains them how to think rather than telling them what to think. Showing kids how to test witnesses, examine the evidence, and more, he gives them the investigative skills they need to understand and defend the truth about Jesus.” 

5. The Awesome Book of Bible Answers for Kids! (Ages 8-12)

“Keep this practical guide handy for the next time your preteens ask “Who’s God?” Filled with key Scriptures and topical explorations of forgiveness, right and wrong, making choices, different beliefs and religions, the Trinity, church, prayer, and more, it’s a great way to build a foundation of truth in 8- to 12-year-old hearts. 192 pages, softcover from Harvest.”

6. If I Could Ask God Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids (Ages 6 – 10)

“Does God ever sleep? Did Jesus live before or after the dinosaurs? Kids ask the darndest things about God—and Slattery tackles some of the “toughies”! Using simple language and bright illustrations, she offers fresh answers to questions about faith, prayer, Christianity, and more to help children articulate what they believe and why. Ages 6 to 10. 224 pages, softcover from Nelson.”

7. Young Defenders (4 part book series) (Ages 6 – 11)

“Almost every night Thomas and his father watch the night sky. One night, Thomas has a question: “Dad, how do we know God is out there?” Together, Thomas and his father begin to examine the cosmological evidence for God’s existence as seen through the expansion of the universe. This fun picture book is designed to introduce kids to an important question of the Christian faith in terms even pre-readers can understand. NIV Scripture. 9.25″ x 7.25″. Hardcover.”

8. The Case for Christ for Kids (8 – 12)

“Equip your 8- to 12-year-olds to defend their faith in an unbelieving world! This revised kid-friendly edition of Strobel’s bestseller presents historic evidence, up-to-date scientific research, and true stories taken from Off My Case that provide compelling support for Jesus’ life, ministry, and miracles. Reliable answers for inquiring young minds and hearts! 128 pages, softcover from Zonderva.”

I hope this list of books will help get you started with teaching Apologetics to your kids!

Apologetics Programs for Kids

In addition to the books listed above, I found a couple of really neat Apologetics programs for kids. If you’re looking for a unique way to help your child grow spiritually and teach them Apologetics, one of these programs could be it.

1. The First is foundationworldview.com.

Foundation has two different course options: 1) Comparative Worldview for ages 8 – 12, and 2) Careful Thinking for ages 10 – 14. So if you’re a mom of kids these ages, this might be a good place for your kids to get some Apologetics training. The pricing is affordable, in my opinion, at $175 for each curriculum. Details below.

The Comparative Worldview Curriculum Summary:

“Foundation Comparative Worldview Curriculum equips 8-to-12-year-olds with a biblical worldview and exposes them to the basic beliefs of competing worldviews. This Curriculum sets the stage for critical worldview analysis and biblical worldview integration in every area of life. As children begin to learn the basic tenets of competing worldviews, they quickly will begin to recognize these philosophies in novels, textbooks, television shows, movies, music, and daily conversations.”

The Careful Thinking Curriculum Summary:

Foundation Careful Thinking Curriculum equips 10-14-year-olds with the basic skills they need to evaluate the truthfulness of ideas. This Curriculum sets the stage for critical thinking in every area of life. As children begin to learn the basic skills in careful thinking, they quickly begin to recognize faulty ideas in the world around them.

2. The Second is Kids 4 Truth Clubs

The Kids 4 Truth Clubs teaches “Systematic theology for kids that teaches Bible doctrine. Apologetics for kids!“

“Kids4Truth Clubs helps to fulfill this mission by equipping local churches, families, or ministry-minded individuals to reach kids worldwide through creatively and memorably taught doctrinal truth.”

And one of their goals is to “Define and refine the minimum standard of Christian knowledge that boys and girls ought to have in order to avoid confusion, discourage hypocrisy, and promote authentic faith.”

This program sounds amazing. It seems to be specifically designed for churches versus homeschooling or individual learning. But if you’re open to finding a local club or starting one at your church for your kids, this could be a great program.

Well, that’s the last of it. I hope this list of resources will help you on your journey to help your child grow spiritually. Let’s make a real effort to teach our kids sound doctrine, strong faith, and evidential Christianity.

You might also like:

6 Tips to Make Studying Apologetics Less Intimidating

Apologetics Gift Ideas for the Holidays

“Mama Bear Apologetics” Is a Must-Read for Christian Mothers

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But as followers of Christ, there is another element. Our motherhood journey should include God. So, it will look a little bit differently.

I’ve said it in other posts, and I’ll say it again here. Christian mothers of this next generation have some challenging work ahead. The Truth is being attacked in new ways. And unfortunately, our kids seem to be the main targets.

Being intentional about incorporating Godly principles and values into our children’s daily lives is so important. And demonstrating a life led by Christ is crucial.

It’s not enough to just do the surface level tasks of parenthood. But we should start seeing ourselves as kingdom parents. We should be prioritizing the Kingdom over the world in our daily choices as mothers.

This is one of the reasons I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I figured I could best serve my children and truly focus on their spiritual needs if I was more present in their lives. 

Looking around at the state of the world, I just knew that I had to do something drastic. If I wanted to be my best self as a mother, splitting my time and focus between full-time work and raising my kids would just be too difficult for me.

This isn’t to judge anyone who chooses to work full time as a mom. In fact, I write on this topic in  “What Does the Bible Say About Being a Stay at Home Mom”, if you’re interested. 

My point, however, is that sometimes as Christian mothers, our choices will and should look a little different than the world would expect.

Characteristics of a Good Mother in the Bible

The Bible has a lot of examples of both good and bad mothers. But one scripture speaks volumes to what the biblical principles of motherhood should be. And that is Proverbs 31. A lot of women turn to this chapter in Proverbs for guidance on how to conduct themselves as daughters of Christ and how to fulfil the role of mother in the family. And there is definitely a lot to unpack from a motherhood perspective. Let’s take a look.

First, the chapter starts off with King Lemeul sharing an oracle that his mom taught him. And in it, we can see just what kind of mother she was.

This mother valued wisdom and gave wise advice to her son.

Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings,  O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.

Proverbs 31:3-5

This mother encouraged righteousness and good works. She taught her son kindness and to care for those less fortunate.

Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all  who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights  of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:6-9

It’s good stuff! And then, let’s continue on down to Proverbs 31:10-31. The ESV Bible titles this section as “The Woman who Fears the Lord”. And this Proverbs 31 mother is:

• Hard working with WILLING hands. She is ready to do hard work. (13)
• Sacrificial. She rises early and stays up late to do what she has to do. Her lamp does not go out at night. (15 & 18)
• Smart and financially disciplined. She CONSIDERS a field before buying it; she perceives her merchandise is profitable before selling it. (16 & 18)
• Physically strong to take on the many duties of her home and family. (17)
• Giving, giving to the poor and needy.
• Prepared. She doesn’t fear disaster because she carefully and wisely prepares for the things to come. (21 &27)
• God-fearing. The most important attribute of all. (30)

These are all amazing characteristics to strive for. But I want to also point out another attribute that seriously matters in motherhood. Look at this.

When you read 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes to Peter:

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

It was the strong, sincere, evidential faith of these mothers in Timothy’s life that helped to shape his faith, which Paul recognized in Peter. These spiritual mothers in the Bible, Lois and Eunice, not only had sincere faith, they practiced and demonstrated this faith to Peter, so that it now lived in him also.

Powerful stuff.

So what does this tell us? Let our kids see us practice in good faith all the amazing duties God has called us to do. Let them see what that obedience looks like and what good fruit it will produce.

Christian Motherhood Should Look a Little Different from Secular Motherhood

Now, if you look at the list above of characteristics of a good Christian mother, you might be thinking, what really sets us apart from any other mother? These are all the typical attributes that most moms, Christian or not, try to aspire to, right?

You would think so.

I think most moms desire to be these things, but unfortunately aren’t actively pursuing these characteristics. We as moms can be habitually lazy, habitually ungiving, habitually non sacrificial. Everyone wants to be a good mom, but are we really pursuing it? Are we in active pursuit of this call that God has put on our lives?

Instead of hard-working, we can do the bare minimum for our kids. Maybe instead of cooking healthy dinners, we just order take-out everyday. Cooking healthy, home cooked meals all the time is hard work. But the alternative is unhealthy, overweight children who won’t know how to make healthy food choices when they are older.

Maybe instead of being willing to get our hands dirty, we grumble and complain through our work. We drag our feet and fuss because we don’t feel like doing the house cleaning. Or maybe we complain about our full-time jobs all the time. Our children can witness these moments and potentially pick up the same habits. Instead of valuing hard work, they look at it as something to hate and avoid as they grow up.

Maybe we don’t sacrifice enough for our family or others. Maybe your husband never gets to see you, or your kids have been begging you to take them to the park, but you keep putting it off because you’re too busy doing whatever. If this is a regular issue, that’s the opposite of sacrificial.

The list can go on and on. And this isn’t to make anyone feel like a bad mom. We all have lazy days, moments, or even lazy seasons. We are not perfect.

But the difference between a Christian mom and a non-Christian mom is that we should be actively and diligently pursuing these attributes. We should be asking God to shine a light on those areas that need to be more in alignment with his purpose for us as moms.

The secular world applauds the working mom with a suitcase taking the world on by storm. The mom who does not let her family hold her back from her dreams. But is that worldly vision holding you back from God’s plan for motherhood in your life?

We can pursue our passions and interests, we can find meaningful work outside of home if we feel called to. However, if our children don’t walk away knowing what these attributes look like in you, we are missing the mark.

And obviously, the most important one of all is God-fearing. A woman who does not believe in God cannot be God-fearing. Seeking God is the key to being able to pursue the characteristics that He calls us to strive for in the Bible.

The Impact of a Godly Mother

Amidst the many respectable mothers in the Bible, there are some not-so-respectable ones as well. Let’s take a quick look at King Ahaziah’s mom in 2 Chronicles 22:2-4.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athalia, a grandaughter of Omri. He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord…

As we see, we can have such a strong influence on our children. In a lot of cases, our kids end up spending more day-to-day time with us than their fathers. They pick up our habits and attitudes. They watch us and soak up how we act and how we treat others.

What a blessing it is to be able to have such a strong influence on our children. So it’s our job to make sure our influence is Christ-like. No, there’s no way we can be perfect. Our kids will see us fail. They will see us angry. They will see us frustrated. But how we handle those imperfect moments can make a huge impact. Are we making those imperfect moments habitual? Are they constantly seeing us angry, yelling, gossiping, etc? Or, are they processing those moments as mistakes that we are trying to work on as Christians.

How to Be a Godly Mother in an Ungodly World

With all that being said, what are some practical ways we can apply some of these characteristics that should accompany Christian mothers? It’s easy to simply say we need to be strong, giving, sacrificial, and prepared. But how do we actually put this in practice?

Let’s look at 8 different ways we can practice Godly motherhood so that we can not only be good Christian mothers, but mothers who are serious about our kid’s spiritual future.

Related:  “How to Train up a Child in a Godly Way”

1. Pray like crazy. Become an intense prayer warrior for your kids. Pray often. Pray over their spiritual growth, their faith, their trust in God, their future spouse, etc. Just pray over every aspect of their life. 
2. Teach Truth. Opinions and perspectives are now being taught as “my truth”. But we need to be teaching our children what the Truth is, and what the difference is between truth and emotions. 
3. Teach them to love themselves as God created them. The enemy is after the God-given identity of our kids. It breaks my heart to see parents who should be protecting their kids instead allow them to believe they were mistakenly created to be the opposite sex, for example. As parents, we are supposed to tell them the truth and help them love who God made them, not affirm their lie. 
4. Guard their ear and eye gates. Another practical thing we can do is be careful what we allow them to watch and listen to. I’m not necessarily one to think that evil spirits jump from the TV screen into our souls. However, certain visuals and messages can definitely influence children, leading to opportunities for the enemy to deceive them and lead them astray. 
5. Show them unconditional love while speaking truth and not affirming sin. Too many parents are confusing love with affirmation these days. If our kids do wrong, we should love them fiercely, but we cannot pat them on the back and tell them their sin is okay. Tell them the truth about their sin while loving them. When my toddler hits or throws something he isn’t supposed to, I don’t praise him with,  “Good job! I support you anytime you want to do that.” That’s ludicrous. 
6. Get prepared, stay in God’s word and study diligently. Another thing we can do is stay studied up and in the Word (this is the Bible I’m using). We can’t teach God’s ways if we don’t know them. Be a mom who is serious about your own spiritual growth. And then you’ll have more than “milk” to feed your children as they grow up. I encourage you to download my free Mommy Apologist Bundle to learn more about how you can start preparing now.
7. Have tough conversations about faith. My son is too young for this one. But as he grows, I plan to have the tough talks with him about culture, sin, and hell. If we don’t do this, others will. And others may fill their heads with lies from the enemy. 
8. Demonstrate a godly walk. Let’s make sure our children actually see us walk the talk. Don’t just talk about God but then live habitually sinful lives. If they see us walk it out, this will solidify just how important it is.

I hope that you were able to take something away from this post. And my guess is, if you’re reading this post, you are as determined as I am to not allow today’s progressive culture to take hold of your kids.

I am determined to do everything I can to make sure they know their Creator. I am committed to doing all I can and more as a mom to ensure my children’s fear of the Lord surpasses the fear of the world. 

God bless!

You might also like:

Are You Worried About Your Kid’s Salvation?

4 Ways Apologetics Can Help You and Your Family Grow Spiritually

How to Train Up a Child in a Godly Way

The post How to Be a Good Christian Mother appeared first on .

Since becoming a mother two-and-a-half years ago, I now know exactly how it feels to worry all the time. As moms, we have this strange ability to imagine the worst heart-wrenching ways our children can get hurt. It’s almost like we torture ourselves with the possibilities. Please tell me I’m not alone.

Just about a week ago, me and my husband took our toddler for a walk in the neighborhood. And I went from smiling and laughing at him playing with his dad, to thinking about all the kids who don’t get to enjoy life because they were kidnapped, or they are starving, or they are abused. And I started picturing my son in such scenarios, planning out in my head what I would do if someone suddenly rolled up and tried to kidnap him. 

And just the other day I was watching Titanic. (I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea to watch Titanic while pregnant. I’m an emotional mess). And every scene with a mother and her child had me picturing my son going through that traumatizing experience.

I mean, I could go on. There is no end to it!

On top of that, there’s enough to worry about in the natural, let alone the spiritual! Not only do I have to protect my son from the enemies of the natural world, I have to safeguard him from the dark world that wants to steal his salvation.

Constant Worry About My Child and His Salvation

It’s no secret that our postmodern culture is going in an anti-God direction. Any mature Christian can see that. Not that life has always been the picture perfect Christian world prior to today. But there are new lies surfacing that attack the basic fundamental truths of life. Lies and deception disguised as love and acceptance. 

We are in a time now where we are having to defend things that used to be common sense. Things that if put under a certain light, seem “right”.

Can you imagine how confusing things are for kids right now? The sky isn’t blue anymore, it’s whatever you want it to be. Grass isn’t green, it’s whatever you feel like you want it  to be that day. Truth isn’t truth. Truth is different from person to person. Love is love. You get  my point. 

So we as mothers, parents in general, we have a responsibility to steward our kids through this new web of lies that I don’t think has ever existed before on this scale.

These new lies threaten to steal our children’s souls. These new lies teach an anti-God agenda disguised as a progressive movement that seems to align more with love and inclusivity.

So, with all that being said, of course I worry about my 2-year-olds salvation! I worry that once he gets in school he’ll get swept up in the feel-goodness of it all, and think dear ole’ mom and dad are old-fashioned, religious bigots.

I’m constantly trying to think of ways to protect him from all the mess. But, the truth is we can’t shield them forever. We can do what we can while they are under our roofs, but once they are loosed into the world, what then? So, I worry. 

If this sounds a bit like you and you’re also wondering how to STOP worrying about your child as it relates to his spiritual walk with God, keep reading.

What does the Bible say about Worrying?

So, what are we to do? Worry ourselves to death? Well, that’s definitely not what our Father wants for us. The Bible tells us not to worry about the things of tomorrow because today brings its own problems. God knows what we need.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Mathew 6:34

God tells us not to worry. Worrying does nothing to help a situation. If anything, we should take that worry and convert it into action. Follow God’s instruction from His Word, and apply it to your parenting.

What does God tell me to do as a parent? What are some things I can do now to be in alignment with God’s Word as a mother?

To start, I wrote a post, How to Train Up a Child in a Godly Way, that will give you some ideas and specific scriptures as it relates to parenting. But, let’s talk a little more about taking action.

Am I Doing Enough as a Christian Mother

It’s so easy to think we’re not doing enough as moms. Especially when you start comparing yourself to everyone else. 

But I do think mothers in today’s society have a new challenge, and we might have to step it up a bit more than we’re used to when it comes to instilling our children with Truth.

Is it enough to make our kids go to church on Sunday, and then maybe a weekday service? Is it enough to monitor what they’re watching, who they’re hanging out with, what they’re reading? Is it enough to homeschool them, only let them join Christian youth groups, etc?

Since my son is only 2, and my other isn’t even born yet, I haven’t had the opportunity to do some of these things. However, we’ve all heard stories of devout Christian parents whose children still end up leaving God later in life. Why is that? How could that be? Is it even worth putting in all the effort then?

Here are some alarming statistics:

• 70-75% Chrisitan youth leave church after high school
• More than half of college professors view evangelical students unfavorably
• College professors are five times more likely to identify themselves as atheists than the general public
• Atheists are writing books that are growing in popularity
• Christian youth in America are not being taught to cross examine skeptical and atheistic views.

(Statistics taken from: https://crossexamined.org/youth-exodus-problem/)

Guys…that’s a lot. We have some serious work to do. And unfortunately, as the stats show us, what we’ve been doing in the past has not been working.

However, that’s not to say we should stop all of these efforts. But as I’ve been sitting back and observing what’s been going on around us, and really meditating on how we’re going to navigate the challenging years to come, I’ve landed on 3 key things that I believe are crucial to raising our Chiristian children and letting go of the worry and anxiety.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you!

3 Ways to Ease Your Fears about Your Child’s Spiritual Future

I’m still in the early stages of motherhood. My son is just now starting to really talk, and I’m about to venture into another newborn phase. But, it’s so important to me that I think about these things now and not wait. 

The enemy is constantly plotting, watching us and seeing how they can deceive us. So we cannot afford to wait when it comes to our babies. So that’s why I’ve been spending so much time thinking about this.

We are in real spiritual warfare, and our babies are not exempt. In fact, children are in the perfect state of mind to be deceived. So it’s our jobs as mothers to be diligent. Which bring me to number one on my list of 3 ways to ease our fears.

1. INTENTIONALITY

Being intentional is like my theme right now. This is important in all aspects of life. But especially when it comes to our children. 

It’s not enough, especially these days, to simply teach our kids who God is, and then expect the rest to simply fall in place. We have to actively find opportunities to really instill the Gospel in their hearts. And this can be challenging when it’s not a habit of ours. 

But that’s why I use the word intentional. Sometimes we have to deliberately go out of our way, on purpose, to teach our children in ways that we’re not used to. Our children will be encountering questions and objections that we never had to growing up.

So in order to be prepared to tackle these issues, we can’t just let them happen and deal with them as they come. We must think ahead and plan for these things as best we can. 

That’s why I created The Mommy Apologist Bundle to get you started on your preparedness journey. Click below to learn more. This bundle will help you start asking the right questions and start thinking about things you can do to prepare for the tough questions your kids might ask one day.

Coming to terms with the fact that I must be intentional if I hope to see results has really helped me with the question of how to stop worrying about your child and their spiritual future. It’s brought me peace because it gives me a plan. Instead of drowning in a sea of worry and panic, I have a direction. I need to actively pursue Truth for my kids and constantly share that with them in age appropriate ways.

If you haven’t read Mama Bear Apologetics yet, I highly recommend it. I plan to read it again in a few years as my kids grow. The book shares practical ways you can apply Apologetics in your everyday life with your kids. You can read my review here.

2. OBEY GOD’S WORD

The simplest thing we can do for our kids is obey God’s Word as it relates to raising our children. Let’s look at what the Bible tells us:

Train up a child in the way he should  go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

The rod and reproof give wisdom,  but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Proverbs 29:15

You shall  teach them diligently to your children, and shall  talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way,  and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6:7

These are just a few scriptures in the Bible that guide us on how to parent our children. But we can also find plenty of Biblical examples of good mothers and fathers and learn from their experiences.

The entire Bible is filled with stories from history that are great lessons that we can use to teach our kids. And as Scripture tells us, if we teach them the Word of God diligently, we are on the right path.

God designed the mother/child relationship. So of course He knows what’s best when it comes to how to raise these little ones. Let’s listen closely to His Word and obey. Trusting in God’s parenting advice has been such a huge help in easing my worry. 

If you’re looking for a toddler Bible, this is the one that I’m currently using. It’s cute and simple. Although, don’t underestimate the power of reading an adult Bible to your kids, even if they’re young. God’s Word will penetrate them even if they cannot fully understand what’s being said.

3. REST IN THE FATHER’S PEACE

And last, we have to learn to find peace with the fact that our children belong to God first, and that they’ve only been given to us for a season. 

Ultimately, my son is God’s child, and God wants my son with Him even more than I do. I mean, do we think we love our kids more than God does?

God has commissioned us to steward out their journey while they are under our care. But only God can do the true heart work. So we do our part as He commands us, and when they are no longer under our care, God will still be keeping a close eye on them. 

We have to believe and trust in that. Find peace in knowing that God loves your kids more than you can imagine, and He will leave the 99 for the one.

The truth is, my son is his own soul created by God. He did not come into this world with me, and he will not stand before God next to me. He was created to have his own walk with God separate from me. He is not my possession. God is his first parent, and I have to let go and trust God to do what needs to be done for my child’s salvation.

In Conclusion

So, I hope this post helped to give you some new ways on how to stop worrying about your child and his/her spiritual future. What are some things that you do to help with your worry and anxiety for your kids?

Don’t forget to click the link below to subscribe and get the free Mommy Apologist Bundle. 

God bless!

You might also like:

4 Ways Apologetics Can Help You and Your Family Grow Spiritually

How to Train Up a Child in a Godly Way

What Does the Bible Say About Being a Stay at Home Mom?

The post Are You Worried About Your Kid’s Salvation? appeared first on .

I know, I know. What does Apologetics have to do with spiritual growth? Isn’t Apologetics all about appealing to the reason and logic of man? Isn’t Apologetics more interested in natural evidence and proving skeptics wrong than it is about growing closer to God?

Well, it can seem that way. But let me challenge your thinking.

Consider scenario #1:

A family sits down for dinner, and the child asks his mom where in the Bible does it say being transgender is a sin. Well, it doesn’t directly say that it is. So, how do you respond to this question?

Consider scenario #2:

Your son comes home after graduating college to share with you that he no longer believes in God. And when you dig deeper, you find out it’s because his boss convinced him God was a fairy tale. 

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Well, these two examples are real scenarios shared by real mothers. One, from a Christian stay-at-home-mom group I follow on Facebook. And the second is shared by one of the authors in Mama Bear Apologetics.

How do you respond in these moments? Because these scenarios can be any of us. As mothers, parents in general, we want to see our children grow closer to God. The last thing we ever want or expect is for them to abandon God. Especially simply because they weren’t able to get their faith questions answered.

When you study Apologetics, you are preparing yourself as a mom to help your family build a strong foundation in their faith by standing on the facts. And I am going to share 4 ways this can help you and your family grow spiritually.

Here are 4 ways Apologetics can help you and your family grow spiritually:

1. Apologetics can strengthen your faith with corroborated facts that help you overcome the doubts that hinder spiritual growth.
2. Apologetics is a form of seeking God.
3. Apologetics can teach your kids to identify lies and repel the influence of their non-believing friends.
4. Apologetics can help you understand the Bible better.

Keep reading below to dive a little deeper into each topic.

1. Apologetics can strengthen faith with corroborated facts that help overcome doubts that hinder spiritual growth.

Understanding why Christianity is a reasonable worldview backed by strong evidence can really help build that foundational block for your family’s faith. Because when someone presents an objection to you or your kids, you know that no matter what, there is well-researched evidence that supports what you believe. And that can strengthen your faith tremendously.

Studying Apologetics can help answer some of those burning questions that cause that sliver of doubt that we may not want to admit pops up from time-to-time. Doubting God and the Truth of the Cross is a barrier that can prevent us from getting closer to God. 

Because instead of focusing on building that relationship with God, we end up spending our time questioning His existence. That doubt can creep in and distract us from nurturing our relationship with God, essentially keeping us stuck.

The wealth of Apologetics content available, from answering questions about why there is evil, to dealing with questions about contradictions in the Bible, can help clear up that doubt before it turns into disbelief.

By the way, if you’re interested, a good book that deals with the question of pain and evil is “Should We Fire God” by Jim Pace. And a good book dealing with some of the “contradictions” is “Cold Case Christianity” by J. Warner Wallace.

2. Apologetics is a form of seeking God.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

~ Proverbs 8:17

Learning Apologetics is just another way to seek after God. Studying Apologetics as a family is a great way to come together and seek God. Incorporating some time into this branch of study will do nothing but help you and your family learn more about who God is.

God left us pieces of evidence to help our journey in finding Him. For example, the biggest piece of evidence is the Bible! (Although many skeptics don’t see the Bible as reliable.)

Additionally, God blessed us with minds that have the ability to reason. And I am very thankful for the many Apologists who have devoted their time to helping people see how Christianity is the most reasonable worldview from an ethical, philosophical, archaeological, and even scientific point of view.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you

Mathew 7:7

The Bible tells us if we seek Him, we will find Him. Well, Apologetics is a form of seeking God. And God has continued to show up over the years in Apologetics research and studies as we discover new evidence and perspectives that point to Him.

God is all about evidence. It was the evidence of seeing the bright light of the risen Jesus that converted Paul into a believer of Jesus Christ. (Acts 9). It wasn’t until the disciples saw the evidence of the risen Jesus did they believe Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:11). Thomas literally said he would not believe unless he saw.

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe

~ John 20:24-25

God knew that some people would need strong evidence to help their disbelief. He provided evidence for the disciples. And He continues to do the same now through Apologetics. And many have come to Christ because of the work that Apologetics has accomplished. Not only that, many have grown closer to God and knowing who He is because of their Apologetics seeking.

3. Apologetics can teach your kids to identify lies and repel the influence of their non-believing friends.

As a mom of a toddler, I am worried about how the state of the world will influence my son. I started reading into Apologetics before Skyler (my son) was born. But now that he is in my life, studying how to make a reasonable case for the faith is even more important to me.

Our kids’ souls are at stake, literally. And Apologetics can potentially help us answer the one question that might convert our kids to atheism.

Apologetics can help you be a rock for your family because whenever your kids come home with “so-and-so said this”, you’ve studied and prepared for how to handle it. You’re ready. And your readiness will spill over into your children and help them be ready to identify the many lies they will encounter.

This will help them stand strong against the heavy influences they will  come across. With facts, reason, and a roaring mama bear in their back pocket, they will be able to resist the attempts of Satan to lead them away from God. Resisting the devil will allow them to flourish spiritually because the enemy will have a hard time getting near them.

4. Apologetics can help you understand the Bible properly.

Another amazing way Apologetics can help you grow spiritually is by expanding your Biblical understanding. I am currently studying through The Apologetics Study Bible which has over 100 articles geared at answering tough faith questions that skeptics use to raise objections to the Bible.

Additionally, each book of the Bible starts with an introduction giving some history and background of the author, information about the culture at the time, and details as to why the book is reliable. Why does all this matter?

Because understanding the cultural context and literary style of scripture can help us properly break down a verse’s meaning. As opposed to twisting scripture to mean something that God and the author never intended for it to mean.

Properly understanding scripture is an important key to getting to know who God is and His ways.

The research that apologists have contributed to the historicity of the Bible over the years is phenomenal. And the results of that research helps us to properly interpret and understand passages.

In Conclusion

So, those are the four ways studying Apologetics can help you and your family grow spiritually. Knowing how to reasonably defend the claims of Christianity can help us bring others to Christ, as we are called to make disciples of all nations. (Mathew 28:19-20).

I know some still view Apologetics as an unnecessary part of the Christian walk. But, I think that in today’s climate, it is more necessary than ever before.

What do you think? Do you think introducing Apologetics to your family will help you all grow spiritually?

You might also like:

6 Tips to Make Studying Apologetics Less Intimidating

7 Ways to Fight Distractions Hindering Your Spiritual Growth

How Christian Journaling Can Help You Grow Spiritually

The post 4 Ways Apologetics Can Help You and Your Family Grow Spiritually appeared first on .

It’s that time of year again. The Christmas trees go up, lights and decorations line the streets, and holiday shopping begins.

You enter a department store with your kids, and there sitting by the toy department is a man dressed in a red suit saying, “Ho Ho Ho”. Santa has visited the store and there is a line of children lined up to sit on his lap.

Your two children are begging you to get in line. What do you do?

Christians and Santa. Santa seems to be the symbol of Christmas these days; the mascot that gets all the attention. We seem to see more blow-up Santas than nativity scenes decorating lawns. The highly anticipated Christmas specials on TV are mostly devoid of anything Jesus related. And the big man in the red suit litters the shopping malls.

So, the question is, should Christians jump on board with this trend? And more importantly, should we allow our children to believe in Santa?

Christians and Santa and The Origins of Christmas

Okay, so most of us already know that Christmas did not start off as a Christian holiday. And if you didn’t already know that…well now you do. You’re welcome.

But instead of diving into the fascinating details about how Christians came to celebrate the day, I would like to share some great resources that do a great job explaining the origins of Christmas below.

1. 25 Popular Holidays With Surprisingly Pagan Origins – Excellent YouTube video that breaks down the origins of several holidays that we celebrate.
2. 6 Arguments Against Christmas And Why They’re Wrong – Very detailed and informative presentation about the origins of Christmas and how Christians and Santa became entangled in the same holiday.
3. Why We Celebrate Christmas in December and Other Traditions – A fun but insightful blog post highlighting and explaining the origins of many of the Christmas traditions we participate in.

So, if you’re at all interested in how Christmas started, these are three resources that I found to be very helpful. But long story short, Christmas was not originally a Christian holiday. In fact, Jesus was not even born in December.

However, let’s refocus. This post is not focused on the origins of the day, but rather on the figure in the red suit that climbs down chimneys and leaves presents for all the little girls and boys.

Santa was a real figure in history. That’s an undisputed fact. According to this article on Biography.com, Santa was actually St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop who was widely known for helping the needy. And his life eventually became a legend, and then somehow turned into the fairy tale that we all know today.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good Santa Claus story. There are several Christmas movies about Santa that I look forward to watching every year. But, Christmas is about Jesus, not Santa, right? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

So, the question remains, should we allow our Christian children to BELIEVE IN the fairy tale version of Santa? Should we let our children to believe in the magic of Santa, and to put their hopes in a figure who just isn’t real? Is taking the focus off Jesus and putting it on Santa a good idea?

5 Reasons We Should Not Allow Our Children to Believe in Santa

So, let’s just dive right in. Below are 5 reasons why teaching our children to believe in Santa Claus might not be a good idea.

1. It’s a lie, and lying is a sin.

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Proverbs 6:16-10

The Bible is very clear about God’s stance on lying. And to get straight to the point, telling our children that Santa Clause is real, he will bring them toys through the chimney, and he knows when they are good or bad is very simply put…a lie.

That’s no secret. No one can dispute that.

So we have to ask ourselves, is this something Jesus would want us to tell our children? Would Jesus approve of this lie just because it’s fun and magical?

2. It teaches them lying is okay.

Telling our children that Santa is real, when we know he is not, teaches them that lying is okay.

At some point, your little ones will grow up and find out the truth. And when they find out that mommy and daddy lied to them, even though they knew the truth all along, not only will they be hurt, they will think it’s okay to lie sometimes.

If we treat lying, even for something as innocent as Santa, with the attitude that it’s no big deal, this could lead to our children thinking lying is no big deal. And we shouldn’t be surprised if they start telling us little lies of their own.

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Mathew 18:6

3. It can cause them to lose trust in you as a parent.

Children believe just about anything that we, their parents, tell them. Can you imagine having that level of trust, to then find out that you were deliberately lied to by the people you trusted most?

I did not grow up believing in Santa. So, I don’t know firsthand what this feels like. But I have heard some stories of how friends and family were hurt when they found out the truth as kids. And I never understood why parents choose to tell an avoidable lie that would hurt the kids once the truth was discovered.

As a kid, you must start wondering, “Hmm, if they lied about this, what else have they not been honest about?” The last thing I want is for my kids to start doubting everything I teach them. God forbid they start questioning the truth about God. If Santa is a lie, then maybe God is too.

4. It ruins Christmas…forever.

Okay, maybe not forever. That’s an exaggeration. And maybe ruin is a strong word.

But once your child learns the truth, Christmas time could bring up sad memories for them moving forward, at least while they’re still young.

Of course, they will eventually get over it. But just about everyone remembers how and when they found out Santa wasn’t real. Why create a bad memory that never needed to be there in the first place?

5. It takes away from the true meaning of the day.

The final, and perhaps the biggest reason, not to allow our children to believe in Santa is because it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is not about presents or some man in a red suit. Christmas is about Jesus, not Santa. It’s about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Christians and Santa don’t necessarily have to be enemies. But, Santa should never be a replacement for Christ or even taught side by side as the truth.

Christmas is About Jesus, Not Santa

It’s easy to fall victim to the hustle-and-bustle of Christmas. I go Christmas shopping just like everyone else. And I admit I often get swept up in the flashiness of Christmas. What, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and Christmas movies featuring Santa and Frosty. It’s all fun and you get lost in it.

But we must remember to bring it back to Truth, especially for our children’s sake. It seems silly. But it’s important to ask ourselves, does lying about Santa please God? Shouldn’t we ask this question with everything?

I know, this all seems like an unnecessarily extreme perspective to take. But I think if we are wanting to please God as scripture tells us to, we might need to do a self-check and truly ask if what we’re doing is in line with the Word of God. Even if it looks or seems ridiculous.

In the end, we can still enjoy the holiday season. We don’t need to give up all the things. However, whichever traditions or customs we choose to keep should not go against God’s Word, disobey, or dishonor Him.

So, what do you think? Christians and Santa…should they co-exist? Is Santa harmless? Do you think God cares?

You might also like:

Christians & Halloween: To Celebrate or Not to Celebrate?

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It’s often said that children are the future. And it’s true. Our kids will be the next leaders and voices making change in this world. And their kids after them.

And that adds a different weight to the duties of motherhood. 

It doesn’t take much effort to see that the earth is suffering greatly because of sin and the work of the evil one. And as a mom, this oftentimes feels scary.

How can I raise my son in such a world? How can I bring him up to do right and serve God in a world that is increasingly becoming more accepting of sin? A world that not only accepts sin but celebrates it.

Well, first, we don’t do it alone.

God is there to help, so let’s not forget that we can lean on Him, even for seemingly silly parenting struggles.

RELATED: Call on God When Parenting Gets Hard

But secondly, we should do more than just raise our kids to know God and to do what is right. That’s just the start of it. That’s only the base.

After teaching our kids who God is and the right way they should go, we should train them to be Kingdom Warriors. We should teach them not to be Christian bystanders, watching others take on all the risks and do all the Kingdom work.

We should show them how to be active participants in the battle to win souls.

We need to teach our children to work hard for the glory of God.

How to Train up a Child in a Godly Way: Training Kingdom Warriors

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.

So, how do we do this? How do we prepare our children to not just be believers, but active warriors working for the Kingdom?

Well, we can start by simply doing our part. God has given us a very special role in our kids’ lives. He is trusting us to steward them through this life.

So here are 6 ways we can start to do our part in stewarding our little ones:

• Pray over them. Pray over your kids. And I mean really pray. It’s easy to remember to pray for the basics: protection, safety, health. And these are, of course, great things to pray for. But I say take it deeper. The enemy is prowling. And the minds of our children can be easy prey if we allow it. God put these babies in our care. And not just physically. Let’s be intentional about covering our children in serious prayer. Some examples:
  • Pray for their spiritual gifts to be manifest!
  • Pray that they will resist the devil!
  • Pray that they will walk by faith and not by sight!
  • Pray for their spiritual discernment!
  • Pray for their future spouse!

• Speak over them. Much like prayer, where we ask for the grace of God to cover them, we should decree and declare God’s promises over their lives. Don’t just ask but declare in the name of Jesus.  

• Monitor what they watch and listen to. Let’s be diligent about protecting our children’s eye and ear gates. Keep as much evil from their sight as early as possible. Guard their minds. Even something that seems harmless can spark an innocent curiosity that the enemy can use later.

• Pay attention to who they are friends with. Watch who their friends are. That’s not to say our children must be friends only with “perfect” kids, because our kids are not perfect either. But the enemy often uses peer pressure and the influence of friends to twist truth. I pray that my son befriends everyone, but radiates Truth so that instead of being influenced, he is the influencer. However, our children are often too young to recognize a harmful friendship that could lead them astray. That’s where we come in.

• Learn Apologetics as a parent! Apologetics helps us to tackle the tough questions about the evidence, reason, and trustworthiness of the Bible. Learning to reasonably defend our faith will help prepare us to answer the tough faith questions that are sure to come. Mama Bear Apologetics is a great book to start learning about apologetics and why it matters for moms.

• Talk to them about God. Tell them who God is. Allow them to see you read the Bible and worship. Casually mention God in conversation, when out and about, when doing the normal things. Make God a regular part of daily life.

Are you a stay-at-home mom looking for encouragement? Please visit my new site www.allthingssahm.com, where I provide free faith-based devotionals, uplifting content, and more.

Teach Your Children HOW

Now that we know what we can do as parents, what can we teach our kids to do for themselves? As parents, we are essentially preparing our children for a life of independence. They can’t always depend on us to feed them, bathe them, and drive them everywhere.

At some point, they have to do these things on their own.

And this also applies to their faith. Once out on their own, it’s up to them to keep the fire going; to continue to grow spiritually and seek God.

However, there are some things we can begin to teach our children now to prepare them for this life of independence.

Below I’ve put together a list of 9 things we can teach our children to do for themselves to prepare them for spiritual battle.

1. Teach them HOW to pray, not just TO pray.
2. Teach them how to be THINKERS, so they aren’t easily influenced.
3. Teach them how to LOVE, as defined by scripture.
4. Teach them to STUDY the Bible, and not just brush over the words.
5. Teach them what it means to WORSHIP, so they connect with God.
6. Teach them to PRAY DEEPLY, and not just recite cute poetry prayers.
7. Teach them how to FAST, and why it’s important.
8. Teach them to SEEK God diligently, in both good and hard times.
9. Teach them how to SERVE others with a generous heart.

(You can download a free printable of this full list below.)

In Conclusion

Our children will not always live under our roof. So we have to equip them to be ready when it’s time to leave the nest. We can prepare them for college, how to manage money, and how to gas up a car. But let’s also prepare them for the spiritual war that they will face on their individual walks.

You might also like:

What Does the Bible Say About Being a Stay at Home Mom?

How to Teach Toddlers About God

“Mama Bear Apologetics” Is a Must-Read for Christian Mothers – Book Review

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